In a Vase on Monday: Springtime Sprint

After several very warm days last week, my garden seems to be moving into a sprint to get its spring blooms out before summer-like temperatures put an end to them.  My guess is that the calla lilies won't bloom at all this year but I made a last ditch effort to encourage them by hand-watering the back slope last week.  It remains to be seen whether that'll make any difference.  In the meantime, I cut many of the stars of my spring garden while they're still looking good.

The first arrangement is all about the blues.

I featured Iris 'Sapphire Beauty' in an arrangement three weeks ago but this is Iris 'Mystic Beauty'.  The striped falls of the flower look almost green in color.

The tree-sized Ceanothus (aka California lilac) on the back slope is already shedding its tiny flowers with every shake of a stem

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Lord Lieutenant', Campanula portenschlagiana, Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt', Freesia, Iris hollandica 'Mystic Beauty', and noID Primula polyanthus

 As a counterpoint to the first arrangement, my second is all about pink flowers.

I overstuffed this vase but I couldn't help myself

Back view: Snapdragons launched this particular arrangement but it's really an ensemble cast

Top view

Top row: noID Alstroemeria, Anemone coronaria 'Rosa Chiaro', and Coleonema 'Album'
Middle row: noID pink and white Antirrhinum majus
Bottom row: Xylosma congestum, noID Prunus persica, and noID Primula polyanthus

The stems of Leucospermum 'Brandi' I used last week were still in perfect condition so I tucked them into a vase for the kitchen island, adding a few stems of another plant that recently made an unexpected appearance.  I planted a hybrid orange-flowered Anagallis back in 2014.  It hasn't reappeared in my garden for a few years and I haven't seen it in  garden centers for at least six years.  I looked it up online and was surprised to find one of my own posts published in June 2014 on the first page of references.  The post was so old that the photos showed some lawn still in place in my back garden.  You can find that blast from the past here.

As you can see, hybrid Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin' complements Leucospermum 'Brandi' quite well

For more IAVOM creations from other contributors to this lovely meme, visit our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

Another leftover, a flower of Hippeastrum 'Aphrodite' with a very short stem, has been placed in a small glass bowl at the base of the arrangement on the right

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

Too Many Favorites!

It's the final Friday of the month, the date Loree at danger garden hosts favorite plant posts.  I really tried to winnow down my list to a reasonable level but every trip through the garden presented a challenge for me.  Our heavy winter rains have given us the gift of a truly splendid spring and I can't help but use every opportunity to present it in all its glory.  (Watch out for my wide shots post next week - I expect it's going to be very photo heavy!)

So, here we go with my current (dozen) favorites:

I showed a similar view of dwarf Echium webbii a few posts ago but I can't resist showing the plant as it looks now.  It fits this space next to the back patio much better than the Lupinus propinquus I had in this spot last year (before it was consumed by tent caterpillars).  The Felicia aethiopica at its feet and the over-achieving Lobelia valida 'Delft Blue'  to the right complement it well too.  The Echium is drought tolerant and should get no larger than 3x3 feet.

Given that I live in California, you might think that growing California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) from seed is no mean feat but between the interference of raccoons and inadequate rain in prior years, I've had no end of trouble getting them to bloom.  This year I got a good turn-out from 'White Linen' on the back slope.  They look nice with the Calla Lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) that came with the garden too.  The lilies die down every summer but return following our winter rains.

Leucadendron 'Pisa' has produced its cone "flowers" right on schedule this year.  The foliage is a wonderful silver color.  The luminescent yellow "flowers" are actually bracts surrounding a silvery cone.  This plant started out life in my garden in a pot in 2014 and moved into its current location in late winter 2015.  It needs moderate water and can grow to 8x5 feet.  Mine is closer to 6x4 feet.

My last remaining stretch of Ceanothus hedge is in full bloom.  As with the Ceanothus hedge I removed from the front garden when the shrubs began to fail, it's backed by another hedge of Xylosma congestum.  Inherited with the garden, I have no ID for the species or cultivar.  I lost one of the shrubs making up this hedge in 2015 but, so far, the remaining shrubs appear healthy.  Sitting at the edge of the steep back slope, perhaps they have better drainage than the ill-fated specimens that were planted on the front slope.

Cistus x skanbergii responded to warmer temperatures by covering itself in pale pink blooms.  Planted in September 2014, it took our drought in stride.  I think I'm really going to like how it looks with the smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple') I planted in the same bed last November.  The latter began leafing out this month.

