In a Vase on Monday: Keeping it simple

I'm prone to stuffing my vases.  Once I cut stems for an arrangement, I'm reluctant to discard any of them.  Restraint isn't one of my strong suits.  However, with the volume of flowers significantly diminished at this time of year and a visit from family scheduled for Sunday, it was time for me to keep things simple when preparing this week's contribution to "In a Vase on Monday."  I have just one arrangement to share and it contains only four elements, one of which was a late addition attributable to pruning an overgrown shrub.

The central features of the arrangement, stems of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', aren't even flowers.  The red rosebud-like elements are bracts (modified leaves).

Back view, (again) featuring the small flowers of Leptospermum 'Pink Pearl', which is currently one of the most abundant flowering plants in my garden

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', and Leucadendron salignum 'Safari Sunset'

Our daytime temperatures jumped into the low-to-mid 70s (21-23C) late last week.  Our humidity level fell at the same time and forecasters are predicting that our Santa Ana winds will pick up again over the next couple of days, spurring renewed concerns about the possibility of wildfires as conditions are so dry.  Sadly, there is still very little chance of rain showing in the ten-day forecast.

For more IAVOM creations, check in with our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

A Week of Flowers - Day 7

I've had fun with 'A Week of Flowers' and I want to thank Cathy at Words and Herbs for inviting bloggers to participate once again this year.  I remembered that I'd joined in last year on an ad hoc basis but I was surprised to discover that I'd submitted posts in 2021 and 2022 as well.  Maybe next year, assuming Cathy rings the bell once more, I'll get my act together and participate from start to finish.

To wrap up the fourth of my posts this year for Day Seven, I focused on blooms that stood out in April 2024:

Alstroemerias put on a growth spurt in spring but they hang on into summer until it just gets too hot for them before gradually reappearing as temperatures cool in the fall

I planted bulbs of Ferraria crispa (aka starfish iris) in 2019.  The flowers make haphazard appearances but I got a few blooms last April.

The tall Dutch Iris (Iris hollandica) put on a good display every spring.  I haven't planted any new bulbs this year, trusting that those I've planted in prior years will show up again in 2025.

All the pincushion flowers of my Leucospermum shrubs can be found in bloom in April

I inherited calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) with the garden.  Almost all of the bulbs are located on our very dry back slope. The plants die back every summer and reappear following our winter rainy season but, without rain, they don't bloom much, if at all.  They did well the last 2 years when we had heavier-than-usual rainfall but, unfortunately so far, 2025 doesn't look auspicious.

That's a wrap for the special edition of 'A Week of Flowers' this year.  I'll be returning to my regular programming next week.  Thanks again to Cathy at Words and Herbs for hosting this lovely meme.  Check in with her to see what she and other contributors have posted today.  

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

A Week of Flowers: Day 6

I've got another post today for 'A Week of Flowers', hosted by Cathy at Words and Herbs.  I'm still focused on spring, which in coastal Southern California rears up in full force in March.  I had a hard time restricting myself when it came time to selecting a few highlights from March 2024 but here are those that made the cut:

This is Calliandra haematocephala (aka red powder puff), a massive shrub growing up against one side of our garage

Although the Freesias get started in February (and sometimes earlier), they're not fully on a roll until March

A variety of different Narcissi make their presence known

Scilla peruviana (aka Portuguese squill) hails from the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, not Peru as the species epithet suggests

I've had little luck growing the "fancy" tulips that require colder temperatures (even when I carefully refrigerate the bulbs prior to planting) but I've had some success with species tulips such as this Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane'

Cathy at Words and Herbs and others contributing to this meme have other beauties to share.  Be sure to check them out by going to Cathy's website.

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

A Week of Flowers: Day 5

It's Day Five of Cathy's 'A Week of Flowers' at Words and Herbs and I'm joining in again with my second post.  Absent a glitch in my schedule, I'm planning to hang on through Day Seven.  Cathy's invited bloggers to join in with photos of flowers or other joys of nature to buoy the spirits of gardeners and others in the Northern Hemisphere who may be experiencing gloomy skies and cold temperatures.  I can't actually claim either at the moment in sunny Southern California, where we're experiencing warmer-than-usual temperatures at the moment.  But my garden is still missing the color (other than green) I'm used to and this is a way for me to dampen my impatience for spring's arrival.

