In a Vase on Monday: A Bright Spot Under Cloudy Skies

After an extended period of miserably high temperatures, the heat finally broke over the weekend as Tropical Storm Rachel moved into Southern California.  Some areas in Orange County were affected by an onslaught of unusually high tides.  Newport Beach areas were closed for a short time.  Long Beach experienced waves that resulted in some evacuations.  But the effects on Los Angeles County have been relatively trivial so far.  We were lightly spattered by rain on and off but we had just 0.02/inch of measurable precipitation through Sunday.  More rain is expected overnight and in the morning hours today but I'm not holding my breath.  Meanwhile, San Diego, Riverside and Imperial Counties were still under warnings for potential flooding the last I heard.

I cut a few flowers late Saturday afternoon, when I thought heavier rain might still be coming, and I arranged them on Sunday. My garden is still delivering both dahlias and zinnias so I took advantage of both.  I was tempted to cut more but, as we didn't get anything like a deluge of rain, I decided to limit myself to just one vase in the hope that I might still have flowers left to cut next week.

Dahlia 'Break Out' surprised me with new stems after a long hiatus.  It was among the first of my dahlias to flower this year and to say it was prolific is an understatement.  I cut dozens of stems for myself, friends and neighbors before I exhausted the plants about 2 months ago.  I didn't expect any more but both plants recently produced new stems.

Back view: I filled out the arrangement using stems of Grevillea 'Superb' and Zinnia 'Salmon Rose'

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Dahlia 'Break Out', Grevillea 'Superb' and Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose'

Assuming we don't get more rain that we're currently expecting here today, I hope to be back in the garden working to clean up some of the plants badly damaged by that last stretch of heat - or what I hope was the last stretch.  It's high time I get to some serious work in preparation for the fall season.

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

Final arrangement in place in the front entry

I couldn't resist bringing the hang-gliding mouse back out of the closet for another run as a prop for this arrangement 

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

In a Vase on Monday: Sizzling

The heat only got worse here as we moved into the past weekend, reaching 100F and higher (38C).  The scorching temperatures are predicted to remain in effect until Wednesday when they could drop ten degrees into the upper 80s (31C) before very slowly creeping down during the following week.  The only positive has been that the intense heat hasn't been accompanied by high humidity on this occasion.

Remarkably, the heat didn't take out everything I had left in my cutting garden, although it did significantly diminish my options this week.  However, Dahlia 'Enchantress' at last decided it was time to produce more than two flowers at the same time.

I got 8 flowers from 'Enchantress' this week (only 2 of which were lightly singed)

Back view: I filled out the vase with zinnias

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Salvia discolor, Dahlia 'Table Dancer', D. 'Enchantress', noID pink Zinnia, Z. 'Benary's Giant Purple', and Z. 'Oklahoma White'.  Unfortunately, the Salvia, which has tiny almost black flowers, was virtually hidden by the other plant materials.

I've managed to squeeze in some watering, as well as outdoor exercise walks, very early in the morning during the current heatwave, although I can't say either activity has been pleasant even when competed by 7:30am.  The nighttime temperatures haven't dipped much either, stuck in the low 80sF (28C) throughout the overnight hours.  The days may be shorter but it certainly doesn't feel like fall here yet! 

For IAVOM posts from more hospitable areas, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other contributors to this weekly meme have found to fill their vases.

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

In a Vase on Monday: The heat is on (again)

The heat returned late last week, although yesterday's temperature wasn't as bad as Saturday's when it peaked at 90F (32C).  It looks as though we can expect to see highs in the mid-80s for the next ten days.  The humidity level also remains high but then there's another hurricane threatening the coast of Mexico.  It shouldn't directly affect Southern California  but there seems to be some concern that it could rise our surf levels, contributing to beach erosion.  Meanwhile, we await El Niño and the impact it's likely to have here.  It's hard to ignore the possibilities when we see headline articles in the papers nearly daily of late about its pending arrival.

I still have some dahlias in my cutting garden but the zinnias are making a bigger splash this week, even if only a handful of the seed varieties I sowed back in June have made an appearance.

I started off using only white flowers before throwing in a few oranges and yellows to perk things up 

Back view: As the Lantanas I pruned back hard a month ago have rebounded, I threw in several stems of Lantana 'Irene' because it picked up the same color theme so well

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Lantana camara 'Irene', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum', Dahlia 'Snowball', Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', Z. 'Queeny Lemon Peach', and Z. 'Oklahoma White'

I got a little gardening done last week before the heat and humidity had me backing off again.  I did a bit of plant shopping too as I'm finding it hard to ignore all the empty spots that opened up over the summer months in part because I've simply had less time and energy to give my garden this year.  Fall is typically the peak time to plant here and I can only be hopeful that El Niño doesn't make that more difficult this year.  If you're unfamiliar with El Niño, a weather phenomenon that often has particular impact on my area of the US, you can find a recent article here.

To view other IAVOM posts, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other contributors have put together to share with us this week.

A side note to my fellow bloggers:  Blogspot has been experiencing a problem in updating my blogroll and those of many others using the same platform.  There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to what gets updated and when, and it affects even the recording of posts originating on other platforms like Wordpress.  I currently have to manually check each URL to determine whether or not other bloggers have posted something new.  Bear with me as I wait out Google's efforts to fix the problem.

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

In a Vase on Monday: A Juggling Act

We've been lucky with conditions along the Southern California coast for the past week with temperatures in the upper 70sF (26C).  The ten-day forecast shows more of the same ahead.  I even put in little time working in my garden this past week, cutting back some of the plants that burned or baked during the last extended heatwave.  I still have some dahlias, although far fewer than I had earlier in the season, and many of those are flowering on thinner, more feeble stems prone to breaking.  I can't guarantee how much longer they'll last but I'm hopeful that they may fill my vases at least through the end of September, which or course isn't far away.

