In a Vase on Monday: Rain is on the way!

We got a little less than half an inch of rain last week but the forecast for this week indicates that we're likely to have a series of rainstorms beginning in the early morning on Monday and continuing off and on through Thursday, possibly delivering another inch and a half.  I selected the flowers I cut on Sunday with the coming rain in mind.

The first arrangement was intended to add a touch of sunshine inside the house as a distraction from the gloomy skies outdoors.

The first of the Dutch Iris flowered on Saturday.  They were sold as Iris hollandica x 'Montecito' but, instead of being pure yellow and white, they have a touch of pale lavender-blue in the standards, which suggests that at least these first blooms are Iris x hollandica 'Apollo'. 

Back view: I added stems of Anemone 'Azzurro' and Limonium perezii (aka sea lavender) to pick up on the pale blue color in the Iris

Overhead view: The addition of 3 chunky Leucospermum 'High Gold' stems may have been heavy-handed in contrast to the slender Iris stems

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', white and yellow Freesia, Anemone coronaria 'Azzurro', Iris x hollandica 'Montecito'/'Apollo', Leucospermum 'High Gold', and Limonium perezii

The second arrangement was designed around Hippeastrum 'Aphrodite', which just came into bloom.  I planted the bulb in a relatively small pot and it'd blown over three times recently because it was top-heavy so I decided to rescue it before its tall stem was broken by the wind gusts that are expected to accompany the rain.

The petal color of the 'Aphrodite' Hippeastrum is more similar to 'Amadeus Candy' than I'd realized

Back view: I needed tall stems to support the Hippeastrum so I ended up cutting snapdragons again this week.  The snaps are showing the first few signs of rust on their foliage and the sweet peas climbing the nearby supports are already encroaching on them too.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: dark and light pink Antirrhinum majus, Coleonema album (aka breath of heaven), and Hippeastrum 'Aphrodite'

I'd originally thought I'd add Anemone stems to the second arrangement but the color mix wasn't right in my eyes so I ended up with a third vase to grace the kitchen island.

The small vase contains 3 varieties of Anemone coronaria: 'Azzurro', 'Bordeaux', and 'Rarity'

I'm looking forward to the rain even though a flood watch will be in effect from 9am to 9pm on Monday.  Hopefully, my rain storage tanks will be at least partially refilled in the process.

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

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - February 2026 (Early Edition)

The relatively heavy rain we had early in the season followed by a stretch of warm temperatures delivered us an early Spring.  Now, Spring generally arrives early here on the coast of Southern California but it struck me as accelerated this year.  I took a lot of photos and, even though I crammed many of them into color-themed collages at the end of this post, this is still a long one so my apologies at the outset.  If I hadn't moved up my Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post by two days because that better accommodates my schedule, it might be longer still!  I'm seeing new blooms every day - in fact, I noticed three Dutch Iris buds (not included here) while preparing this post yesterday.

I'll start with the star players, listed alphabetically by species.

Two Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' on my front slope are now in full bloom

The Anemone coronaria are peaking.  Clockwise from the upper left are: 'Azzurro', 'Bordeaux', 'Mr Fokker', 'Lord Lieutenant', 'Mona Lisa' (maybe), 'Rarity', and 'Rosa Chiaro'.

Almost but not all of my snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) are putting on a good show

 

The African daisies (Arctotis) are up and running with 'Large Marge' in the lead and 'Pink Sugar' coming up behind

The Marguerite daisies (Argyranthemum frutescens) do well until summer arrives.  Left to right are: 'Aramis Apricot', Beauty Yellow', and 'Mount Everest'.

I can never capture the vivid blue of Aristea inaequalis in photographs

I discovered all the Auranticarpa rhombifolium shrubs (aka diamond pittosporum) in flower by accident when I went to check on another plant

Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection'

Both Cistus x corbariensis (upper left and top right) and C. x skanbergii (bottom left and middle right) are currently in full bloom.  Cistus 'Grayswood Pink' (lower right) is blooming more lightly.

Mixes of Dianthus barbata

Freesia blooms are popping up here and there throughout my garden, despite the extensive damage gophers have done to the bulbs  

The Gazanias planted in prior years are making their comeback

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' blooms all year here (except immediately following their annual haircut)

Grevilleas, top row: G. alpina x rosmarinifolia, G. 'Peaches & Cream', and G. 'Poorinda Leane'
Middle: Grevillea lanigera and G. 'Scarlet Sprite' (including closeup of the latter)
Bottom: Grevillea sericea and G. 'Superb' (including closeup)

Hippeastrum (aka South American amaryllis), clockwise from the upper left: 'Amadeus Candy', 'Aphrodite', 'Flamingo Amadeus', and 'White Nile'

We removed one Leptospermum 'Pink Pearl' late last year after we pulled out a fence and I've considered removing this one but it's flowering better than ever now so I'm conflicted

These are 3 of my 5 Leucospermums.  From top to bottom are: L. 'High Gold', L. 'Spider Hybrid', and L 'Sunrise'.

