Spring: This week's new arrivals

Spring is a busy season - for both me and my plants.  I'm spending more time working in the garden and have less time to pull together blog posts.  And the garden seemingly produces new blooms every time I turn around. To address both concerns, I thought I'd use my Wednesday posts to provide quick looks at the plants producing their first blooms.  At present, I plan to continue these for the next several weeks, or at least as long as the new blooms keep on coming.  If you didn't see last Friday's post on spring's arrival, you can catch up here.

Here's what's new this week:

I've seen a few Dutch Iris blooming in other peoples' gardens.  This Iris hollandica 'Sapphire Beauty' has just opened its first flowers in my back garden.

Once again, I failed to divide Scilla peruviana when the clump finished blooming last spring.  However, it doesn't appear that means I'm going to be short of flowers this year.

I never recorded the Narcissus bulbs I planted in this back garden bed 2-3 years ago but I think they're Narcissus 'Beautiful Eyes'

I haven't had the best luck in growing Ranunculus in the past but I took advantage of a mail order sale this past fall and ordered 4 varieties.  This is Ranunculus 'Tecolote White'.  The flowers are a little wimpy but appreciated nonetheless.

Ranunculus 'Tecolote Rose' is following just behind the white variety.  The other 2 varieties have yet to show themselves.

Lobelia laxiflora is already bountiful enough to make an impact.  This is one of the plants most beloved by the local hummingbirds.

Hybrid Helleborus 'Phoebe' is peaking through a Calliandra shrub in the back garden

I've no record of planting this noID Ageratum with white flowers anywhere but this one has appeared consistently in my back garden border for the last 3 years.  Unlike the annual Ageratum houstonianum, it behaves like a woody perennial shrub and it grows significantly taller than the projections for that species.  It's approximately 4 feet tall at present.  I cut it back every year and it returns.  

As an addendum, here's one of the birds that's recently become active in my garden I captured a couple of shots while buzzing through my garden photographing flowers:

I think this is a Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos).  He's quite vocal at the moment.

He's a handsome devil too

There's an eighty percent chance of rain in my area this afternoon, possibly continuing into Thursday, as well as another chance of rain next Monday night.  I hope both storms materialize!

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Plenty of flowers to choose from!

With spring already off to a roaring start here, there were plenty of flowers to choose from on Sunday.  However, with the wind blowing and the skies showing the possibility of rain, I hustled to cut materials for two vases before breakfast.  As it turned out, the promise of rain never materialized, although it remained windy and cold all day.  (Our version of "cold" means that temperatures ranged from the low-to-mid 50sF/10-13C.)

I cut just three stems of my favorite Leucospermum (because I couldn't bear to cut more this early in the season) but I'm not entirely happy with the flowers I selected to accompany them.  The mix is a bit busy for my liking.

The Leucospermum's pollen presenters have a pale lavender color when in bud but, as the flowers open more fully, the pink elements gain more prominence .  I chose to emphasize the pink but in retrospect I think I should've skipped the flashy Alstroemeria stems.

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', noID pink Alstroemeria, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid', Anemone coronaria 'Rarity', A. c. 'Rosa Chiaro', Sparaxis tricolor, and Narcissus 'Katie Heath'

My second arrangement made use of flowers that may not be available to me much longer.  I didn't have high expectations for it but I'm relatively pleased with it overall.  It was inspired by the fluffy red flowers of Calliandra haematocephala (aka red powder puff) but anchored by one of Hippeastrums currently rushing to the plant's seasonal finish line.

I have 4 Calliandra shrubs, all of them planted by a prior owner as foundation plants alongside the house and garage.  With a new ordinance requiring removal of plants that could provide fuel in the event of a wildfire, I'm afraid I may have to remove all of them, as well as other shrubs close to the house.

Back view: I'd originally planned to stick with a red and white color scheme but I added touches of soft yellow to give the arrangement more verve.  The elements could have used a bit more space but the heavy Hippeastrum demanded the support offered by this vase.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Calendula officianalis 'Cantaloupe Mix', Freesia, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' foliage, Calliandra haematocephala, Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola', Hippeastrum 'Elvas', and noID Narcissus 

Although Sunday's rainstorm passed us by, both weather services I check currently show a seventy percent chance of rain this coming Wednesday so I remain hopeful I'll be able to replenish my collection tanks.  I need something to be hopeful for - the daily news about the performance of our country's leaders becomes more depressing and disgraceful with every passing day.  I think the tide is turning but that can't happen fast enough.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, who leads the merry Monday band of ardent amateur flower arrangers.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Spring has arrived!

