Garden Blogger's Bloom Day May 2022

It's late autumn here in South Australia, but in reality, it feels more like winter as our rainy season has well and truly arrived. Though I aim to have a plentiful supply of flowers in my garden throughout the year, this month feels like slim pickings, however I still managed to find a few blooms as I wandered around with my camera recently. The standouts this month are the Schlumbergera sp. With their dazzling colours, they brighten the garden on cold, drizzly days. This one is Schlumbergera 'Millie'.

Schlumbergera 'Millie'

Schlumbergera 'Millie' with Iresine herbstii below

This yellow / buff variety is a favourite for its unusual colouring:

 On closer inspection, I noticed something unusual going on....

 

 

At first, I though the salmon blooms might sprouting from a separate plant (often several cuttings are placed in the same pot to create a fuller basket for sale). However, on closer inspection, I noticed that both yellow and salmon blooms are growing from stems of the same individual plant, so I guess that makes the salmon flowers a natural sport. I've seen this happen on a camellia in my garden before, but never a zygo.

Pretty cool. Next up, we have the old faithful bloomers; these plants always seem to be in bloom, no matter what time of year it is. Aechmea fasciata flowers last 12 months in my garden. You can't ask for more than that! 

 

Cuphea purpurea 'Elite Honey Bells' just happily plods along, never without a smattering of pink and yellow tubular blooms:

 

 

Next up is good old shrimpy Justicia brandegeeana. It was always a mainstay in my Grandmother's garden and now in mine too:

 

 

Salvia discolor also takes out the award for most floriferous; the silver calyces contrasting beautifully with the purple blooms of the salvia behind. 

 

Another salvia, this one is 'Wendy's Wish':

 

Though they slow down a little in the cooler months, these begonias still bloom year 'round for me. Unfortunately I don't have an ID for either. The pink pendulous one belonged to my Grandmother.

These Begonia maculata (pink and white forms) are newish to me. This is the first time they have flowered:

 

 

Euphorbia milii hybrids are rarely without a bloom:

 

 

This one is 'Neptune':

 

 

 

I love the colour (and the way it picks up on the pink tinges of the Aeonium 'Kiwi' in the background):

 

 

 Next up is Euphorbia x 'Lipstick':

 

While we're on the topic of succulents, Disocactus macranthus is getting ready to explode into bloom. There must be hundreds of buds on there. This more than compensates for the large zygo to the right, which has a grand total of zero blooms this year. It recieves too much light from a nearby streetlight in that position, and thus does not get the requisite number of darkness hours to initiate blooming. I should move it, but it is... heavy!

 

 A closer view:

 

Closer still, with our favorite porthole window in the background:

 

And the first bloom. It smells amazing:

 

 

Nodding violet Streptocarpus caulescens, blooming away happily with very little attention...

...in that illusive shade of blue/purple that cameras struggle to detect accurately:

Late autumn here brings chrysanthemums. I must plant more:

Salvia leucantha 'Harry's Red' is still going strong, but Sedum 'Autumn Joy' no longer looks joyful, however, I still like the spent seed heads:

The tree dahlia Dahlia imperialis is out, albeit with smaller blooms than usual due to lack of summer watering while I was laid up after ankle surgery. Despite being a windy day, the bees were still keen on it:

Mexican tree daisy Montanoa bipinnatifida is about to burst into life. Last year it arched over and touched our neighbours' roof. Luckily they are very nice neighbours!

Soon these will be fresh white daisy flowers:

There's still just enough warmth around for the hibiscus. They'll retreat soon as cooler weather sets in:

No ID hibiscus

Hibiscus 'Wilder's White'

Heading inside now, where string of turtles Peperomia prostata is throwing out its weird wormy blooms:

I wonder why they evolved to look this way?

That's it for May 2022 Bloom Day from South Australia. Head on over to Carol J. Michel's blog page May Dreams Gardens to see what's happening in other blogger's gardens around the world.