This week's vase provided a pinky-purple mix.  As the vase I'd selected proved to be a bit too tight to accept everything I'd cut, after juggling what I could into place, I ended up discarding some of what I'd selected but the overall arrangement was better for the edits.

As the stems varied significantly in length, I struggled to fit them together in a cohesive fashion so the arrangement I ended up with wasn't what I'd initially envisioned

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Admiral Rawlings', D. 'Enchantress', D. 'Mikayla Miranda', Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Purple', Z. 'Benary's Giant Wine', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', and Dahlia 'Table Dancer' 

I was happy with the mix even though I ended up tossing quite a few flowers, most notably the stems of Polygala grandiflora (aka sweet pea bush).  I couldn't get its short stiff branches shoved into place.  However, they weren't a big loss as the shrub had planted itself where it didn't belong in the first place, and then got torched by the heat.  I have a lot of the same plant elsewhere in any case.

The final arrangement in place at the front entry

You can find more IAVOM arrangements by checking in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to discover what she and other gardeners participating in this weekly meme have found to share.

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

Sparse Flower Power

The garden always looks less flowerful in September and this year the bloom display is perhaps sparser than usual as I just haven't been able to invest the time and energy my garden needs to stay on pace.  It didn't help that, after cooler than usual summer temperatures at the start of the season, it got much hotter during the past month.

However, my garden did provide a few surprises recently.

This Hippeastrum appeared out of the blue from one of the bulbs I'd planted in my back garden 2-3 years ago with the intention of allowing it to naturalize.  The bulbs don't seem to flower on any set schedule.  This one may be 'Luna' but I'm no longer certain.

I deadheaded all my Agapanthus more than a month ago, assuming they were done for the season.  These stragglers appeared out of nowhere.  The dark blue one was added to my collection a few years ago and has bloomed slightly later than those that came with the garden but even its flowers were unexpected.

I sowed sunflower seeds in June and only half expected to see any results.  I only got a few seedlings but this Helianthus 'Astra Rose' really pleased me.

I never know if or when this Leucophyllum laevagatum will bloom but it seems to respond to summer storms.  We seldom have those but I guess the remnants of Hurricane Marie are responsible for this appearance.

This noID Caladium obviously isn't a flower but it's pretty enough to warrant a shout out

Not to be outdone, the real stars of the garden this month were these:

A few of the dahlias were disappointing and several seemed to have already bloomed out but this group is still producing flowers.
Top row: Dahlia 'Admiral Rawlings' and D. 'Enchantress'
Middle row: D. 'Labyrinth', D. 'Karma Caroline', and D. 'Omega'
Bottom row: D. Mystery Day', D. Snowball', and D. 'Table Dancer'

The zinnias also got a late start this year and most have appeared only in small numbers at any one time.  Clockwise from the upper left, those currently flowering include: Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', Z. 'Oklahoma White', Z. 'Benary's Giant Purple', and Z. 'Benary's Giant Wine'.

The most prolific and dependable of my daylilies, Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem', is midway through its second bloom cycle for the year

I don't have many roses but 6 Rosa 'Pink Meidiland' shrubs came with the garden and continue to flower at the front of the house

And then there are the usual old dependables, which serve as the backbones of my garden.

Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope' and A. g. 'Radiance'

The everblooming Grevillea 'Superb'

Lantana camara 'Irene' and noID yellow variety

Not flowers but rather colorful leaf bracts imitating flowers, these are Leucadendron 'Devil's Blush' and L. 'Summer Red'

I'll wrap up my late summer overview with a handful of honorable mentions tucked into a collage.

Clockwise from the upper left are: Catharanthus 'Blueberry Kisses', a noID Coleus, Daucus carota 'Dara', Rudbeckia 'Juliana', and Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum'

 

With the arrival of cooler temperatures this week, I'm hopeful that we're on the bridge heading into the fall season.  My garden needs work and I need take stock of what should be yanked, what should be pruned back, and then compile a list of the prospects for replacements.  What about you?  Are you getting ready for the fall season yet?

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

In a Vase on Monday: I lost my patience

I had two floral arrangements in mind when I got up Sunday morning but the Hippeastrum I'd planned to use in one arrangement wasn't looking its best and the red dahlias I wanted to use in the other arrangement were no longer in prime condition.  So I did my best to cobble something together.  I added stems of Protea 'Pink Ice' to jazz up the elements but I struggled to get them to balance one another.  I finally threw up my hands and decided that the mix would have to do as it was.

I used the most respectable red 'Good Day' Dahlias I could find and combined them 3 'Omega' Dahlias, then added 3 Proteas

Back view: I used stems of Leucadendron 'Summer Red' and Agonis flexuosa as fillers.  This Leucadendron is much paler in color than others of the same variety growing in sunnier areas of my garden. 

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Leucadendron 'Summer Red', Dahlia 'Good Day, D. 'Omega', and Protea 'Pink Ice'.  (My Protea 'Claire', which flowered earlier, got toasted during recent heatwave.)

Arrangement in place in the front entryway

After nearly two weeks of hot and humid weather, it's finally cooled down a bit.  Last week, our afternoon temperature hit 102.5F (39C) at one point and got stuck there for a good part of the day.  Hurricane Marie left us with miserably humid conditions for a time too but at least we avoided the flooding that plagued other areas and resulted in serious damage and evacuations elsewhere along the coast.  We got a total of 0.56/inch of rain here.  Yesterday's temperature hovered around 80F (26C) and we're hoping for more of the same for the rest of this week.  It's time for me to get back to work in the garden!

Check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to discover what she and other contributors to IAVOM have put together this week.

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

Wordless Wednesday: Visitors

 

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