In a Vase on Monday: The garden's gifts

Both of last week's floral arrangements are still in good shape.  I edited them a little, gave them fresh water, and shuffled them into new positions.  I didn't expect to find much I could use this week that wouldn't be a retread of recent arrangements but, once again, my garden delivered.  I created one bouquet and used other cut stems to jazz up a store-bought wreath.

While I did use stems of my old standby, Grevillea 'Superb', I added stems of Metrosideros 'Springfire', which is suddenly covered in flowers, as well as fresh blooms of 2 Alstroemerias

Back view: Despite the lack of rain, the first Narcissus are making an appearance too!

Top view

Top row - Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', A. 'Inca Sundance', and Corokia virgata 'Sunsplash'
Middle - Correa 'Ivory Bells', Grevillea 'Superb', and Leucadendron salignum 'Blush'
Bottom - Leucadendron salignum 'Summer Red', Metrosideros collina 'Springfire', and noID Narcissus

I initially stuck the store-bought wreath on its hook and just added a bow and one small ornament, planning to leave it at that.  However, several stems of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' stood out when I walked into the garden on Sunday morning.  I initially thought I'd put them in my floral arrangement but the wreath was begging for embellishment.

I decided that the red-tinged stems of both Leucadendron salignum 'Safari Sunset' and Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', originally cut for my vase, were a better fit with the red notes in the wreath

Rain on Christmas Eve is still in the forecast as a possibility.  One weather service gives our chance at thirty-five percent and another fifty-five percent, although they agree that the total precipitation isn't likely to amount to much.  I have my fingers crossed nonetheless.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Best wishes for a happy holiday week!

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Holiday puttering

I've made stabs at tackling my still hefty list of garden chores this week but I've tended to drift from one project to another without crossing any off in their entirety.  The biggest project, a renovation of the front slope on the southwest end of my garden is far from complete, although I did manage to get additional rock in there on Wednesday, which was one of the bigger hurdles.  I'm hoping to start replanting the area after Christmas.  In the meantime, I got started on some of the smaller jobs.

With 2 years of heavier-than usual rain until early spring this year, western sword ferns (Polystichum munitum) managed to take over much of one border in my north-side "dry" garden.  The plants originally crept in under the fence we share with a neighbor.  The best "before" shot I have is the one on the upper left but the ferns had actually spread through the entire space.  The fronds pull up relatively easily (some shown piled up on the upper right) but they filled 2/3rds of one green bin and I've no illusion that I got up all of the rhizomes; however, at least now I can reach the other plants in the bed to prune them (as shown in the 2 lower photos).

I cut back the mostly bare stems of Cotinus coggygria and pruned the Cistus 'Grayswood Pink' in the foreground but the 2 larger Cistus shrubs in the background will take another couple of hours

I cut back the large Osteospermums seated in front of the Callistemon viridiflorus but I've barely made a dent in the rampant ivy and honeysuckle

Because it's been so dry, watering the raised planters in the cutting garden is at least a bi-weekly chore.  The Anemones and Ranunculus are off to a good start but, since the sweet pea seeds germinated, they haven't done much of anything.  The same thing happened last year so I'm not worried but maybe a bit of fertilizer is in order. The larkspur seedlings also appear to be in stasis.

I've potted a variety of Hippeastrum bulbs this week.  I belatedly discovered that I hadn't placed orders for any new bulbs earlier this fall as I'd intended so I scrambled to catch up.  Luckily, I was able to take advantage of some sales!  I also planted out my rooted cuttings, as well as various annual plugs to fill in empty spots.  I'd held off on both activities, waiting for rain to start, but as there's been none of that I decided I might as well go ahead.  There's currently a thirty percent chance of light rain on Christmas Eve but that's too far in the future to lay bets on yet.

I've done very little holiday decorating this year.  With an energetic and kittenish cat, I reluctantly decided to skip a Christmas tree this year, for just the second time in my life.  My husband, a Scrooge when it comes of the year-end holiday season, was just fine with that but I found myself missing the the usual holiday trappings so I threw together a few.

I bought a wreath from the local garden center and just added a bow and a tiny gnome

I pulled this gnome out of the garage, cleaned him up and gave him a dried Protea bloom to hold as he sits next to the front door

I put up this faux tree I've had for years and decorated it with a dozen little birds and a squirrel.  There's no electrical socket nearby this area in the entry way but I borrowed a tiny string of battery-powered lights from elsewhere and wove it in.

I'd purchased a faux birch tree with built in lights and tucked it in next to our grandfather clock.  Another little display sits on an end table next to the couch in the living room.

