In a Vase on Monday: Before the weather changes (again)

We got 0.72/inch (18mm) of rain last Monday, which wasn't bad by current standards.  Some people in the surrounding area got significantly more but, as two of my rain barrels are now full and the largest is three-quarters full, I was satisfied.  At present, it seems fairly certain that was the end of our rainy season.  Although cool temperatures held on into the weekend and we had more gray skies than blue, we didn't see any more rain.  By the middle of this week we're expecting another reversion to warmer-than-normal temperatures.  Even though I can see the ocean from our back garden, we typically don't get cool ocean breezes on our side of the peninsula.  Our temperatures tend to track more closely with temperatures in downtown Los Angeles, which next week could reach into the 90sF (32C).

Based on the expected temperature shift, I cut things I otherwise might have let sit awhile, starting with the pink Alstroemeria stems that appeared en masse following last week's rain.

As usual, I got carried away cutting flowers.  As a result the arrangement ended up a lot busier than I'd intended it to be.

The back view is somewhat less congested

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Alstroemeria, Centranthus ruber, C. 'Albus', noID Antirrhinum majus, noID Ixia, Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', and Pelargonium 'Lady Plymouth'

 

As the pink arrangement was very busy, I decided not to include the stems of two other flowers I'd originally cut for that vase, choosing instead to use them to replace the former contents of the small vase that sits atop our kitchen island.

This simple arrangement of just Abelia 'Chiapas' and Anemone coronaria 'Admiral' may be my personal favorite this week.  The Abelia's scent is strong but not cloying.  I took several cuttings of the Mexican Abelia last week in the hope of getting more of these plants, which I haven't seen anywhere since I purchased mine online in early 2012.

 

For my second arrangement, I recycled the two peach-colored foxglove stems I cut last week.  They still look good and this time I was able to pair them with the roses I'd originally hoped to use last week.  I didn't want to count on the slim possibility that the roses will hold up to a sudden shift to summer-like temperatures.

The 'Medallion' rose buds remained firmly closed last week but opened following Monday's rain.  This rose, like most in my small rose collection, came with the garden.

Back view: In addition to the foxglove stems, I was able to reuse some of last week's Heuchera maxima stems.  Most Heuchera with flashy foliage color don't hold up well in my garden but this California native with plain green foliage is tougher than the others by far.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach', Cuphea 'Honeybells', Heuchera maxima, Argyranthemum frutescens 'White Butterfly', Ranunculus 'Salmon', Tulipa clusiana 'Cynthia', and Rosa 'Medallion'

 

In addition to the Digitalis and Heuchera flowers, I recycled a few other flowers from last week's "challenge" arrangement for a simplified fourth arrangement.

Stems of Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Argyranthemum 'White Butterfly', and Leucospermum 'Goldie' occupy a vase in my home office

For more IAVOM posts, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  I start jury duty this morning so I may be delayed in following up with other IAVOM contributors this week but I'll get to that when I can.

 

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Mixing things up

Last week's heat fried some plants, including the tulips sent to me in error last November by a mail order nursery.  I didn't expect much from them but, after keeping them in our refrigerator for three solid months before carefully planting them out and dutifully watering them in the absence of any rain, I was still disappointed.  The cool season flowers I grew from seed have been unimpressive this year too but, looking ahead, I see the summer bloomers are gearing up, possibly responding to the summer-like heat that's sounding the death knell for the cool season blooms before they ever got very far.  I've even got Agapanthus buds developing in some areas.

My first arrangement reuses some of the flowers I cut last week, albeit in a different combination.  The Leucospermum stems have at least another week of life in them, as do the stems of Alstroemeria 'Claire'.

The rose is a new bloom and it was so large and perfect I gave it a starring role.  We're expecting another round of warm weather mid-week and I thought I'd get more enjoyment out of it inside the air-conditioned house than I would watching it wither outside when the temperature reaches the mid 80sF (28C).

Back view: Achillea 'Moonshine' has produced its first blooms.  I added more of the flowers of Aeonium 'Kiwi Verde'.  I'd estimate a third of those plants are currently in bloom throughout the garden and, when the bloom dies, so does the succulent rosette that sprouted it.

Top view

Top row: Achillea 'Moonshine', Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', and Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'
Second row: Alstroemeria 'Claire' and Rosa 'Medallion'
Bottom row: Leucospermum 'Brandi', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach', and Antirrhinum majus

The second arrangement couldn't be more different.  It's all about soft pastels and wispy blooms.

The sweet peas are now blooming in earnest, perhaps because they know their days are numbered - they're cool season blooms here.  They and the fuchsia blooms (from a recent purchase) set the color scheme.

Back view: Echium 'Star of Madiera' accommodated by starting its annual bloom cycle

Top view: Cool season Coriandrum (aka cilantro/coriander) and Consolida ajacis (aka larkspur) provided the wispy filler material.  The Coriandrum is already producing seeds.  The larkspur just started blooming but I don't expect it's going to last long.

