In a Vase on Monday: Blazing hot!

The heatwave we feared was coming hit Southern California with a vengeance the middle of last week and still hasn't let go.  On Thursday, temperatures along my part of the coast climbed above 102 (39C) and on Friday they peaked at 108F (42C) with nighttime temperatures stuck in the upper 80sF (30-31C).  We hovered just below 100F on Saturday, giving me hope the trend would continue downward, only to climb back up to 104F (40C) yesterday.   I've cut a lot of flowers since the heatwave began, most of which went into the compost bin.  However, I was able to cobble together two arrangements yesterday.

Living up to its name, Dahlia 'Catching Fire' produced a bounty of new blooms seemingly overnight

Back view: the first of the white Amaryllis belladonna also made an appearance in my back garden border just as the pink form hustled to exit

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Amaryllis belladonna, Dahlia 'Catching Fire', Clematis terniflora, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and Leucadendron salignum 'Blush'

I made use of three dahlia varieties for my second arrangement.

As there was little value in letting them burn, I cut flowers of the 3 dahlia varieties with peachy tones: 'Fairway Spur', 'Creme de Cognac', and 'Labyrinth'.  'Labyrinth' deserves to star in an arrangement of its own, as it was eclipsed by the others here, but hopefully there will be enough blooms to put that together once the heatwave has passed. 

I fleshed out the back view with Rudbeckias and Zinnias

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac', D. 'Fairway Spur', D. 'Labyrinth', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara', and Zinnia elegans 'Golden Hour'

As there was little reason to hold off on cutting flowers once the heatwave started last week, I pulled together a couple of vases mid-week too, both of which I'm still enjoying (with a few tweaks).

An unexpected bloom from a bearded Iris prompted me to act - there was no way the flowers on that stem would last a day in 100F+ heat.  Two views of the vase are shown above.  Clockwise from the middle row, the contents included: Achillea ptarmica, Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda', Eustoma grandiflorum, Iris 'Autumn Circus', Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Symphyotrichum chilense.

The sky-high blooms of both Dahlia 'La Luna' and 'Summer's End' were already taking nose dives in the heat last Wednesday so I cut them to fill another vase.  Clockwise from the middle left are: Dahlia 'Summer's End', 'D. La Luna', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', yellow Rudbeckia 'Sahara', and Tanacetum parthenium.

The Iris had withered by Sunday morning so I pulled it and moved the vase to the kitchen counter.  The second arrangement remains on the kitchen island but I've traded out the 'La Luna' Dahlias shown here for fresh blooms yesterday.

We're hoping the heatwave will break by the middle of this week.  While late summer heatwaves are common here, even along the coast, they don't generally last this long.  The fact that temperatures remain high overnight worsens the impact on plants.  I haven't ventured down our back slope since Thursday but I expect that I'll find every lemon on the tree there has withered or fallen to the ground, which is its usual response to heat like this.  Following a severe heatwave in 2020 shorter than the current one, it took more than a year for the tree to recover.

I hope weather conditions are better for all or most of you!  For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Rescues from a pit of chaos

With the extra rain we've had for two years in a row, my garden exploded this spring.  I spent a good part of last week just pulling weeds and clearing paths covered by excessively exuberant plants - and I've barely made a dent in many areas.  When it came time to cut flowers for "In a Vase on Monday," I decided to see if I could find any vase-worthy Matilija poppies at the bottom of our back slope.  As I headed down there, I realized that, despite my efforts to tidy-up the area two weeks ago, it's more chaotic than ever now.  

I took this photo after my first pass at cleaning things up earlier this month.  It was relatively neat even if the pathways were narrow; however, while I moved on to other areas of the garden, blissfully believing everything was tidy enough on the slope for awhile, the plants didn't stop growing taller and wider at lightning speed. 

I had to cut tall, flopping stems of Centranthus and succulent flowers and artichoke plant foliage just to make it down the concrete-block stairway.  And a machete would've been useful to reach the poppies!  I spent more time cutting back and pulling spent plants and weeds than cutting flowers.

I managed to get 4 intact poppies (Romneya coulteri) and one promising bud, while shattering the petals of a few more in the process.  Some readers may remember that I've tried to rid my garden of this plant, which spreads by adventitious rhizomes, and repeatedly failed.  Another attempt will be made this fall.

