Flowers are popping up all over the places in succulent gardens this time of year. Echeverias, with their tiny, tinker-bell shapped flowers, and agaves, shooting giant 30′ blooms, but none is more spectacular than the chilean bloomer, Calandrinia Grandiflora. This wonderful drought tolerant plant comes from a part of Chile that has a very similar climate to southern california and shoots large, 2’-3’ blooms, all summer long. In fact, some gardeners say their plants bloom year round, and most definitely spring through fall. The foliage is a bit nondescript on this particular cultivar, but the beautiful lavender flowers make it a great flowering shrub in a soft, drought tolerant, garden.