Bloom Day - November 2024

My garden is less colorful this month but, in coastal Southern California, there's always something to share.  I'll start with some of the plants that make a habit of blooming at this time of the year.

Many of my aloes are getting ready to bloom but Aloe lukeana in ahead of the pack.  It bloomed back in July and I didn't expect another round this year.

Hybrid Aloe 'Safari Sunset' also got an early start

Barleria obtusa was just starting to bloom last month but all 4 of my shrubs are flowering now

The Camellia sasanquas that came with the garden weren't put off schedule by the recent Santa Ana winds but they do seem inclined to bloom facing the house instead of outward

Senna bicapsularis (aka winter cassia) has once again sent its flowers sky high

Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigold) blooms in spring and then again in the fall

As is true in most months, there are some blooms that surprised me.

Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' reliably flowers during late summer but it's only produced a flush of flowers in November once before in 2016

I've previously missed all the flowers of Disocactus anguligar (aka fishbone cactus, syn. Epiphyllum anguliger) but I finally caught one before it withered away

I picked up a Helianthus 'Sunfinity' in late September and it took its time about getting its bloom on.  I'd thought that most sunflowers would have thrown in the towel for the season by November.

Medinilla myriantha (aka Malaysian orchid) always surprises me when it graces me with a flower or 2

While the Protea 'Pick Ice' in another area has already bloomed out, Protea neriifolia 'Claire' is made of stronger stuff (or it just gets more water from the irrigation system)

And then there are the dependable plants that offer color all or most of the year, at least off and on.

Correas (aka Australian fuchsias), left to right: 'Ivory Bells', 'Pink Eyre', and 'Wyn's Wonder'

Cupheas 'Honeybells', 'Starfire Pink', and 'Vermillionaire'

These noID self-seeded Gazanias are coming back with cooler temperatures

Grevilleas 'Moonlight' (left) and 'Peaches & Cream' (right) are more sporadic with their flowers than others in my gardens

Grevillea 'Superb' blooms all year round but it's current flower frenzy has been greatly appreciated by the hummingbirds since the flowers of Arbutus 'Marina' have faded

The Pelargoniums are putting on a decent show too.  Clockwise from the upper left are: P. hortorum 'Dynamo Hot Pink', P. hybrid 'Little Pink Splash', and 3 varieties of P. peltatum.

There are a few recent additions to my garden in bloom too.

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus 'Sonnet Speedy White', Argyranthemum 'Aramis Apricot', Nasturtium 'Alaska', and Primula vulgaris

I'll close as I always do with collages featuring the best of the rest.

Clockwise from the upper left: Felicia aethiopica, Polygala myrtifolia, Salvia 'Mystic Spires', Salvia discolor, and Vitex trifolia

From the upper left: noID Cyclamen, noID Dipladenia, Eriocapitella hupehensis, Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', and noID Impatiens

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Osteospermum '4D Pink', and Persicaria capitata

Faucaria tigrida, Leonotis lonurus, and Pennisetum 'Sky Rocket'

noID Anthurium, Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', and Leucadendron salignum 'Summer Red'

It's been more than six months since we've had anything that could be characterized as real rain.  Ours is characterized as a Mediterranean climate so long stretches without rain aren't unusual but this is getting ridiculous.  The marine layer has made tiny contributions at intervals since then but, since the start of the current "water year" on October 1st, those only amount to 0.03/inch of precipitation.  We're very, very dry.  Forecasters keep teasing us with reports of rain that "might" spill down the state from Northern California but, to date, that hasn't happened.  There's another slight chance in the wee hours of Friday morning but I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, check in with our host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Aloes in bloom - South Coast Botanic Garden in early February

I took advantage of the one day break between our first and second atmospheric rivers last Friday to visit South Coast Botanic Garden, which is about five miles from my home as the crow flies.  It was mostly sunny, although not at all warm, but I wanted to check out the garden's aloe collection while the majority of the plants were still in bloom.

As if offering an advertisement, there was a large aloe in full bloom at the entrance to the garden

I had to guess at some plant IDs, as many labels seemed to be missing.  I think these are Aloe cameronii.

Aloe 'David Verity'

Aloe 'Erik the Red'

This one had a label that said "Aloe hybrid"

I couldn't ID this one and my phone's ID function wasn't helpful

Aloe petricola

Aloe vanbalenii

The garden as a whole wasn't especially colorful at this time of year but that doesn't mean there weren't flowers here and there.

