It's been a busy week, both in the garden and outside of it, but I managed to take a variety of photos of plant combinations I especially like to close out this week's blog posts. Here they are in no particular order.
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| Salvia canariensis var candidissima stands tall, surrounded by plants flowering in similar colors, including Phlomis purpurea, Pelargonium cucullatum, Hebe 'Wiri Blush', and lots of self-seeded Polygala myrtifolia |
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| Blues and yellows line the flagstone path viewed looking north, with touches of violet here and there. The strongest blue element at the moment is provided by Salvia 'Mystic Spires'. The yellow color is provided by Achillea 'Moonshine', Arctotis 'Large Marge' and the foliage of Cistus 'Little Miss Sunshine'. The violet accents are currently provided by Polygala myrtifolia and Teucrium aroanium but the creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum 'Elfin') is just starting to bloom. |
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| The view from the same point in the back garden looking south highlights yellows and oranges. The 'Kaleidoscope' Abelias incorporate both colors. The chartreuse foliage of Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' and the flowers of Achillea 'Moonshine' echo the yellow notes. Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' (visible on the far left of the first photo) and Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi' flowers add a touch of peach. Stronger orange notes are provided by Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' and a distant peek at a noID coral Hippeastrum. |
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| This is the Hippeastrum visible at the far right edge of the first photo in the prior collage. It was sent to me in 2022 as 'Appleblossom' but it's doesn't match the description of that flower. |
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| Zeroing in on this vignette at the southeast end of the back garden, I was pleased with the combination of vivid Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' and the softer tones of the 'Joe Hoak' Agaves and the reddish foliage of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' (before I pruned it). Tall flowers of Daucus carota 'Dara' on the far left echo the red notes. |
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| Burgundy and green colors stand out here with touches of pink and white on the margins. The burgundy color is provided by Aeonium 'Jack Catlin', Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple', and Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey'. Cistus 'Sunset' contributes the pink color and Lagurus ovatus (aka bunny tail grass) adds touches of white. |
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| I'm less fond of the combination of the Cotinus and the Coprosma viewed from this different angle under sunnier conditions, where the reddish-green foliage of 'Plum Hussey' reads more brown than burgundy |
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| These are views of the same Grevillea 'Superb', Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', and Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' from 2 different directions. It shines in both views. In the photo on the left, 2 varieties of Gaillardia and an Erysimum 'Wild Orchid' reinforce the color scheme. |
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| This combination was hard to photograph as the space doesn't allow me to back up as far as I'd have liked. Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata' and Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid' mingle well in this section of my front garden. Accents here include Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny', Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire', and Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi'. The Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', partially visible behind the Leucadendron, reflects the same colors. |
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| Notably, most of the Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid' flowers have matured since early spring, changing color as they've done so. The styles of the mature flower have turned from a peachy-yellow to orange-red and their centers have evolved from pink to beige as shown in this photo of a stem containing 2 flowers at different stages of development. |
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| The combination of Aeonium arboreum and Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' on the lower level of my front garden are all about the contrast of plant shapes, not colors. The Agaves shown here were planted as pups of 2 parent plants that bloomed out in 2019. They're now about as big as the parent plants were when they bloomed. |
The shift from spring toward summer is more evident each day. In addition to my pruning activities, it's time to pull apart my cutting garden to make way for Dahlias, Rudbeckias, Zinnias and other summer blooms. I hate removing the waning spring blooms but it's got to be done!
Best wishes for a nice weekend. May Mother Nature treat you kindly in the weather department!
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Some gorgeous vignettes, it's hard to pick a favorite. I especially love the first one with the salvia being glorious in the center. Have a great weekend, we are supposed to be cooling down from the 90's to upper 70's which will feel nice.
ReplyDelete90s!!! Even our valley areas haven't hit that temperature yet. Our gloomy marine layer does have benefits. I can only hope that "May Gray" extends into "June Gloom."
DeleteBeautiful larger scale combos--they fit the size of your garden.
ReplyDeleteI think I focus too much on close ups even in larger areas. The May-Gray has been wonderful, though it's getting warmer and warmer at night--the worst aspect of summer--well one of the worst aspects, partially offset by Dahlias...
Dahlias (and Zinnias) gave me a brighter perspective on summer too, HB. My Dahlias are all still in temporary pots but 17 of the 23 tubers (the majority divisions saved from prior years) have sprouted. I really have to clear the raised planters in my cutting garden soon! I want to direct sow my Zinnia seeds in the planters too.
DeleteExcellent and very satisfying vignettes throughout. The burgundy and green in photo 6 is a favorite, due in part to the massive and much loved reddish-chocolate trunk of your strawberry tree!
ReplyDeleteThe last photo of this post is amazing. I hope the variegated A. desmettiana doesn't bloom for many more years: that combo is just too perfect to interfere with.
Chavli
My garden has 4 of those strawberry trees - I'll have to include the others in photos more often ;) Regarding the Agaves, I'm just hoping they don't all bloom at the same time!
DeleteThat salvia in the first photo is huge! I like the combination of colors in that vignette the best (though they are all wonderful) - feels like a warm, summer day with the bees buzzing through.
ReplyDeleteThat Salvia canariensis us indeed huge, Jerry. It's on par with Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman' in terms of the plant's girth but with significantly taller flower stalks.
DeleteYour landscaping, property, and view are incredible. And your photos are always fantastic, too. I really like your pathways, so the second photo down really caught my eye.
ReplyDeleteThe rainfall really gave the creeping thyme around the flagstone pathway in the back garden a major boost this year, Beth. It doesn't look as good in drought years.
DeleteYou have a great gift for color and texture combinations, Kris. My beds are more hit or miss. When I miss, I usually shrug, and say, 'Oh, well, those flowers will be gone over in a couple weeks!' :D Eliza
ReplyDeleteI have my fair share of misses too, Eliza!
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