I have 4 snow globes, which I distributed to various areas of the house

I made an attempt to decorate the large Coprosma 'Plum Hussey' on the south patio outside the living room window but I couldn't pull it off.  There are too many bare branches on that plant and I didn't use enough in the way of ribbons or ornaments to make an impact.

Another round of Santa Ana winds brought temperatures into the upper 70sF (25C) this week but they're supposed to drop back into the low-to-mid 60sF (17C) this weekend.  Whatever weather conditions Mother Nature serves up for you this weekend, I hope your weekend is an enjoyable one.

View from the back garden yesterday with a blanket of clouds covering the Los Angeles harbor

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Stocking Up on Succulents

In late November, following our annual tree pruning process, I started a major cleanup of the moderate front slope in the southwest corner of my garden.  Although collateral damage in that area was limited this year, it was looking tired.  The Aeoniums were all overgrown and in need of replacement and it quickly became clear that it'd be easier to pull almost everything up and start fresh with cuttings and new plants.  I've been taking my time with the renovation and it'll be awhile yet before I'm ready to share it but I thought it was a great time to start stocking up on new succulents to use there, as well as elsewhere in my garden.

I was off and running with a succulent sale at Mountain Crest Gardens.

The Stenocactus multicostatus (aka brain cactus, shown in closeup on the lower right) was the initial impetus for placing an order.  Other plants included in my mail order included: 3 Graptoveria 'Fred Ives', 3 Graptosedum 'California Sunset', 3 Graptoveria 'Lovely Rose', and 3 Crassula 'Variegated Money Maker'.  Mountain Crest threw in a mystery succulent, one Senecio 'String of Pearls', and one Echeveria 'Perle of Nurmberg' as gifts with my purchase.

I picked up still more new succulents at my local garden center.

I picked up the following plants at my local Armstrong store: 3 Echeveria 'Lotus', one Crassula swaziensis 'Variegata', 2 Echeveria 'Violet', and 3 Echeveria 'Princess'

I used some other succulents I'd had on hand for quite some time to replant a pot in the back garden.

I'd acquired the Agave parryi var. truncata from Annie's Annuals & Perennials about 6 months before that nursery abruptly closed and was put up for sale - it was busting open its pot waiting for more space.  I added a Portulacaria afra 'Variegata', 3 Echeveria affinis 'Black Night', and the tiny Senecio 'String of Pearls' I'd received as a gift from Mountain Crest.

Mother Nature has also been working hard to add to my succulent collection.

I originally noticed 3 pups of Agave 'Jaws' surrounding the mother plant here.  When I lifted up some of its leaves and checked it from the back, I discovered that there are 8 pups.  It's overachieving in the pup department and I think it advisable to give the pups away (with suitable warnings about its proclivity).

Agave americana 'Mediopicta Alba' is also an overly enthusiastic pupper.  These 2 are coming up between flagstones in the middle of my south-side walkway.

I also have a stash of assorted succulents looking for new homes.  Some will go into the area I'm currently working on, while others are destined to fill in empty spots in the succulent bed adjacent to the garage, which I renovated earlier this year.

Clockwise from the upper left: Agave titanota 'White Ice' (a gift from Hoover Boo of Piece of Eden) and a division of Kumara plicatilis (aka fan aloe, which came from another friend years ago); another division of the same fan aloe plus an Agave 'Blue Glow' bulbil; a noID Aloe; an assortment of succulent cuttings given to me by a neighbor earlier this year; and 2 pups of Agave 'Mateo'

Meanwhile, the mutant Agave 'Blue Glow' in my south-side garden is working diligently on its bloom stalks to give me more bulbils next year.

The 2 new bloom stalks have straightened up and one is already over 3 feet tall

I suspect that I already have more succulents than I need but we'll see.  Another succulent giveaway may be in order early next year.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: The Lisianthus are showing off

The lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) I found by happenstance in my local garden center a couple of months ago are blooming with some vigor now and I couldn't ignore them when it came time to put together a floral arrangement for "In a Vase on Monday" yesterday.  In fact, I cut several stems for two different vases.

The first features a green-flowered lisianthus.  I hadn't seen this variety in years, despite looking for it in both garden centers and online.  I bought the only two plants the garden center had when I stopped by - if there'd been a dozen of them, I probably would have bought them all.

I selected Leucadendron 'Jester' to complement the pale green flowers of the green Eustoma.  As that plant has pink tinges, that led me to add a few other pink elements to fill out the vase.

