As spring creeps closer to summer (Bloom Day - May 2024)

I took a LOT of photos for one of my usual Bloom Day posts but frankly felt both overwhelmed by the sheer volume of photos and underwhelmed by the prospect of throwing all of them at readers in one fell swoop.  So I decided to limit this post to my back garden, using wide shots to provide context for the floral closeups.

I'll start with the view from our back door, looking in the direction of the Port of Los Angeles.

The details aren't clearly discernible but selected colors stand out, particularly the yellows, blues and purples.  The area has moved from its spring best to a messy stage, with bulb foliage dying back all over as summer looms ahead.

Clockwise from the upper left, here are the brightest notes: noID Ageratum, with white flowers slowly turning brown; Arctotis 'Large Marge' with its large daisy-like blooms; Berlandiera lyrata, aka chocolate flower; Cotula lineariloba, which is almost a weed; one of many Gazanias; and Phlomis fruticosa, aka Jerusalem sage.  I've already started cutting back the rampant growth of the Cotula and Phlomis.

The blue and pinky-purple notes include, top row: Felicia aethiopica, Iris germanica 'City Lights', and Pelargonium cucullatum
Middle: Self-seeding Polygala myrtifolia, hybrid Salvia 'Pozo', and Tulbaghia violacea (aka society garlic)
Bottom: 2 views of Salvia canariensis candidissima

The previous wide shot routinely ignores the bed that runs along the southeast side of the house, as well as plants on the patio.

This bed is roughly 3 feet wide and 25 feet long.  It gets only early morning sun.

The plants currently in bloom in the bed shown above are Ageratum corymbosum (left) and Campanula portenschlagiana (middle).  One of 3 identical pots, the patio pot on the right is planted with a blueberry bush and self-seeded Persicaria capitata.

The next photos focus on the north end of the back garden.

View from the patio area looking north

View of the same area from the north end looking back in the direction of the patio

Clockwise from the upper left, the flowering plants here include: Aeonium haworthia 'Kiwi Verde', Gazania 'Otomi', Lobelia laxiflora, Lantana camara, and Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi'

Other flowering plants, mostly out of sight in the wide shots, include: Alstroemeria 'Claire', A. 'Inca Sundance', Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake', Hippeastrum 'Luna', tree-like Leucadendron 'Pisa' (which has colorful bracts), and Sonchus palmensis (mostly hidden behind the Arbutus 'Marina' (strawberry tree).  Hippeastrum 'Luna' is naturalizing nicely but the last of the blooms were taken out by the wind after these photos were taken.

The blue notes include Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' (mint bush, left) and noID Scutellaria (scullcap, right)

Most of my wide shot posts also miss the plants on the east side of the patio.

This is the area formerly occupied by the huge mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) that died out and I replaced with a Ginkgo biloba tree in May 2021.  The tree is surrounded by Agapanthus, most of which are still in bud.

Flowers currently in bloom here are a noID pink Alstroemeria that came with the garden and Limonium perezii (aka sea lavender)

Next up is the view from the flagstone path adjacent to the back patio, looking south.

Many of the flowers visible in this shot were identified above with the first wide shot but there are lots of flowering plants with lower profiles here as outlined below

Clockwise from the upper left: a mix of self-sown blue and orange Anagallis, Anchusa capensis 'Blue Angel', Echium gentianoides 'Tajinaste', Salvia 'Mystic Blue', and Sisyrinchium 'Devon Skies'

From left to right: the first blooms of Achillea 'Moonshine'; more Arctotis 'Large Marge'; and Osteospermum '4D Pink', already preparing to exit for the summer like the other Osteospermums to reserve energy for another flush of bloom in the fall

The final wide shots show the main area of the back garden once again, albeit from different angles.

