Late to the Garden Party

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Bloom Day - June 2021

I did a quick scan of the last six years of June Bloom Day posts and confirmed my guess that I'd featured either Agapanthus or Achillea 'Moonshine' as the headliner in every case. So I'm going to break from tradition and start off with some of the other stars of my June garden this time but, don't worry, I'll get to those old dependables eventually.

Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' is covered in peachy-pink blooms. The hum of bees is audible from feet away.

The pale yellow flowers of Crassula pubescens radicans are tiny but they make up for that in sheer numbers. The yellow flowers and red stems also provide a perfect accent to the 'Blue Glow' Agaves growing in this area.

Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman' is immediately noticeable for both its bright blue flowers and its pungent scent

Salvia canariensis var candidissima is rubbing elbows here with Salvia leucantha x clevelandii 'Pozo Blue'

Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga Lily), a New Zealand native, is a reliable June bloomer

Cistus crispus 'Sunset' took a few years to settle in but now puts a good show. The pale pink flowers shown in the upper right are those of Cistus x skanbergii, sited to the left of 'Sunset'

Last year I grew Ammi majus 'Dara' from plugs but this year I grew its cousin, Daucus carota 'Dara', from seeds. The latter is more robust but their flowers appear identical to me.

Gaura lindheimeri comes back every year. It self-seeds but it hasn't gone crazy (yet).

Globularia x indubia (aka globe daisy) isn't commonly found in garden centers but it's a good investment if you come across it

It's daylily season here and Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' is the most vigorous of mine

Other Hemerocallis include, top row: 'Cordon Rouge' and 'Sammy Russell'
Middle row: 'Double Impact' and 'For Pete's Sake'
Bottom row: 'Indian Giver', 'Plum Perfect', and 'Russian Rhapsody'

The Magnolia grandiflora in the front garden is loaded with blooms that are virtually impossible to photograph. I made several attempts with a telephoto lens before I was able to capture these photos.

At this time of year, Pandorea jasminoides and Trachelospermum jasminoides mingle comfortably on the arbor separating the cutting garden from the dry garden

Tagetes lemmonii blooms more heavily in fall but the smattering of bright yellow color is welcome at any time of year

To give the old standbys their due, here are the usual June headliners:

Achillea 'Moonshine' got an early start this year and it looks as though its blooms are already fading but I'll try cutting it back hard within the next few weeks to see if I can get a second flush

I've got Agapanthus (most unidentified cultivars inherited with the garden) in at least eight different areas but I dug up and divided the largest groups in two areas last year, replanting only some of the bulbs. They'll bulk up again in time but I expect fewer bloom stalks this year.

And, speaking of old standbys, here are my year-round bloomers:

Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream'

Grevillea 'Superb', fronted by Cuphea 'Vermillionaire'

I also have this happy mish-mash of flowers:

The combination here is Erigonum nudum 'Ella Nelson's Yellow', Tanacetum niveum, and Nierembergia 'Purple Robe'

There were a few surprises this month:

This photo of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Marianne Charlton' was actually taken at the end of May but I couldn't resist sharing it. It's in a pot and dropped numerous buds before producing this single bloom. I think it either needs a much larger pot or to be planted in the ground.

I stuck a pot containing Echinopsis oxygona in a shady spot along the house when the mimosa tree was cut down late last year and never moved it into a sunnier spot so I wasn't expecting it to bloom but it has

Lilies don't generally grow well in my climate/soil but this one, received 4-5 years ago as a gift with purchase, blooms every year. I've no idea as to its identity.

Both of the plants shown here seem to be late in blooming this year. On the left is the first bloom of a noID ruffled cultivar of Leucanthemum x superbum I've had since 2013. On the right are flowers of what I now think is Prunus ilicifolia, part of a laurel hedge that came with the garden.

While my garden offers a broad array of flowers, the volume in some categories is lower than in prior years, which can probably be attributed to the exceptionally dry winter and spring we had. I've also noted that some plants that have bloomed in June (or even earlier) in prior years have failed to show up yet. As this summer is expected to be hotter than usual, I don't expect things will improve until later this year, when hopefully Mother Nature will throw us a bone and deliver more in the way of rainfall than she gave us this year.

On that note, I'll close with color collages featuring what else is blooming here and there in my garden.

Top row: Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin', Arbutus 'Marina', and Distictus buccinatoria
Middle row: Hesperaloe parviflora, Lantana 'Irene', and a mix of orange and yellow Lantana
Bottom row: Leucospermum 'Brandi' and Rosa 'Medallion'

Top row: Alstromeria 'Inca Sundance' and noID Gazania
Middle row: Hymenolepsis parviflora and variegated Lantana 'Samantha'
Bottom row: Leucospermum 'Goldie' and Osteospermum 'Double Moonglow'

Top row: Agonis flexuosa, Alstroemeria 'Claire', and Centranthus 'Albus'
Middle row: Coriandrum sativum, Nandina domestica, and Nigella 'African Bride'
Bottom row: noID Pelargonium peltatum, Penstemon digitalis 'Onyx & Pearls', and Romneya coulteri

Top row: Artichoke, noID Brachyscome, and Buddleia davidii 'Buzz Purple'
Middle row: Gilia tricolor, Lavandula dentata, and Limonium perezii
Bottom row: Melaleuca thymifolia, Plectranthus neochilus, and Polygala fruticosa

