Hardscaping in Progress

The title of this post doesn't apply to my garden but rather to a property across the canyon, readily visible from my backyard.  I used to walk through that neighborhood on occasion but this home is located at the dead end of a spur road and I've never seen it in person.  The house was under renovation for years but, when it was put up for sale in 2021, I looked up the listing online as I was curious about the garden surrounding the house.  The only "garden" shots included in the listing were small fenced areas close to the house.  From a distance, it appears that the land is more sloped than flat and most of the plants I can see appear to be common coastal scrub.  Like mine, the property is a over half an acre in size.

Earlier this year I noticed that the homeowners were doing a bit of puttering with plants but I didn't see much in the way of significant activity until this summer.  A concrete mixer moved in at one point and it looked as though raised planters might be under construction.  I wondered if the homeowners might be planning to terrace the area below the house (which I can't see).  After a lull, hardscaping activity started in August.

Another step was added to the pink stairway extending from the driveway and rails went up in mid-August

A couple days later a raised platform was under construction

Several days later, another stairway attached to the raised platform was being constructed

By September 1st the platform had become another patio level and handrails were in place

It looked as though the new patio space was closed off on the right by a wood fence for a few days

However, instead of ending the patio where the fence stood on September 4th, work on a raised walkway began days later.

The right side fence came down and construction moved along the wall adjacent to the driveway

My latest photo on September 15 shows a continuation of the raised walkway, feet above the bare ground, just above where the slope drops further down

The workers have been there every day.  Luckily, they don't make a lot of noise but I'm still unclear on whether there are any plans for the garden landscaping around the hardscaping.  There's a lot of land to work with both below the new structure and in the upper areas of the lot.

There's a huge sloped area above the house and driveway.  The photo on the left shows another stairway leading to the upper reaches of the property and a concrete gulley.  I spotted another garden platform higher up (shown on the right).  Initially, I wasn't sure it was part of the property as boundary lines often aren't clear in our area.

However, when I noticed pots matching those on the upper outlook on the main level patio, I realized that the upper area must also belong to the same homeowners

I do hope to see some landscaping at some point.  Surely they don't plan on leaving the area below the new, lower-level patio or the new raised walkway empty to collect weeds?  

As California's Board of Forestry and Fire Protection works to complete the regulations associated with "zone zero" by the end of the year, I also had to wonder if the homeowners new patio and walkways have been checked against the draft guidelines.  (A new Los Angeles Times article concerning "zone zero" guidelines can be found here.)  Although those guidelines won't apply to existing structures immediately, it sounds as though compliance will be required within three years of their publication.  In the case of our own property, that highlights the issue of the connection between the gate and fence on the northeast side of our house.  Even if the State doesn't have the resources to enforce the new regulations, it appears that insurers are poised to take up the issue when it comes to approving fire insurance coverage.  There may be some challenges on the horizon for all homeowners in high fire risk areas like mine in the upcoming years.

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

In a Vase on Monday: A debutante and two favorites

The dahlias are still running the show when it comes to my Monday floral arrangements.  It's not a matter of what's available but what to choose.  While I remain hopeful that my dahlias and zinnias will be around for another six weeks or more, mildew is already a problem and the foliage of a couple of dahlias are clearly infected by dahlia mosaic virus (DMV).  As a result, my cutting garden may shrink sooner than I'd expected.

Dahlia 'Miss Brandy' made her debut just over a week ago.  I've already concluded that she's a winner and I currently plan to save the tuber when it comes time to clear out my cutting garden to ready it for cool season plants.

I kept the mix of plants in this vase simple so as not to compete with 'Miss Brandy'

Back view: Another white gladiola popped up in one of the raised planters so I added it here to make use of it before its flowers were finished

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Dahlia 'Miss Brandy', noID Gladiolus, and Zinnia elegans 'Queeny Red Lime'

The second arrangement stars two of my favorite dahlias, 'Summer's End' and 'Labyrinth'.  Regrettably, 'Labyrinth' is suffering from a severe case of DMV.  I cut the last of the presentable blooms it still had before cutting down all its branches and depositing them in a green bin for pickup.  When I get around to pulling up 'Labyrinth's' tuber from the barrel it occupies, it'll also go in the green bin as online sources don't recommend saving or dividing the tuber, or taking cuttings from the plant.

'Summer's End' has a waterlily-like form but it blends well with 'Labyrinth', which is a dinnerplate type

Back view

Overhead view

From the upper left: Dahlia 'Labyrinth', D. 'Summer's End', Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', Rumohra adiantiformis (aka leatherleaf fern), Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', and Z. e. 'Queeny Lemon Peach'

I also cut three stems of Dahlia 'Lady Darlene' late last week after one large branch did a nose dive in the face of high winds.  To avoid any more immediate crashes, I cut two other top-heavy stems before adding more support for the plant's branches.  As the flowers I'd cut last Sunday were looking sad by Saturday, I popped the new stems in a vase with leftovers from last week's vase.

The Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Coleus scutellarioides 'Florida Sun Rose', and Zinnia 'Queeny Red Lime' used last week had a longer vase life than the original 'Lady Darlene' Dahlia stems

After several days of cooler temperatures, we're expecting another warming trend by the middle of this week.  Whether our temperatures reach 90F (32C) or higher again will depend upon whether or not the morning marine layer maintains a daily presence.

For more IAVOM creations, check in with our merry band's leader, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

Bloom Day - September 2025 (Early Edition)

This early Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post could just as well have been labeled "It's All About the Cutting Garden" because that's clearly this month's focus.  There are some flowers elsewhere in the garden but they're not headliners by any means.  By September, after more than four months without rain, the garden is tired.  While it hasn't been one of the miserably hot summers with temperatures above 100F (37.8C), we've had stretches of temperatures in the mid-90sF, which add stress on the drier areas of the garden.  I'm more generous with the water provided to the cutting garden and it shows.

