In a Vase on Monday: Hidden Treasure

I'd thought that my lilies might be something of a loss this year. Only 'Orange Planet' had made an appearance. But it seems that I gave up too soon. I spotted a single flower of 'Montego Bay' last week and, by Sunday, I had six flowers. They were well hidden below and behind 'Orange Planet'. I cut all of them as it made no sense to leave them where they were, where neither I nor anyone else could see them.

I don't recall 'Montego Bay' blooming all at once for me before

Back view, filled in with stems of Alstroemeria 'Third Harmonic'

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left are: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', A. 'Third Harmonic', Crocosmia 'Plum Hussey', Digiplexis 'Illumination Raspberry', and Lilium 'Montego Bay' 

This is the arrangement in place in our front entry

I've also discovered that I have at least one other lily in the wings - 'Friso', I think. 'Pretty Woman', one of my favorite lilies, appears to be producing stalks, although I'm not convinced they're going to amount to anything. I've no idea where either 'Zelmira' or 'Zeba' may be hiding, but maybe they'll surprise me. In the meantime, the dahlias are looking more promising each week.

For more IAVOM posts, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to discover what she and others have put together this week.

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

IAVOM: Everything Everywhere All at Once

I haven't actually seen anything but clips of the movie, 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', but that was my reaction when I stepped into my own garden yesterday morning.  It'd be easier to list what isn't blooming than what is at the moment.  Even the new species tulip bulbs I planted in December, Tulipa linifolia 'Honky Tonk', have burst into bloom, although I didn't end up including any of them in the two vases I created this week.  However, I did stop myself from putting together more than two arrangements.

This is Tulipa 'Honky Tonk'.  It's cute and, by my count, the majority of the 25 bulbs I planted are already blooming or in bud but the stems are still relatively short for inclusion in a vase.

My first arrangement stars the blue Dutch Irises that appeared last week.  Two other Dutch Iris cultivars are also already in bloom.

The 'Sapphire Beauty' Iris are fewer in number this year, probably because many of the bulbs surrounding our backyard fountain were damaged or consumed by gophers along with the yellow Freesia in the same area

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Ageratina adenophora, Anemone coronaria 'Lord Lieutenant', Iris x hollandica 'Sapphire Beauty', white and yellow Freesias, white Ranunculus, and Leucospermum 'High Gold'

I used another Leucospermum as the centerpiece of my second arrangement.

'Royal Hawaiian Brandi' is the most flamboyant of my Leucospermums

 

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Leucadendron 'Jester', yellow Freesia, Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', A. 'Inca Sundance', Gladiolus nanus 'Las Vegas, and Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi'

Our temperatures steadily climbed last week, peaking at 90F/32C on Friday before coming slowly down to the low 80sF/28C yesterday.  I suspect that the warmer conditions may be responsible for the floral explosion.  The marine layer is expected to bring temperatures down a bit further during the next few days before they creep up again as we head into the weekend.  I'm laying odds that my sweet peas will bloom sometime in March this year, as opposed to May, which is when they showed up last year.

For more 'In a Vase on Monday' posts, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Ensemble Casts

My garden's floral display is in the process of transitioning from spring to summer.  The spring bloomers are either fading or have been used too often already in my weekly vases.  Most of the summer bloomers are either just getting started, still in bud, or unable to serve starring roles on their own.  So my vases this week consist of ensemble casts, with each element collaborating with the others and no one plant playing a starring role.

My first arrangement is all about the blues in my garden.

The Agapanthus throughout the garden, most of which I inherited, already have bloom stalks and the first buds have begun to unfurl.  They started me off with blue flowers joining in from other corners of the garden.

Back view: Other contributors included stems of Ceanothus, Consolida ajacis (aka larkspur), Salvia, Billardiera (aka Australian blue creeper, formerly classified as Sollya heterophylla), and various sweet peas, finally making an appearance 

Overhead view: I added Nigella papillosa to add a touch of white

Top row: noID Agapanthus, Billardiera heterophylla, and noID Ceanothus
Middle: Consolida ajacis, Nigella papillosa 'African Bride', and Salvia 'Mystic Spires'
Bottom: I sowed seeds of 5 varieties of Lathyrus odoratus, including 'April in Paris', 'Lord Nelson', and 'Royal Wedding' but I can't definitively account for the one on the far right

My second arrangement started out as a hodge-podge but, in the end, I found I liked it more than I'd expected to.

I started the second arrangement by harvesting the remaining sturdy stems of a pink Alstroemeria I inherited with the garden and the white snapdragons not yet too blemished by rust, then threw in several stems of ivy geraniums (Pelargonium peltatum)

Back view: I added stems of Nigella and Calendula just because I'll be pulling out both in the near future to free space in my cutting garden

Overhead view: I added 2 stems of immature Daucus carota to see if the flowers would open when cut at this stage.  The Daucus self-seeded once again this year.

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Radiance', Antirrhinum majus, Callendula officianalis, noID Alstroemeria, Daucus carota 'Dara', Nigella papillosa 'African Bride', and Pelargonium peltatum (which is more dark pink than red as it appears in my photographs)

My sweet peas got a late start this year and, with one significant heatwave already registered, followed by a shorter, more moderate heatwave less than two weeks later, I don't expect them to hold up long so I've been cutting them almost as quickly as the flowers appear.  It also appears that birds are beheading a lot of the blooms even before I can cut them.  For those reasons, I popped a lot of shorter stems into a third vase for the kitchen island.