This is the most robust of my Limonium perezii (aka sea lavender) but not the only one

The Osteospermums have also mounted their cool season comeback.  Clockwise from the upper left are: O. '4D Pink', a mix including O. '4D Purple', O. 'Serenity Purple', O. 'Violet Ice', and an interesting self-seeded cross including what looks like O. 'Berry White'

Polygala myrtifolia has self-seeded everywhere

Rhodanthemum hosmariense (aka Moroccan daisy)

Scilla peruviana (aka Portuguese squill)

There were a few surprises.

Aeonium escobarii (I think), blooming without producing a single offset

Early daylilies, Hemerocallis 'Persian Market' and H. 'Spanish Harlem'

A small shrub I only vaguely remember planting years ago and apparently never recorded, flowering for the first time.  My guess is that it's Isopogan formosus.

Protea 'Claire' has borne flowers since early November.  It's sporting its last 2 now.

I cut this Teucrium fruticans 'Azureum' (aka azure bush germander) to the ground a couple months ago with the intention of digging up its stump and never got around to step 2.  It currently looks better than it ever did before.

I'll end with my jam-packed collages.

Top row: noID Ceanothus, Felicia aethiopica, and Geranium 'Tiny Monster'
Middle: Lavandula stoechas, Lobelia erinus, and Pericallis hybrid
Bottom: Salvia 'Bee's Bliss', S. 'Mystic Spires', and Vesalea floribunda

Top row: noID pink Alstroemeria, Boronia crenulata, and Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'
Middle: Cuphea 'Honeybells', Daucus carota, and Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi
Bottom: Persicaria capitata, Sparaxis, and Xerochrysum bracteatum

Top row: Coleonema album, Dietes grandiflora, and Euphorbia rigida
Middle: Green and white Eustoma grandiflorum (aka lisianthus) and Fuchsia 'Windchimes White'
Bottom: Pelargonium 'White Lady', noID Westringia fruticosa, and Zantedeschia aethiopica

Clockwise from the upper left: Aeonium arboreum, Alstroemeria 'Inca Sundance', Gaillardia 'Top Spin Copper Sun', Chrysocephalum apiculatum, Narcissus papyraceus, Oxalis pes-caprae, Rudbeckia 'Juliana', and noID Viola

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Cyclamen, Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', Metrosideros collina 'Springfire', the first bloom of Eschscholzia californica, Lotus berthelotii, and Pelargonium peltatum

If you made it through this post, congratulations!  If you want more, I did a pre-Bloom Day post on a smaller group of flowers I photographed earlier this week (not included in this one).  For other GBBD posts, check in with Carol at May Dreams Gardens on February 15th.

Best wishes for a pleasant weekend.  After getting 0.47/inch of rain earlier this week, we're expecting more starting this Sunday and I couldn't be happier about that.

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

View from my office window

I inevitably spend a fair amount of time sitting at my home office computer over the course of a week.  There are two large windows to my right, which means I often find myself staring at the view of a particular section of my garden.  The activity at the three bird feeders frequently draws my attention, and if their chirping doesn't do that, the cat's chattering at the birds from her seat at the window does.  As I write this, the birds are staring at me, seemingly wondering if I'm going to refill their feeders before they're entirely empty.  However, what's repeatedly had me staring out the window this week hasn't been the birds so much as the mix of colors around the feeder.

This is the view in question.  What grabbed my attention on this occasion was the gladiola at the center of this shot.  Its bold color drew my eye but what really stood out was that it's blooming in early February!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day falls on Sunday which, if forecasters are to be believed, could be the start of several rainy days for us.  I've already been gathering photos for an early Bloom Day post targeted for Friday but, instead of burying the floral display outside my window within that post, I thought I'd share the details with you in this much shorter one.

This was one of a mix of Gladiolus nanus bulbs I planted in March 2025 for early summer blooms.  I hadn't expected a yellow and coral flower in the mix.  Last year it bloomed in late June.  I believe this is a variety called 'Las Vegas'.  Yesterday, I ordered 10 more bulbs of this specific variety as it's perfect for this bed, especially if it makes a habit of flowering in tandem with the plants around it.

The Arbutus 'Marina', pruned hard in late November, is back in bloom with its coral-pink flowers, beloved by hummingbirds

The hummers also appreciate the flowers of Lantana camara 'Irene'

I haven't yet cut back all the colorful bracts of Leucadendron 'Blush'

and I apparently missed trimming back a few of the stems of Leucadendron 'Jester'

Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi' is just starting her bloom cycle

Lobelia laxiflora, cut back in December, is also mounting its return

There's a good chance of light rain during the wee hours tonight before the larger rain system in the offing for the coming week moves in.  The cloudy gray skies I see out the window lend some real credibility to that claim.  I don't expect it to be much but, as our last rain fell in early January, whatever we get will be welcome.  I'll end this post with a wider shot of the garden beds in view outside my office window before I take my camera out to capture photos of other parts of my garden in preparation for Bloom Day - and fill up the bird feeders of course.

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party