These 2 ornamental cherry trees (Prunus campanulata hybrids) are blooming

Narcissi, mostly paperwhites, were in full bloom in the meadow area adjacent to the amphitheater.  The circular paved area is new, at least to me. 

This coral tree (Erythrina caffra) was just coming into bloom

Miscellaneous flowers, top row: Acacia podalyrifolia, Brugmansia, and Chasmanthe
Middle: Euryops, Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi, and Magnolia doltsopa
Bottom: Melianthus major, Rotheca myricoides, and Salvia 'Amistad'
(All IDs are best guesses)

The not-so-elegant but pleasantly warm tropical greenhouse contained a noID Billbergia and several Phalaenopsis orchids

There were a few tiny yellow flowers on this plant but what stood out was the foliage.  My guess is that this is Senna artemisioides.  I have one that doesn't look this good, probably because it's overcrowded.  I need to move it.

I didn't walk the entire eighty-seven acres of the garden this time.  Even approaching noon, it was still cold and the wind was picking up but I strolled through a couple of other areas.

I miss the garden's lake, which was drained years ago when its rubber liner broke down.  There have been discussions off and on about bringing it back in a manner that'll accommodate storm flows.  Meanwhile, the first atmospheric river left behind plenty of mini-lakes, including some visible through the fenced area undergoing construction of the new children's garden (lower right).  It's supposed to open sometime this year but I didn't see the progress I'd anticipated.

I walked by the area adjacent to the upper meadow and across the road from the rose garden and was startled to realize that the entire area to the right of the corner bed occupied by a palm tree and agaves had been replanted as shown in the 4 boxes on the right.  I spotted succulents (including additional blue chalksticks and various Opuntias), grasses, Leucadendrons, and some Salvia leucantha.  

For as long as I can remember, much of that area was a mass of Salvia leucantha (aka Mexican bush sage), as shown in this photo taken last September.  The new planting also stretches into a portion of what was the Mediterranean Garden (with the rest of that area now behind the construction fence).

I expect I'll wait another couple of months for spring's arrival to visit again.  Between the rain and the disruption caused by the ongoing construction project and removal of both the Troll and Astra Lumina exhibits, the garden's flow was awkward.  It's always a nice place to walk, if just for exercise, but I found myself backtracking each time I met a construction impasse or another lake-sized puddle.

At present there's a projected forty-eight percent chance of rain next Friday/Saturday.  Our rain year total to date is 12.51 inches so it's looking likely we're going to have "normal" rainfall this year after all, if not a bounty.  As we await the next storm, I hope to get some planting done (once we dry out just a little).

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Here one day, gone the next

The holidays sneaked up on me this year.  There was a time when I routinely completed most of my Christmas shopping by Halloween, leaving a lot of time for decorating, baking, letter writing, and just enjoying the holidays in December.  I had to plan well in advance during my workaholic days as I'd never have managed to get everything done by Christmas otherwise.  Once I retired, I lost all sense of urgency - and I also gave up baking, began sending holiday cards electronically, and started doing the vast majority of my gift shopping online when sales peaked.  This year I suddenly realized that the holidays were just around the corner and I hadn't done anything.  So gardening activity abruptly stopped while I played catch up but, earlier this week, I decided I could surely fit in a small project.

In November's foliage post, I commented on the need to remedy some overcrowding in my garden.  One problem in particular stood out for me, which I thought I could remedy relatively quickly.

I'd underestimated the mature size of both the hybrid Aloe vanbalenii x ferox on the left and the Agave attenuata 'Raea's Gold' on the right.  As a result, they were bumping elbows to the detriment of both.  I was less enamored with the Agave in this instance and also knew it was a prolific pupper, which was going to complicate matters further.  I targeted the Agave for removal/relocation.

Is any garden project ever quick?  This one took a couple of hours and involved some destruction in the process but I got it done.

This photo shows the Aloe once the Agave had been removed (along with a lot of weeds).  I had to cut out the Agave's pups as they were still tightly attached to the mother plant.  I also discovered that I had to saw down the trunk of the mother plant in order to remove it without harming the Aloe.  The base of the Agave still needs to be dug out.

This is a wide shot of the area after the Aloe was removed.  There's now an adequate amount of room for the Aloe to spread out (I hope).

Several of the Agave pups were too small or damaged to save but 5 of them are suitable for transplanting.  I removed several broken and scarred leaves at the base of the mother plant (shown here sitting in an empty pot to keep it propped up).  Although it's still quite large I think it'll root in a pot with free-draining soil given 3-6 months.  Assuming it does, I can either give it away or transplant it somewhere else if I can find a suitable spot.