Wide shot of my cutting garden in September

The dahlias have a starring role.  I've posted them in alphabetical order by cultivar name because it's too hard to pick favorites.  There are only two dahlias missing, one of which has produced only a single flower thus far ('Excentric') and another that has yet to produce any buds ('Caproz Pizzazz').

This is 'Blue Bell'.  It's more purple than it appears in this shot.  It's the first time I've grown it and, while pretty, I'm not yet sure it's a keeper.

This is the second year I've grown the ball-shaped 'Brown Sugar'

Sold to me as 'Cafe au Lait', I think this pinker variety is probably 'Cafe au Lait Rose'.  It's the most floriferous of my dahlias this year and it has especially tall stems (none of which have done nose dives so far). 

'Cafe au Lait Rose' has also been a regular haven for bees looking for a place to nap

This is the second year for 'Creme de Cognac' and I planted 2 of my the saved tubers, giving away others.  It's produced fewer flowers since the heat turned up than it did earlier in the season.

This one was misidentified when I planted it in 2022 but the consensus of opinion is that it's 'Catching Fire'.  I divided the original tuber.  The saved tubers have grown well for me in subsequent years and I gave away a few of them this year.

I've grown 'Fairway Spur' for 3 years now.  It got a late start this year but the flowers were worth waiting for.

I purchased the tuber for this collarette dahlia this year as 'Kelsey Annie Joy'.  That variety is described as peach or yellow in color.  Even as the blooms have aged, they're clearly more pink than peach so it was mislabeled.  The closest match I could find based on its appearance is called 'Fashion Monger'.

The flowers of 'Labyrinth' are beautiful but unfortunately the grasshoppers love to chomp on them.  It's also suffering from a bad case of Dahlia Mosaic Virus (DMV) so I'll soon be disposing both the plant and its tuber.

'La Belle Epoque' is new-to-me this year

I grew 'Lady Darlene' last year and it's one of my favorites again this year.  It's a late bloomer and has only just recently produced its first flowers.

The first year I planted 'La Luna' it didn't bloom at all.  I thought I'd tossed the tuber when I cleared my cutting garden in 2023 but apparently I missed it.  It came up in 2024 without any help from me, blooming with vigor.  Last year some of the flowers bore yellow streaks with an ivory background but this year all have been ivory with a pale yellow tinge.

I first planted 'Mikayla Miranda' in 2022 and it immediately became a favorite.  It's a huge plant this year but then I didn't divide the tuber last year when I cleared my raised planters.

'Miss Brandy' is another newbie for me this year.  It also only recently produced its first flowers.

'Molly Raven', another late bloomer, is a new addition to my collection this year.  It has dark, almost black foliage.

The water lily like blooms of 'Summer's End' is another of favorite.  I divided the tubers the last 2 years, planting 2 of them in my cutting garden this week and giving 2 other saved tubers away.  

The zinnias aren't as bountiful but they're putting on a pretty good show this year too.  Their foliage has begun to mildew even though I've cut large numbers of the flowers to give away and improve aeration within my beds.

Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Lime'

'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose'

The flowers of 'Benary's Giant Wine' are both plentiful and huge!

I think this is 'Queeny Lemon Peach'.  It's the least vigorous of my zinnias this year.

In contrast, 'Queeny Red Lime' is competing with 'Giant Wine' as this year's most floriferous zinnia

The rest of the garden isn't exactly a desert.  There are some plants worth noting.

I broke my self-imposed rule about not installing new plants during the summer months with Catharanthus 'Blueberry Kisses' and 'White Peppermint' (aka vinca and periwinkle).  They haven't even blinked in response to the high temperatures!

This is Chrysocephalum 'Desert Flame', a plant I'd never heard of prior to this year.  It's also held up well against the heat.

We removed the wood arbor adjacent to our house this year due to the fire risk it posed.  I was afraid that might mean the end of my Clematis terniflora but the vine's found other ways to support itself.

I planted 3 Echinops ritro ruthenicus a few years ago but can't remember if they ever bloomed before.  Two produced flowers this summer.

Grevilleas 'Peaches & Cream' and 'Superb' don't bloom as heavily in summer but both flower year-round

Though the colorful bracts of Leucadendrons aren't true flowers, they look like them.  Leucadendron salignum 'Blush' is on the left and 'Safari Sunset' is on the right.

Mangave 'Pineapple Express' isn't quite in bloom yet but it's getting there

Rudbeckia 'Juliana' is another one of my summer purchases

A few years ago I tried to remove all the rampant asters from one bed but they're back!  On the left is Symphyotrichum frikarti 'Monch'.  On the left is Symphyotrichum chilense.

As usual, I've thrown the rest of my photos in color-sorted collages.

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', noID Dipldenia, Eustoma grandiflorum, and noID Gazania

Left to right, the last Agapanthus 'Elaine', more Digitalis purpurea, and Rotheca ugandense

From the upper left: Argyranthemum 'Grandaisy Pink', Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', noID Pelargonium, Pentas lanceolata, and Rosa 'Pink Meidiland'

From the upper left: Crassula falcata, 2 noID Dianthus barbatus, noID Gazania, and Pelargonium peltatum

Left to right: Alstroemeria 'Inca Sundance', Echinacea 'Sombrero Lemon Yellow', and Gazania 'Gold Flash'

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day officially falls on the coming Monday.  To find more posts highlighting what's blooming in other gardens, check in with Carol at May Dreams Gardens then.  In the meantime, best wishes for a good weekend!

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