In a Vase on Monday: The Lisianthus step up

It's considerably harder to determine what to use to fill a vase now that the summer bloomers are, for all practical purposes, gone.  A few new flowers have emerged here and there but they don't send the siren's calls that dahlias do.  However, the bush violets, Barleria obtusa, have just gotten started and I can't ignore their blue flowers.  While these plants flower abundantly, the stems are best used as accents and fillers so the remaining question concerned what I could use as a focal point.  Luckily, a small number of Lisianthus (officially classified as Eustoma grandiflorum) provided the answer.

I cut stems of just about every blue flower I have to fill the vase but I had just one stem of a pure white Lisianthus

Back view: The bush violets flower profusely but their delicate blooms also drop continuously.  Fortunately, buds continue to open as others fall.

Top view: The butterfly-like flowers of Rotheca 'Ugandense' (formerly classified as Clerodendrum ugandense) are as prone to dropping as those of the bush violets but less profuse, yet I included them too

Clockwise from the upper left: Barleria obtusa, berries of Billardiera heterophylla (formerly Sollya heterophylla), foliage of Centaurea 'Silver Feather', Eustoma grandiflorum, Lavandula multifida, and Rotheca myricoides 'Ugandense'

I'd originally planned to use stems of the green Lisianthus in my back garden with the bush violets but, when I saw the pristine white variety in the front garden, I went with it.  Still, I'm very fond of the green variety (which I've used as wallpaper on my mobile phone) so I wanted to take advantage of them while they're fresh.  I cobbled together a second arrangement featuring two of those stems.

I used stems of Correa glabra, a green-flowered Australian fuchsia, to echo the pale yellow-green color of the Lisianthus.  The Correa's flowers are sparse but the plant seems to produce slightly more flowers with each passing year.  The vase is a smaller version of the green porcelain vase I've often used this year. 

Back view:  I used 2 stems of Coleus 'Chili Pepper' to spice things up a bit (pun intended)

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Coleus 'Flame Thrower Chili Pepper', Correa glabra 'Coliban River', Eustoma grandiflorum, and Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata'

All but one of my dahlias, the 'Caproz Pizzazz' that produced a single bud, are now gone.  While preparing to remove 'Lady Darlene', I realized I had two more zinnias growing nearby in the corner of the same raised planter.  I plopped two of the flowers into the small vase on our kitchen island, accompanied by some of the leftovers from the vase that contained the last of 'Lady Darlene's' flowers last week.

Single stems of Zinnia elegans (probably 'Senorita' and 'Benary's Giant Coral') accompany stems of Leucadendrons 'Blush' and 'Jester'

The marine layer has brought down temperatures again over the last few days but weather forecasters are predicting yet another mid-week uptick.  Meanwhile, there's no rain in sight as we bore ahead into November.

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

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

Recent garden edits

My sister-in-law was in town this week and I didn't have a lot of time to work in the garden, much less put together blog posts, but I made a few edits to my south-side garden last weekend I thought I'd share in this short post.

You may recall that we removed a number of agaves from the main area of the south-end garden earlier this year.  We took out the all-too-exuberant 'Blue Flame' Agaves that were overtaking the bed in stages in July (as shown here and here).  In September, we tackled removal of a large 'Blue Glow' Agave that had bloomed twice and was left looking worse for the wear (as shown here).  Those actions left some large holes and it's taken me awhile to decide how to fill them.  My efforts there are by not means done but there's been some progress.

I removed a small Agave titanota that'd been hidden under the 'Blue Flame' Agaves in this area and planted the 'Sun Glow' Agave I'd purchased months ago in the middle of the space.  I filled in around it with cuttings of Senecio mandraliscae (aka blue chalksticks) and Aeonium 'Sunburst'.  It's going to take some time before everything fills out.

I potted up the Agave titanota and 2 pups to use elsewhere or give away

I added soil and cleaned up the area that'd been occupied by the bloomed-out 'Blue Glow' Agave and added more cuttings of Aeonium 'Sunburst' there.  I'm tentatively planning to fill in a portion of the remaining blank space with a Pelargonium, possibly 'White Lady', which produces small white flowers and loves to spread itself about.

