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

In a Vase on Monday: It's all about the anemones

It's feeling more like spring with every passing day.  While our overall rain total is still woefully low, the rain we got earlier this month has given the garden the boost it needed.  Temperatures have also risen over the last several days. We reached 77F (25C) yesterday, which was higher than expected.  I'm seeing more buds and blooms every day; however, with the anemones in high gear, I elected to focus on them while they're plentiful.

My first arrangement was inspired by Anemone coronaria 'Rosa Chiaro'.

The most recent blooms of Anemone 'Rosa Chiaro' are a deeper peachy-pink than the earlier blooms.  They were a surprisingly good match with the flowers of Argyranthemum 'Aramis Apricot' I used as an accent.

Back view: The white snapdragons sold as 'Speedy White' have lived up to their name.  I've cut them several times and they keep producing new, taller stems whereas my other snapdragons have yet to come back after their first light flushes. 

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', Anemone coronaria 'Mistral Bianco Centro Nero', A. c. 'Mistral Rosa Chiaro;, Antirrhinum majus, and Argyranthemum frutescens 'Aramis Apricot'

The second arrangement was designed around Anemone coronaria 'Rarity'.

The petals of Anemone 'Rarity' are an usual blend of lavender, lilac, mauve and pink

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Anemone 'Mistral Bianco Centro Nero', A. c. 'Mistral Rarity', Grevillea sericea, Limonium perezii, Osteospermum '4D Pink', and Polygala myrtifolia

I hadn't planned a third vase but I cut the stem of one of the blue anemones by mistake so I filled a small vase to put it to use.

This vase includes 2 stems of Anemone coronaria 'Mistral Azzurro', one stem of A. c. 'Mistral Grape', 3 Moroccan daisies (Rhodanthemum hosmariense), and a stem of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt'

Last week's arrangements held up well.  Although the Camellia I expected would fall apart quickly lasted less than one day, a Camellia bud on the same stem opened over the course of a few days.  I was also able to reuse two stems of the Alstromeria I'd included on that same vase in this week's first arrangement and the hellebore, still in good shape, landed in a small vase on my desk.

Helleborus 'Anna's Red' has proven to be both the most reliable and sturdy of my small collection of hellebores

Visit our IAVOM host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find more arrangements compiled by contributors from materials in their gardens.

 

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

Friends, plants, and lunch

Is there a better way to spend several hours than meeting up with friends while wandering among plants on a sunny day, then tying things up with lunch?  Denise of A Growing Obsession proposed the get-together with HB of Piece of Eden and myself, the first time we've had an opportunity to see one another since the Puget Sound Garden Fling last July.  We met up at Roger's Garden, a destination garden center in Orange County.  I hadn't been there since September 2024 so the venue was a plus.

We spent a lot of time talking so my photo-taking was relatively haphazard.  I focused on the demonstration garden beds scattered throughout the nursery's grounds.

The large garden bed near the entrance had been decked out with a variety of pink flowers, presumably with Valentine's Day in mind

The nearby triangular beds were planted with spring bloomers

The Bird and Butterfly Garden had been fluffed up for the warmer season to come too

Shrubs in the sloped bed adjacent to Roger's Farmhouse restaurant were accented by masses of Geranium 'Rozanne' in full bloom.  While I grew that geranium in my former garden, it didn't survive long in my current garden; however, after seeing this display, I was ready to try it again.  Unfortunately, the plants weren't currently available for sale.

The California-Friendly Garden was heavy on rosemary (now classified as Salvia rosmarinus).  That plant is indestructible in my garden but I have all too much of it.

This foliage mix caught my notice

This Small Space Garden, combining succulents and Westringia among other things, was my favorite on this occasion.  We noted that some of the Mangaves, including 'Lavander Lady', were producing masses of pups.  The gray sculpture is one of Dustin Gimbel's pieces.

The garden was well stocked and geared up for the spring season.

A LOT of bedding plants were available

The shade plant selection was also extensive

The succulent plants had been moved to the upper level of the nursery since my last visit but the selection was extensive

Aeoniums and a wide variety of small succulents were available

There were a lot of agaves too.  We immediately noticed one-gallon containers of Agave 'Snow Glow'.  We spent time talking about the agave next to it too.  It was simply labeled Agave 'Choice' but we couldn't immediately find a description under that name online.  Based on a later search, I'm guessing it may have been Agave macroacantha 'Pablo's Choice'.  That plant's proclivity for pupping to form sizable clumps matches the concerns HB raised about the tiny pups already developing in those pots.

Mangaves were also prominently displayed.  The large pot containing a Mangave 'Lavender Lady' (right) was packed with pups.  I have 3 of those plants, just one of which was an offset of a larger plant.  I was surprised that 'Lavender Lady' could pup like that, even after seeing evidence of similar behavior in the Small Space Garden bed.

Rain chains planted with tiny succulents

Miscellaneous plant sightings included a Silver Bismarck Palm (Bismarkia nobilis), marked 50% off (which still meant $350), and a beautiful staghorn fern (noID)

I didn't walk away without plants either.  Here's my haul:

On the left, 3 carmine Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflora), 2 Osteospermum 'Violet Ice', 2 O. 'Berry White', and one O. 'Lemon Ice'.  On the right, 3 Echeveria mexicano, 3 E. 'Atomic', and another Agave 'Snow Glow'.  I also' picked up 4 sweet pea seedlings as those I sowed from seed back in November aren't looking good at the moment.

Now I just need to get everything planted.  Luckily, we're looking forward to a mostly sunny weekend with temperatures in the upper-60s to the low-70sF (20-21C).  Hopefully, I'll have time to tackle the weeds mentioned in my prior post too.

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