In a Vase on Monday: Bright blue

After a stretch of summer-like temperatures last week, peaking at 96F (35C) in our location but hitting records of 102F (39C) in other local areas, our temperatures dropped back into the 60s yesterday and are expected to remain in the vicinity of 64F (17C) until next weekend.  Given the circumstances, the mix of spring and summer blooms in my garden shouldn't be surprising.  While the sudden temperature shift fried some of my favorite spring blooms, it prompted others to hustle to get their bloom on.

I'd been watching a giant Delphinium 'Cobalt Dreams' in my cutting garden unfurl ever so slowly over the past several weeks but the heat caused it to explode, seemingly overnight.  When an unidentified critter broke two stems, cutting three for a vase was an obvious decision.

I used one of my larger crystal vases but still had to cut the Delphinium blooms substantially

Back view: I stuck mostly to a blue and white color scheme as all the other blue flowers in my garden would've been overshadowed by the bright blue of the Delphinium.  I cut long sprays of the flowering branches of my peppermint willows (Agonis flexuosa) as a foliage accent.

Top view: This is probably the widest wingspan of any of the arrangements I've photographed from above

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa, Centranthus ruber 'Albus', Iris hollandica 'Oriental Beauty', Delphinium elatum 'Cobalt Dreams', and Pandorea jasminoides 'Alba'

Easter being just around the corner, I couldn't help preparing an arrangement in colors that evoke that holiday for me.

So far, at least 5 of the "mixed" foxglove plugs I planted in my cutting garden have turned out to be 'Dalmatian Peach' but it now appears that I've also got 2 pink- and one white-flowered variety as well.  This time, I added 2 stems of my favorite Leucospermum and some of the Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' flowers that appeared en masse last week.

Back view: I also used 2 varieties of the snapdragons in my cutting garden, 'Chantilly Bronze' and 'Double Azalea Bronze', but they look so much alike at this stage of bloom, I can't really tell them apart

Top view: I threw in some Aeonium flowers too.  They're also blooming all over my garden now.

Clockwise from upper left: Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin', Antirrhinum majus ('Chantilly Bronze' and 'Double Azalea Bronze'), Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmation Peach', Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny' (foliage), and Leucospermum 'Hybrid Spider'

 

As I was preparing this post, movement outside my office window attracted my eye.  Another reminder of the Easter holiday hopped on by.

Pulling a possum maneuver, he froze in place for a time as I crept up to him with my camera until I got within 2 feet, when he took off.  We played hide and seek for awhile and I'm still not sure he exited the area before I gave up chasing him.  If only they would eat weeds and leave my ornamental plants intact, I'd be a lot more tolerant.

 

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

 

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

Winter Foliage Highlights

When I sat down to write this post, I started with a rant about what happened in the US Capitol on Wednesday.  Disillusioned and disgusted as I've been with the current occupant of the White House for a long time, I was nonetheless shocked that a sitting President would actively incite violence as he did on Wednesday.  However, rather than repeating what you can find in news reports, I'll just share a song from John Fogerty.  A friend shared it with me just before the violent attack by terrorists on the US Capitol intent on asserting the President's will over the will of the people.  Fogerty had been distressed that his song, Fortunate Son, had been used on Trump's campaign trail over his personal objections.  This new song, Weeping in the Promised Land, is his own reflection on the damage Trump has wrought during his 4-year tenure.

As to the foliage standouts in my winter garden,  I'll start with the succulents on the south side of our house.  I took the first photos in late December.

There's a problem that stands out to me like a sore thumb here - do you see it?

Some of the leaves of Agave 'Blue Flame' were badly damaged by summer heat

The burned and tattered edges of the 'Blue Flame' Agave had bothered me for some time.  On Wednesday afternoon, needing to engage in physical activity to work out my anger and frustration with the day's events, I took a knife to the damaged leaves of the agave.  Here are the after shots:

I cut out many of the damaged leaves using a serrated knife.  In a few cases, I simply cut away the damaged leaf tips.

