Sources of cool season excitement

Sources of cool season excitement in the garden are limited.  However, by comparison to much of the country, I know that those of us in coastal Southern California are lucky just to have our gardens remain active.  We don't get frost, much less snow, and we consider it cold when daytime temperatures drop into the low 60sF.  As I prepare this post, a tree-trimming team of six is busy pruning many of my trees and large shrubs.  It's a necessary although nerve-racking process but I'll cover that later this week.  In the meantime, I can offer only a couple snippets regarding events in the garden.

First up is a Mangave preparing to bloom.

Mangave 'Silver Fox' is the fastest bloomer among my modest collection of these plants.  This one was given to me by a friend as a good-sized pup in 2021 after the one I'd planted in 2017 bloomed out.

South Coast Botanic Garden had a 'Silver Fox' of its own in full flower when I visited there last week

Between October 31st and November 6th I got to work in my nearly naked cutting garden.  Seeds were sown and eighty-five bulbs were planted, along with a dozen plugs of snapdragons.  This week I was pleased to see that seedlings are already making an appearance.  It doesn't look like much yet but the germination rates seem faster than they were last year.

In addition to snapdragons, I planted 4 varieties of Ranunculus in bed #1.  They haven't emerged yet as far as I tell but the Calendulas I sowed from seed among them are popping up all over.  The Calendulas will be thinned as soon as they get taller and the Ranunculus show up.

In bed #2, the first of the 5 new varieties of Anemones are peeking up (in addition to those that have returned from last year), as are the larkspur (Consolida ajacis) seedlings.  The hardware cloth is a temporary measure to keep the birds and other critters from harming the seedlings.  It'll come up when it's time to thin the seedlings.

Bed #3 is already showing sweet pea seedlings; however, the Nigella papillosa seeds I sowed have yet to show themselves

A little rain would probably help things along.  The first "atmospheric river" of the season was slated to move into Northern California yesterday.  There's still just over a forty percent chance it'll reach my area this weekend but I'm feeling a smidge more optimistic about it.  As dry as we are, even a little rain would be the source of great excitement.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Responding to a challenge

Cathy of Rambling in the Garden is celebrating the eleventh anniversary of her "In a Vase on Monday" meme. Last week she threw down a challenge to participants with the simple suggestion to use "eleven" as a theme. Even though I tend to create more than one floral arrangement each week, eleven new arrangements, even tiny ones, was out of bounds, especially as the volume of flowers in my garden is at a low point now. Instead I decided to pull photos of one arrangement for each year I've participated in IAVOM. I joined up in late March 2014 and therefore pulled photos of arrangements for years 2014 through 2023, delivering a newly prepared arrangement for 2024 as the eleventh.

The search process was fun initially but I admit it did get a little tedious by the time I slogged through my 2023 photos.  I tried to balance the colors and choices to prevent repetition so I won't claim that each choice represents the very best arrangement of that particular year but here they are:

Left, created August 2014, and right, created June 2015

September 2016 and January 2017

March 2018 and July 2019

March 2020 and November 2021

August 2022 and September 2023

For the eleventh arrangement, I elected to use stems of Camellia sasanqua as my centerpiece.  The Camellias won't last long so I used one of my smaller vases.

The vase features 2 clasped - and well manicured - hands arranged to hold flowers, although as usual I mostly covered up the hands with too many flowers 

Back view

Top view

A closer look at those manicured hands

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Aramis Apricot', noID Camellia sasanqua, Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' with foliage of Prunus caroliniana, and Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Florida Sun Rose' (aka coleus)

For the record, we received not a drop of rain here last week.  However, I understand that the foothill areas got some and the mountains to the east received a dusting of snow.

Photographed Saturday morning, the mountains in the distance show the snow, partially hidden by clouds.  On Sunday, when you could still see the mountains behind the smog, the snow had already mostly retreated.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Thanks, as always, for hosting this weekly meme, Cathy!  I know it's appreciated by many, whether they throw their own arrangements into the mix or not.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - November 2024

My garden is less colorful this month but, in coastal Southern California, there's always something to share.  I'll start with some of the plants that make a habit of blooming at this time of the year.