Back view:  The Japanese honeysuckle, which came with the garden and is firmly entrenched within the rampant ivy that blankets the upper level of the slope, is also impossible to get rid of without resorting to poisons.  At least it has a nice scent!

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Leucospermum 'High Gold', Lonicera japonica, Romneya coulteri, and Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigold)

While I was down there, I was astounded to see that the bearded Irises were more floriferous than ever before.  I cut two tall stems with multiple blooms as the starting point for a second arrangement.

This is another arrangement that looked better to me when stuffed in the bottle I used to collect my materials than after I formally arranged them in a proper vase.  I probably should've picked a different vase and left out the Limonium, both of which come across as too blue by comparison to the Iris, although the differences are less jarring in person than in these photos.

Back view: In addition, the delicate Renga lilies (Arthropdium cirratum) got lost among the other elements

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga lily), Limonium perezii (aka sea lavender), Nemesia, 'Nessie Plus White', noID Iris germanica, Polygala myrtifolia, Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Salvia canariensis var candidissima

I still need to haul two piles of debris up the slope and I plan to spend at least a couple more hours there this week in an effort to rein in the mess.  Meanwhile, the march toward summer continues and the cutting garden needs to be cleared out soon to make way for dahlias and other summer bloomers.

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

  

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

In a Vase on Monday: Sacrifice

I sacrificed a few of my favorite flowers this week when putting my arrangements together.  The first were three stems of Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi'.  This year, the majority of the flowers are growing on the back side of the shrub, facing a hedge.  As my back garden faces east, I suppose that may account for its annoying behavior as it tries to gain maximum sun exposure - or perhaps it has to do with the way I pruned it last year.  In any case, I didn't feel too bad to cut flowers that I can't readily see.

The arrangement is a bit heavy on peach tones so I added several stems of Lotus berthelotii to give it a punch

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus 'Chantilly Peach', Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach', Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset', and Xylosma congestum

I also cut a stem of a bearded Iris, a species that has been relatively rare in my garden for the past several years.  I discovered a couple of noID Iris blooming at the bottom of my slope last week but they're relatively ordinary and my bum knee wasn't up for another trip down there yesterday anyway so I cut a recent arrival in a more accessible spot alongside my back patio.  That was a little painful too but in a different way.  At least I can enjoy seeing it up close this week.

Iris germanica 'Autumn Circus' is the star of this arrangement but I threw a lot more into the vase, like the first larkspur blooms from my cutting garden and stems of Psoralea pinnata (aka kool-aid bush for their grape soda scent)

I dressed up what started as the front of the vase and ended up as the back side with stems of Abelia 'Confetti' and Pericallis 'Bi-color Violet' (aka florist's cineraria)

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia 'Confetti', blue and white Consolida ajacis (larkspur), Coriandrum sativum (cilantro), Nigella papillosa, Orlaya grandifloa, Pericallis 'Bi-color Violet', Psoralea pinnata and, in the middle, Iris germanica 'Autumn Circus'  (I also included Lagurus ovatus but haven't shown it in a closeup photo)

 

I spotted the first two sweet pea blooms yesterday morning.  Will I have enough to fill a vase next week?  Maybe, but I'm not counting on that yet.  Our temperatures are expected to stay below 70F/21C throughout the week and the marine layer is expected to return.  

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Another take on orange and blue

Remarkably, we got a touch of rain late last week.  It wasn't much, just 0.18/inch (4.6mm) but, as I expected nothing, it was appreciated.  In what appears to be an unfortunate pattern, the low pressure system that permitted the rainstorm in the north to move into the south part of our state was quickly replaced by another round of Santa Ana winds and soaring temperatures.  We briefly hit 87F (30C) yesterday and today could be warmer still.  The winds can quickly wither flowers so on Sunday I cut blooms with relative abandon for In a Vase on Monday, the weekly meme hosted by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden.

The rain spurred another flush of blooms on the snapdragons in my cutting garden, inspiring my first arrangement.  Thus far, the snapdragons are free of rust so I want to take advantage of them while I can.

I also took this opportunity to cut the last of my Narcissus, two remaining blooms of Leucospermum 'Brandi', and a single 'Lady Emma Hamilton' rose.  I won the David Austin rose in a drawing at the Capitol Region Garden Bloggers' Fling in 2017.  I received the rose in the spring of 2018 but it's produced fewer than a handful of flowers since.

