Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Marine layer or not, summer's on its way

In the US, Memorial Day, which fell on May 29th this year, marks the unofficial start of summer.  Although our persistent marine layer and the cooler temperatures that accompanied it may suggest otherwise, the evidence provided by my garden indicates that we're already on the cusp of summer. 

Achillea 'Moonshine' is one sign of summer in my garden.  Those blooms have already hit their stride.

I consider it summer when the first Agapanthus bloom appears.  Buds have popped up all over my garden.  Clumps in 2 areas are shown here.

Evidence that we're getting very close

My Renga lilies (Arthropodium cirratum) generally appear in early summer.  They've burst into bloom en masse throughout my garden within the past 2 weeks.

Last year, when spring conditions were far drier and temperatures were warmer, I potted up dahlia tubers in mid-March and waited months for them to sprout.  This year, I potted them up in late April and they were sprouting within a couple of weeks, even though our temperatures have remained on the cool side.  At last count 20 had sprouted.  Many are ready to move to larger quarters.

Daucus carota 'Dara' has produced its first flowers from seed

Gazanias are suddenly blooming like gangbusters too.  Last year, a couple Gazania 'Gold Flame' seeded themselves in the succulent bed on the northeast side of my garden so I added a few additional plugs.  They must have enjoyed the extra rain because the clumps have grown huge.  I'm hunting for more plugs so I can continue the theme in the newer section of the bed (shown lower left).

I've yet to plant sunflower or zinnia seeds but I picked up a Helianthus 'Sunbelievable Brown-Eyed Girl' shrub a month ago and it's already jumped into gear

The daylilies are getting their season started.  Shown on the right are the first blooms of Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' (top) and 'For Pete's Sake' (bottom).

The first Hesperaloe parviflora 'Brakelights' bloom stalks have appeared

The Orienpet lilies are well on their way too

 

Of course, the new arrivals are appearing as other plants move on.  I pulled out the last zillion Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi' this week as their flowers faded.  I've cleared out most of the foliage of Amaryllis belladonna as it died back - the "naked lady" flowers should appear in July or August.  Meanwhile, a combination of mildew and rust is quickening the removal of the cool season flowers in my cutting garden, most of which got started very late this year.  And then, the local critter cleanup crew is also hard at work as shown below.

Last year, I noticed that critters were removing the mature flowers of Leucospermum 'High Gold', leaving a mess in plain sight  I hadn't noticed any activity of that sort this year - until I walked down the dirt path between the back border and the hedge and discovered the debris shown in the bottom row of this collage.

Yesterday, I caught sight of my prime suspect from the living room through a dirty window pane

I picked up a telephoto lens and headed outside for a clearer view and there he was, holding the evidence in his mouth

 

Much as I love all the summer blooms, I always feel a tinge of loss as the spring flowers move on.  However, I expect I'll feel better in a few weeks when the summer flowers are in full swing.


All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

24 comments:

  1. It's fun to see your Renga lilies in the garden after staring in the IAVOM. That entire view under the willow (?) with Lemonium and succulent for company, creating a gorgeous cool-color scheme vignette.
    Funny squirrel shots. With a lovely view of the harbor, doing an "upward facing dog", upside-down no less! What a character!
    Chavli

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    1. The sea lavender has had a banner year, Chavli. I've cut back a large number of spent flower stems but enough remain in good shape to make an impact. The gymnastic skills of squirrels never cease to amaze me.

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  2. I'm not surprised the culprit was a squirrel! haha Beautiful views

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    1. In my garden, raccoons and squirrels try to upstage each other in terms of how much of a mess they can make but, when aerial activities are evident, the culprit is usually a squirrel ;)

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  3. I guess I'm lucky that my squirrels don't seem to be interested in my plants-who knew they like to eat Leucospermum ?? You.ve inspired me to try Renga Lilies in my new hell strip planting-I'm transitioning to shade plants since the Crape Myrtle street tree canopy has grown so large,

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    1. The Leucospermum consumption was a big surprise to me when I first noticed it last year too, Kathy. To date, they only seem to go after the flowers of this particular Leucospermum. I hope the Renga lilies do well for you - their evergreen foliage is attractive even when the flowers are gone.

