This week's Bay Area heat wave brought a couple of nice surprises to our front yard garden: unexpected blooms. Thanks to three straight days of mercury-rising, 90-degree temperatures, the first blooms for our camellias and the unexpected blooming of our rhododendrons have added a pretty dash of autumn color.
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Second-wave rhododendron:
Fall blooms are adding a
pretty dash of autumn color.
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We trimmed both our
camellia and
rhododendron bushes during summer to enable their respective branches more room for new growth. So, imagine my double-take when I stepped outside a couple of days ago to turn on the water sprinkler and discovered new blooms opening up for both of our front-yard bushes.
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Unexpected bloom:
Our camellias usually don't
bloom until Halloween. |
As I write, two camellia blooms and nine rhododendrons blooms have debuted, and I expect more blooms will open soon. Usually, our camellias open later in the fall season ~ by Halloween ~ then continue through autumn and into winter. While it's not uncommon to have a second wave of rhododendron blooms in the same calendar year (regular blooming occurs in spring), it's not an annual event. Still, it's a welcome sight on a hot day.
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Casual but welcome:
An All That Jazz rose opens
its petals and reveals
a vivid salmon orange inside. |
Meanwhile, credit the heat wave for bringing a welcome bloom from our
All That Jazz rose bush. Its demeanor may be more casual and the quantity of its blooms less than some of our more productive rose bushes like the Queen Elizabeth and Mr. Lincoln. However, when temperatures rise like they did earlier this week, our All That Jazz choreographs a great entrance in our garden that would make
Bob Fosse proud.
Bursting out in blossom ~ painting the dance floor in a vivid salmon orange ~ and singing a Broadway tune. That's All That Jazz.
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