In mid-May, it would almost be easier to list the plants that aren't flowering than to identify those that are. And this is despite the fact that, since mid-April, we've been hit by two heatwaves here in Southern California. I'll start with the biggest surprise.
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| This is one of my two pineapple guavas (Feijoa sellowiana). They came with the garden but in nine years they've never produced more than a light scattering of blooms. I was blown away last weekend when I found them covered in flowers. |
However, the biggest flower show this month is offered by the back garden so let's focus on that area for a moment.
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| This is the view from the back patio area looking south |
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| and this is a view of the same general area looking east |
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| The large shrub in the middle of the preceding photo is Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' and this photo shows a close-up of its blooms |
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| Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', underplanted with Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', grabs the eye every time I walk through the back garden |
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Other warm-toned blooms in the back garden include these:
Top row - Achillea 'Moonshine', Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', and Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun'
Middle row - Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' (mingling with E. 'Dean's Hybrid') and self-seeded Gazanias
Bottom row - Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset', Salvia africana-lutea, and Sideritis cypria |
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Cooler-toned companions include:
Top row - Ageratum corymbosum, Allium rosenbachianum, and Alstroemeria 'Claire'
Middle row - Buddleja davidii 'Buzz Purple' (shown with Cuphea 'Starfire Pink') and Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick'
Bottom row - Brachyscome 'Brasco Violet' (with Eriophyllum lanatum and Trichostema 'Midnight Magic'), Felicia aethiopica, and Salvia canariensis var candidissima |
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| After 6 years in the ground, one of my three Yucca 'Bright Star' FINALLY produced a bloom spike! It looked more like an agave bloom spike when it first appeared. It's unfolding very slowly. |
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| Hymenolepsis parviflora (aka Coulter bush) marks a transition between the back and south end borders |
After a late start, the cool season flowers in my cutting garden finally got rolling, just as temperatures here began to soar. The heatwaves stressed those flowers but didn't quite incinerate them.
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| View of the cutting garden from the driveway |
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| The sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) were hit the hardest by the heat. The vines are still producing blooms but the stems are much shorter. |
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| In contrast, Orlaya grandiflora (aka Minoan lace) hardly noticed the heat |
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Other blooms in the cutting garden still holding on include:
Top row - Calendula 'Zeolights', Digitalis 'Peach Dalmatian', and Clarkia amoena 'Farewell to Spring'
Middle row - Digitalis purpurea, Consolida ajacis 'Earl Grey, and Consolida 'Summer Skies Mix'
Bottom row - Blue and white Nigella papillosa 'Starry Night Mix' and Nigella orientalis 'Transformer' |
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| The arbor between the cutting garden and the dry garden on its east side is now festooned with Pandora jasminoides and Trachelospermum jasminoides (aka star jasmine) |
A few plants from elsewhere in the garden deserve special notice.
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| The Renga lilies (Arthropodium cirratum) and blooming in four different areas of the garden. They are my go-to plants for dry shade and I've divided them a few times. |
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| Centranthus ruber is still going strong on my back slope |
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| Dorycnium hirsutum (aka hairy Canary clover) is also blooming, to the delight of the bees |
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| One by one, the daylilies are making an appearance. Clockwise from the upper left: Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake', 'Russian Rhapsody', 'Spanish Harlem', 'Blythe Belle', and 'Plum Perfect' |
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| Bunny tail grass (Lagurus ovatus) has infiltrated a new area of the garden this year but it's welcome nonetheless |
I'll close as I usually do with the best of the rest, featured in collages by color.
