Monday, January 15, 2018

Bloom Day & IaVoM Mash-up - January 2018

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and In a Vase on Monday are once again falling on the same date so I'm mashing the 2 posts together.

Last week, our long dry spell came to an end.  We registered just over an inch of rain here over the course of 2 days.  Unfortunately, some of the areas burned by Southern California's recent wildfires received much more, leading to horrific mudslides in Montecito in Santa Barbara County, resulting in at least 20 deaths, massive property losses, and the complete closure of a major highway connecting the northern and southern parts of the state.  This past weekend witnessed the return of the nasty Santa Ana winds, once again dropping humidity levels and raising temperatures to summer-like highs.  Yet, despite Mother Nature's turmoil and a general shortage of rainfall, the plants in my garden are blooming right on schedule.

This month's stars are the Leucadendrons.

This is Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' at its very best.  Unfortunately, a gardener mistook my larger specimen as a hedge and hacked away all its lower blooms.

Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' is also at peak winter bloom

Leucadendron 'Blush' (top) looks great when back-lit.  The same is true of L. 'Summer Red' (bottom, left).  While a little scruffy right now, the blooms of L. 'Safari Sunset' (bottom, right) are still attractive.


The Camellia sasanquas featured last month are bloomed out but Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection' has taken up the slack.

This hybrid Camillia benefits from a shady spot protected from the wind next to the garage


Two more Grevilleas are blooming, joining those that bloom most of the year.

The rosy red and white blooms of Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' are small but plentiful

I picked up this dwarf Grevillea rosmarinifolia at The Huntington Gardens last fall plant sale.  While still small, it doesn't seem shy about getting its bloom on.

Meanwhile, my other Grevilleas keep right on flowering.  Clockwise from the upper left are G. 'Superb', G. alpina x rosmarinifolia, G. 'Scarlet Sprite', G. 'Peaches & Cream', and G. 'Ned Kelly'.


Other prolific bloomers include the following:

Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick'

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy'

Ocimum hybrid known as African Blue Basil


Others plants are just getting started on their annual bloom-fests:

Flower spikes are appearing on Aeonium arboreum throughout the garden

Calliandra haematocephala is producing its first blooms but it doesn't like those drying Santa Ana winds


I've had a few surprises too:

The Billbergia nutans (Queen's Tears) I divided last year has finally graced me with a new bloom

I'm utterly captivated by the first bloom on Calendula officinalis 'Bronzed Beauty'

The Crassula multicava 'Red' I planted last year for their foliage are now producing delicate sprays of pink and white blooms

This Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) lost all its blooms after last week's rain but, as soon as the rain stopped and the temperature shot up, the show went on


Plants acquired for my new lath (shade) house are also adding color to the garden.

Top row: Anemone coronaria and 2 noID Cyclamen
Middle row: noID blue Hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla 'Shooting Star', and Plumbago auriculata 'Imperial Blue'
Bottom row: Argyranthemum 'Go Daisy Mega White', Nemesia 'Sunshine', and noID Viola


I'll close the Bloom Day segment with a few collages of the blooms making an appearance on a smaller scale.

Clockwise from the upper left: Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt', Lantana 'Lucky White', Lavandula multifida, Leucanthemum x superbum' , Lobularia maritima, Lotus jacobaeus, Osteospermum '4D Silver', Rosmarinus 'Gold Dust' and, in in the center, Osteospermum 'Violet Frost' with noID Viola

Top row: Gaillardias 'Arizona Sun' and 'Sunset Flash' and a self-seeded Gazania
Middle row: Hunnemannia fumariifolia and 2 forms of Lotus berthelotii
Bottom row: Metrosideros collina 'Springfire, noID Narcissus, and Russelia equisetiformis 'Flamingo Park'

Clockwise from the upper left: Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard', Arbutus 'Marina', Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom,  and Osteospermums 'Berry White' and 'Summertime Sweet Kardinal'


For more Bloom Day posts, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.


So what did I assemble for In a Vase on Monday?

I cut Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', L. 'Chief', Grevillea 'Ned Kelly' and the gold and red forms of Lotus berthelotii for this vase on the dining room table

I picked up this vase featuring manicured hands at a thrift shop on an outing to Ventura with a friend on Saturday.  I filled the vase with stems of Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection', Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' and Pyrethropsis hosmariense.