Here are a few of the early spring plants I celebrated last February:

I plant Anemone coronaria corms in the raised planters of my cutting garden every year.  These were supposed to be 'Lord Lieutenant' but I'm guessing they were 'Mr Fokker'.  Regardless of their name, they were appreciated!

This is Anemone 'Rosa Tigrato'.  I planted this one and a few new varieties this fall.  The corms are already sprouting and I'm hoping they'll bloom on a similar schedule in 2025.

This is my favorite Arctotis, called 'Pink Sugar'.  She made a very early appearance last February.  However, several of my plants died back over the summer and now we're seriously short on rain.  I took some cuttings, though, so my fingers are crossed that I'll manage a replay of my success in 2024 anyway.

Osteospermums prefer cool temperatures.  During the summer months, they enter the plant world's version of a witness protection program.  I flat out lost many of them this summer.  They're short-lived perennials here and I'm hoping to find replacements for those I lost in my local garden center soon.

For more Day Five posts, visit Cathy at Words and Herbs or, better yet, join in the fun.

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

A Week of Flowers 2024: Day 4

I'm belatedly joining Cathy at Words and Herbs midway through her fifth annual floral celebration.  To quote Cathy, it's purpose is to "remind us of the beauty our gardens and nature offer us in the warmer months" when those of us in the Northern Hemisphere find our gardens at low ebb.  While admittedly coastal Southern California isn't as dreary as many areas of the US or Europe during the winter months, my own garden is lacking much of the color it usually provides me.  I find 'A Week of Flowers' a nice way to think ahead at what I can expect as the days once again begin to lengthen (and we hopefully get some rain).

I'm going to start with January.  That's the dead of winter in most of the Northern Hemisphere but, by mid-month, I'm usually seeing new signs of color.  Here are three of the highlights from January 2024:

Closeup of Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection'

The shrub off to its start in mid-January

Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' showing off its colorful flower-like bracts

Pericallis hybrids (aka florist cineraria), usually sold as annuals here

Check in with Cathy at Words and Herbs to brighten your day with what she and other contributors have posted.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Variations on a theme

I've been happy to see that the lisianthus plants I happened upon at my local garden center six-plus weeks ago have started to bloom, even if I've yet to see blooms on any of the plants that were supposed to have blue flowers.  I cut two stems of the lavender-blushed variety again this week but used different flowers and foliage to complement them.

The lavender blooms of Polygala myrtifolia and Pelargonium peltatum look better with the lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) than the flowers I selected last week 

The shiny dark green Ceanothus foliage I used is nice but, in retrospect, this back view could've benefited from some lighter elements

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Ceanothus griseus horizontalis 'Carmel Creeper', Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown', Pelargonium peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard', Eustoma grandiflorum, and Polygala myrtifolia (aka sweet pea shrub)

I've been planning to cut the flowers of Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigold) for a few weeks now but, as my husband dislikes their scent, I knew I couldn't use too many stems without annoying him.  I clipped flowers from two other shrubs, Senna bicapsularis and Grevillea 'Superb' to fill out the arrangement.  The Senna flowers are on their way out but the ever-blooming Grevillea is always available to fill out a vase.

The color mix is very autumnal but I wasn't entirely happy with it, at least in this view

Back view

Top view: I did like this particular view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolium, Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple', Grevillea 'Superb' (shown with a seed head of Echinacea purpurea), Senna bicapsularis, and Tagetes lemmonii 

Our temperatures have been vacillating but we've had several days of warm afternoon readings in the low to low-to-mid 70sF (21-24C), which have been prompting the Ranunculus and Anemone bulbs to sprout.  Temperatures could go higher still beginning next weekend.  Meanwhile, our "water year" total (counted from October 1st) stands at 0.19/inch with little to no rain in sight.  If Santa could deliver rain, I'd send him a letter...