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Plectranthus neochilus, Pericallis 'Magic Salmon', Psoralea pinnata, Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud', the last bloom of Iris hollandica 'Silver Beauty', and Limonium perezii |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Centaurea 'Silver Feather', noID Delosperma, noID Pelargonium peltatum, Polygala fruticosa, and Thymus serphyllum |
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Top row - Arctotis 'Opera Pink', Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', and Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy'
Middle row - Helleborus 'Phoebe', Oenothera speciosa, and burgundy Pelargonium peltatum
Bottom row - Pelargonium 'Lady Plymouth', P. 'Orange Fizz', and P. peltatum 'Pink Blizzard' |
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Top row - noID pink Alstroemeria, Callistemon 'Hot Pink', and Gladiolus nana 'Nymph'
Middle row - Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Lobelia laxiflora, and Melianthus major
Bottom row - Penstemon mexicali, Rosa 'Pink Meidiland, and noID rose (sprouted from root stalk of a rose I'd removed) |
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Top row - Aeonium arboreum, Cotula lineariloba, and Phlomis fruticosa
Middle row - Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' and Leucospermum 'Goldie'
Bottom row - Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein', E. virgineus 'Tali', and Tagetes lemmonii |
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Top row - Bignonia capreolata and Cuphea 'Vermillionaire'
Middle row - Grevillea 'Superb', Lantana camara 'Irene', and Leucospermum 'Brandi'
Bottom row - Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid', Rosa 'Lady Emma Hamilton', and R. 'Medallion' |
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Top row - Abelia x grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', and A. 'Kiwi Verde'
Middle row - Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest', Echinopsis oxygona, and Gaura lindheimeri
Bottom row - Gazania 'White Flame', noID white Pelargonium peltatum, and Romneya coulteri |
That's it! Another long post so congratulations for wading through it. For a look at what flowers other gardeners are celebrating this month, visit the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day,
Carol at May Dreams Gardens.
All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Incredible amount of flowers, so why am I drawn to that photo of the path with the Bunny Tail grass? I need to tempt you in a trade of some of your Renga lilies, maybe bromeliads or an Agave 'Ivory Curls' pup. I've tried the Renga before but I think I've really got the perfect spot now....(heard that one before?). Lovely May garden for you, Kris!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I can find a Renga lily for you, Denise!
DeleteYou always have a wide range of blooms Kris. I love seeing them all. The bunny tail grass is cute. We have a similar one but I can't think of the name of it. I thought about trying it. Seeing your bunny tails all lit up makes me want to even more. Delphinium is a plant I just love. They don't like it here unless you consider them annuals. I don't have the sun for them anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe bunny tail grass isn't just cute, Lisa, it's also incredibly soft - I wish I could have a pillow made of it! The larkspur (Consolida ajacis) is an annual here too. It grows easily from seed, unlike the true Delpihniums. The latter are technically perennial here but usually very short-lived they struggle with the summer heat.
DeleteWhoops, I hit publish before I was finished. I love your thyme plantings too. I look at all this and drool. Have a great weekend and Happy GBBD.
ReplyDeleteThe creeping thyme groundcover was one of the best choices I made after we took out the lawns that came with the garden.
DeleteThe thyme has grown in so quickly! Has that been just 18 months or so? Of course, I love it and have a million questions: how does it fare in the summer? Does it get any water? or perhaps it's not full sun all day. Did you supplement the soil?
ReplyDeleteAnd your gomphrena always catches my eye - more purple for my garden?
I started adding creeping thyme to the garden in stages as we removed our lawn and laid flagstone paths. The northwest front garden area shown in my photo was the last area we stripped of sod so the thyme there was planted in late 2016 or early 2017. The areas that are in sun all day in the back garden struggle more than those that get a bit of shade. I replanted a large section in the back about 2 years ago and I'm still filling in patches that die out on a periodic basis. In addition to a lot of sun, the soil in the back garden and the area on our south side are particularly sandy so it doesn't retain moisture well. I added planting mix to the soil but those areas could have benefited from more organic matter. I irrigate twice a week in summer. The thyme has to be trimmed back by hand on a periodic basis as it will otherwise cover the flagstones.
DeleteThank you for the info. I have not had much luck with the serphyllum, but I thnk I may try again in another area because I just love the look of it. Instead of a garden center cultivar, I'm thinking of trying to seed my own in plugs. Thanks!
DeleteFarewell to Spring is a beautiful name for a lovely flower
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty, although it wasn't the Clarkia I ordered from the mail order supplier, which was a little bit of a disappointment. Mistakes happen.
DeleteI love seeing your Bloom Day posts, Kris. It's like perusing a really nice nursery catalog! I'll take one of everything, haha. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm in awe of the lack of pollution over the harbor, do you stare at it every day to memorize it before life goes back to BAU? I like the view of your thyme walk, too. It grew in so nicely.