To find more IaVoM arrangements, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.


All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

42 comments:

  1. Well I'm glad you've had some rain, but the coverage of the mudslides has been just awful. Something I dread. Torrential rain is becoming a more frequent event here. I can only hope that my continued effort to plant up the slope will offer some resistance in the future.
    I'm always envious of your Leucadendrons. If our mild winters continue I'm going to be tempted. I've seen 'Safari Sunset' for sale down here too.. hardy to -5C. As with so many of the tender plants, it's likely to be our rain rather than the cold which will be its undoing.

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    1. The Montecito mudslides (like the worst of prior mudslides in California) are largely attributable to the damage caused by the fires that preceded the rain. Hopefully, you won't be afflicted by that horrible combination of events!

      You're right that Leucadendrons don't like excess rain. You'd have to protect 'Safari Sunset' from rain as well as excessive cold.

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  2. All gorgeous, I am particularly envious of the leucadendrons and the grevilleas. What a fabulous arrangement.
    I read about the horrendous landslide, what a nightmare.

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    1. Under the circumstances, it's really hard to wish for more rain.

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  3. I love that Calendula. I grow a lot of 'Solar Flashback' from seed, it's my favorite, but I might have to hunt down seed for 'Bronzed Beauty' now too. I hope it drops seed for you, mine self sow quite a bit. Hooray for getting the Bilbergia to flower! Aren't they fabulous?

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    1. My Billbergia sulked a good year after I divided it. I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to forgive me and bloom.

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    2. Queen's tears has a startling array of colours. Rainbow unicorn territory.

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  4. Seriously? You got more flowers on the Bauhinia? Wow - what a fabulous tree! As always, hard to pick a favorite in your marvelously floriferous posts, but I think the Leucadendrons take the cake. I love them so much! I also envy your G. 'Scarlet Sprite' - mine perished last winter after weathering several before then. I miss it. The news footage from Montecito is horrifying. I'm glad you are alright.

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    1. The rainstorm knocked out the open blooms but not the buds. Even so, I was amazed at how fast it recovered!

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  5. What an awful time California has had recently, one thing after another.
    Thank you for sharing all your blooms today - I can see why you struggle to stick with just one on IAVOM each week! I particularly liked your second vase today, and your Camellia, Leptospermum and Pyrethropsis work wonderfully with your new vase

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    1. That new vase was made for pink blooms, wasn't it?! I immediately thought of pink Eustoma when I saw it but, not having any at the moment, the Camellias were a good substitute.

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  6. So many beautiful plants, it's hard to pick even a few favorites - so, okay, I love and want them all! ;) I am so color starved, your post is a balm for my soul.
    Love your new 'hands' vase - I would have snatched that one up, too.

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    1. The thrift store vase was just $12! I've missed out in not tapping that source in the past.

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  7. What a fun vase which absolutely suits the pink treatment. Your garden is certainly blooming.

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    1. It's funny but I really don't see my garden as that flower-filled - until I collect my Bloom Day photos and I realize how lucky I am to have a frost, ice and snow-free winter garden.

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  8. Kris, I think your first arrangement is Best of Show, love it to pieces. Scurrying to my plant books to see what I can grow! The African Blue Basil is at the top of my list. A friend from college lost his house in Montecito,fortunately no one was in it.

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    1. I'm sorry to hear of your friend's property loss, Amelia. At least he's safe. We can't escape the coverage here. The reality of what happened in Montecito is horrible.

      African Blue Basil is a fantastic plant. It's perennial here. The bees love it too.

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  9. What a wealth of possibilities indoors and out. I am always surprised to see plants in the garden that I don't know but have seen in your vases. The size and scale is not always obvious once things are cut and brought inside. And I love your new vase; perfect for pink flowers. One of my cousins lives in Santa Barbara and I have visited a couple of times over the years, so all of this devastation is appalling. My cousin was living in NYC only blocks away from the 9/11 bombings. She says the chaos, devastation etc. feels much like that did. Especially the sense of not knowing what to do or what may happen next. California has had more than its share of problems this last year.

