The rain - or maybe just the progress of time - has brought a few new arrivals to the garden and I've taken advantage of some of them this week. More rain is on the horizon. Three more storms, the first set to arrive in Southern California tonight, are stacked up to hit the state. Northern California is once again expected to get the brunt of it. However, even my sandy soil is already saturated.
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| The first foxglove bloom made an appearance in my cutting garden last week. I accented it with stems of Grevillea sericea, which prior to last week had no flowers at all. |
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| I cut several stems of Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', which I ended up relegating to the back of the arrangement. 'Itsy Bitsy' has decided to behave like a vine, currently winding its way through the Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' above it. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Argyranthemum frutescens 'White Butterfly', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Purple', and Grevillea sericea |
The Camellia sasanqua that have been blooming for months were pulverized by last week's storms, leaving behind little but petals on the ground below them. However, Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' has stepped up with a minor flurry of blooms. The shrub lost a lot of its buds in the fall heatwaves so I don't expect it'll have its best year but I decided to use a few of the blooms before the coming storms knock them out. I kept the palette very simple so as not to detract attention from the shapely Camellias but I accented them with stems of another recent arrival, Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay'.
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| I cut 3 stems of the Camellia, sacrificing several buds in the process |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the left: Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection', Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', and Grevillea 'Jubilee Crown', now sporting tiny brown cones in the midst of feathery foliage |
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
I'll close this week's post with some pretty pictures of snow in the mountains to the east of us.
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| I took this and the next 2 photos Saturday afternoon from my back garden during a sunny pause between rainstorms |
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| I used a telephoto lens |
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| The view was remarkably clear for a change. The mountains are often hidden behind clouds and smog but the view was relatively unimpaired on this occasion. |
Best wishes for a pleasant week.
All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
It's good to see a Foxglove bloom in your vase this morning. And Cousin Itt as a filler-I'll have to remember that idea if the plant I plan on installing in a large container this spring actually lives. I have some bad history with that plant . We got 2.5 inches overnight as I write this at 7:30am.It's supposed to taper off later this morning , with the next storm coming in tomorrow. Looks like we're in for several more days of it , though with more modest accumulations predicted. Hope all our lakes a reservoirs are drinking it in !
ReplyDeleteI haven't had any issues with my Acacia 'Cousin Itt', Kathy, but most of mine were planted soon after the plant was introduced. In response to the plant's popularity, I heard that growers started cutting corners and rushing plants to market that were essentially top-heavy plugs without adequate root systems, which may account for your earlier problems. If you check the root system before purchase, you may avoid that problem.
DeleteThe latest storm only just arrived here this evening. So far, we've had just 0.07/inch but out total to the water year-to-date is now over 7".
A Foxglove in January! A sight to behold. And a Hello 'Itsy Bitsy'! It was missing from the arrangements for a while, and it's good to see it again.
ReplyDeleteI have a winter blooming Camellia which despite it's many buds can't seem to bloom; there is always a new weather event that freezes them or knocks them down. I thoroughly enjoy your (perfect) 'Taylor's Perfection'; I'm glad you saved them from the next storm.
Chavli
'Itsy Bitsy' actually rebounded fairly quickly from the severe pruning I gave the plant last winter but, for some reason, I paid it little attention, only to discover that it'd transformed itself into a vine when I went to prune my Leptospermum 'Copper glow' a couple of weeks ago. It's still thoroughly entangled there and I need to give it a good trim but that hasn't reached the top of my to-do list yet. As to Camellias, they do seem to be persnickety about the weather!
DeleteYou have the most fabulous views, and the snow just makes those Mountains perfect. To think you can also grow such a wide range of plants too. I particularly admire the pink Grevillea sericea.
ReplyDeleteI'm very fond of that Grevillea sericea too, Noelle, although it surprised me by growing much taller than I'd expected. It's flowers look identical (or nearly so) to a variety called 'Pink Midget', which I killed 2x. This one's far tougher and much taller at 6+ feet.
DeleteI love how that Grevillea sericea works with the foxglove flower and I was (of course) drawn to the sprigs of Grevillea 'Jubilee Crown' in the second arrangement.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've seen the cones of Grevillea 'Jubilee Crown' turn brown before but that's probably because I cut the stems too early.
DeleteSo many gorgeous arrangements. Love seeing the snow on the mountains - what a view!
ReplyDeleteWe don't often see the mountains, much less any snow, due to the interference of both clouds and smog but it's nice when we do!
DeleteIt must be very strange for your ground to be saturated - and no doubt your water storage will already be full, will it?
ReplyDeleteI love seeing that gomphrena and must try harder to buy seed - it really frames your first vase and how pretty the camellia is in your second
Yes, my rain collection tanks have been full for some time now, although the largest one got a head start as my husband emptied the water from "his" spa (I seldom use it) into that tank the last time he cleaned it out. (He's uses only chemicals that break down quickly and won't harm plants.)
DeleteThat view is stunning Kris, and the snow must also be a reassuring sight too. Are your water collection barrels full yet? How much can you actually store?Your first vase is a real delight with that foxglove at the centre. Love the actual vase you used too. And the Camellias are so pretty and delicate.
ReplyDeleteI can only store 475 gallons of water and, yes, the tanks are already full. I've been collecting more in plastic trugs from the excess that pours down our rain chain, distributing it to the drier areas of the garden. Still, so much is beyond my ability to capture it. The county has secured funds through land parcel taxes to improve water capture and recycling but, sadly, the current estimate is that it'll take 3 to 5 decades (!) to make a major difference.
DeleteA beautiful camellia Kris - such a soft shade of pink. Our soil seems to be permanently saturated at the moment but it must be an unusual state of affairs for you. What views you have towards the mountains - what are they called?
ReplyDeleteI think what we see from our back garden are the San Gabriel Mountains but my knowledge of the geography is somewhat iffy.
DeleteThe Grevillea foliage is excellent in the arrangements and a beautiful rich grass-green--something many low-water-need plants don't have.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like there is no purer pink than Camellia pink. Perfection indeed!
Wow didn't realize you had a view of the San Gabriels. A delight to see them, and to see them snowy.
That Grevillea has been a delightful surprise. The mountains hide from us behind clouds and smog most of the time, HB. We seldom get views as clear as those I captured on Saturday.
DeleteOh, lovely! I'll be right over. ;-) I'm a huge fan of Camellias. And those views--wow!
ReplyDeleteThe rain just poured over the last half hour, Beth. I'm afraid I'll find all the blooms of 'Taylor's Perfection' sitting on the ground tomorrow :(
DeleteKris, it's so weird to read about you getting storms and dealing with saturated soil so it must be strange for you too. Love the flowers in both vases, especially the demure pink Camellias.
ReplyDeleteWhile our overall rain total still isn't all that impressive (8.23 inches since the start of the 2023 water year on October 1, 2022), getting most of that with only minor pauses between storms is a bit overwhelming.
DeletePretty pinks on display, Kris. I like the delicate Grevillea and 'Itsy-Bitsy' is always a favorite. Love the pure pink of the Camellia, so pretty! Eliza
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad that Camellias don't hold up better in a vase, Eliza. If they did, I'd be using a lot more 'Taylor's Perfection'.
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