I don't care what the calendar says, spring is here!  In coastal Southern California, it isn't unusual to see the signs of the seasonal change well in advance of March 20th but, given the drought we're experiencing, I wasn't sure how the garden was going to respond this year.  However, a few well-timed rainstorms in February followed by significantly warmer temperatures has prompted a jump in flower production.  I notice new blooms virtually every day and I expect that trend to continue over the coming weeks.

The morning marine layer has persisted in the area but it's been clear at my elevation (800+ feet above sea level) most days.  This photo, taken from my back garden last Saturday, shows the dense white blanket covering the Port of Los Angeles while sunshine and blue skies reign at my elevation.

I know that my mid-month Bloom Day post was extensive but I couldn't resist sharing some of the newer blooms.  I've also included some of the plants that were just starting their bloom cycle when I put together that post but are looking more fabulous now.

There are lots of flowers on the twin stalks of the Agave 'Blue Glow' in my south-side garden, which I'm hoping will produce a nice selection of viable bulbils before it comes time to take the agave out

Arctotis 'Large Marge' has joined 'Pink Sugar' in producing its first flowers.  They're almost luminescent.

Aristea inaequalis produces striking blue flowers but I've never been able to capture that color in photos.  The flowers open fully in the early morning hours but oddly close up well before noon each day.

The rainstorms caused large numbers of Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection's' flowers to crash to the ground but the shrub is making up for lost time now

I have no record or recollection of planting this noID dwarf Cistus in this backyard border but I welcome its presence

The Coleonema album shrubs, aka breath of heaven, suddenly burst into bloom this week.  The scent of the foliage is wonderful but that of the flowers is less so.

Crassula multicava's tiny flowers are everywhere

Dietes grandiflora (aka fortnight lily) is another plant I've no record of installing in my garden.  It's also in an inappropriate spot given its projected size but I've left it alone for now.

I was amazed that this hybrid wallflower, Erysimum 'Winter Orchid', survived to bloom a second year.  It's taken off since the rain arrived.

The yellow Freesias are the most common in my garden at the moment but those in other colors are slowly appearing too

More Hippeastrums are blooming and others have buds.  'Elvas' is on the left and 'Marilyn' is on the right.  'Elvas' looks like a less fluffy version the Hippeastrum 'Double Record' that failed to live up to its publicity photos when it opened a few weeks ago.  Maybe the seller did make an error with my bulb order...

I planted dozens of tiny bulbs of Ipheion uniflorum (aka spring starflower) years ago.  They seem to be spreading into new areas now, like this space between flagstones.

Leucospermum 'High Gold' (sold to me as 'Goldie') is geared up for another great display

My favorite Leucospermum, 'Spider Hybrid', snuck up on me.  I saw buds on Bloom Day but I thought it'd be a month or more before its flowers opened up.

I'd included the first flowers of Leucospermum 'Sunrise' in my mid-month post but the blooms are more prolific now

More Narcissi are popping up.  The one on the left is Narcissus 'Katie Heath', which has a pale peach corona.  The one on the right is an unnamed variety I picked up in a bag at my local garden center soon after we moved in. 

At least one of my Osteospermum '4D Pink' plants (left) has returned with some vigor - it's uncommon to find it in my local garden centers.  A mix of white-petaled Osteospermum varieties (right) are blooming in a sunny spot off the backyard patio.

Yes, this is a weed - Oxalis pes-caprae, aka Bermuda buttercup.  It has a relatively short life as an annual and, although I remove it as soon as it it finishes flowering each year, it comes back.  The flowers are so cheerful I haven't had the heart to pull the foliage up immediately when it appears.

Sparaxis tricolor (aka harlequin flower) is up and blooming this week too.  So far, I've only seen the pink and orange-flowered varieties.  I thought the pink one paired itself prettily with the Aloe labworana shown on the left.

I did spot one plant that's had a negative response to the change of weather but I'm hoping its current condition is temporary.