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    1. I attended college in Santa Barbara and I love the area. A friend and I usually go up that way a couple times a year. We can't even get there now. I'm afraid California's experience is indicative of the challenges the future holds in the face of climate change.

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  10. Kris, your lovely state has certainly had its share of devastating sadness this year. Would like to think things could settle down but life is so unpredictable. Your Leucadendrons are pretty amazing--especially like that photo of 'Wilson's Wonder'--and look great in the vase. Billbergia nutans (Queen's Tears) is fascinating in color and form. Your garden just fills me with wonder and admiration.

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    1. It'd be fun to create an arrangement around the colors in the Billbergia nutans but, even before I divided my large plant, I never got more than a couple of blooms at the same time.

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  11. The horrible fires and mudslides California has suffered make the enjoyment of your garden's fabulous blooms even more precious. Love your new vase and it's contents.

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    1. Fire is one thing but who knew rain could be scary? I've seen landslides before but these mudslides seemed particularly vicious. Maybe we can start the year over again on February 16th with the beginning of the Lunar (Chinese) New Year.

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  12. Your garden is one of the most floriferous that I know. Your Leucadendron collection is, well, HOT HOT HOT,

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    1. I have to survey my Leucadendron collection one day. I no longer have any idea how many I have.

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  13. I enjoyed seeing the round up of your garden in flower this Monday - a wonderful selection of flowers, and another couple of new ones for me. I have never seen an Aeonium in flower - I love them even without flowers though. Great vases again Kris!

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  14. Southern California has suffered so much in the past few months; fire followed by torrential rain is just the worst case scenario. Your garden continues to look much more like summer than winter. Our winter has been so cold this year I am craving some warmth - hard to believe I know after all my complaints about the heat last summer. Love the combination of blooms in the pink vase not least because it seems to be a combination of mid winter and high summer all in one!

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    1. While your winter is unusually cold, ours is ridiculously variable, Christina. It HAS been summer-like for several days now (courtesy of another round of Santa Ana winds) but we're heading into another cold spell at the end of the week. It's like riding a climate roller-coaster here!

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  15. Hi Kris your blooms are so similar to blooms in my region especially Caillandra and Gaillardia which bloom most part of the year in my garden.

    Happy Gardening.

    jaipurgardening.blogspot.com

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    1. The Gaillardia bloom the better part of the year here too, Arun. Unfortunately, that's not true of the Calendulas, though!

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  16. How I wish I could find Leucospermum and Grevillea around here! So happy your Bauhinia has come back into bloom; I love to watch it in your posts.
    And while I love both your vases, I think that combination of Leucospermum with the Lotus is quite inspired - I do love the 'exotic' ones, I guess... ;-)

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    1. I've come to love Lotus berthelotii. While I don't think it could hold up on its own in a vase, it sure makes a great accent.

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    2. Got the name wrong - Leucadendron...! :/

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    3. I never even processed the error, Amy. I knew you were referring to the Leucadendron, although I do have 3 Leucospermum, only one of which has ever bloomed (yet).

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  17. The hands vase is absolutely gorgeous! very original and the sight of camellias never fails to enrapture me, I just can't wait for winter to see my camellias blooming again. I always say it: your garden is solid flowers and I love that! If Monet had lived in California his garden would look like yours.

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    1. I wonder if Monet would have his ponds and water lilies if he lived in Southern California given our water issues? Maybe something on a smaller scale like water barrels instead!

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  18. Hi Kris, your leucadendrons are stunning. I've never seen them in person before...a bit too much rain / cold here in PDX. I've started a grevillea..'Murray Queen'. We'll see how it does. When I see the pics of grevillea in your gardens, it's clear to me how awesome they are! Happy GBBD!

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    1. I hope 'Murray Queen' works for you! My recollection is that Loree of danger garden grows that one so your chances are probably pretty good.

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  19. You're certainly spoiled for choice when it comes to blooms. Personally, if I were to come back as a flowering plant, I'd want to live in coastal Southern California too :-).

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    1. They may not like it here if we don't get some rain!

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  20. Your garden looks just like spring or summer - so many flowers! I can't get over how beautiful Taylor's Perfection' is.

    You have a real talent for design and it shows both in your garden and flower arrangements.

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