Many of my aloes are getting ready to bloom but Aloe lukeana in ahead of the pack.  It bloomed back in July and I didn't expect another round this year.

Hybrid Aloe 'Safari Sunset' also got an early start

Barleria obtusa was just starting to bloom last month but all 4 of my shrubs are flowering now

The Camellia sasanquas that came with the garden weren't put off schedule by the recent Santa Ana winds but they do seem inclined to bloom facing the house instead of outward

Senna bicapsularis (aka winter cassia) has once again sent its flowers sky high

Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigold) blooms in spring and then again in the fall

As is true in most months, there are some blooms that surprised me.

Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' reliably flowers during late summer but it's only produced a flush of flowers in November once before in 2016

I've previously missed all the flowers of Disocactus anguligar (aka fishbone cactus, syn. Epiphyllum anguliger) but I finally caught one before it withered away

I picked up a Helianthus 'Sunfinity' in late September and it took its time about getting its bloom on.  I'd thought that most sunflowers would have thrown in the towel for the season by November.

Medinilla myriantha (aka Malaysian orchid) always surprises me when it graces me with a flower or 2

While the Protea 'Pick Ice' in another area has already bloomed out, Protea neriifolia 'Claire' is made of stronger stuff (or it just gets more water from the irrigation system)

And then there are the dependable plants that offer color all or most of the year, at least off and on.

Correas (aka Australian fuchsias), left to right: 'Ivory Bells', 'Pink Eyre', and 'Wyn's Wonder'

Cupheas 'Honeybells', 'Starfire Pink', and 'Vermillionaire'

These noID self-seeded Gazanias are coming back with cooler temperatures

Grevilleas 'Moonlight' (left) and 'Peaches & Cream' (right) are more sporadic with their flowers than others in my gardens

Grevillea 'Superb' blooms all year round but it's current flower frenzy has been greatly appreciated by the hummingbirds since the flowers of Arbutus 'Marina' have faded

The Pelargoniums are putting on a decent show too.  Clockwise from the upper left are: P. hortorum 'Dynamo Hot Pink', P. hybrid 'Little Pink Splash', and 3 varieties of P. peltatum.

There are a few recent additions to my garden in bloom too.

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus 'Sonnet Speedy White', Argyranthemum 'Aramis Apricot', Nasturtium 'Alaska', and Primula vulgaris

I'll close as I always do with collages featuring the best of the rest.

Clockwise from the upper left: Felicia aethiopica, Polygala myrtifolia, Salvia 'Mystic Spires', Salvia discolor, and Vitex trifolia

From the upper left: noID Cyclamen, noID Dipladenia, Eriocapitella hupehensis, Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', and noID Impatiens

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Osteospermum '4D Pink', and Persicaria capitata

Faucaria tigrida, Leonotis lonurus, and Pennisetum 'Sky Rocket'

noID Anthurium, Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', and Leucadendron salignum 'Summer Red'

It's been more than six months since we've had anything that could be characterized as real rain.  Ours is characterized as a Mediterranean climate so long stretches without rain aren't unusual but this is getting ridiculous.  The marine layer has made tiny contributions at intervals since then but, since the start of the current "water year" on October 1st, those only amount to 0.03/inch of precipitation.  We're very, very dry.  Forecasters keep teasing us with reports of rain that "might" spill down the state from Northern California but, to date, that hasn't happened.  There's another slight chance in the wee hours of Friday morning but I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, check in with our host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Looking for the positives

I haven't visited South Coast Botanic Garden since early July, which is relatively unusual.  I popped in at last earlier this week.  My mood may have been colored by the the recent election results, the fact that we haven't had any rain in over six months, the fact that the botanic garden hasn't held a proper plant sale for a long time, or a combination of all these factors but I found myself disappointed.  However, it didn't help that the construction project that started in 2022 appears to be stalled, that many areas were still closed to visitors, or that there were a lot of bare beds.

