Question
QUESTION: Hi, do you know of any flowers that bloom throughout all seasons?  I live in sunny Los Angeles.  Someone told me Daisies are the only ones.  
Any advice much appreciated!

Tim

ANSWER: Many a flower blooms intermittently throughout the year in the Plant Kingdom.  The list would number in the millions for your Zone 10.

'Daisy' is a generic word for umpteen gazillion plants with Yellow centers and elongated radiating petals.

You need some everblooming choices.  Beyond that, you'll need to narrow it down by Sun exposure, Soil description, and moisture availability.

Many of the plants we need greenhouses for up here are everblooming happily in Zone 10 and south, you lucky duck, although my taste in flowers runs to the eclectic and you probably have not heard of many of them.  Right now a 10-year-old Night Blooming Cestrum is blooming with abandon in the skylit attic, which is a shame because it is strongly fragrant when it gets dark -- and no one smells it in the attic.

It is however too cool to place it outside where the world can appreciate it.  And it is not a pretty plant, although it is not ugly either.

My point is, beauty being in the eye of the beholder, I will need more direction from you to narrow this down.  Please advise.  Meantime, please also get a clarification from your friend about why s/he specified that 'Daisies' are 'the only ones'.

L.I.G.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, thanks for the reply.  To clarify, the sun exposure if excellent, soil quality good (I usually add in some Gromulch mix), the water supply excellent (sprinkler system).  I'm looking for a list of maybe 3-5 flowering plants that will last at least a few years and bloom intermittently all year.  I'm also looking for plants that are easy to find and can be found readily at the local nursery.  

Thanks!
Tim

Answer
In the plugged in 21st Century, almost any plant you want is easy to find, my friend.  Your local garden center is going to stock up the most popular plants based on market trends; I would have no way of knowing what they are having delivered tomorrow, what they ran out of yesterday, etc.  My guess is that you would find quite a few right now that would make you very happy.

Best results I suspect would be a combination of local tried-and-true plus your own imports.  Don't think your garden center is going to have the ultimate selection.  A lot of what they sell after all is based on things like profit, delivery, availability, credit issues, plus the aforementioned popularity and other factors.  For a landscape above and beyond ho-hum, pick up a few locals, then let your fingers do the walking.

In Southern California, Daylength-neutral tropical plants will bloom in spurts throughout the year.  Some are boldly colored and impressive; some are just nice to have around:

Gardenia Four Seasons is a new Gardenia variety, a white flowered shrub most prized for its strong fragrance.

Torenia fournieri is a small flowering groundcover with velvety violet flowers.  Somewhat drought tolerant.

Tropical Hibiscus are commonly available, but some feature dinner plate sized blooms in colors that are so strong they look painted.  Grows well in containers if that's an issue.  Winn Soldani is a breeder with a world class reputation.  Although these are VERY easy plants, to err is human -- and Soldani coaches customers who need it so that his plants grow into strong, healthy bloomers.

Plumerias - P. pudica is one of the newer everblooming introductions.  They are known for beautiful scent.

Flowering Ginger - not everblooming, but the flowers are very long lasting and these are interesting and easy to grow.

You can buy these online at these websites:

Easy to Grow Bulbs:
www.easytogrowbulbs.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=12

Winn Soldani's Tropical Hibiscus:
www.fancyhibiscus.com/

Top Tropicals:
toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi

Phoenix Tropicals
www.phoenixtropicals.com/plumeria.html

I just think it is a shame not to take advantage of the beautiful climate you are so lucky to have.  Note please I resisted putting Orchids on that list -- they can be unsightly when not in bloom, and are probably a little over the top.  But if you would like a great list of suppliers that are going to be moderately priced, let me know.

I hope this was helpful.  Thanks for writing.

L.I.G.