They're almost magazine pretty now

However, if you look closely, there's some pitting to the outside leaves, apparently the result of the brief hailstorm we experienced after Christmas.  I'd thought I've avoided any damage from the hail until I noticed this.

While cutting out selected leaves, I also removed seven 'Blue Flame' pups.  Only one of these had any roots hopefully the others can be encouraged to develop some.

In addition to the 'Blue Flame', 'Blue Glow', and mediopicta 'Alba' Agaves shown in the preceding photos, this area is home to several others, most notably the following:

I planted this Agave gypsophila from a 4-inch pot in 2016, not really considering the wisdom of placing it so close to the flagstone path.  I'm thinking about moving it to the recently replanted front slope nearby.

This Agave 'Mr Ripley', also originally planted from a 4-inch pot, was placed in another questionable spot along the dirt path used when trimming the hedge just a few feet away

Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie' is several feet away from 'Mr Ripley' along the same path.  I think it'll be okay there but the Kniphofia in front of it may have to move.

Prominent as succulents are in my garden, my eye was drawn to other foliage as well.

The peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa) trees that partially screen the garden from the street do a nice job imitating lace curtains this time of year

Although it's not as flashy as variegated Echium 'Star of Madiera', Echium webii is my favorite in this genus

I cut Melianthus major back to the ground in September, much earlier than usual, and I was worried that maybe I'd killed it but it's sprung back

I like how this Phormium 'Maori Queen'  echoes the color of the neighbors' maple tree leaves across the street, which you see in a peek-a-boo view through the foliage

I'll close with two new succulents I received as recent gifts from friends.

Mangave 'Barney' is on the left and Mangave 'Silver Fox' is on the right.  I'm still debating the placement of both.

Getting back to the subject matter at the top of my post, if you're sickened by the lies that lead to events like that we saw on Wednesday, you might consider signing the Pro-truth Pledge and, better yet, ask the officials who seek your vote to take the pledge too.  You can find more about it here.

May your weekend be calm and peaceful.

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

In a Vase on Monday: True Love

My nephew lost the center of his world, his fiancée Sofia, to cancer on Saturday.  Despite assertive efforts to save her life, she was lost to us little more than a month after she received her preliminary diagnosis.  Just 29 years old, she had a lot of life left to live and she and Alessio were already linked in pursuit of their life plans.  My heart hurts for him, her family and her friends.  I've thought of little else since I heard she was losing her battle so of course today's floral arrangement was created with Sofia, Alessio and the love they shared in mind. 

Front view

Back view

Top view

The vase contains: Top row - Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Caladium 'Debutante', and Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre'
Middle row - Grevilleas 'Peaches & Cream' and 'Superb'
Bottom row - Cuphea micropetala, Mahonia x media 'Charity', and Osteospermum 'Double Moonglow'

If you'd like a better sense of Sofia and Alessio, you can learn more here.  For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

Mostly Foliage

The heat switch has been stuck in the "on" position for over a week but we're expecting to move back into the 80s starting today.  I haven't been doing much more than watering the garden during the past week but, as I wandered about in the morning hours checking for evidence of heat stress, I took my camera with me.  After a Bloom Day glut of flowers, I focused most of my attention on foliage.  I thought I'd share some of what looks good, as well as a few recent losses.

After focusing my camera on the Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' in the center of this shot, I pulled back for a wider view of the area, which may be the greenest section of my garden at present

When it's really hot I pay more attention to the plants that provide shade.  My initial focus was the peppermint willows, Agonis flexuosa.  There are six of these trees in the garden, four of which filter the sun on the west side, providing a lacy curtain.

I was trying to get a good shot of the wispy Agonis leaves here but the trunk of the strawberry tree, Arbutus 'Marina', ended up front and center

I couldn't ignore that flashy bark even though I showed the bark of another Arbutus in a July post

I had the peppermint willows in the front garden cut back last year.  I may leave them alone during this fall's pruning cycle to get a better curtain next year.

