Friday, June 15, 2018

Bloom Day - June 2018

Despite the heat that's been scorching some areas of Southern California and a flurry of wildfires across the Southwest US, we're still benefiting from an early morning marine layer most days here, which has held local temperatures down thus far.  I anticipate the situation is temporary but we're expecting below average temperatures (low 70sF) this weekend and I'm going to enjoy that while I can.  Summer flowers have begun showing up in earnest and the late spring blooms have yet to take cover from the heat so the garden is colorful to say the least.

Unequivocally, the stars of my June garden are Achillea 'Moonshine' and the Agapanthus.

I've lined both sides of the flagstone path in the middle of the back garden with 'Moonshine'.  On this side of the path, the yellow color is mirrored in the tiny blooms of Cotula 'Tiffendell Gold' and the foliage of Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'.

Clumps of Agapanthus are spread throughout the garden.  Most bloom in shades of blue but there are some white blooms too.

The front garden is especially colorful right now, as you can see from the photo on the left.  The highlights include: more Agapanthus, Gaura lindheimeri, Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem', Cuphea 'Starfire Pink' and Rosa 'Pink Meidiland'.


While the Echiums are fading, the daylilies are pumping out new blooms

Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira', shown here, is waning and I've already cut back the spent bloom spikes of Echium webbii (not shown) in the back garden

New blooms of (left to right) Hemerocallis 'Indian Giver', 'Plum Perfect' and 'Spanish Harlem' greet me every morning.  'Spanish Harlem' has been especially prolific this year despite our very dry winter.


Like the front garden, some areas of the garden are putting on an especially strong show this month.

The bed shown on the left sits outside my home office window.  Clockwise from the upper right, the blooming plants include: Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Lantana camara 'Irene', Leucanthemum x superbum, Leucospermum 'Brandi', Lobelia laxiflora, the first ever bloom I've had on Melianthus major, and Phylica pubescens.

The arbor over the gate between my cutting garden and my dry garden is once again blanketed in blooms this June.  The photo on the left shows the view from the cutting garden and the photo on the upper right shows the view from the dry garden side.  The flowering plants include: Pandorea jasminoides, a dark pink flowered Pelargonium peltatum that's chosen to climb, and Trachelospermum jasminnoides.

On the back slope Bignonia capreolata is sprawling over property boundaries into two neighboring gardens (photos top and lower left).  It's a beautiful but aggressive plant.  I didn't put it in but its trunk sits on our property.  I believe the neighbor on our north side planted it as she'd originally gardened on our lower slope, believing it was part of her lot until a prior owner of our property had an official survey done.


A few other areas offer more subtle displays of color.

In addition to Catananche caerulea and Convolulus sabatius, there's some noID Brachyscome and thyme in the mix here

Crassula pubescens ssp radicans has filled in the areas between various agaves and aloes on the south side of the house

Penstemon x mexicali 'Carillo Purple' and Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly' provide subtle color echoes of one another here


And here are some other plants just too pretty to ignore.

NoID Anigozanthos

Arbutus 'Marina'

Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus) - so far, most of the blooms have been produced by the blue-purple varieties.  This is 'Rosanne Black Pearl'.  It didn't flower well last year but the plants that lived to bloom a second year look better than the first year blooms.

Gaillardias 'Arizona Sun' (left) and 'Fanfare Citronella' (right)

Globularia x indubia - it's also known as Globe Daisy but I call it my hairy blue eyeball plant

Hesperaloe parviflora 'Brakelights'

Magnolia grandiflora

Melaleuca thymifolia - the plant itself looks ungainly but the blooms are extraordinary

Romneya coulteri (aka Matilija Poppy), beloved by bees


I'll close with a few collages capturing the best of the rest.

Top row: Consolida ajacis, Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick', and Geranium incanum, a weed in an unreachable spot
Bottom row: Limonium perezii, Ozothamnus diosmifolius, and Plectranthus neochilus

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', self-seeded Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin', Cotula 'Tiffendell Gold', Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', Hunnemannia fumariifolia 'Sunlite', Hymenolepsis parviflora, Tagetes lemmonii, and, in the center, Grevillea 'Superb'

Top row: Abelia grandiflora, Antirrhinum majus, Cistus x skanbergii, and C. 'Sunset'
Middle row: Dorycnium hirsutum, Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', Hebe 'Wiri Blush', and Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'
Bottom row: Mimulus 'Jelly Beans Crimson', Pelargonium peltatum, P. cucullatum 'Flore Pleno', and P. 'Pink Blizzard'

And a fond farewell to Lathyrus odoratus, the remains of which I pulled out of my cutting garden on Wednesday evening


For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, visit our host, Carol of May Dreams Gardens.


All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

38 comments:

  1. Oh! 'Spanish Harlem' looks like my kind of red! As usual, your blooms are a wonderful dream. The shot of the Agaves and the Crassula is SO California, but not what I usually think of when I think of your garden (which fits no stereotypical description).

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    1. 'Spanish Harlem" is the most vigorous of my limited collection of daylilies. It's tall, dark and handsome, Alison!

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  2. I'm so glad you're getting to enjoy your garden with the cooler temperatures.

    Something about the photo of the Crassula pubescens ssp radicans and Agaves looks fake/photoshopped to me. I had to stop scrolling and stare at it for a good long while. Thanks for the mind-bending visual!