For more IAVOM creations, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

Fall color comes in various forms

With cooler temperatures, we've finally seen a bit of colorful foliage in my part of coastal Southern California.  My garden is still mostly green but I appreciate the bright touches where I find them and wanted to share them.  I haven't restricted myself to foliage color either.  Some flowers and berries put on a great show at the start of our all too short cool season as well.

I showed Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' (aka coral bark Japanese maple) in my foliage post earlier this month but its color is more pronounced now.  It's yet to start dropping leaves en masse but I suspect that's coming soon.

The color of Aloe vanbalenii x ferox isn't provided by its leaves but by the budding flower stalks

The berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolium (aka diamond leaf pittosporum) have been later to develop this year, possibly due to delayed pruning on my part

The color of the smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple') is more vivid now than it was weeks ago

Closeup of the Cotinus foliage.  The water droplets were delivered courtesy of another 0.07/inch of precipitation on Wednesday.

Along with the Japanese maple, the 'Fuyu' persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is at the top of the list of the most colorful trees in my garden

In contrast to the 'Fuyu' persimmon, the foliage of my other persimmon, Diospyros kaki 'Hachiya', is muted in color but its fruit is more colorful.  The fruit I wasn't able to reach is gradually being "picked" by critters.  (Like many people I know, the critters appear to like the 'Fuyu' fruit better - they took care of the fruit of that tree much more quickly.) 

My Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold', planted in 2021, is still struggling to live up to its potential

Including Grevillea 'Superb' in the lineup of this post is a bit of a cheat as it blooms year round but I couldn't resist.  All it takes are cooler temperatures and a tiny amount of rain to make the shrub shine.

Nandina domestica (aka heavenly bamboo) contributes both colorful foliage and bright red berries at this time of year.  Regrettably, the poisonous berries of the Nandina are off limits for inclusion in floral arrangements, especially with a young cat now in residence.

This succulent was labeled as a Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) but, based on the leaves, I think it's actually a Thanksgiving cactus (S. truncata)

Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigold) blooms in spring as well as fall but it deserves a shout out during both seasons

Our ornamental pear tree (Pyrus calleryana) is notably absent from this survey as it's off to a particularly slow start this season.  My blueberries are also unimpressive at this time but then I think they may have been in their pots too long.

Overall, my neighborhood is relatively short on fall color too but there are some notable exceptions.

The sweetgum trees (Liquidamber styraciflua) across the street put on the best show to be found in our neighborhood

There are 3 Ginkgo trees tucked into that neighbor's mix too.  Their success gives me hope for mine.  These trees were already mature when we moved in almost 14 years ago so I'm giving my 3 year old tree a break.

This tree is in another section of that same garden.  My best guess is that it's what's known as the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima).  It's considered invasive in California but it is pretty.

I can't identify this shrub growing within a mass of other shrubs in another neighbor's garden either.  My phone app thinks it may be a blueberry but I've never seen any berries on it.

The fall color in this garden is composed of the Aloe arborescens (candelabra also) in the mix.  The Bougainvillea, hard-pruned by this neighbor many months ago, and the spires of Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' make this a dramatic color mix.  Bougainvillea bracts and the Euphorbia "sticks" are always more colorful at this time of year.

Still another neighbor has a great crop of tangerines ripening up

The colorful element here is another flower, the red "bottle brushes" of a Callistemon.  This neighbor lives 2 doors down from us but I could swear that I've never noticed it in flower before..

Pyracanthas shine this time of year.  I had our self-planted shrub cut down to the ground but I appreciate the large, thorny shrubs in other people's gardens.

Beyond the trees fronting the road directly across street, fall foliage color is in short supply in my neighborhood.  Bougainvillea is the notable exception in providing flashes of color but then those shrubs aren't specifically characteristic of the fall season.  The bright berries of Pyracantha are the most prominent elements this time of year.  I'm surprised that I haven't seen Japanese maples anywhere nearby but then I only have two of them myself.  (The dwarf variety doesn't color up much.)  I've tried introducing additional Japanese maples in my garden but I've discovered that they need protection from the intense summer sun, as well as the powerful bouts of wind we get at times, and I just haven't found any other areas that allow them to thrive.

If you're in the US, I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you have the opportunity to celebrate the holiday throughout the weekend.

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