The construction of a new Children's and Family Garden started in December 2022.  The official groundbreaking was held March 15, 2023 and that year I saw a lot of earth moved around.  However, these photos taken through the fence don't show much progress since I was there in July.

My favorite Banyan Grove is still inaccessible except at its furthest end

The original signs posted on the fences surrounding the work area in 2023 stated that the new garden was slated to open in 2024.  The new signs I saw this week just say it's "coming soon."  I checked online and couldn't find a single update on its status.

I don't think I've been able to access the upper meadow on a single one of my visits this year.  It could be a coincidence I suppose...

There were a lot of bare beds like these.  The 2 shown in the bottom row are part of what was the Garden for the Senses.  A friend of mine, also a former volunteer, poured her heart into renovating this area pre-pandemic but there are just remnants to show for her hard work.

The holiday season light show is up and running.  I'm sure there are many people who enjoy it and it no doubt brings in revenue (given that virtually all botanic gardens I'm familiar with seem to have one).  It feels as though it overshadows the garden itself, though.

I had to wonder if the light show was structured around the garden or vice versa

I tried to shake off my disappointment and looked for something I could get excited about.  As it turned out, the area that most impressed me was one that was replanted early this year.  I'm not sure how to refer to it as the garden's map hasn't been updated since 2015.  The lake is gone, the dahlia garden was replaced by a butterfly pavilion, the Mediterranean garden is closed off or gone, and so on.  The replanted area encompasses part of the original Mediterranean garden, part of the upper meadow, and extends to the corner of what I've always referred to as the "promenade," a path that leads from the garden's main entrance to the entrance of the rose garden.

This shot was taken from the far edge of what used to be the Mediterranean garden.  The "new" area features Salvia leucantha, pink and white Muhlenbergia, California natives like Epilobium canum and Cleomella arborea, and succulents like Calandrinia, Opuntia, and Euphorbia rigida.

I think there's some Romneya coulteri (matilja poppy) in the mix too but I couldn't get close enough to be sure

The palm and  whale's tail agaves have been in this corner for awhile longer than the rest of the plants 

The new area, visible in the distance, offers a nice background to the Rose Garden

The other areas worthy of note include the Desert Garden, the Pollination Garden, and parts of the "promenade."

This is a different view of the old section of the Desert Garden than I usually show but it's been tidied up recently

I always believed that the large agaves in the back were Agave shawii because that's what the signage suggested but my phone's plant ID app  suggests that the plant shown on the right is an Agave shawii  and the 2 look very different.  Does anyone want to weigh in on IDs here?

The Pedilanthus bracteatus is looking good

The aloes on the left are mostly Aloe vanbalenii or hybrids of that species.  I didn't get close enough to those on the upper right to ID them.  I believe those on the lower right are Aloe 'David Verity'.

This mix of plants sits on the corner of the promenade across from the palm accompanied by whale's tongue agaves shown earlier.  The yellow-flowered plant is Senna pendula.  The plant behind and to the right of the Senna is a hot pink-flowered Callistemon.

More Agave ovatifolia are scattered along the promenade walkway

A few individual plants also stood out.

Ceiba speciosa (aka silk floss tree, left) is at its peak.  Remarkably, the Jacaranda on the right still has some flowers at the top of its canopy.

Furcraea foetida (left) has an impressive flower stalk.  I thought the plant on the right might be an aloe at first but it seems to be Furcraea macdougallii (aka American aloe).

Lastly, the Tithonia diversifolia (aka Mexican sunflower) surprised me with all its blooms

So my visit was a mixed bag.  I hope to see more I like in the upcoming year. ideally before it comes time to renew my membership.

The bulbs and bedding plants for sale at SCBG's plant kiosk were nothing special, all locally available at garden centers for approximately the same price

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party