In a Vase on Monday: The Old and the New

The seasonal change is in the air.  After a miserable heatwave, temperatures here in Southern California have returned to more normal levels.  It's possible to work outside without melting and to sleep at night without feeling as though you're roasting on a slow spit.  Days are becoming noticeably shorter.  Fall arrives in Los Angeles at 7:29pm PDT this evening.  The garden is responding.  Even the most robust of my summer flowers are tiring out while the first of my fall flowers are making an appearance.  It seemed appropriate to note the change with this week's floral arrangement, created in connection with the weekly meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

Summer is represented by Eustoma grandiflorum 'Borealis Blue,' which has bloomed off and on since early June.  Fall is represented by Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior,' which has just begun to bloom.

The Eustoma blooms are smaller now but just as pretty as they were at the start of the season

The delicate lavender-pink blooms of the Plectranthus are coming on in a rush now that the heat has abated

I added bits and pieces of other plants to add fullness to the arrangement, including:

• Angelonia augustfolia (aka summer snapdragon)
• Leucadendron 'Pisa'
• Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star'
• Salvia leucantha (aka Mexican bush sage), also just beginning to flower
• Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum,' which bloomed all summer

An Angelonia stem is seen here poking out to the right of the Eustoma

The silvery Leucadendron is beautiful even without flowers

A Salvia stem can be seen above the variegated foliage of the Pseuderanthemum

Pipig resented the time I spent fussing over flowers, feeling that my time should be devoted to her.  She watched me reproachfully during the photographic process until the vase was in place and she had my full attention.

She doesn't value plants unless she can chew them

Do you feel the change in the air?  Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other gardeners have put together to usher in the autumnal equinox.


All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Summer Reruns

Today is Labor Day, officially a date to observe the advances made by workers or, more specifically, the achievements of labor unions on behalf of workers.  For most people here in the US, the date is more closely associated with the end of summer than with the labor union movement, which I personally find sad.  But that's not a topic for this blog or this post, which celebrates bouquets assembled from what's available in the garden.  In my garden, some of the flowers that bloomed earlier this summer have produced a fresh flush of blooms, including the beautiful Eustoma grandiflorum 'Borealis Blue,' which I've used as the centerpiece of this week's vase.

I've combined the Eustoma (aka Lisianthus) with other summer reruns, some of which are also enjoying a new flush of blooms:

• 4 stems of Angelonia augustifolia
• 3 stems of Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'
• 2 stems of Hebe 'Wiri Blush'
• 2 stems of Pelargonium peltatum (ivy geranium)
• 5 stems of Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'
• 3 stems of Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star'

White Angelonia, from a mix purchased as part of a 6-pack in June

Variegated foliage of Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star' in close-up, accompanied by Coleonema and Pennisetum plumes

Vase photographed from the back

Hebe 'Wiri Blush' is still flowering, although the blooms are fewer and smaller than those produced earlier this summer

I brought this trailing ivy geranium from our former house but have no ID on the variety

The vase I selected this week didn't keep the blooms in place, even after an inordinate amount of fussing, so I used a rubber band to tie the heavier stems together.  I placed the Pelargonium and Angelonia stems in separately so I can remove them easily when they tucker out.  I've previously discovered that the Pelargonium petals fall apart after a few days in a vase.

As usual, I ended up with a vase of leftover elements.  The stems of these materials were either too stiff or too short to work in the larger vase.

The leftovers include Cuphea 'Starfire Pink,' a bee and hummingbird magnet, Pentas 'Nova,' Salvia 'Mystic Spires,' and Plectranthus zuluensis

The vases are in position.

The larger vase sits on the dining room table

and the smaller vase ended up in the guest bathroom

I hope you have a great day, however you're spending this Monday.  Please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see her vase and to find links to the creations of other gardeners.

All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - August 2014

Unlike some areas of the world where mid-summer brings a bounty of flowers, summer here in Southern California is a slower, more somber period in the garden.  Although temperatures have been relatively moderate since the early blast of heat we received in May, seldom exceeding 90F (32C), limiting the water we give our gardens in response to our current state of drought has the consequence of limiting the blooms we find there.

The summer stalwarts can still be found in flower although the number and vigor of the blooms is diminished.

