Spring Has Sprung….February GBBD

Pink Beauty

The weather has warmed into the low 70’s this week and the flowers are beginning to burst out of their buds….

full bloom

 Pink Beauty (Eremophily laanii)  The first few blooms are beginning to appear on this Australian native. Grows up to 6 ft. high and blooms spring through fall.

Desert Senna

Desert Senna (Senna artemisiodes sturtii)

Another of my Australian favorites and are drought tolerant and extremely easy to grow.

Grows up to 6 ft. high and flowers in the spring. 

Firecracker Penstemon

Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatonii)

This Southwest Desert native has reached full bloom, causing hummingbirds to eagerly drink of it’s nectar.

Grows up to 2 ft. high, when flowering.  Blooms winter through spring (removing spent flowers, will cause more blooms to form and prolong the flowering period).

Palo Verde

‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde (Parkinsonia hybrid ‘Desert Museum’)

It’s early, but the first few blooms on my Palo Verde tree are starting to appear.

This beautiful tree grows approximately 30 ft. high and wide.  In late spring, the tree will be a mass of beautiful yellow flowers.

Bower Vine

Bower Vine (Pandorea jasminoides)

This blossom is ready to open and join it’s neighbors and reveal its magenta heart.

Grows on a trellis for support and blooms fall through spring in the desert. 

full bloom

Purple Lilac Vine (Hardenbergia violaceae)

My second favorite Australian native, is in full bloom and is buzzing with bees.

Grows on a trellis or as a groundcover.  Blooms in February. 

full bloom

Violas and Alyssum

My annuals have bloomed non-stop all winter and show no signs of quitting any time soon.

full bloom

Valentine (Eremophila maculata ‘Valentine’)

My favorite Australian native who is aptly named for the time of year when it reaches full bloom.

Grows approximately 3 ft. high and wide.  Blooms December through April.

This is my monthly contribution to Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day, which occurs on the 15th of each month.  Please visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens to see what is blooming in other gardens around the world.

Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
36 replies
  1. noel
    noel says:

    aloha noelle,

    what a riot of colors and a celebration for bloom day, i love the first pic of the pink beauty…what a nice collection you have blooming today. I enjoyed reading your beautiful post today:)

  2. Kate
    Kate says:

    So nice to see a garden in bloom this early in the year! All beautiful pics by that Lilac Vine!! I love that! (And, yes, I know… I've left you that same comment on previous posts. Can't help it. I think I need to move to AZ!)

  3. lostlandscape (James)
    lostlandscape (James) says:

    Hardenbergia is a popular plant out my way, too. I can see why you like it! And the penstemon is an electric shock of red this time of year. I just saw it in a seed catalog I had on my nightstand last night. I should get some seed for next season's blooms.

    Enjoy your spring!

  4. Meredith
    Meredith says:

    That firecracker penstemon is gorgeous! I love picturing it visited by hummingbirds. You have a lovely garden, even in February. Mine isn't doing much at the moment, so I'll enjoy yours today. 🙂

  5. Brad
    Brad says:

    Wow I really like that firecracker penstemon. Much more interesting than our native penstemon. And your hardenbergia puts mine to shame.

  6. tina
    tina says:

    I was reading Gippsland Gardener and she was explaining how her zone in Australia would relate to ours here and it was interesting to note she is in an area like yours. Makes sense that Australian natives do so well there. They sure are pretty and this posts warms me here (low 20s-brrrr)!

  7. FlowerLady
    FlowerLady says:

    Noelle ~ What interesting flowering plants you have. I am in love with your Hardenbergia violaceae. What a difference in where one lives as to what one can grow. Your bloomers are really lovely and different.

    FlowerLady

  8. Kathleen
    Kathleen says:

    Oh Noelle, how beautiful everything is ~ I'd love to sit in your garden and soak up some of the 70 degree weather and your blooms. This time of year (and the last few months) it has to be so nice to live where you do! Happy Bloom Day!

  9. ryan
    ryan says:

    Its great to see a garden with plants looking so prime this month. I saw thousands of palo verdes last month in baja and not a single flower. There one of the more fascinating trees I've ever seen.

  10. Martha
    Martha says:

    Wow. What a delightful surprise! I didn't realize the weather is so different in Phoenix than in Las Cruces, NM, where my husband's work has been taking him. I love the Valentine.

  11. Martha Z
    Martha Z says:

    A wonderful show of the desert in bloom.
    By the way, you have inspired me. I now have a compost tumbler tucked way behind the lemon tree where hopefully they HOA won't see it.

  12. ChickenFreak
    ChickenFreak says:

    Beautiful photos. I keep staring at your lovely photo posts with my brain saying, "Sun? Flowers? Does not compute." It may be different when winter's over. 🙂 But I wanted to comment at least once to say: They're lovely.

  13. Rose
    Rose says:

    So beautiful, Noelle! It's refreshing to see some real spring blooms today. I remember seeing the Palo Verde trees in full bloom last March when we visited my Daughter. They were gorgeous! But I think the purple lilac vine has to be my new Arizona favorite–what a beauty!

  14. VW
    VW says:

    Look at all those beautiful blooms. I don't have any at all to post right now, although my neighbor's yellow crocus are blooming already. I was happy to see some color in her yard, if not in mine.

  15. Andrea
    Andrea says:

    Wow, Noelle, those are super lovely blooms. My favorite is violas, but i also love your firecracker, valentine and of course the purple lilac vine. It is lovely to see these plants without any weeds around them, just the small gravels.

  16. bloominrs
    bloominrs says:

    I love looking at your blog to see some familiar plants with many unfamiliar. My firecracker penstemon won't bloom till May. The sunshine in your photos really warms the spirit.

  17. Jan (Thanks For Today)
    Jan (Thanks For Today) says:

    Having always lived in the mid-Atlantic states I might have a bit of difficulty adjusting to life in AZ, however, I would have NO problem 'coping' with non-stop blooms! You have a veritable smorgasbord there…Happy Bloom Day!

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