I tweaked two smaller beds nearby too.

The 'Mission to Mars' Mangave shown in the center of this photo had a smaller Mangave, which I can only guess was a pup, growing under its leaves on the right.  I neglected to take a before shot but, because it was getting quite large, I dug it up and replanted it in front of its parent.  There's an even smaller Mangave in the foreground on the right, which I think is 'Tooth Fairy'.

This is a closeup of the Mangave pup.  It has coloring similar to 'Mission to Mars' and I've no record of planting any other members of the species in this area.

I can't recall if I've shown this small bed adjacent to the catio before.  It originally was filled with a mass of Mexican feather grass (Nasella tenuissima) and self-seeded Daucus carota, which I removed in the interest of eliminating flammable material so close to the house.  I recently planted 'Bronze Blend' Dutch Iris bulbs in the foreground and also added more bromeliad divisions (Neoregelia 'Guinea' x 'Pepper').  I may add even more divisions of the same Neoregelia soon.

I still have work to do in the cutting garden but, as I got an early start this year and the weather isn't quite right to sow sweet peas or other seeds yet, that can wait another week or so.  Meanwhile I received the second of my recent bulb orders and they may be given priority.

100 more bulbs, not all of which I can't honestly claim I've identified spaces for

Although my garden feels short on flowers at the moment, I did get a surprise when I noticed a touch of bright pink in my front garden.

Protea 'Claire' in the front garden already has one good-sized flower open and I counted at least 6 more buds working to catch up.  Meanwhile, my Protea neriifolia 'Pink Ice', tucked into a shadier section of the north-side garden, has yet to show signs of any buds.

Best wishes for a good weekend.  Although I wasn't able to join a "No Kings" rally myself last Saturday, I was very impressed by the strength of the turnout, estimated at between 7 and 8.2 million peaceful protesters.  Sadly, the White House responded by releasing a pathetic and tawdry AI-generated video that brings shame on the presidential office.  In my opinion, every elected official that fails to note that disgrace isn't worth keeping in office.  As an independent voter, I'm disgusted to the point of nausea.

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

Wordless Wednesday: House plants find their happy place

 

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

In a Vase on Monday: As luck would have it

I fully expected to be scrambling to find material to fill a vase this week.  This was indeed the case with my first arrangement.  I identified two flowering plants that might serve as centerpieces, a yellow Rudbeckia growing in a barrel in my front garden and the first buds of Senna bicapsularis growing along the fence separating us from a neighbor.  I cut stems of both but in retrospect wasn't too pleased with either so I went searching for other plants to give them a boost.  As is often the case in such circumstances, I cut more plants than I probably needed and end up with a hodge-podge.

Most of the Rudbeckia flowers had been nibbled by the grasshoppers still plaguing my garden and the Senna buds hadn't quite opened yet

Back view: I threw in the shaggy Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum) that made a lone late showing in my front garden and the orange berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolium (aka diamond-leaf pittosporum)

Overhead view: 2 stems of Japanese anemone (Eriocapitella hupehensis) elevated the arrangement somewhat, although they were partially buried on the mix

Top row: Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', and Auranticarpa rhombifolium
Middle: Correa 'Ivory Bells', Eriocapitella hupehensis, and Lantana 'Lucky Yellow'
Bottom: Leucanthemum x superbum, Rudbeckia 'Juliana', and Senna bicapsularis

I had some unexpected luck in putting together my second arrangement.  Due to last week's heavier-than-expected rain, I wasn't able to get as much done in my cutting garden as I'd planned.  I managed to get all the dahlias but one out of the raised beds, which I left in place temporarily as it still had buds.  After the sun came out and temperatures surged into the mid-80sF (29C) days later, two new blooms of Dahlia 'Lady Darlene' made an appearance.