View of the mid-sections of the beds on either side of the flagstone path

A second view of the same area, taken after stepping back several feet to capture more of the south end

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'India Summer'; Arctotis 'Pink Sugar'; Hemerocallis 'Elizabeth Salter' and H. 'Blythe Belle'; Leucospermum 'Sunrise', blooming only lightly this year; Osteospermum 'Serenity Bronze'; and Salvia africana-lutea, tucked mostly out of view behind Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' (not shown)

Other plants in this area, clockwise from the upper left: Daucus carota 'Dara', preparing its summer takeover; Gaillardia 'Amazon Sun'; yellow and orange Gazanias, all self-sown; and Geranium 'Tiny Monster', which occupies positions in various areas of my garden

That's it for my official post this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.  I may offer coverage of other areas of my garden in the course of the next couple of weeks.  For other GBBD posts, visit our host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Excess Flora

Although temperatures remain on the cool side thanks to our morning marine layer, I can already see signs of the shift toward summer.  The first Agapanthus flowers have already opened, lily flower stalks are up, and several of my dahlia tubers have sprouted.  Space for the latter is limited until the current contents of my cutting garden are cleared.  I've given flowers away now and then since the start of spring but Mother's Day seemed a good opportunity to step up my game.

I relied solely on the sweet peas, larkspur and love-in-a-mist flowers dominating the raised planters in my cutting garden to fill a dozen plastic bottles.  I left them on the curb with a note wishing passers-by a happy Mother's Day late Saturday afternoon and all of them were gone by 10am Sunday morning.

I made up a floral arrangement for a neighbor last week and liked it enough to create something similar for our own dining table this week.

The ever-blooming Grevillea 'Superb' has been working overtime on flower production, leaving even its sturdy stems dragging on the ground in some cases

Back view: The peach foxgloves have also been producing stalk-after-stalk of flowers.  Even the Aeoniums are obstructing paths with dense sprays of flowers.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', Alstroemeria 'Inca Sundance', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach', Grevillea 'Superb', Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', and Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi'

I swung to the other side of the color wheel for my second arrangement, taking advantage of the first blooms of the Echium gentianoides I planted in the fall of 2022.  I'd almost forgotten about it and, when I saw the foliage, I momentarily mistook it for a Euphorbia.

This Echium has the brightest blue flowers of any plants I've grown in the genus.  It's foliage has narrow white stripes and leaves unlike any other Echiums I've seen.

Back view: The Echium's buds start out pink so I considered pairing it with pink flowers but settled instead for white accents

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Centranthus ruber 'Albus', Consolida ajacis 'Summer Skies Mix', noID white Lathyrus odoratus, Echium gentianoides 'Tajinaste', and Nigella papillosa

I recycled leftovers from last week's arrangements and combined them with some of the material I cut for this week's vases for a third arrangement.

The "leftovers" included Alstroemeria 'Claire' and Argyranthemum 'Grandaisy Dark Pink'.  The newer ingredients included Nigella papillosa and Dorycnium hirsutum (aka hairy canary clover)

I've still got more flowers than I know what to do with.  I'm planning to clear out the raised beds of the cutting garden within the next three to four weeks so, absent an early heatwave, I anticipate giving away more flowers before the month is out.

For more IAVOM creations, check in with our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

 

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

Foliage Friday

I noticed a post on Instagram last week referencing (hashtag) "Foliage Friday" - or maybe it was "Friday Foliage."  As I have a fondness for alliteration and as Pam Penick of Digging retired her Foliage Follow-up meme years ago, I thought that would make a good title for one of my occasional foliage posts.  In May, when the focus on flowers is at its spring peak, a foliage cleanse seems all the more important.

I collected photos of my current foliage fixations.

These shots feature Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' in my back and front garden areas.  The shrubs add a touch of sunshine on the gloomiest days.

I planted dwarf Japanese maple, Acer palmatum 'Mikawa Yatsubusa', along the fence in my cutting garden in February 2011.  While it's said to grow up to 6 feet tall and wide, mine is less than half that size, which is just fine.  I've never pruned it.

In contrast, managing the size of this coral bark maple, Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku', is a challenge.  The goal is to keep it just below the top of the garage roof, while also containing its girth within my cutting garden.  In my climate, Japanese maples want protection from intense sun, as well as wind.  They've done well in the cutting garden, while I've lost those I've tried to plant elsewhere.