Top row: Allium sphaerocephalon, Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', and Callistemon 'Hot Pink'
Middle row: Cosmos bipinnatus, Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', and noID Pelargonium
Bottom row: Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard', Rosa 'Pink Meidiland', and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink'

Top row: Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', and Lobelia laxiflora
Middle row: Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset', Melinus nerviglumis, and Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy'
Bottom row: Pelargonium peltatum, Penstemon mexicali, and Xerochrysum bracteatum

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

Monday, June 14, 2021

In a Vase on Monday: Sprinting into summer

If weather reports are accurate, Southern California and a large portion of the US Southwest are going to get toasted this week. Up to this point our usual June Gloom along the coast has prevented midday temperatures from soaring but it sounds as though we're not going to get a lot of help there this week. Over the past few days, I've given selected sections of my garden a deep soak in an effort to sidestep any serious repercussions but the severity of heatwaves is never predictable. I briefly considered cutting everything in sight for "In a Vase on Monday" but I reined myself in before I went crazy.

My first arrangement was inspired by the wild carrot that took me by surprise in late April. I'd completely forgotten that I'd sown seeds of Daucus carota 'Dara' late last year and, when the seedlings first appeared, I didn't recognize them. Now, the largest plant is nearly as tall as I am.

I felt I needed a flower that played off the burgundy color of the umbellifer to serve as a focal point but, when my first choice didn't do the job, I decided to cut one of the daylilies that has been blooming with abandon, recognizing that it won't have a long vase life. I'll either cut another daylily tomorrow, or simply let the wild carrot flowers stand on their own.

The flowers of the burgundy ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltatum) I'd originally eyed as a focal point were relegated to the back of the vase as they're already beginning to shatter

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Daucus carota 'Dara', Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown', Pandorea jasminoides, and Pelargonium peltatum

The second arrangement was driven by a desire to save some blooms before the heat pushes them over the edge. When I unceremoniously yanked all my sweet pea vines last week, the three foxglove plants they'd shielded from the sun in my cutting garden began to droop rather sadly.

The stems of Coriandrum sativum (aka cilantro/coriander) I used as a filler were wilted a bit when I took these photos but they've since rebounded, as they always do. I didn't sow any seeds of cilantro this year but, as it's popping up nearly everywhere I spread my homemade compost, I clearly didn't need to.

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left are Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Arthropodium cirratum, Coriandrum sativum, Digitalis purpurea, Nigella 'African Bride', and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink'. (Included, but not shown in close up, is a lavender Pelargonium peltatum)

Hopefully, there will still be plenty of flowers to cut next week! For more IAVOM creations this week, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

Friday, June 11, 2021

As spring transitions into summer: Another spin through South Coast Botanic Garden

A friend and I took a spin through South Coast Botanic Garden this week. With summer heat expected to move into the area soon, I suspect I may not be making more trips there until fall. Frankly, the garden already wasn't looking as spiffy as it did back in April, although some areas were tidier than others. I'll start with my favorite views.

Jacaranda trees are in bloom throughout the area but it's easier to photograph the trees at the botanic garden than it is to pull the car to the side of the road as I head down the hill into town.

Jacaranda trees signal the beginning of summer for me

I was also drawn to what I think of as the lavender field, located in the grass garden area.

Mingling with the lavender, clockwise from the upper left, are Lagerstroemia (crape myrtle trees), Salvia canariensis, and Romneya coulteri (aka Matilija poppies)

There are all sorts of critters in the garden - including birds, lizards, and squirrels - but the sheer number of rabbits we saw was a surprise. We seemed to come across one or more at every turn.

The Desert Garden was looking pretty scruffy but some plants still stood out.

Aloe elgonica was blooming. Few other Aloes were at this time of year.

This mass planting of Aloe vanbalenii is attractive even when it isn't blooming

Cussonia paniculata (aka mountain cabbage tree)

This was labeled as organ cactus but I'm not sure it's what's commonly called organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi). I can't read the scientific name on the label but I think this could be Pachycereus marginatus (aka fence post cactus).

There were some interesting succulents outside the Desert Garden as well.

A dark-toned Aeonium arboreum with a noID blue-flowered Salvia made a nice combination

The white orchid cactus on the left (presumably Epiphyllum) was growing in the Desert Garden but we came across the pink one on the right was in another area laying alongside a path.

I had decidedly mixed feelings when I saw this. The oddly pruned Kalanchoe beharensis (felt plant) was located in the children's garden. As a representative of its species it looks terrible but the bare stems made me think of a dinosaur skeleton - it would be interesting as a structure to display Tillandsias or other succulents.

The new installation of succulents along the promenade running from the garden's Palm Circle to the rose garden appears complete but it looks a bit bare to me. Personally, I think it could use a little color in the form of drought tolerant flowering plants or gravel to help the succulents pack more punch.

Toward the end of our rounds we stopped in the shade of the Banyan Grove, one of my favorite areas of the garden, partly because it's always at least ten degrees cooler than the rest of the garden. Although the late morning temperature was fairly pleasant the day of our walk-through, we nonetheless appreciated the area's cool shade.

The Moreton Bay Figs (Ficus macrophylla) create a massive shade canopy

As we headed toward the rose garden, we passed the Mediterranean Garden.

I cringed seeing kids were crawling inside the Fuller sculpture, which isn't intended as a play structure. Their mothers appeared to be having difficulty getting them out.

The sun was exceptionally bright and the few photos I took in the rose garden were badly washed out but I'll offer an assortment of other random photos taken in spots throughout the garden that stood up better under the harsh light conditions.