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus, Cuphea 'Honeybells', Eustoma grandiflorum, Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', L. 'Jester', and Prostanthera ovatifolia 'Variegata'

My second vase features the blue lisianthus, which really does look as close as any of us will ever get to a blue rose.

I was surprised to find a few stems of Hebe 'Grace Kelly' with purple blooms to add to the mix.  This Hebe is known for its variegated foliage but half my plant has reverted to green.

I included a couple of stems of another Hebe, 'Purple Shamrock', to dress up the back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Billardiera heterophyllum (syn. Sollya heterophyllum) with its purplish fruit, blue and white Eustoma grandiflorum varieties, Hebe 'Grace Kelly', H. 'Purple Shamrock', and Osteospermum 'Violet Ice'

It's still very dry here.  Mother Nature spit at us a bit on Thursday afternoon.  It was enough to deliver a gallon of water to one of my empty rain barrels, even though our roof-top weather station didn't register it.  I suspect the gauge is clogged but, at most, it wasn't more than one or two hundredths of an inch.  The fire that broke out in Malibu last week in response to high winds was forty-two percent contained as of yesterday after burning over 4000 acres.  All evacuation orders have been reduced to warnings.  Only nineteen structures, including eight homes, were destroyed, but that's still hard on the affected residents, especially with the holidays just around the corner.  Wind warnings were back in place yesterday.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - December 2024 (Early Edition)

For the record, I'm two days ahead of schedule for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted on the 15th of each month by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.  This month the outlook in my garden is very pink.

My Camellia sasanqua came with the garden and I had no IDs for the the 2 cultivars I inherited.  An Instagram commentator suggested a name for this one, which sent me down a rabbit hole.  While the ID that was offered didn't fit based on the specifications I found online, I determined that this one might be 'October Magic Rose'. 

I also think the other 2 Camellia sasanqua could be 'Early Wonder'

Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre' lagged behind my other Australian fuchsias but it's blooming heavily now

Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' usually blooms lightly during the fall and more heavily in spring but the 2 tall shrubs are putting on a pretty good show this month

The bracts of Leucospermum salignum 'Blush' are doing a good job of mimicking flowers

I had to use a telescope setting on my camera to capture a photo of the flowers of Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree), all of which can only be found in the upper reaches of its branches

Here are some more pink flowers:
Top row - Argyranthemum 'Aramis Apricot', Cuphea 'Honeybells', and Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy'
Middle - Medinilla myriantha, Pelargonium hortorum, and P. 'Little Pink Splash'
Bottom - Pentas lanceolata, Persicaria capitata, and Protea neriifolia 'Claire'

There were several standouts in the garden that weren't pink.

Aloe vanbalenii x ferox is finally letting its color show

I wasn't able to get the rust-resistant snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) I prefer this year but I picked up a dozen mixed plugs in November when it came time to prepare my cool-season cutting garden 

I found some lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) at my local garden center in November too and scooped up 8 plants, just now getting their bloom on

Meanwhile, Senna bicapsularis is still flaunting cheerful flowers in December

As usual, there were a few blooms I hadn't anticipated.

Haemanthus albiflos (aka paint brush lily), which I often don't catch in flower until it's already bloomed out 

Two daylilies flowering off-season: Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake' on the left and a paler than normal H. 'Persian Market' on the right

Mahonia x media 'Charity' didn't flower at all last year for some reason

This is an unusual shrub I picked up somewhere years ago, Ruscus hypoglossum (aka butcher's broom).  It produces tiny flowers in the middle of its leaves.  It creeps out some people who feel the flowers look like insects but I think it's interesting.

I've once again dumped my other floral photos into color-coded collages.

Top row - Barleria obtusa, Evolvulus glomeratus, and Felicia aethiopica
Middle - Lavandula multifida, Osteospermum '3D Silver', and O. 'Violet Ice'
Bottom - Pelargornium peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard', Polygala myrtifolia, and Vitex trifolia

Clockwise from upper left: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest', noID Cyclamen, Correa 'Ivory Bells', Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', and noID Impatiens 

Clockwise from upper left: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Cuphea 'Vermillionaire, Faucaria tuberculosa, Grevillea 'Superb', Nasturtium 'Alaska', Senecio amaniensis, and Tagetes lemmonii

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Anthurium, Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Metrosideros collina 'Springfire', Pelargonium peltatum, and Primula vulgaris

The holiday season is speeding forward, leaving my head spinning.  Best wishes to all!  For other GBBD posts, check in with Carol at May Dreams Gardens on December 15th.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party