What's perking up my garden this June?

I was late putting together a Bloom Day post and, as Carol of May Dreams Gardens, the creator of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, is in the process of retiring the meme anyway, I thought I'd do my own thing this month.  Rather than cover virtually everything I currently have in flower as I've done in the past,  I picked just the plants that drew my eye right now.  It's still a relatively long list!

I'm starting with a few plants I recently acquired.

I lost a significant number of plants due to a February heatwave and my inability to properly care for my garden when medical issues sidelined me for an extended period.  I refilled this pot with a Digiplexis 'Illumination Raspberry' and 2 peachy Osteospermums.

Tired of waiting for my first dahlia tubers to bloom, I bought this Dahlia 'XXL Veracruz' at my local garden center already in flower and potted it up

A small Dahlia 'Karma Carolina' I'd back-ordered in January (and promptly forgotten) was delivered in April.  The plant flowered before any of the bare tubers I planted.

As it's easier to simply present the rest of my selections in alphabetical order, that's what I've done.

Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' is now blooming with abandon

One of several artichokes (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus) are flowering on our back slope, overlooked by 2 neighboring homes

These Gaillardia 'Spintop Copper Sun' returned to bloom more vigorously than ever this year

Hebe ''Grace Kelly' is flowering better than ever this year, although its lost most of its variegation

The Hemerocallis 'Sammy Russell' daylilies originally came with the house

Another noID Hippeastrum flowered this month.  Their schedule is unpredictable.

The noID purple Iris germanica at the bottom of my back slope are the only ones I can depend upon to bloom each year.  They came with the garden.

The 2 tree-like Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' in the front garden are flowering more profusely than they ever have before

The noID Leucanthemum x superbum I received from a friend years ago as a gift have picked up their flower power this month

The last of this year's Lilium 'Orange Planet' are finishing up but luckily other lilies are preparing to make an entrance

The red-orange flowers of the Lotus berthelotii I planted last year are also finally blooming in earnest 

The Phlomis fruticosa (aka Jerusalem sage) I thought had finished up in April seem to be back!

I've been largely avoiding my semi-treacherous back slope but I did notice that the Matilija poppies (Romneya coulteri) are in flower.  Pretty as they are, I tried to remove them again last year and clearly failed. 

This is Rudbeckia 'Juliana', which I didn't expect to last the season summer, much less to be flowering again this year

Salvia 'Mystic Spires' is also back and flowering with greater vigor thus year

That's enough for now, wouldn't you say?  More dahlias are on the heels of those I shared at the top of this post, and there are at least a couple more lilies in the wings.  I have lots of tiny zinnia and sunflower seedlings coming up too but, if they survive, I expect it'll be a couple of months yet before they amount to anything as they got a very late start this year.

Meanwhile, I hope your summer is off to a good start!

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

In a Vase on Monday: Hidden Treasure

I'd thought that my lilies might be something of a loss this year. Only 'Orange Planet' had made an appearance. But it seems that I gave up too soon. I spotted a single flower of 'Montego Bay' last week and, by Sunday, I had six flowers. They were well hidden below and behind 'Orange Planet'. I cut all of them as it made no sense to leave them where they were, where neither I nor anyone else could see them.

I don't recall 'Montego Bay' blooming all at once for me before

Back view, filled in with stems of Alstroemeria 'Third Harmonic'

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left are: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', A. 'Third Harmonic', Crocosmia 'Plum Hussey', Digiplexis 'Illumination Raspberry', and Lilium 'Montego Bay' 

This is the arrangement in place in our front entry

I've also discovered that I have at least one other lily in the wings - 'Friso', I think. 'Pretty Woman', one of my favorite lilies, appears to be producing stalks, although I'm not convinced they're going to amount to anything. I've no idea where either 'Zelmira' or 'Zeba' may be hiding, but maybe they'll surprise me. In the meantime, the dahlias are looking more promising each week.

For more IAVOM posts, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to discover what she and others have put together this week.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Twisted

None of the dahlia tubers I planted in April and May are blooming yet, but two of the foxgloves I planted late last year have finally produced flowers so they kicked off today's "In a Vase on Monday" creation. They don't account for the title of the post, however. That was prompted by the unusual Pelargonium 'Colocho' I added to the mix, primarily as my foliage accent. It has twisted leaves with a delicious scent. I've had this plant in my garden for many years and I've propagated it from cuttings too but this is the first year it's developed a real presence there. It deserved the distinction of a starring role in this week's post.

The foxgloves and other flowers added rich colors

That included Centranthus ruber (aka red valerian), as shown at the back view of the vase.  It's essentially a weed here.  It was in full bloom earlier in the year but it's fading fast now.
 

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains:  Centranthus ruber, Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Digitalis purpurea, Leucanthemum x superbum, Pelargonium peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard', and P. 'Colocho'

This is the arrangement in place in the front entry

It looks as though our afternoon temperatures will remain on the mild side (72F/22C) for awhile yet but we may finally get more sun each day starting mid-week as the marine layer backs off.  As I finally sowed some zinnia seeds, I hope that means some summer flowers by July or August!

Check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other IAVOM contributors are sharing thus week.

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

In a Vase on Monday: They look like flowers anyway

There are lots of flowers in bloom in my garden but there isn't much that's new at present. The Agapanthus are at their peak but I've used them more than once "In a Vase on Monday" post already this year. I pulled out my sweet peas last week as they were looking sad, and the larkspur are well on their out way out the door too. So I decided to use three of my Leucadendrons as the centerpieces of this week's arrangement. One of these does a particularly good job of imitating flowers.