The Angelonia planted in an area providing afternoon shade are doing better than those in full sun

Bougainvillea loves the heat (although this particular vine has remained mid-sized, which is a good thing as my husband hates Bougainvillea)

Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' is still blooming and Gaura linheimeri has come back after a severe haircut

Duranta erecta, in a pot, produces a steady smattering of violet-blue flowers

Gaillaridia x grandiflora 'Goblin' has produced fewer flowers this year

Many of the re-blooming Hemerocallis, including 'Persian Market,' have made strong come-backs

This lavender is happy in the vegetable garden, although little else is

Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' is coming into its glory

Tanacetum parthenium has slowed down but hasn't entirely stopped blooming

Only a few plants are blooming en masse:

The Bauhinia x blakeana (Hong Kong orchid tree) has more flowers than leaves at the moment

Coreopsis 'Redshift' is at the peak of bloom

The thyme in the side yard is keeping the bees busy

However, other plants are putting on a rather disappointing show:

Tibouchina urvilleana has produced only a few flowers and most of its foliage is burned

The Zinnias needed more water than they got and thus failed to flourish 

But there have been some pleasant surprises too:

This Aster x frikartii 'Monch' is small but it's holding its own despite being moved mid-year

My 'Sweet Autumn' Clematis has bloomed despite a horrible battle with aphids and a severe pruning earlier this summer

This Cymbidium is blooming again despite receiving almost no attention 

And this Phalaenopsis, also left largely to its own devices, continues to pump out blooms

Russelia equisetiformis is finally beginning to establish a presence in the backyard border

The hard-to-photograph Salvia discolor seems happy in the extended fountain bed

It probably doesn't come as a surprise that some of the best-looking specimens are succulents:

Adenium obesum, featured yesterday as my favorite plant of the week

Echeveria pulvinata 'Ruby' has produced flowers almost as pretty as her foliage

And this unidentified succulent, identified by Denise as Senecio fulgens (thanks Denise!), continues to produce one bright orange flower after another

That's it for my August Bloom Day wrap-up.  Please visit Carol, the creator and host of the monthly event that is the Gardener Bloggers' Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens to see what's currently in bloom in other parts of the world.


All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

September 2013 Bloom Day Scavenger Hunt

I somehow lost track of Bloom Day this month.  This was mostly to do with the fact that, after our recent heat wave, there are relatively few flowers to be found in my garden.  And, with a few exceptions, those that are there are relatively undistinguished.  However, in the interest of maintaining a record, here are the results of today's Bloom Day scavenger hunt:

I'm impressed by this Acanthus mollis (probably 'Summer Beauty'), which is still putting out new bloom spikes despite the heat and the exposure to scorching sun following the removal of a nearby tree in February

The foliage of this Anemone japonica (no ID) is looking horrible but I do love the flowers

I placed 3 Angelonia 'Angelmist Pink' in my dry garden, not expecting much, but they've done fine there despite the hot, dry conditions

Argyranthemum frutescens 'Elsa White' isn't splashy but the blooms have kept up non-stop since I put in 3 4-inch pots in late February

Billbergia nutans, brought from my former garden and largely ignored in this one, regularly surprises me with new blooms (Note: the quality of the photo doesn't do it justice)

The first Camellia sasanqua (no ID) has appeared - maybe fall is on its way to SoCal after all

Coreopsis 'Big Bang Redshift' is still blooming, although the flowers are smaller and, presumably in response to the recent heat, are showing less red

This Cymbidium (no ID), rescued from my mother-in-law's garden before sale of her house, has delivered a bloom spike since its arrival in my garden

Echinacea 'Sombrero Hot Coral' is more pink than coral now but it handled the heat well in a partially shaded spot in the back border

I grow Lavandula multifida (fernleaf lavender) more for the foliage than the flowers but it's pumping out flowers right now

Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snow Lady,' a short, non-flopping Shasta daisy, is producing a new round of blooms

Lisianthus 'Echo Pink' continues to produce relatively short, sweet pink blooms

Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver' is also producing new blooms since being cut back several weeks ago

This low-growing Pentas lanceolata (no ID), relocated from my former garden, is brightening the border of my vegetable garden

A flower has already appeared on one of the Phlomis fruticosa (Jerusalem sage) in my back border

The Plectranthus ciliatus (no ID), brought in as a cutting from my former garden, is producing its first blooms of the season

This Plectranthus ecklonii, purchased by mail order from Annie's and moved once, has beautiful blooms on a still immature plant

Salvia mexicana is putting out a few blooms

Salvia 'Mystic Spires" is still going strong

Bloom Day is sponsored by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.  Please go to her webpage here to see other gardeners' Bloom Day selections.