Shade Plant Successes

I began stocking my lath (shade) house shortly after my husband completed its construction in late December 2017.  I moved my small orchid collection there immediately but other additions were haphazard.  Over time, I've scrapped some plants and added others.  The space is relatively small after all so I can't load it with every pretty shade plant I see.  Much of what I added early on wasn't particularly interesting or unusual and those items, if they survived, have slowly been dropped to make room for others.  Many represent experiments and everything must prove its worth to earn its place.

Ferns were an early focus as, with the exception of the weedy western sword fern (Polystichum munitum), most ferns don't survive long in the open areas of my garden.  Several of those I tried failed quickly even in my lath house but there are two that have earned their stripes.

Asplenium nidus, aka lasagna fern

Platycerium veitchii, a variety of staghorn fern

Begonias, particularly those grown more for their foliage than their flowers, have earned a lot of space, surprising even me.  Here are just a portion of those on display in the lath house:

Begonia 'Amberley'

Begonia 'Champagne Bubbles' was neglected and got a bit crispy a couple of months ago but it seems to be recovering.  I've got it planted in a small African violet pot, which has a water reservoir.

This begonia came without a label.  I originally guessed it was 'Nautilus Lilac' but I now think it could be 'First Blush'.

This is 'Little Darling', planted in another African violet pot

I'm very pleased with how well this unidentified Begonia looks in its Muradian pot

This is 'Palomar Prince', another begonia I thought I'd killed at one point that rebounded given time and patience

There are also a few plants grown exclusively for their foliage.

Philodendron 'Prince of Orange' was a gift.  Its stay in the lath house was intended to be temporary but it's so happy there, I haven't been able to bring myself to move it into the drier conditions of our house.

I've tried growing several fuchsias in the lath house.  I suspect they don't get enough light there as they've been disappointing thus far but I still have four that occasionally flower.  The hydrangeas haven't thrilled me either, although I still have one of those.

I've had this Hydrangea macrophylla 'Shooting Star' for many years and, although I repeatedly mistreat it, it's been very forgiving

Hoyas, which I introduced more for their foliage than for their flowers are slowly growing on me (no pun intended).

I have three of these trailing plants in the lath house (as well as one on my south patio).  Two have recently started to bloom, perhaps because I've been more conscientious about watering them this year.

Based on the heart-shaped leaves, I believe this one is Hoya kerrii.  I received it as a gift last Christmas and tucked it into a pot given to me by the same friend on another occasion.  It's still a small plant and hasn't flowered yet but it's sent a stem straight up this year as if it has something planned.

This one was sold to me without a name but, based on the variegated foliage and the occasional pink leaves it produces, I think this may be Hoya carnosa tricolor.

I also bought this one without a label.  My best guess is that it's Hoya obovata 'Splash'.

Orchids have retained a good portion of the space available in the lath hours but several are facing the possibility of eviction.  Few orchids have attractive foliage in my opinion and, while many have long-lived flowers, most don't flower very often.  A few of the smaller varieties have been especially rewarding.

I've had this one for a long time and it goes by a variety of names but I currently refer to it as Oncostele 'Wildcat'

If I had a name for this one I've lost it but I believe it's a Phalaenopsis

This is another noID Phalaenopsis.  It's been blooming for at least two months already.

I recently acquired a couple of new plants for the lath house, neither of which I've ever grown before.  The first is grown as much for its foliage as its flowers while the second is known primarily for its unusual blooms.

This was sold as Ric Rac Orchid Cactus.  Its proper name was harder to nail down as I found it listed as both Epiphyllum anguliger and Cryptocereus anthonyanus.  Still another source says that plants known by the former name have recently been reclassified as Disocactus anguliger.

This somewhat sorry looking specimen is Tacca integrifolia, aka white bat flower.  Recently received in a tiny pot by mail order, it's still settling in.  When I saw its foliage, I thought I'd been sent a Spathiphyllum by mistake but the Tacca's foliage is similar.

This is by no means a complete inventory of the contents of my lath house and, like other parts of my garden, I suspect what's there will continue to turn over with some regularity as I continue to work out what thrives  and what doesn't.

Between recent bouts with hot temperatures and poor air quality, I've accomplished very little in my garden thus far this month.  I received a mail order delivery of twelve plants on Wednesday but I've done nothing with them beyond unpacking and watering them.  If conditions improve, getting them potted or planted out will be my weekend focus.

Wherever you are, I hope conditions are favorable to do something you enjoy this weekend.

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

Sherman Gardens (part 2): Focusing on the plants

Last Friday, I published a post on a recent visit to Sherman Gardens, a small botanic garden in Corona del Mar.  That post focused on the Sculptura Botanica exhibit, created by landscaper and ceramic sculptor, Dustin Gimbel.  This post is focused on the plants I photographed during the visit but didn't include in the first post.

One of my favorite areas of Sherman Gardens is the Tropical Conservatory.  I'd be ecstatic to have something of this kind in my own garden but, in addition to the fact that there isn't room for it, maintaining a temperature controlled space like this with a pond would require more time and money than I can imagine.  So I just enjoy Sherman's conservatory on every visit.

The koi were very active in the pond

Usually, the turtles are already sunning themselves on the flat rocks of the pond but this fellow showed up late and without his companions

This wonderful chenille plant (Acalypha hispida) hangs above the pond

My best guess is that this is Heliconia psittacorum (aka parrot Heliconia)

I loved this, which I think is Heliconia rostrata (aka lobster claw Heliconia)

There are always orchids in this area

as well as a collection of bromeliads

In addition to the bromeliads inside the conservatory, there's a nice display of bromeliads outside its door.

