Narcissus make me wonder. Both paperwhite and common daffodil, as well as a few fancier daffodil, bloom here as if they were in a climate that is more conducive to such performance. The happiest naturalize and slowly multiply. Not many bulbs do so where winter weather is so mild. That is why I do not bother with tulip or hyacinth, although a few hyacinth have also been performing reliably here for many years.

Peony is very marginal here. I know that they perform inexplicably well for some neighbors, but none have ever done well for me. I really do believe that they prefer more chill than they experience here. Realistically, winter weather is relatively mild here.

Yet, I am not convinced that it is as mild as I have always believed it to be. Some who are unfamiliar with California believe that we experience only two seasons, which are summer, and a few days annually that are not summer. I know better. No one argues that the warm and dry summers here last longer than elsewhere. Prior to summer though, spring is likely comparably to spring within other climates. After summer, autumn, although mild, is cool enough to initiate autumn foliar color. Then, winter is cool. Really, it is cool enough for deciduous species to defoliate, and for mild frost. It may not get as cold as it does in other climates, but how cold does it need to be to qualify as winter?

I am satisfied with the winters here. I can grow all of the deciduous fruit trees that I want to grow. This is one of the best climates in the World for roses. These daffodils seem to be quite satisfied as well. In fact, they sometimes stay dormant later here than in climates with cooler winters!