I dressed up the back of the arrangement with 2 stems of my 'Pink Meidiland' rose and added some height using stems of Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown'

Top view

Top: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' and Antirrhinum majus 'Chantilly Bronze' and 'Chantilly Peach'
Middle: Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny', L. 'Jubilee Crown', and Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi'
Bottom: Narcissus 'Geranium', Rosa 'Lady Emma Hamilton', and R. 'Pink Meidiland'

 

The first bearded Iris to bloom in my back garden prompted my second arrangement, although I admit I agonized awhile about cutting it.  It looked beautiful on Friday following our brief rainstorm but Saturday's vicious wind did it no favors and I was afraid that the blooms currently in bud would suffer if I left it alone so, without thinking about it too long, I cut the stem and moved on.

This is what the Iris germanica 'City Lights' bloom looked like on Friday.  It's a reblooming variety so I'm hopeful I'll see another bloom stalk this fall.

The Iris wasn't looking its best by Sunday morning but I trusted that the buds were far enough developed to open even after the stem was cut.  I grew the Nigella, Orlaya, and larkspur from seed.  I'd collected the Nigella seed from plants I grew last year.

The sweet peas tucked in the back of the arrangement were also grown from seed but they've been very disappointing.  Almost all are the same dark blue color even though I planted seeds of 4 different mixes.

Top view

Top: Centranthus ruber 'Albus', Consolida ajacis (aka larkspur), and Delphinium elatum 'Cobalt Dreams'
Middle: Globularia x indubia (aka globe daisy), Iris germanica 'City Lights', and Lathyrus odoratus
Bottom: Nigella papillosa 'African Bride', Orlaya grandiflora, and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Deep Blue'

 

As usual, I cut too many flowers.  The pink Alstroemerias I thought I could incorporate into the first arrangement didn't mesh with the prevailing orange tones so they went into a small vase for the kitchen island.  When I couldn't cram everything I'd cut for the second arrangement into the vase I'd selected, the extra stems went into the kitchen island arrangement as well.

In addition to the noID pink Alstroemeria, this vase includes Orlaya grandiflora, self-seeded Lagurus ovatus (aka bunny tail grass), and Agrostemma 'Ocean Pearls'

 

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Decisions, decisions

I thought I had all my choices made before I stepped into the garden on Sunday to select blooms for "In a Vase on Monday," the popular meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  But, facing another forecast of toasty temperatures by mid-week, the garden persuaded me to focus on the flowers most likely to respond negatively when the heat's turned up.  They moved to the front of the line while others (pardon the pun) were put on the back burner.

The larkspur (Consolida ajacis) that only recently started blooming was uppermost among the plants I was concerned with, as they'd already taken a hit in late April when our temperatures suddenly soared into the upper 80s, reaching 95F at one point.  The fact that the grayish-purple larkspur complemented the bearded Iris that had just started blooming down at the bottom of my back slope was pure serendipity.

Unlike the dwarf bearded Iris I featured earlier this spring, this one grows very tall so I couldn't miss it when I made a brief trip to the bottom of the slope on Saturday.  I think it's an old-fashioned variety but I've no idea of its name.

I used a few stems of Abelia to dress up the base of the arrangement and stems of an ornamental grass as a filler

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Iris germanica, Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Consolida ajacis 'Earl Grey' and noID white form, and Lagurus ovatus (aka bunny tails grass)

The second vase features larkspur in a different color and a few Dutch Iris that recently made a late appearance in my front garden.

Dutch Iris 'Silvery Beauty' grows in a semi-shaded area of the garden and has never bloomed as early or as vigorously as those grown in full sun

I used a narrow-necked vase given to me by a friend last Christmas and dressed up the back of the vase with the first globe daisies (Globularia x indubia) to bloom this season

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Iris hollandica 'Silvery Beauty', Consolida ajacis 'Summer Skies Mix', Globularia x indubia, Achillea 'Moonshine' (shown with Anagallis monelli),  Prunus caroliniana, and Trichostema 'Midnight Magic'

I hadn't expected to create a third vase but I decided the pink Alstroemeria in a sunny section of the garden might also benefit from seeking cover in the house.  I selected an odd little vase I think I've used only once before to hold those flowers and their companions.

A close-up of the vase, which has a random assortment of irregularly shaped holes on top to hold flowers in place

I added an assortment of pink and while flowers to complement the Alstroemeria

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID pink Alstroemeria, Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest', Pelargonium 'Lady Plymouth', Orlaya grandiflora, and Osteospermum 'Berry White'

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

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