Their scent is of course wonderful with Lathyrus odoratus 'April in Paris' contributing the strongest note

The past weekend's weather couldn't have been better (except perhaps if we'd received a miraculous overnight rain shower).  It looks as though that trend may continue through next week.  I'm hoping that'll be the case anyway.  For those of you in the US, best wishes for a pleasant Memorial Day!

For more IAVOM creations, visit the leader of our merry band, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Odd company

The removal of some twenty plants from my garden is scheduled today, with the crew expected to arrive at 8am.  Yesterday, when it came time to select materials for IAVOM, I decided once again to select flowers that might be in harm's way as collateral damage is virtually inevitable with work like that.

My first vase made use of a Hippeastrum and stems of an Alstroemeria in a bed occupied by two large shrubs destined for removal, one of which tree-sized.

The small touches of peachy-pink in the Alstroemeria 'Claire' led me to add stems of peachy Aeonium flowers, which in turn led to the inclusion of the coral-pink flowers of Grevillea 'Superb' and snapdragons sporting similar colors

Back view: The combination surprised me as it's a bolder mix than usual for me but I like it

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Claire', Antirrhinum majus, Grevillea 'Superb', and Hippeastrum 'Luna'

I hadn't intended to use the Salvia lanceolata I used last week again but I ended up doing so when I caught sight of Iris 'Lion King' blooming in my back garden border.  All my other Dutch Iris had already finished blooming and I'd given up on 'Lion King'.  As I recall, I've previously combined its flowers with Salvia africana-lutea but Salvia lanceolata is actually a better match so I cut more stems of the latter, as it's on my list to be removed.

Dutch Iris 'Lion King' looks very copper-colored in my photos but it actually has burgundy tones in its petals

I clipped a few of the first flowers of Achillea 'Moonshine' to fill out the back of the vase.  I associate those flowers with summer so it seems too early for them but I noticed that my Agapanthus are also developing buds.  I hope summer's heat isn't on their heels!

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Achillea 'Moonshine', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Iris hollandica 'Lion King', Leucospermum 'High Gold', and Salvia lanceolata

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, the gracious garden blogger that hosts this meme on a weekly basis, come rain or shine.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Sunshine following a little rain

Much to my surprise, we got a bit of rain on Saturday.  Earlier in the week, there were hints we could get some drizzle but I discounted the forecast; however, instead of disappearing as is generally the case at this time of year, Mother Nature delivered a solid quarter of an inch.  That may not seem like a lot to many people but we consider it a decent soak.

On Sunday, I chose a sunny yellow and white arrangement to celebrate the event.

I find I need a regular jolt of cheer these days.  I would've used my swirled yellow glass vase but last week's orange arrangement is still in almost perfect condition so I picked a clear glass rectangular vase instead.

Back view: I added a variety of Calendulas to the mix

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Radiance', Argyranthemum frutescens 'Mount Everest', Centranthus ruber 'Albus', Calendula officianalis, Leucospermum 'High Gold', and Phlomis fruticosa

My second arrangement is a moodier creation.  I wanted to use stems of an unusual South African Salvia that's scheduled for removal along with a host of other plants in early May as part of my effort to address Los Angeles County's new "defensible space clearance" ordinance for high fire risk areas.  The Salvia itself isn't especially flammable but it grows up through another plant that is regarded as such and removing one without the other isn't practical.  I like the Salvia but I don't love it so it'll go.  (I may take a few cuttings in case I have a change of heart, though.)

In addition to using several of the Salvia stems before that plant is gone, I cut the (mostly) spent flowers of Helleborus 'Phoebe' that's planted below another plant scheduled for removal.  I hope to dig up the hellebore before the crew arrives to pull out the 20 plants on my removal list.

Back view, showing off the stems of Salvia lanceolata

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', Grevillea sericea, Helleborus 'Phoebe', and Salvia lanceolata

I cut two stems of another Alstroemeria with the initial intention of adding it to the second arrangement but I decided it didn't fit the mix.  I threw those stems into a small vase and added two snapdragons to accompany them.

The small vase containing Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky' and Antirrhinum majus landed on the kitchen island

 

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Easter flowers

I didn't decorate eggs for Easter but I did collect flowers from my garden, which is at its spring peak at the moment.  After a cool week, the weekend delivered blue skies and comfortably warm temperatures in the mid-70sF (23C).  Despite forecasters teasing us with rumors of a chance of rain last week, we didn't get any and in all likelihood our rainy season is over.  Unless we're gifted with a monsoonal storm straying off the desert areas to the east in late summer, we probably won't see rain again until November.

Given the especially dry conditions this year, it isn't really a surprise that the foxgloves have been slow to develop.  However, one plant in a well-watered barrel in my cutting garden produced its first flower stalk and I took advantage of that for my first arrangement this week.

That flower stalk was very hefty even when I cut it down to size to suit the vase  

Back view: Once again, my arrangement looked lop-sided when viewed from the back but I didn't have the time or energy to make it more symmetrical

Overhead view: It also could have used some lighter notes to break up all that magenta color

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus in magenta and a lighter pink, more snapdragons in white, Argyranthemum frutescens 'Mount Everest', Digitalis purpurea, Pelargonium cucullatum, P. 'Lady Plymouth', and Salvia canariensis var. candidissima

My second arrangement made use of two of my Leucospermums, also known as pincushion shrubs.

Drama queen that she is, Leucospermum 'Brandi Dela Cruz' took center stage

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', A. 'Inca Sundance', Leucadendron 'Jester', Leucospermum 'Brandi Dela Cruz', L. 'Sunrise', and Lobelia laxiflora

I cut some succulent flowers to include in the second arrangement but wasn't able to cram them into the vase so I tucked three of the stems into a small vase.

The stems were cut from Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', which are flowering abundantly right now

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

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