Have a great weekend!
The air is already getting worse as more people move around, Eliza. Freeway traffic is reportedly still light but local traffic is steadily increasing. According to the LA Times, our cleaner air had more to do with the steady rainfall during the first half of April than with the reduced traffic. Unfortunately, the rain is almost certainly over until October or thereabout.
DeleteIt's been a great spring. That deep soak we got in April worked magic, didn't it? Your garden looks wonderful--so many flowers.
ReplyDeleteThe air still seems cleaner even if traffic is increasing. I'm enjoying it as long as it lasts.
It appears that timing is everything! The rain in April was wonderful. The forecast is showing a 30% chance of light rain here on Monday morning - dare we hope?
DeleteDespite heatwaves your garden is filled with so many colors kris.We are also experiencing summer but still saved from harsh heatwaves that makes it impossible to step out in garden during the daytime.Pink caillandra is such beautiful color but rarely grown in my region.Happy blooms day.
ReplyDeleteOur first heatwave in April here was a surprise, both in its timing and its intensity, Arun. The second, a week later, wasn't quite as bad but I'm hoping they aren't indicative of how the summer's going to go.
DeleteWow Kris! I am most impressed with your variety and selection. When you walk through your gardens, you must feel as if you're walking in heaven. I can't imagine it being any prettier.
ReplyDeleteI hope your heat wave subsides and allows you the luxury of time in the garden and not in the house escaping the heat. Have a great weekend!
Thanks Cindy. It's actually been mild this week. We're supposed to hit 80F today but there's a slim chance of light rain on Monday, which would be a minor miracle!
DeleteWow, a ton of blooms. It doesn't look like the heat waves have set anything back. Love all the blooms but my favourites are the Yucca 'Bright Star. They steal the show. I believe you have a birthday coming up so Happy B'Day Kris!
ReplyDeleteI DO have a birthday coming up but, in the era of the pandemic, celebrating will be low-key and, as I get older, that's probably a good thing, Elaine.
DeleteOh I feel warm just reading your posts Kris - all that sunshine comes through. You must have been so excited to see your pineapple guava flower so prolifically. Why do you think that might be?
ReplyDeleteA commentator on Instagram mentioned that she'd heard that heavy blooming on a sporadic basis is a characteristic of the pineapple guava. My own theory is that 2 years of good rain may have made the difference, especially after a long period of drought. My main garden reference guide says that the plant is drought tolerant but it needs regular water to fruit well.
DeleteIt is absolutely incredible what your garden has developed during the years I followed you!
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful!! Even though it is so dry, you have created this green lush garden.
A very nice post you made.
Best regards Mariana
Thanks Mariana. The garden HAS changed a lot in the last 7+ years!
DeleteWhat a lovely garden you have, and such a diversity of blooms! I am envious.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, Dorothy!
DeleteIt's easy to see that you enjoy your garden! I am so jealous of the colors as it is autumn here in New Zealand.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to share at My Corner of the World
Thanks Betty. As soon as summer hits here, I actually start looking forward to autumn!
DeleteGood lord, you have so many flowers! What a feast to hungry eyes. The color coordinated collections are fun to look at. I seem to favor cool color blooms in the summer when I can't seem to get away from the sun and the heat. I'm a little envy of your Gazania as I can't get them through most winters in Seattle, let alone re-seed.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I'm known as something of a flower addict, chavliness. Although I'm working at achieving a balance with foliage, I expect I'll always be in the process of recovery...Gazanias have been wonderful here, prolific self-seeders but not obnoxious about it.
DeleteHow did I miss your Bloomday post? So many lovely flowers. That yucca bloom is going to be glorious when all those flowers open. And I'm curious, have you eaten one of your pineapple guava flowers yet?
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't tried the guava petals yet. I thought you were referring to the fruit when you left a comment on my IG post. The fruit hasn't developed yet but, after learning that the petals are also tasty, I'll go try some!
DeleteGorgeous...all of it, Kris! I'm partial to the peach/salmon grouping--those color tones make me happy. Your property is as incredible as a public botanical garden! The pathways are really nifty. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth. I had a vision of creating a garden area focused on peach and lavender blooms but that hasn't come into being (yet).
Delete