The 2 dahlias are smaller and redder than the 'Lady Darlene' flowers I've featured in prior vases

Back view: I've plenty of colorful Leucadendron stems to fill out my vases

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Lady Darlene', Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', G. 'Superb', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', and variegated L. 'Jester'

Despite delays, I completed the process of digging up one of the raised beds in my cutting garden and replanted it with spring blooming plugs and bulbs (anemone corms).  Meanwhile, the local raccoons have been "helping" me clear the other two raised beds of grubs.  (I've laid hardware cloth and wire cloches over the first bed to keep them at bay.)  However, my sister-in-law will be visiting midweek so work will be delayed once again - but then my back will appreciate the break.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

Flip-flop on fire risk zones

I addressed Los Angeles County's adoption of "defensible space clearance" requirements in a post on March 28th.  The requirements were applicable to all homeowners in areas facing significant fire risk.  We received a notice from the Los Angeles Fire Department outlining its guidelines and notifying us of inspections to be conducted by department personnel in or around June.  Among other things, the notice specified the following:

"It is required that all trees and shrubs shall be maintained free of deadwood and litter.  Native and ornamental vegetation known to be flammable, including, but not limited to: Acacia, Cedar, Cypress, Eucalyptus, Juniper, Pine, and Pampas Grass shall be removed within 30 feet of any structure..."

The fire hazard maps available online for our area at that time showed the majority of our peninsula was classified as facing severe fire risk.  Although we weren't specifically required to take any action prior to the inspections, the notice stipulated that homeowners would have just thirty days to resolve any issues that inspectors found and the preliminary guidance we received suggested that time frame could be difficult if extensive changes were required.  We decided to get ahead of the problem by taking a range of actions that made some sense to us.  We ended up removing a large number of shrubs, which I addressed in a post published on May 7th.

In July we received notice of our compliance with current guidelines.  We never saw an inspector nor received any specific input concerning future challenges, specifically the "zone zero" guidelines under development at the California State level.  As it became more and more apparent that "zone zero" guidelines will be implemented by year's end, I began formulating strategies to remove materials that might be considered "flammable" sitting within five feet of our house (i.e., within "zone zero").

One of my most recent actions involved pulling out two woody Coleonema album (breath of heaven) shrubs near the front door.  I subsequently filled in the empty area with a Lomandra, which is generally considered to be fire resistant. 

We dug up a Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty' in one area of the the front garden (shown in the photo on the left) and plunked it into the area formerly occupied by the 2 Coleonema shrubs.  I made an issue of checking its distance from the wall of the house to meet "zone zero" requirements (as shown in the photo on the right).

After I expressed my concerns about the pending "zone zero" guidelines, my husband did an internet search and discovered - drum roll! - that the local authorities responsible for our peninsula are in the process of adopting dramatic changes to our fire hazard severity zones.  These zone classifications are important because they determine where California's defensible space standards apply, including those relating to "zone zero."  I wasn't able to dig up a "before" map but the extent of the changes are remarkable as shown here:

The update was published by our city in mid-June but I don't follow the city's website, which was clearly a mistake in this case
Map Source: rpvca.gov

Moreover, when I checked the rating of our property and the properties within our immediate neighborhood, which consists of fifty-six homes and one large empty lot, I was even more surprised.

That black dot indicates our location within the green (no designated risk) area

So, at least at present, our home is not situated in a fire risk zone at all. (Regardless of this, I've noted that we still have to pay the annual inspection fee assessed by the County as the fee already shows on our property tax bill.)  In total, we and fifteen other neighborhood homeowners, including the owner of the empty lot (the house formerly on it burned down decades ago), are in the clear (green area).  However, twenty-one neighborhood properties are classified as at moderate risk (yellow area), thirteen are classified at high risk (orange area), and seven are classified at very high risk (red area).  As all of these homes are within minutes walking distance from our home, the close proximity to red and orange risk areas still makes me nervous.  How the zones were established isn't outlined in any specific way on the city's site, and our zone wasn't identified in our compliance notice, but I was led to understand that the approach followed the criteria established at the State level.  The factors considered in defining an area's "hazard score" included:

• An area's "fire history"
• "Existing and potential fuel" (vegetation)
• "Flame length" (which according to Google AI refers to wildfire intensity and potential for damage)
• "Blowing embers terrain" (which refers to how wind-blown embers spread during a wildfire) and
• "Typical fire weather"

Officially at least, it appears that I no longer have to worry about the following areas of my garden:

I'm under no obligation to remove the lovely Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection' or Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' I planted next to the garage soon after we moved in over 14 years ago

I needn't worry that my beloved ever-blooming Grevillea 'Superb' is partially intruding in the 5-foot space between it and the house, despite a serious pruning this spring 

No immediate action is required with respect to the Coleonema and Pittosporum shrubs that make up the hedge here on the north end of the house

or the Camellia sasanqua and Pittosporum shrubs around the corner that we also inherited with the garden

The fence issue is also tabled for now.  We looked at a metal fence options and calculated that the cost, including installation, ran in around $10K.

Moving on to other less ambiguous matters, we did receive "significant" rain from the storm that passed through Southern California earlier this week.  It's been called a "Goldilocks" atmospheric river event as it put a temporary stay on the start of our fire season while avoiding mudslides in the areas affected by the fires last January.  Our net rain tally was 0.74/inch.  My 50- and 160-gallon collection tanks are full.  The 265-gallon tank didn't accumulate much.  After-the-fact, we discovered that one of the filters was blocked by an inch of mud, preventing rainwater from flowing into the tank during the storm.  That, and the fact that tank collects rain off the smallest roof surface (i.e., only the back half of the garage roof), accounted for the fact the tank was nearly dry.  The tank's placement can't be helped as it's too ugly to set up in front of the house.

This is the 265-gallon tank, which is seated flush with the back of the garage wall.  The clogged filter is shown in a closeup photo on the right.  It attached directly to the roof gutter.  There's a second filter the water passes through below it at the top of the tank itself.

I filled these plastic trugs with water flowing down the rainchain that I couldn't otherwise capture.  The first round I collected was used to water plants under the roof's overhang area and container plants sitting next to the house.  I dumped the water I collected after that into the 265-gallon tank once the clogged filter issue was resolved.  It was a pittance but at least it's a start.

The best news is that the garden is currently fully saturated.  I should be able to leave our irrigation system off for more than a week without touching any of the collected rainwater.  The only negative is that my work in the cutting garden remains on hold until the soil in the raised planters dries out and can be worked again.

All but one of the dahlia plants and tubers in the raised beds are gone.  I removed all 'Lady Darlene's' damaged foliage but she still has a few fat buds so I've given her another brief reprieve.  There are also 3 large foxgloves left in the middle planter I haven't made a decision about - they never bloomed but might do so in the coming cool season; however, they also may prevent me from getting any remaining tentacles of the dahlia tubers out to avoid a replay of the mosaic virus. 

Meeko and I may be getting some time off this weekend.

As soon as our daytime temperatures dropped into the 60sF, I turned on the heating pad below Meeko's pink afghan and she's been calmer ever since

 

Enjoy a great weekend and thumbs up if you're joining a "No Kings" march on Saturday!

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

Bloom Day - October 2025

It's scavenger hunt time in my garden.  I'm never utterly without flowers, winter being virtually a foreign concept here in coastal Southern California, but, at the end of summer, having had months without measurable rain, my garden can't be described as particularly floriferous.  This is especially true since the dahlias made an early exit this year.  (If you missed it, you can find my salute to the dahlias here.)  There isn't a lot of any one kind of flower but I took a careful survey of what's out there and here it is, starting with the most prominent specimens:

Aloe labworana, surprising me with a second round of flowers at the start of fall

Not flowers, but the berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolium provide a colorful display

After a second flush of the bottlebrush flowers of Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', I recently got a third one

I added Chrysocephalum apiculatum 'Desert Flame' to my garden earlier this year, not knowing what to expect.  It's a winner.

Okay, the flowers of Coleus 'Florida Sun Rose' (shown on the right) aren't impressive (and I usually cut them off) but you've got to give it credit for its foliage color.  I planted this one in 2024 and it sailed through last year's winter season, getting bigger and better.