Virtually all the leaves of Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree) turned a yellowish-brown, seemingly overnight.  Both the flowers and the leaves are dropping.  This routinely happens in summer when our temperatures soar but our recent short-term heat spell hasn't climbed above 78F (26C).

Our temperatures earlier this week have generally stayed in the mid-70sF (24C) but they're expected to drift back down into the mid-60sF (18C) beginning today.  While there's a chance of light rain this weekend, the likelihood of precipitation improves next week.  As I've been making regular use of the rainwater I collected earlier this month, it'd be wonderful if I could refill my storage tanks before our rainy season ends in April but I realize that a "March miracle" is unlikely this year.

Best wishes for a pleasant weekend, wherever you are!

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

An inability to tolerate empty garden space

I've never had much tolerance for empty spaces in the garden.  If I don't have something on hand or at least in mind to fill a space when it opens up, I'll fill in with "temporary" plants.  That fact alone may explain why I have Aeoniums scattered all over the place.  However, when I finally took matters in hand and pulled the Aeonium arboreum that had taken over the understory of the bed containing our citrus trees, I had no plans to plant anything there.

As a reminder, here's what the area looked like before we removed all those Aeoniums in late January

This was the "after" shot

After reading my post on the transformation, commentator Chavli asked if I'd be able to resist adding a succulent ground cover below the trees.  I initially put the idea off but the question stuck in my head - and every time I walked through the area (which is generally several times a day), I thought about what I could put there.  I liked the idea of growing something like California poppies but it was already late to sow seeds, especially as there were few chances for significant rain, but I kept my eyes open for poppy seedlings.  Last week I found two six-packs (one dozen) of the plants at my local garden center and I was off and running.

I planted the area last Saturday

The coverage is spare but I hope some of the plants will spread and that the California poppies will self-seed.  I may sow seeds of other annuals once the poppies are spent.  Self-seeded Santa Barbara daisies (Erigeron karvinskianus) is moving into the space of its own volition too.

Clockwise from the upper left, the plants here include: one 6-pack of Campanula garganica (aka Adriatic bellflower), 2 clumps of Narcissus papyraceus (bulbs planted by a prior owner currently in bloom), 4 Pelargonium graveolens 'Colocho' (grown from cuttings), 12 Eschscholzia californica seedlings, and 2 Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset'

I've also filled in some of the blank spots elsewhere in my garden with the plants I picked up last week at Roger's Garden.  (The only plant purchased during that trip that has yet to find a home is the Agave 'Snow Glow', which is waiting to fill the opening that will be created once the Agave 'Blue Glow' completes its bloom cycle.)

Two Osteospermum 'Berry White' were added to one already in the front garden.  A single O. 'Lemon Ice' went into an empty spot in a different area of the front garden.  (I wish I'd picked up at least 2 more as I love their green centers.) The 2 O.'Violet Ice' filled vacancies in the back garden left by plants killed off by last summer's heat.

I filled in the empty area in front of the Agave funkiana in my north-side garden with the 3 Echeveria 'Mexicano' I bought last week

and the 3 Echeveria 'Atomic' went into the same area alongside the new flagstone path

The 3 carmine Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) I'd picked up on a whim went into this barrel to replace 3 sad-looking foliage plants.  I'd completely forgotten that I'd ordered a couple dozen Lisianthus in late 2024, which should be arriving in early March!

Meanwhile, the local peafowl continue to show an interest in my garden.  Four peahens (!) showed up on Monday and made the rounds of my garden twice.

I didn't manage to get photos of all 4 peahens together but I did capture 3 of them in a row here.  They move slowly but steadily and they break off into smaller units when followed.

I was afraid this one was going to head down my back slope but she flew into a neighbor's garden as I escorting them out

This one headed out through my street-side succulent bed when I sought to corral them during their second visit

This one and 2 of her sisters exited more gracefully via the driveway.  At last sight, they were headed down a nearby spur road 30+ feet away.

It's been a stressful month.  Luckily, I have lunch plans with three friends on Thursday.  One of my friends has designated our little group the "Sanity Sisters."  We're getting together to vent and decompress.  Despite the fact we're all trying to limit our news consumption, the sheer volume of crap coming out of national government channels is hard to take.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party