Putting a positive spin on my late summer garden

Okay, I know that, technically speaking, it's now fall in the Northern Hemisphere; however, summer probably won't really come to an end for another 5-6 weeks in my area of Southern California.  In fact, aided by our devilish Santa Ana winds, we're expecting high temperatures in the 90s next week.  My garden is generally at its lowest ebb at this time of year.  After the last severe heatwave some areas look downright sad but the extra hand-watering I did in advance of that nasty heatwave did help and there are a few things to crow about.

This hybrid Callistemon 'Hot Pink' surprised me with a flush of blooms.  I think it's the first time it's flowered this year.

Despite the fact that the heatwave singed all the buds on Dahlia 'Iceberg', it produced another gigantic bloom.  The stem was very short and I couldn't cut it without sacrificing the two side buds so I decided to enjoy it where it was in my cutting garden.

Dahlia 'Rip City' produced its first blooms.  The first dahlia tuber I planted this year, it was nearly the last to bloom but it currently has more than two dozen buds,

'Rip City' (left) is nearly black.  The contrast with 'Loverboy' (right) emphasizes just how dark it is.

Helianthus annuus 'Delta Sunflower' is very happy in my cutting garden.  Both the bees and the birds are all over it.

This isn't the most impressive photo but I was thrilled when I noticed a bud on this Iris germanica 'Autumn Circus'.  The plant was a gift from a friend in late May.  It's a reblooming variety and this will be its first bloom.

Even though I threw out my rule against planting anything other than succulents during the summer months, I also managed to hang onto most of what I've recently planted.  Last Friday, I posted a photo of a new delivery of mail order plants. 

This was last week's delivery from Annie's Annuals & Perennials in Northern California

After unpacking the box, I held off on planting those new arrivals until early this week but I took care of all of them early this week.  Here's a closer look at the newly installed plants:

This is Agave vilmoriniana 'Stained Glass'.  I've wanted one for a long time but large specimens are pricey, if you can even find them.  I'm giving this one an opportunity to bulk up a bit in a pot before it gets a permanent placement in the garden.

This is one of three new Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' plants.  I admittedly have a lot of these already but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to plant a few more in 4-inch pots as the fall and winter-planted specimens have always done the best in my garden.

Ceanothus x pallidus 'Marie Simon', a pink-flowered variety, was my biggest splurge.  I plan to plant it in my back border but I'm going to let it spread its roots in this temporary pot until I'm comfortably certain that our hot weather is behind us.

This drought-tolerant white-flowering groundcover, Falkia repens, was an impulse purchase.  I divided it in two before planting it out.

I have a checkered past with Penstemon in this garden but Penstemon x gloxiniodes 'Midnight' is supposed to be tough.  I planted three in an area that already contains pink and blue Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus), Salvia 'Mystic Spires' and Cuphea 'Starfire Pink'.

Sideritis cypria is a plant I've grown before that has very interesting flowers.  This is a new location for these plants.

Pleased at having everything taken care of, I treated myself to another trip to my local garden center.  I was in the area to get my flu shot, so why not stop?  New plants are a better reward for taking care of that chore than a lollipop. 

The three grass-like plants in the 1-gallon pots are Lomandra.  The green one is a replacement for one than died (the first and only loss of these plants I've had).  I'd been looking for additional pots of the variegated variety, 'Platinum Beauty' and I found these at a reasonable price, so I couldn't pass them up (and I've already planted both).  The rest consists of three 4-inch pots of Santolinas and 6-packs of Digitalis purpurea and Limonium perezii, all best purchased in small sizes.

I can't help it.  Even though it still feels like summer here, I can feel fall's siren call and fall is prime planting season in this part of the country.  I've got several significant projects in the offing but must hold off on some of these until the tree service pays its annual visit, probably next month.  The arborist dropped by this week to discuss what I want done and, in addition to the annual trimming, I'm having two trees taken out.  Their removal makes me very sad but there really isn't any alternative as one is dead and the other is nearly so.

I think the Heteromeles arbutifolia (aka Toyon) was felled by the pathogen that causes sudden oak death.  This tree-sized shrub is one of many plants sensitive to the pathogen.  Once I noticed the leaves turning red, it was already too late.  As it sits on the top of a steep slope overlooking a neighbor's driveway and next to a huge tree stump, I'm not going to be able to plant another tree in that spot but I may try making room for one nearby.

We had emergency surgery performed on this Albizia julibrissin (aka mimosa) two years ago in an effort to stop or slow the spread of damage caused by shot-hole borers but the tree's decline continued.  It produced unsightly adventitious growth and the bark of its trunk is now decaying.  Despite the fact that it also sits atop a steep slope, the arborist believes we can safely grind the stump on the inside of the hedge behind it.  I'm hoping I can plant a small tree in that area but that idea requires further evaluation.

Time to get to work on planting the rest of what I picked up at the garden center this week and planning for the future.  Happy gardening!

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party