The Correas (aka Australian fuchsias) are getting their bloom on.  From left to right are Correa glabra, C. 'Ivory Bells', and C. 'Wyn's Wonder'.

Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) hasn't done all that well for me this year but I've got a scattering of the plants in different colors in various areas of my garden

The large-flowered Grevilleas bloom year round here.  On the left is Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' and the more profuse G. 'Superb' is on the right.

I cut back all my Lantana a month ago and they responded with another flush of flowers.  Clockwise from the left are: Lantana camara 'Irene', L. 'Lucky Yellow', and variegated L. 'Samantha'.

The colorful bracts of Leucadendron aren't true flowers either but many make good substitutes to fill vases.  Leucadendron salignum 'Summer Red' is on the left and L. 'Safari Sunset' is on the right. 

I can't say I love the flowers of Mangave 'Pineapple Express' but it has stature

Rudbeckia 'Juliana' has been putting on a good show for the past 2 months.  Even though I treat them as annuals, they're definitely worth the investment.  I wish I'd added more this year.

These are the flowers of Xylosma congestum, which forms a hedge running along major sections of my garden.  It doesn't seem to bloom every year, or at least not on a significant scale, but the bees love those tiny yellow flowers when they show up,

I added a few annuals earlier this month and also waved goodbye to the last of my seed-sown zinnias.

I recently planted plugs of Cosmos bipinnatus to fill holes in my garden

I cut the last of the Zinnia elegans I grew from seed earlier this week after mildew badly marred their foliage.  Left to right are 'Benary's Giant Lime', 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', and a variety I can't account for.

There were a few surprises as usual too.

My one remaining Japanese anemone (now classified as Eriocapitella hupehensis), inherited with the garden, has managed to offer a few blooms even though summer's hot, dry conditions virtually torched its foliage.  I hope to add more of these plants, if I can find them, to a shadier section of my garden.

I cut back my ruffled Leucanthemum x superbum in early summer, hoping to prompt a second flush of bloom.  I didn't get that but I did get this one photogenic flower!

I cut back my Polygala myrifolia (aka sweet pea bush) and Tulbaghia violacea (aka society garlic) too and this pairing sprang back in bloom.  The former has become something of a self-seeding weed in my climate but it's admittedly pretty.

Yucca 'Bright Star' doesn't bloom every year but the largest of my 3 plants is getting ready to do so this year.  My guess is that it'll end up looking like an unshapely mess once it's done but perhaps I can divide it.

I've planted numerous rain lily bulbs (Zephyranthes) over the years but I rarely spot them.  I saw this one when I almost stepped on it following the tiny bit of rain we had earlier this month (0.02/inch). 

I've thrown the rest of my photos of bits of bloom into color-themed collages.

Clockwise from the upper left: Catharanthus 'Blueberry Kisses', Hebe 'Grace Kelly', Lavandula multifida, Liriope muscari, Pelargonium peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard', Rotheca myricoides 'Ugandense', Salvia 'Mystic Spires', and Symphyotrichum frikartii 'Monch'

From the upper left: Arbutus 'Marina', Argyranthemum 'Aramis Apricot', Boronia crenulata, Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', bud of Medinilla myriantha, Penta lanceolata, and Xerochrysum bracteatum

From the upper left: Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Argyranthemum 'Everest', Catharanthus 'Peppermint White', noID Dianthus, Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', and noID self-seeded Osteospermum

From the upper left: Gazania, Gaillardia 'Spin Top Copper Sun', Pelargonium peltatum, and Salvia 'Skyscraper Orange'

That's it!  Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to find other Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts.

As an aside, we got our first real rainstorm of the 2026 "water year" yesterday!  The total was 0.56/inch, which probably doesn't sound like much to those of you in wetter climates but it's a pretty good showing for us, especially this early in our rainy season.  Our total rainfall for the 2025 water year (October 1, 2024-September 30, 2025) was a measly 7.03 inches.

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