The only annoying thing about these trees is that two of them are planted in the middle of the path that leads from the lower level of the front garden to the driveway

I have to squeeze along the path but, combined with the Xylosma hedge, the trees do a good job of screening us from the street

This peppermint willow stands on the northwest side of the property.  It was thinned last year too but I'll leave it alone this year as well.

Relatives of the peppermint willow trees, Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' provides some privacy on the south side of the house, although the dwarf shrubs offer little in the way of shade.  However, an overgrown Coprosma adjacent to the patio has helped out a bit in that regard.

I cut the three shrubs down to nearly a foot tall this past winter.  They're less than half the height they once more but they recovered well.

Pulling down the shades in our living room (in an effort to keep the house from heating up) allowed me to get a halfway decent shot of this Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey'.  It's an exceptionally pretty mirror plant with glossy leaves that range from lime green to burgundy.  I frequently use the stems in floral arrangements.

Grasses and grass-like plants also caught my attention.

I love this Pennistum advena 'Rubrum' combined with Centaurea 'Silver Feathers', especially when the grass sports its graceful plumes as it's doing now

This is Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty', shown in two different areas of my garden.  Lomandra isn't a true grass but it creates the effect of one.

I admire foliage that adds color to the garden when my flowering plants start to take a step back.

I've previously grown Caladium in pots here but this year I planted the bulbs in the ground in semi-shaded areas by the front door.  The plant on the left is 'Creamsicle' and the one on the right is 'Debutante'.

This plant goes by the cumbersome name of Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star'.  It develops a tall, woody stem as it ages, even when periodically cut back.  I usually replace it when it gets this tall but my nursery rounds have been drastically curtailed this year and I haven't found starter plants.  When it's cooler, I'll try taking cuttings.

Other foliage stood out on account of its sheer resilience against the heat.

I've actively worked at ridding my garden of Asparagus densiflorus 'Myers' and its thick masses of bulbous roots but I'm somewhat more favorably disposed to this 'Sprengeri'. The stems have an attractive foxtail form and it doesn't seem quite as invasive as 'Myers'.  It's also the only plant that's survived in this extremely dry spot, where even succulents struggle.

This is Phormium 'Tom Thumb', shown here mingling with Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' on the left and Cordyline 'Renegade' on the right.

Of course, not all is well.  Late yesterday afternoon, I noticed that one of my Helichysum 'Icicles' has suddenly turned a sickly beige, although the others look fine.  Heat contributed to the demise of a couple other plants as well.

This was Echium wildpretii.  I planted it in early February and it was looking good until about 2 weeks ago.  It was probably too dry for it here even though I made an extra effort to give it extra water.

Phylica pubescens (aka featherhead) has been in this bed for two and a half years, although I can't say it ever really thrived 

I don't think the heat had anything to do with the loss of the tree-sized Toyon, Heteromeles artbutifolia, on the south end of the garden but there's no longer any denying that it's dead.  The only question is whether I can continue to put off dealing with it until the fall when I usually have a tree-trimming service in for our annual pruning exercise.

It turns out that Toyons are sensitive to the same pathogen that causes sudden oak death.  It was a rapid transition from first notice that it was in trouble to this state of red-leafed suspended animation.

To conclude on a more positive note, I'm including a photo of my Yucca 'Bright Star'.  These plants get a lot of coverage in this blog and I hadn't planned to share another photo this month, until I noticed a new development.

The Yucca on the right bloomed months ago and now the largest of the trio planted in this area has a flower spike too

And, even though I intended to focus this post on foliage, I'm closing with photos of the latest dahlias to make an appearance in my cutting garden because I simply can't stop myself from doing so.

Clockwise from the top are Dahlias 'Labyrinth', 'Loverboy' and 'Enchantress'

I'm looking forward to cooler temperatures but poor air quality, the product of the mass of wildfires that have sprung up all over California, may still limit my time outside.  It looks like we're in store for another difficult summer season after all.

Best wishes for a safe and peaceful weekend.

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