Hellebores aren't common here so I'm really pleased to have 2 varieties bloom for me.  The variety shown at the top of this collage is Helleborus 'Anna's Red'.  It produced its first burgundy red bloom a month ago but it has several buds now.  I love its foliage too.  H. 'Phoebe' (bottom row) was added to my garden soon after I moved in, probably in 2011.  It didn't bloom in its original location and I moved it a couple of years later.  It sulked for a long time.  It produced one, maybe 2, flowers last year but it has close to a dozen blooms and buds now.  'Anna's Red' died down completely last summer but 'Phoebe' was evergreen.

In contrast to the hellebores, ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltatum) is very common here but I still want to share what a terrific show P. 'Pink Blizzard' is putting on along the raised wall we extended last year.  I suspect it likes the improved soil and drainage and of course the winter rains didn't hurt.  It's winding its way around and through Aeonium arboreum and Rosa chinense 'Mutabilis' here.

Here's another common plant, albeit one in a relatively uncommon color.  Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin', planted in 2015, is returning for a third run.  It makes a good low-growing ground cover in this partial shade setting and nicely echoes the orange tones in the Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' next to it.

Lotus bertholdii 'Amazon Sunset' is aggressive to say the least but it has been effective in keeping out the raccoons who regularly tore up this bed on the south side of the house.  It seems to take regular trimming in stride but I've found I have to keep at it to prevent the vine-like stems from covering the flagstone path.  I'd thought that the flowers would be less showy when used as a ground cover rather than hanging from a pot but I was wrong!

After months of flaunting buds, Ageratum corymbosum finally burst into bloom just after Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.  This plant is an evergreen shrub or, as the grower describes it, an "ever-purple" shrub.  It needs afternoon shade in my climate.  When it's done with its spring bloom period, I cut it back hard and the attractive, velvety-textured foliage refreshes itself within a month or so.

Okay, you've made it to the last plant on my list!  This is Acer palmatum 'Mikawa Yatsubusa', a dwarf Japanese maple.  I unceremoniously moved it to a border in the vegetable/cutting garden in December after I replaced it in its former backyard location with a dwarf Jacaranda I'd coveted.  Frankly, I didn't have high hopes for its survival - Japanese maples can struggle here - but it's come back strong, probably aided by all that rain we got.

I'm lucky that my climate has positively affected my garden.  My only complaint at present is with the persistent high winds, which are drying things up quickly now that our winter rains are over.  I know other gardeners, including our host, have faced far more serious weather challenges.  Visit Loree at danger garden to discover what's stood the test of the tough winter she and others have had to face down.


All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - Floral Overload

I really had planned to skinny down my Bloom Day posts but it's May!  Drought-stricken or not, there's a surprising amount in bloom in my Southern California garden this month.  Here are the plants making the biggest impact:

Achillea 'Moonshine' has splashed its sunny blooms all across the back garden (shown on the right with Salvia 'Marine Blue')

Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin' is at its peak

Argyranthemum frutescens (shown here with Hebe 'Wiri Blush' on the upper left)

Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga Lilies) are brightening dry shade areas throughout the garden

Bignonia capreolata is giving a color lift to the back slope

Common borage, sprouted from seed, is filling in the empty spaces I had left after removing the last of my lawn

I'm coming to realize that Cotula lineariloba 'Big Yellow Moon' (left) is something of a thug here.  Although not evident in my photos, Cotula 'Tiffendell Gold' (right) is a daintier specimen that forms a nice evergreen mat but isn't intent on world domination.

Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink' is back in full force after the severe haircut it received in late winter

Euphorbia characias 'Black Pearl' (shown here attempting to swallow up a Phormium), planted in various areas of the front and back gardens, has taken off

Gaura lindheimeri has a big presence in the front garden

The Grevilleas continue to be mainstays of my garden (clockwise from the top: G. 'Peaches & Cream', 'Ned Kelly', 'Superb' and 'Pink Midget')

The silver cones on Leucadendron 'Pisa' continue to get larger

Limonium perezii (aka sea lavender) is as common as dirt in SoCal for a reason: it produces a mass of long-lived paper-like flowers with very little water

Phlomis fruticosa is finishing up its bloom cycle but no one told this particular shrub

A few other plants are just beginning to make their floral presence known:

The first of the Agapanthus have just opened for business

Two of my tall Anigozanthos have made return appearances 

Phylica pubescens, a relatively new addition, is sporting its first flowers

And, because I can't seem to help myself, here are some other lower-profile bloomers, organized by color:

Top row: Brachyscome, Erigeron 'Wayne Roderick' with Geranium 'Tiny Monster', Erysimum linifolium, and Globularia x indubia
Second row: Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', Lathyrus odoratus, Lobelia valida, and Lupinus propinquus
Third row: Melaleuca thymifolia, Nierembergia linarifolia, Osteospermum 'Serenity Purple', and Pelargonium 'Rembrandt'
Fourth row: 2 Pericallis hybrids, Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara', and Violas