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    1. My camera is usually set on auto-focus, as was the case here. The 'Blue Glow' Agaves in the foreground are crisply defined but the Crassula flowers look decidedly fuzzy; however, I didn't have the time or energy to seek a clearer shot.

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  3. lovely colors of sweet peas ...have a great weekend.

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    1. The poor sweet peas don't last long once the temperatures rise here but I enjoyed them while I had them!

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  4. I thought I'd have hunnemania too this year -- turned out to be CA poppies! Incredible floral flooziness display, rivaling Annie's.

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    1. I'm been impressed by just how long those Mexican Tulip Poppies bloom, Denise. I think I've featured them in 3 Bloom Day posts now.

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  5. I think the effect that struck Loree is due to the fine pencil-line edges on the agaves nearest to the viewer, which can create the illusion that they've been photoshopped into the image. It's real, though, and a fantastic composition of plants.

    Love that Leucospermum 'Brandi' -- very mid-century modern "space age" look. There's so much to enjoy that I'm glad you're getting temps that let you revel in the riches.

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    1. Yes, I think the camera's focus was the 'Blue Glow' agaves rather than the Crassula flowers. As for 'Brandi', after waiting over 2 years for her to bloom, I'm thrilled!

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  6. Kris, you garden looks beautiful so full of flowers! I should try to focus less on roses and plant something else. Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Thanks MDN! A mix of flower types offers solace when the genus you love above others struggles. Your water lilies are pretty spectacular!

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  7. My head would be spinning if I was lucky enough to be able to walk through this month. I like all of that blue and yellow in the first pictures. The arch between gardens is a look I have striven for for years and haven't been able to pull it off. Just looking at your pictures makes me want to try again.

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    1. The Pandorea and Trachelospermum on the arch both came with the garden, Lisa, so I was lucky in that respect. I brought the Pelargonium from my former garden and planted it below, intending for it to serve as a groundcover. Little did I know that this ivy geranium had the aspiration of a climber!

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  8. A stunning collection of plants, Kris, and as usual a number I’ve never heard of before. I love that Globularia indubia amongst many others.

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    1. The Globularia is a wonderful plant, Jane, although the white petals tend to take on a sallow color as the petals age.

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  9. There is so much variety in your garden, Kris. You are a botanical garden in and of yourself! All is gorgeous - I esp. like the view of the agaves, crassulas and aloes.

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    1. The Crassula was a lucky addition in that succulent bed, Eliza - the flowers, which are quite long-lasting, add a bit of flash during early summer.

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  10. You might be the Bloomday Queen Kris, with the sheer volume of flowers in your garden.

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    1. An embarrassment of riches, Kathy! I'm a flower floozy after all.

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  11. Wow, what a wonderful flowerparadise you have Kris. I am jealouse (fun) That Globularia is stunning.
    Have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. I originally bought the Globularia for its foliage but I love the flowers as well, Marijke. Best wishes for a wonderful weekend to you as well!

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  12. Wow! And I thought I was a plantaholic. A simply jaw-dropping garden crammed full of the most amazing plants. I have seen pictures before of course, but it seems more abundant than ever. I have never seen anything like it.So many beautiful plants are unfamiliar to me. I would so love to stroll round and examine everything in detail.

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    1. The garden is slowly filling in - and then I keep adding plants as well. I can't seem to help myself...

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  13. Wonderful! All hail Flower Floozies!

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    1. Flower floozies do make the world a lot more colorful ;)

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  14. Gracias por visitar mi blog, Anna. Lamento que mi espaƱol no sea lo suficientemente bueno para apreciar completamente tus poemas. Los mejores deseos.

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  15. Kris, your garden is always full of treasures but this month it looks like paradise. Not only do you have so much flowering but all the plants look healthy and strong. You must be the envy of your neighbourhood and I hope an inspiration to anyone wanting to garden in a water-wise manner. A triumph.

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    1. It'd be nice if I influenced neighbors to pull out their thirsty lawns but I haven't seen any evidence of that, Christina. If we get another winter like the last one, though, maybe Mother Nature will exercise some influence.

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  16. Love the contrast between the crassula and the bold outlines of the agaves. What fabulous plants agaves are. Sigh.

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    1. Yes, you certainly do not live in agave country. One might be very happy in your greenhouse, though...

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  17. Can't think of an adjective superlative enough to describe your garden, Kris. I've finally got round to putting in some Gauras too, and this post has reminded me of the beauty and hardiness of Convulvulus.

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    1. Both Gauras and Convolvulus are great drought resistant and heat tolerant plants, Sue!

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  18. Incredible garden! What a lovely tour through all the spaces in your yard. And thank you for naming one of the plants I have that is blooming in my yard but was a mystery -- Cotula. Such a sweet little thing it is with the yellow buttons. I just finished being part of the local Private Garden tour here and was unable to get the names of all my plants in time. You amaze me with your superb record-keeping!

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    1. Cotula 'Tiffendell Gold' is a wonderful plant but beware of Cotula lineariloba. It's a thug, at least in my climate. I've been trying to keep a running record of what I plant since I acquired my current garden 7 years ago, although I do slip up on occasion. Thanks for visiting!

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  19. Wow! This explosion of color is amazing! Hairy blue eyeball plant made me laugh! LOVE the bed with the aloes and agaves on the south side! Everything is so gorgeous!

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    1. Thanks Peter! The cooler weather we've had this spring has been a blessing for the garden.

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  20. That Melianthus should delight your hummingbirds. I wonder if they will? It has black nectar.

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