Top row: Consolida ajacis, Coriandrum sativum, and Echium candicans 'Star of Madiera'
Middle row: Fuchsia 'Deep Purple' and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink'
Bottom row: Lathyrus odoratus 'Blue Shift', 'Chelsea Centenary' and 'Sir Jimmy Shand' with 'High Scent' 

Other parts of the world still have many early spring blooms to share.  Visit our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, to enjoy what other contributors have found in their gardens this week.

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Taking advantage of new arrivals

I was feeling grumpy when I stepped into my garden on Sunday and briefly considered skipping flower arrangements this week.  That didn't last.  I got rolling on one and soon had flowers to fill three vases.  And I didn't stop there.  I decided to throw together a few small informal bouquets to put on the street as Mother's Day offerings.  I didn't get around to grabbing breakfast until after 11am.

The vase that got me started was created around two flowers that opened in my garden last week, Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga lily) and Centaurea 'Silver Feather'.

It looks like a bit of a jumble in photos.  I think it's prettier viewed in person.

Back view: I've grown the white Arthropodium cirratum, a New Zealand native, for years.  It's my favorite flowering plant for dry shade conditions.

Top view: The buds on Centaurea 'Silver Feather' always make me think of artichokes

Clockwise from the upper left: Arthropodium cirratum, Centaurea 'Silver Feather', Consolida ajacis 'Early Grey' (white larkspur was also included), Nigella papillosa, Digitalis purpurea, and Salvia canariensis var candidissima

The second vase turned out to be my favorite this week.  It was inspired by the appearance of a dwarf gladiola I'd forgotten I had in my garden until it bloomed.

The gladiola was supposed to be white with pink markings but it's always bloomed in a peachy pink color and that's what set the color scheme

Back view: Coincidentally, Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' burst into bloom during last week's second heatwave of the year, providing a perfect complement for the gladiola 

Top view: Clarkia amoena 'Farewell to Spring' wasn't the species I'd ordered by mail in February, which was supposed to have salmon-colored flowers, but it fit the specs in this case

Top row: Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' and Clarkia amoena 'Farewell to Spring'
Middle row: Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach', Gladiolus nana 'Nymph', and Lathyrus odoratus
Bottom row: Orlaya grandiflora and Rosa 'Medallion'

I hadn't intended to put together a third vase - until I caught sight of a mass of blooms on my pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana).  I inherited two of these tree-like shrubs with the garden but they've never produced more than a few blooms here and there, until now.

Most of the shrub's flowering stems are fairly short and bent at odd angles so I used a small vase and kept the mix simple

Right to left: Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', Feijoa sellowiana, and Lagurus ovatus

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

Even though I didn't get these bottles of flowers out on the curb until nearly 11am, well after most people were done with their morning strolls, these 3 bottles were gone in about half an hour.  I pulled 3 more glass bottles out of the recycling bin, collected more flowers, all different, and put those out.  The wind picked up and they toppled over 3 times but two were picked up and carried off before I picked the last one off the street and "closed" my flower shop for the day.  I wish I'd thought to do this the day before - and that I'd had more empty glass bottles on hand.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Warm & Cool

While the Midwestern US has been turned upside down by a plague of tornadoes and the Southeastern US has been hit with a major heatwave, coastal Southern California has continued to be pleasantly cool and comfortable with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60sF (17-20C).  We even got another light touch of rain on Sunday, while the mountain areas got snow.  We know we're really, really lucky.

Saturday was mostly sunny but Sunday was cloudy and damp.  Near 6pm, we got a sudden downpour that pushed the day's rain total to 0.15/inch and brought our annual total to date to 19.45 inches, which is stellar.

Under threat of rain Sunday morning, I decided to cut a couple of my warm orange 'Medallion' roses, which started blooming last week.  I thought of combining them with Leucospermum or Grevillea flowers but I quickly took another track with the addition of a few Calendula blooms.

I wouldn't normally have thought of mixing the peach colored rose with red but there was just enough orange in the Calendula and the foliage of the dwarf peppermint willow to make it work

Back view: I can't remember the foliage of the peppermint willow ever turning this red

Top view: This particular foxglove stem had a cream-colored cast and the red dots echoed the reds in other elements

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' (aka dwarf peppermint willow), Alstroemeria 'Claire', Calendula 'Zeolights', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmation White', Ozothamnus diosmifolius (aka rice flower plant), and Rosa 'Medallion'

My Renga lilies (Arthropodium cirratum) just began blooming too.  Although I love these plants, I've found them difficult to combine with other flowers in a vase, which doesn't mean I didn't take a stab at it.

A stronger foliage back-drop may have helped the sprays of the Renga lily stand out more

I dressed up the back view with the addition of white Agrostemma 

Higgledy-piggledy top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga lily), Agrostemma 'Ocean Pearls', Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly', Centaurea "Silver Feather', and foliage of Cercis occidentalis (aka Western redbud)

For more Monday vases, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  To those of you in the US, best wishes for a wonderful Memorial Day!

This could be the last time you see flowers in these positions for several months.  We've already started packing up the half of the house that'll be impacted by our remodel.