Those I plant in the ground in my own garden never look this good

The flamingo covered in Tillandsias is a regular feature

I also love Sherman's lath-covered shade structure.  In fact, it was the inspiration for my own much smaller lath house, which my husband built for me in December 2017 as a Christmas present.  Mine doesn't hold nearly as much but, like mine, Sherman's is big on begonias.

I didn't even attempt to identify all these plants on this visit

I was charmed by this display, which I think consists entirely of Peperomia of various kinds.  I collected specimens in this genus as indoor plants when I was a kid and I've found myself gravitating to them again in recent years.

Like the Bromeliad Garden, the shade area has wood bird sculpture too, this one of a pelican

From the shade structure, we passed through the Sun Garden and a small courtyard area just inside the garden's north entrance before venturing into the Succulent Garden, another of my favorite areas.

I featured the beds and sculptures in the Sun Garden in my prior post but didn't include photos of the robust passionflower vine.  In addition to flowers, the vines had plenty of developing fruit.

This courtyard contained a wide variety of shade plants too, including the pretty Streptocarpus (aka cape primrose) shown on the right

This vignette in the Succulent Garden, featuring a fan aloe (Kumara plicatilis), bromeliads, and an Agave ovatifolia, is perfect

I fixated on the tree-size Euphorbia here.  After a couple of trips down the rabbit hole that is the internet, I'm still not clear if this is Euphorbia lactea or E. ingens or something else altogether.

This display had me wanting to go to the local stone yard to pick up boulders to redo one of my front garden succulent beds

As we exited the Succulent Garden and turned in the direction of the Central Garden (addressed in my prior post), we checked out the Palm Collection and, beyond that, the Perennial Garden.

I think that's a banana tree on the left and a traveler palm (Ravenala madagascariensis) on the right

Dahlias and other flowers dotted the Perennial Garden

This massive Dyckia in the Mediterranean Garden was impressive

Before leaving, we toured the Fern Grotto adjacent to the south entrance and parking lot.

Tall palm trees (shown in my prior post) soar above the Fern Grotto with cycads and smaller palms planted below them

Ferns and Farfugium filled the area under the shade cover

I have mixed feeling about bonsai plants but I loved this dwarf Ginkgo backed by Farfugium

The plant on the left is a spear lily (Doryanthes palmeri), which I've yet to see in bloom

The only flowering plant I saw in the Fern Grotto was this Medinilla magnifica

We're expecting Santa Ana winds (aka devil winds) here today.  They'll drive temperatures back up again, probably for the balance of the week.  Fingers are crossed they don't intensify the fires here  - or create new ones.  Our garden has already been dusted with ash once this week.

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

Visiting my Lath House!

The title of this post is a play on the "Coronavirus Tourism" posters designed by Jennifer Baer and shown on her website, This is Colossal, which Denise of A Growing Obsession introduced me to last week.  Stuck at home, visiting the nooks and crannies of my own garden is one of the few acceptable "adventures" now.  What could be more appropriate than a tour of my lath house, built by my husband two years ago for the shade plants that otherwise have difficulty surviving in my area?

So let's embark on the tour, shall we?

There it is!  We're looking at it from the upper level of the front garden.  It sits at the bottom of a moderate slope.

The door's open.  Let's head down there.

This is the path from the upper level of the front garden into the lower area where the lath house sits

We're approaching it now

Shall we take a peek inside?

View looking in the front door at the center of the structure

Pots on the ground

This is the view looking through the window on the right side

and this is the view looking in the window on the left side

So let's take a closer look at some of the plants inside, focusing on the most presentable specimens.

These are a few of my Begonias
Top row: Begonias 'Amberley' and 'Little Darling', 'Bundy Plum', and 'Champagne Bubbles'
Bottom row: Begonias 'Escargot', 'Nautilus Lilac', and B. luxurians

Ferns can be hard to grow here even where they're protected.  On the left is Asplenium nidus (aka Lasagna Fern) and on the right is a Staghorn Fern (noID Platycerium).

I still struggle with Fuchsias but I keep trying new ones.   Clockwise from the upper left are Fuchsia 'Autumnale'; the unusual trailing F. procumbens, followed by a close- up of its flower; and F. thymifolia.

I've somehow accumulated a lot of orchids.  Most, including the Epiphyllums (aka orchid cactus), aren't blooming now but four are.  Clockwise from the upper left are: Colmanara 'Wildcat', noID Cymbidium, Cymbidium Sussex Court 'Not Peace', and Dendrobium kingianum.

Two of the three Tillandsias are shown here: T. capita 'Peach' and T. xerographica

Other flashy plants include, clockwise from the upper left, Fatsia japonica 'Camouflage', assorted Cyclamen, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, and Philodendron 'Prince of Orange'

The lath house also has some decorative and utilitarian elements.  The iron cat in the center guards the door.  The wood piece on the lower left serves as both stepladder and stool.

The two window boxes are not looking their best and need an overhaul

That concludes today's tour.  Let me show you out.

The slope facing the lath house is planted mostly with succulents

Taking the lower level path to the driveway at the front of the house takes us by a mass planting of Aeonium arboreum but you have to squeeze by a large peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa) planted in the middle of the path

You've reached the lower level exit!

I hope you can take advantage of a staycation this weekend.  Best wishes for a safe holiday weekend, however you plan to spend your time.


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