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  4. Oh, that darn squirrel! Your first picture of the pathway is so nice, if I were a squirrel I would move in. The Gazanias are such a standout, mine have had a good year as well. Your daylilies are already blooming? Everything is looking great during the transition from Spring to Summer!

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    1. I rarely see squirrels except when the birdfeeders are full - they're currently empty - but I guess they can sniff out opportunities of all kinds! The daylilies are only just getting started. Last year, relatively few of mine bloomed but it's looking like the spring rain effect may extend into summer this year.

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  5. Oh man! That Leucospermum 'High Gold' damage is heartbreaking, although the plant itself is still gorgeous. I was reading yesterday that California was stuck in low temps and was surprised to see how much cooler than us you are. Crazy!

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    1. It has been downright cold here at times, Loree - and it's June! I think I've only worked in the garden without a jacket or sweater 3-4 times this year so far. The humidity level is back up at the 90+% level this morning and the temperature is still below 60F. I wish we'd get a little rain with the gloom but, by comparison to the folks on the east coast dealing with gloom caused by wildfire smoke, I'm counting us lucky.

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  6. I wonder if you have some seeds in your Leucospermum flowers? Perhaps that is what squirrels are going for. You can see the seeds pretty easily in the cone they are an opalescent white and quite large. Soak overnight in hydrogen peroxide and then plant if you want to try growing some from seed.

    I was shivering outside yesterday too. In June! But exactly as you say better than the smoke in Canada and the northeast. Nasty stuff, smoke.

    Agapanthus about to open here, too. Your "Regna Lilies" look fabulous under the Agonis tree. That first picture with the pathway looks wonderful, too, with the Thymus around the stones--luxuriant. Must have a lovely fragrance.

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    1. I took apart the Leucospermum flower last year when the squirrels originally took a liking to them. It appeared to have a nut-like center but perhaps that was a seedpod. I'll have to dissect the flowers further.

      I can't really smell the creeping thyme along the flagstone path unless I rub the leaves. I wish the thyme did as well in all parts of my garden as it's done in that area.

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  7. As your garden transitions toward summer everything is picture perfect (notwithstanding the squirrel damage).

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    1. I'm trying to see the squirrel as a spring cleanup "helper", Susie. At least this year, they're leaving the debris where it's not readily visible ;)

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  8. Busted! Your little squirrel friend looks like it's building a nest. You may have others soon. Everything looks like it is transitioning well. Those Gazania are so bright and cheerful .Reminds me I need to get mine in the ground

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    1. I've yet to discover any squirrel nests but then there's a lot of real estate in the surrounding canyon areas for them to call home. I only see them when a reliable source of food emerges but they nose those out almost instantly so they've got to be nearby. I hope you're doing well, Elaine. The news of wildfires in Canada is frightening.

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    2. Thanks Kris. Thankfully we are south of the majority of the fires but it feels like the whole province (and country) is on fire. We are immersed in smoke again this morning. The hot dry weather continues with no end is sight. I am sure you are quite familiar with these conditions too.

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    3. I'm sorry you have to deal with that, Elaine. Unfortunately, I am familiar with wildfire smoke, although we haven't experienced any this year. I guess that's another reason I should be thankful for the our perpetual marine layer. Take care of yourself!

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  9. All that rain has transformed your gardens, Kris. Gorgeous! Eliza

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  10. I wonder if the Leucospermum flowers are filled with nectar and that is what is attracting the squirrels. I was thinking it was too late to start annuals from seed for our garden, but after reading your post, maybe it's not too late after all.

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    1. This year, I've decided to let nature itself be my guide on sowing seeds - and planting in general. Last year, I potted up dahlia tubers in March, hoping to get a jump start on the summer season but the tubers literally took months to sprout. Ditto with Zinnia and sunflower seeds. This spring has been so cool, I suspect my seeds and bulbs would have responded even more slowly, if at all. June is late to start zinnia seeds here but then I sowed California poppy seeds in late February (also very late) and I got flowers this year, which didn't happen with an earlier sowing the prior year.

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  11. Our baboons eat those Leucospermum flowers - not sure if there's nectar, but definitely nutty seeds.

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    1. I'm glad to know our squirrels aren't alone in their dietary interest, Diana!

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