All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Top 10 Blooms in my Mid-Summer Garden

I'm joining Chloris at The Blooming Garden in featuring my top 10 blooms this August.  August isn't a month I usually associate with flowers but, as mentioned in my earlier Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post, judicious applications of extra water this year have had a major input on the floral output.  We haven't received our August water bill so I'm not yet feeling as terribly guilty as I'm afraid I may feel soon.

Winnowing down the flowers in my garden to 10 selections wasn't easy.  The sheer volume of bloom was a major factor in my choices.  The current condition of the flowers was another, as was their photogenic qualities, but ultimately it's an emotional decision.

Rosa 'Medallion' was an easy choice because it surprised me by making its first appearance of the year by blooming en masse.  Roses here usually bloom best in spring before our temperatures soar, if they bloom at all.  I had very few rose blooms last year and even fewer this spring after the lowest winter rain levels I've ever measured.

I inherited 2 'Medallion' rose shrubs with the garden.  Of the paltry number of rose bushes I have, these had once been the most reliable spring bloomers but they didn't bloom at all this spring and they lost all of their foliage to a combination of rust and the nuclear heat that hit in early July.  They leafed out again after repeated deep watering sessions but I hadn't really expected them to bloom in mid-summer even after I saw a few buds forming.  Then I came home from a trip last weekend to find this!  This may not be a lot of roses for some of you but it's a mass of bloom in my garden.

Heteromeles arbutifolia was another surprise.  If this tree-sized shrub was blooming a week ago, I hadn't noticed it but now the blooms can't be missed.

The common name for this plant is Toyon.  It's been selected as the official native plant for the city of Los Angeles.  This one balances atop a steep slope on our property's boundary line and I estimate it's 15 feet tall.  The flowers will be followed by a plentiful supply of red berries.  The berries, although toxic for humans, are consumed by mockingbirds, robins, and cedar waxwings, as well as coyotes.

My dahlias were another obvious choice as a favorite but which one can be said to rule my cutting garden is another question altogether.  Each and every one deserves recognition.  Could you pick just one?

'Loverboy' (upper left) is flashy semi-cactus variety.  'Otto's Thrill' (upper right), a dinnerplate variety, has been the most prolific bloomer thus far, although it's quickly being overtaken by the smaller, semi-cactus 'Terracotta' (lower left).  Dinnerplate 'Strawberry Ice' (lower right) is new on the scene.

But it's 'Punkin Spice' that keeps drawing my eye.  I don't remember that it impressed me as much last year but this year every bloom is a glowing orb.  It's classified as an informal decorative type but the flowers are as large (or larger) than any in the dinnerplate class.

The zinnias in the cutting garden also came on with a bang this month but there is one, grown from seed rather than plugs from the local garden center, that impresses me every time I see it.

This is Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Giant Salmon Rose'.  Each bloom is perfect.

Have I forgotten my Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) you might ask?  Of course not but, like choosing a favorite dahlia, the Eustomas that draw my eye shift from one week to another.

A week ago, it was the delicate green-flowered variety (left) that won my heart.  A new variety, 'Mint Cocoa' (right) has been a favorite with commentators and I admit I'm impressed by how well it's performed this year.  My biggest issue with it is that its unusual color doesn't mix well with most of the flowers surrounding it.  I'll need to find a better placement for it next year.

Eustoma grandiflorum 'Black Pearl' wins my thumb's up for late August.  It's blooming on last year's plants.  Last year I found its performance disappointing but it's a happier plant in its second year.  The flowers are tighter and more heavily petaled than most of the other varieties of Eustoma growing in my garden.  Its shape and growth habit closely resemble that of 'Mint Cocoa'.

A number of more common flowering plants make up the rest of my mid-summer bloom list.

This is the native California aster, Symphyotrichum chilense.  I put in 2 plants in 2015 but, if you looked at the bed it's growing in, you might think there were a half dozen or more plants there.  It spreads by rhizomes and is a little more exuberant than I'd expected but it's the only aster I've ever considered a success here.

Plumbago is VERY common here.  From my home office window, I can see a large mass of it in bloom across the canyon.  It's blooming up the street and I see masses of the blue flowers along the road every time I leave my neighborhood.  My plants, Plumbago auriculata 'Imperial Blue', are better behaved in large pots outside my lath (shade) house.  

Lantana 'Samantha' is having a banner year.  I love the cheerful yellow flowers but the variegated foliage is its main attraction.  It makes me think of Ceanothus 'Diamond Heights', a plant I've killed at least 3 times, but in contrast this Lantana is easy to grow and happy here.

Gaillardia 'Fanfare Citronella' in the same bed as the Lantana is another current favorite.  While the flower stems are annoyingly short, the flowers are prolific and of course loved by bees.

I've got as many as a half dozen varieties of Abelia in my garden, all of which I love, but at the moment this older variety, Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher' is what's grabbing my attention.  The 2 large shrubs came with the garden and, unlike the varieties I've introduced, there's no variegation in the foliage of these but they do pump out the blooms!  I cut the 2 shrubs back hard in late winter and I've been rewarded this year with lots of long flowering stems.  When the flowers drop, they leave behind reddish bracts just as pretty as the flowers themselves.

Could you distill the bloomers in your garden down to just 10 plants?  Visit Chloris to find her list.


All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party