Clockwise from upper left: Leucadendron 'Blush', Arbutus 'Marina', Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', Bougainvillea (noID), Dorycnium hirsutum, seedpods of Cercis occidentalis, Feijoa sellowiana, Oenothera speciosa, Rosa 'Pink Meidiland', and Salvia lanceolata

Top row: Aeonium 'Kiwi', Alstroemeria 'Princess Claire', and white and yellow Argyranthemum frutescens
Second row: Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid', Hemerocallis 'Barbara Mitchell', Hoya multiflora, and Jacobaea maritima
Third row: Leonotis leonurus, Leucanthemum x superbum, Lonicera (noID), and Magnolia grandiflora
Fourth row: Myoporum parvifolium, Pelargonium 'Georgia Peach', Tanacetum niveum, and Tagetes lemmonii

I also had a visit from a colorful character late yesterday afternoon.  I'd left the side gate open and he strode right in.

The side gate, festooned with Pelargonium peltatum and Trachelospermum jasminoides

I looked up from my computer and found this fellow, a juvenile male peacock, probably recently kicked out of the family nest, staring in at me.  He turned away and ducked under a hedge along the upper ridge of the slope soon after I stood up with my camera.  Peacocks were brought to our peninsula in the early 1900s as exotic pets and are now widespread here, although uncommon in my our neighborhood (probably due to the active presence of coyotes). 

You can find other posts dedicated to May's floral bounty by visiting Carol of May Dreams Gardens, the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

March Favorites

Once a month, Loree of danger garden invites us to celebrate the plants in our garden making the biggest impression at the moment.  Most of my selections this month aren't exotic or unusual.   However, in each case, the plant's either at its peak of performance or it's done something to surprise me.

First up is Ajuga reptans 'Mint Chip'.  A very low grower, it fits in nicely alongside the backyard walkway.  Its pretty blue flowers seemed to appear overnight.

Another low groundcover that suddenly burst into bloom this month is Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin', a hybrid I planted 2 years ago.  It needs to be cut back after it finishes blooming but that's virtually all the maintenance it requires.

Felicia aethiopica is providing another burst of blue in the backyard.  This variety, called 'Tight & Tidy' by the grower, is just that.  Its projected size, 16 inches tall and 30 inches wide, is shorter than the variety usually offered by local garden centers.  (It's currently in danger of being engulfed by Lupinus propinuus, which is growing larger and faster than I imagined it would.)

The front garden has its own bolt of blue in the form of the noID Ceanothus hedge that is currently near full bloom.  This hedge, trimmed frequently to keep it within the bounds, probably doesn't have a long life ahead of it.  Since we moved in, I've already lost 3 sections of the front Ceanothus hedge and one section of the backyard hedge.  I've considered removing the entire thing but, when it blooms, granting it mercy and letting it exit on its own terms is an easy decision to make.

The garden has also produced some jolts of hot pink this month.  One of the plants providing that bright color is Callistemon 'Hot Pink', a hybrid I acquired last year.  The plant is still relatively small but it does its best to make an impression.  The only problem with it is that its floral color clashes with that of a number of its bedmates so it may have to move.

More hot pink color is provided by Pelargonium cucullatum 'Flore Plenum' (aka 'Golf Ball').  This was one of several Pelargoniums I picked up at a Geranium Society sale at my local botanic garden last year but it appears to be the most vigorous of the lot.  There's a nice red edge to the bright green leaves that complements the flowers well.

A more subdued bloomer sits on the back slope, where it gets little attention.  Carpenteria californica (aka Bush Anemone) is a drought tolerant, native plant that tolerates sun or shade conditions.  It seemed a perfect choice for the back slope when I planted it in 2012 as the area was in shade most of the day but it struggled to adjust to the increased sun exposure when we took out the giant Yucca Elephantipes there early last year.  It benefits from tip pruning, which I neglected to do last year.  Full of round, balloon-shaped buds now, pruning will have to wait.

My last entry, which also grows on the back slope, may be mundane but it falls into the "surprise" category.  It's an artichoke.  It was leftover from 6-pack of plugs I planted a few years ago.  With no more room in the vegetable garden, I stuck the seedling on the slope.  While it hasn't produced any chokes, it's out-lived the other plants I put in that year.  It gets very little water and dies back each summer but it keeps reappearing after our meager winter rains, flaunting its attractive gray foliage.

For more favorite plant entries, visit Loree at danger garden.


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party