 

The dark red rose-like "buds" are stems of Leucadendron 'Blush'

The back view of the vase shown here highlights sprays of the white flowers of Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'.  It's blooming well this year.  The shrubs are large but the flowers themselves are quite dainty.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left are:  Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', L. 'Jester', L. 'Jubilee Crown, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and Leucanthemum x superbum (a noID Shasta daisy)

Arrangement in place on the dining room table

It's been sunnier the past week but thankfully it hasn't gotten hot yet.  All but three of my dahlia tubers have sprouted; however, none of those look anywhere near reaching bloom stage yet.  And I have scads of Zinnia seed packets I haven't opened much less planted.  My nearly continuous therapy sessions and doctor visits give me much less time for gardening than I'd like!

Check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for more IAVOM posts.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Sunshine ahead (I hope)

By the time Memorial Day rolls around, we can usually count on sunny days. After all, it's the unofficial start of the summer season in the U.S. However, that's not been the case this year. It's been gloomy and on the cool side more often than not. The political environment can also be seen as chilling. At least it usually gets sunny by the mid-afternoon most days here. Fortunately, my garden provided its own sunshine this week.

The orange lilies finally came through with their flowers this week.  I think this variety is 'Orange Planet', which I planted in 2021.

Back view, filled out using Alstroemeria 'Claire' and Shasta daisies called 'Sweet Baby Izabel' (Leucanthemum x superbum)

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana',  Alstroemeria 'Claire', A. 'Inca Sundance', Leucanthemum x superbum 'Sweet Baby Izabel, Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi', and Lilium 'Orange Brandi'

View of arrangement in place

Depressing as circumstances have been on many fronts this year, it's time to dig in and slog through the ballot that's currently sitting on my desk.  At the same time, some 50,000 people in Orange County to the near south of us are under evacuation orders due to a serious toxic chemical leak. What a way to spend a holiday weekend!

I hope you've had an opportunity to spend time in your garden - or someone else's - this week.  You can check in with Cathy at Rambling and others who put something "In a Vase on Monday" here.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Seeing purple

I thought I'd have a few lilies in bloom this week but they weren't quite ready to take off yet. So I decided to cut stems of the purple gladiolas I'd been eyeing last week. The trouble was finding other flowers that would show them off. I ended up adding two tall Acanthus mollis stems to balance them out. Combining those and a few other smaller plants were enough to call it an arrangement. I can only hope that the cat won't send the large crystal vase crashing to the floor before the week is over.

It's a very heavy vase but I'm not sure that'd stop a cat prone to pushing her boundaries

Back view: I included stems of the purple-leafed Vitex trifolia but unfortunately it takes a good day for  the stems to recover after they've been cut, hence the droop in these photos

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acanthus mollis, noID Gladious, noID Leucanthemum superbum, Limonium perezi, Nigella papillosa 'African Bride', and Vitex trifolia 'Purpurea'

Arrangement in place in the dining room

It's getting warmer here and the dahlia tubers that are still in temporary pots could use more space to spread out so I think my sweet peas may half to go soon. It's too bad; however, this year's crop was somewhat disappointing. I can already see signs of mildew on the foliage too.

Thanks, as always, to Cathy at at Rambling in the Garden for hosting IAVOM. Best wishes to all for a colorful week!

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

Bloom Day - May 2026

I missed two months of Bloom Day posts while sidelined by medical issues.  I'm still recovering, but I was determined to get a post up this month.  My garden isn't exactly up to snuff as regular therapy sessions take a lot of my time, however I've taken a stab at documenting what I could.

The Agapanthus are blooming heavily as usual this May

Arctotis ‘Large Marge' is more vigorous than 'Pink Sugar'

White and yellow Argyranthemum (aka Marguerite daisies) are at their peak

Cynara scolymus, commonly known as artichokes on the back slope 

Echium 'Pride of Madeira', one of 3 Echiums I currently have in bloom

Globularia x indubia (aka globe daisy), beloved by bees

Hippeastrum flower on an irregular schedule.  I've noID for this one but it's naturalized in my garden.

Leonotis leonurus, aka lion's tail

Leucadendron salignum 'Blush' - not a true flower but it looks likes one

Leucospermum Royal Hawaiian 'Brandi', the flashiest Leucospermum in my garden (so far)

NoID Pelargonium (left) and 2 Pelargonium peltatum (right) aka ivy geranium)

Flamboyant Salvia canariensis var candidissima

The cutting garden still has spring flowers (soon to be replaced with dahlias).

Consolida ajacis, aka larkspur

Lathyrus odoratus, aka sweet peas

NoID Gladiolus

There are also a host of dependable long term bloomers:

Clockwise from upper left: Grevillea 'Superb', 'Peaches & Cream', 'Scarlet Sprite', and G.sericea

Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink' and a noID orange variety

Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake' & 'Spanish Harlem'

I've thrown several other flowers into a final collage for final measure:

Top Row: Alstroemeria ‘Claire’, Callistemon viridiflorus, and Lagurus ovatus (aka bunny tail grass)
Middle: Centranthus ruber, Oenothera speciosa, and Felicia aethiopica
Bottom: Chrysocephalum, Gaillardia 'Desert Flame', and Gazania 'Spin Top Copper Sun'

That's it for this month's survey.  Many thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day each month.

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