Refreshed by winter's rain, the ordinary green Aeonium arboreum are looking their best

The huge rosettes of Aeonium canariense are doing well next to the garage

I like Aeonium 'Zwartkop' best when its bare lower legs are hidden by other succulents as is the case here

I cut back these 3 Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' hard in January and sprayed Neem oil to address a problem with thrips.  They've been slow to fill out, possibly because our temperatures have been lower than usual, but thankfully the foliage looks healthy.  Long before year-end, the shrubs are likely to fill the entire space with those empty spaces no longer visible.

This is the most sculptural of my artichokes, which according to my records is Cynara 'Purple Romagna'.  The chokes are a lovely deep purple.  My only issue with it is that it's the thorniest artichoke I've ever seen.  I prune away the leaves at the back of the plant so they don't stab me or the gardeners who trim the hedge behind it 4 times a year.

This is Dais cotinifolia, aka pom-pom tree, which I planted in February 2019.  Supposedly, it accepts pruning to create a bushy shrub but it's refused to fill out so it's living on borrowed time.

I love to watch the persimmon trees leaf out each year.  This one planted against the fence is Diospyros kaki 'Fuyu'.

The persimmon in the background of the north-side garden is Diospyros kaki 'Hachiya'.  The bright spring green color of its leaves makes me happy.

This is one of 2 Echium wildpretii I planted in a relatively dry area in front of the garage in April 2022.  They've remained relatively small and show absolutely no intention to bloom.  I love the plant's shape but, if it doesn't do well after 2 years of exceptional rain, I'm unlikely to plant it again.

My Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold' tree, planted in May 2021 to replace the mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) that died, is doing okay, although it's yet to produce the fall leaf color its name suggests.  It's still loosely tied to the support provided when we planted it because the wind in this area can be brutal.

I still haven't gotten around to pruning the ginormous Leucadendron 'Chief' shown here nearly enveloping the smaller Leucadendron 'Ebony'

I did lightly prune this Leucadendron 'Jester' and appreciate the fresh foliage that generated.  Luckily, its bare legs are hidden by the Lobelia laxiflora in front and the large Melianthus major behind it.

The tree-sized Leucadendron 'Pisa' is doing its spring thing with masses of chartreuse yellow-green bracts.  These are congregated at the tips of the tallest branches because the branches don't respond well to pruning into bare wood.

I affixed signs in English and Spanish asking the gardeners not to hedge prune my Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' this year.  My 2 plants deserve more space than I allotted them but I think this one benefited from the gentler pruning job I did.

Mangave 'Mission to Mars' responded well to the rain, gaining some girth.  It's book-ended by Aeonium 'Jack Catlin' cuttings that formed nice clumps.

Mangave 'Red Wing' is happier in the ground than it's been in pots

This isn't the best photo but the plants grabbed my attention for 2 reasons.  First, 2 of my 3 'Tom Thumb' Phormiums survived gopher activity in the area.  Second, the fern was a surprise.  In general, ferns do not survive in my garden.  I'm not even sure which one of several I tried in this area this one is, especially as I don't think I've seen it in years.  My best guess is that it's Rumohra adiantiformis (aka leather leaf fern) but it could be Asplenium x 'Austral Gem'.

Coincidentally, another opportunity for alliteration presented itself this week: peacock plumage.  In the dozen-plus years we've lived here, peacock sightings have been infrequent.  Although the birds have been prevalent in our peninsula since at least the 1920s (you can find a brief history here), we'd only seen juvenile males occasionally when they're kicked out of the family nests, but they never hung around our immediate area for long.  However, that's changed this year.  Some were spotted a couple of months ago about a mile away on the grounds of the former Marymount University (now owned by UCLA).  Not long afterwards, an adult male moved into our neighborhood.  At least three peahens were spotted a week later and the assumption is that nesting is in process.  They'd steered clear of our house, though, preferring to hang out near homes with pine trees, where I'm told the females like to nest to stay safe from coyotes.  That remained the case until Wednesday morning.

The peacock's cries were unusually loud.  My husband said it sounded like he was in our front garden, which is exactly where I found him, lounging casually in our Magnolia tree.

As I took photos from different angles, he grew uneasy

My strategy worked.  As I followed him, he flew onto the house roof, then onto the garage roof, and then into my newly renovated succulent bed before finally headed up the street in the direction of his usual haunts.  Peacocks don't like paparazzi.

Best wishes for a peaceful weekend.

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