As I was working on this post, Pipig decided to offer her assistance so I thought it was a good time to provide an update on her.

The vet recommended a second week of oral antibiotics as last week's chest x-ray still wasn't completely clear.  She wouldn't rule out cancer but the oral antibiotic (Veraflox) had obviously made an impact after the original antibiotic injection had little effect.   

Most importantly, her gagging behavior stopped entirely.  She also started eating more and her weight increased to 7 pounds (still low but it's a start).  She's also been more active, as jumping on my desk and interfering with my computer activity shows.

She's actively seeking attention on a regular basis again too

Pipig and I will be making yet another trip to the vet this morning for a follow-up-ray to assess her progress.  Hopefully, it'll be the last trip, at least for this year.  Now that she's feeling better, she's much more vocal on her forty minute trips to and from the vet's office.

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Musical chairs in the garden

While most of my end-of-summer/early fall cleanup has involved clearing debris, pruning overgrown plants, and removing plants that are dead, dying or unappealing, filling waste bins in the process, I've also divided plants, harvested succulent pups, and taken cuttings.  This post focuses on some of the latter activities.

I pulled 5 healthy pups of the large Aloe striata x maculata planted at the top of the slope on the southwest side of the garden.  I'm planning to plant 2-4 of the pups near the mother plant in the area now occupied by Aeonium arboreum (shown in the bottom 2 photos).  I've used that Aeonium as a filler all over my garden and it's time to switch things up with other plants.

In the street-side succulent bed, I discovered that a large Crassula ovata (jade plant) had tipped over the short wall that divides the bed from the upper level occupied by the lath house (left photo).  I took weight off it by cutting it back.  Cuttings of the Crassula and tall Senecio amaniensis that had also toppled over are shown on the right.

I potted up 2 small cuttings of the Crassula, one of the Sencio, and 5 of the tiny Agave mitis 'Multicolor' bulbils I harvested in July, now rooted.  I'll hold onto these for now for possible placement elsewhere in the garden once the plants are ready to be transplanted.

I texted the head of the local Cactus & Succulent Society to see if they might have an interest on taking 2 flats of rooted Agave mitis 'Multicolor' bulbils, a 6-pack of Agave 'Blue Glow' bulbils, and maybe the remaining Crassula and Senecio cuttings.  If not, I'll put the lot out for neighbors.  I fear the bulbils may not find a home in the neighborhood...

 

I've identified some plants that probably need to go, as well as a couple that might benefit from being moved.

Clockwise from the upper left, the plants that I'm currently looking to remove include: Psoralea pinnata, Salvia lanceolata (growing up through the middle of an Acacia 'Cousin Itt'),  and Trichostema 'Midnight Magic' (shown in the 2 bottom photos).  I like 'Midnight Magic', a cultivar of California's native woolly blue curls, but the right half of the woody plant has died.  Rather than chop it in half, I ordered a replacement as part of Annie's Annuals California native plant sale.

The 2 plants that may qualify for a move to boost their bloom potential are Dais cotinifolia (aka pom-pom tree, left) and Protea nerifolia 'Pink Ice' (right).  Neither has ever flowered and I think both want more sun.

 

Of course, while I'm cutting back and removing plants, I haven't been able to stop myself from adding new ones at the same time.

On Annie's last mail order sale, I picked up 2 more Eryngium planum 'Blue Glitter', only to discover that the one I planted in 2022 appears to have self-seeded (see photo on the right).  On the same sale I got Achillea millefolium, an Anchusa capensis, and another Echium webbii (not shown).

Gerhard of Succulents and More introduced readers to Steve Super Gardens in a recent post and I ended up ordered 2 Aeoniums, 'Dark Star' (bottom left) and 'Octo Ink' (bottom right), as well as a Pelargonium gibbosum (not shown).  In addition, they sent me an intriguing Aeonium hierrense (bottom middle).

Aeonium hierrense (aka tree houseleek) reportedly gets up to 3 feet tall.  I'm considering the 2 areas shown above for its placement.  I couldn't find a photo of a mature specimen on Steve Super Garden's site but you can see it here.

 

Instead of culling out, cutting back, giving away, or moving plants, some deserve notice just for being where they are.

Hippeastrum 'Luna' surprised me with an out-of-season bloom

Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' has maintained a steady mass of flowers all summer with just occasional deadheading

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party