IMG 7501-Asiatic lily and monarda.. chums!

So beautiful! I bet it has a wonderful fragrance.

Andy: Monarda has a lovely aroma. If you've ever had Earl Grey Tea you know the smell. Sadly the lilies have no scent at all. I have planted madonna lilies but this year with the dry conditions only the hardiest have bloomed. I have a L. "Vermeer" which managed only two blooms, and it usually blooms very profusely, but sadly they've bred the scent out of that one too.

Awww! That's too bad about the scent. I know many of the species of lilies had wonderful fragrances!

I have Crinum species. My pink one is flowering right now and my Crinum 'Queen Emma' is flowering now, also.

Have to admit it...I had to look up the crinum. I see why you enjoy them...they really are spectacular. They must like the humidity (even if you don't)..! lol... I also saw reference to a small lily Habranthus robustus, or Rain lily, hardy to zones 7-11. They are really pretty too, and spring into bloom with the rain...hence the name! pink, orange and yellow colours. So many of the plants we gardeners dote on and fuss over began in the wild and someone has worked on them. Sometimes it is a real improvement but there's always an undefinable element in the wild flowers that I see and value. (I'm partial to wildflowers, can't you tell?) How are your orchids? I've set mine out in a shady spot and the phal that's been blooming since March, just dropped it's last petals and has put up a new flower spathe! Bonus!

I think I have Habranthus robustus growing in my Ice Cream Bean tree (Inga edulis). I think it came with the tree which I've had for more than 20 years.

I don't know if you can grow the Crinum up there. I know Queen Emma lily is really tropical. It grows very large and can bloom any time of the year. My pink Crinum is evergreen, also. It just bloomed. I didn't get to take any photos. The flowers didn't last long because of this damned heat!

My few orchids that I have are growing pretty well. They do well in summer. It's just fall and winter when they have the major problems. The very high heat and extremely low humidity during the Santa Ana's (winds) conditions are the reason. This is when the humidity can go below 5 percent.

Wow! That's amazing your Phalaenopsis is growing and flowering so well.

You know what they say about not counting your chickens!... the new spathe on my phalaenopsis has put out three flower buds but with all the heat, they've dried up! I also read that phals can be "shocked" into blooming by giving them nite temps in the 60's F. otherwise their favourite temps are in the low 80's. This may have happened during the winter nights...and then again just after I put them out in the shade hut. Now that it's stabilized into a high temp pattern they're shutting down again. they also have what looks like a canker or fungus. It's black and circular and it probably came out of the rain from smoke filled clouds.
Have you had many "beans" on your Inga edulis over the 20 years? Sounds like a totally useful and wonderful plant, or should I say tree. I'm trying to get to know the indiginous plants in the Boreal forest.. I don't know if I'll live long enough to catch up on the tropical rain forest. I'd love to try though. Thanks for posting this it's always satisfying to be able to tune into someone elses garden and enjoy the differences.

I'm so sorry to hear about the flower spike! :>((

I've had very few Ice Cream beans over the last twenty year. It's because it's in a pot. If I had it planted in the ground it would produce copious amount of pods. I haven't the room for it, though. It grows into a huge tree, extremely fast. I've seen it grown in some gardens around here, it takes up a tremendous amount of space. It's best as a park or orchard tree.

This tree in Balboa Park is enormous now. It's cut back drastically every year.

http://www.growsonyou.com/photo/slideshow/258918-inga-edulis-ice-cream-bean-tree-in-full-flower/all