In a Vase on Monday: A Burst of Sunshine

Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' called to me this week.  This Grevillea is another year-round bloomer but it produces nowhere near the number of flowers as its cousin 'Superb' so I don't often cut the flowers for a vase.  However, we've woken up to a dense marine layer for a few days now and I needed some sunshine to bring inside.

I couldn't bring myself to cut more than 2 stems of 'Peaches & Cream' but I filled in with yellow and white daisies, a few stems of an early blooming Narcissus, and some orange berries to echo the peachy tones in the Grevillea's flowers

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Argyranthemum frutescens 'Mount Everest', A. f. 'Beauty Yellow', berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolium, Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', and Narcissus tazetta 'Geranium'

I pulled together a few stems for a second smaller vase for the kitchen island too.

As there's not much to this one, I'm sharing just this photo of the vase in place, the overhead view shown below, and a collage showing closeups of the flowers.

 

Overhead view

From the upper left: noID Alstroemeria, Antirrhinum majus, Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', and a noID Dianthus barbatus

The marine layer delivered two-hundreths of an inch of precipitation over the past two days but there's still no prospect of significant rain in the forecast at least until January, and I'm not prepared to bet on that.  It's too bad Santa can't deliver rain!

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: New arrivals

The rain - or maybe just the progress of time - has brought a few new arrivals to the garden and I've taken advantage of some of them this week.  More rain is on the horizon.  Three more storms, the first set to arrive in Southern California tonight, are stacked up to hit the state.  Northern California is once again expected to get the brunt of it.  However, even my sandy soil is already saturated.

The first foxglove bloom made an appearance in my cutting garden last week.  I accented it with stems of Grevillea sericea, which prior to last week had no flowers at all.

I cut several stems of Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', which I ended up relegating to the back of the arrangement.  'Itsy Bitsy' has decided to behave like a vine, currently winding its way through the Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' above it.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Argyranthemum frutescens 'White Butterfly', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Purple', and Grevillea sericea

 

The Camellia sasanqua that have been blooming for months were pulverized by last week's storms, leaving behind little but petals on the ground below them.  However, Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' has stepped up with a minor flurry of blooms.  The shrub lost a lot of its buds in the fall heatwaves so I don't expect it'll have its best year but I decided to use a few of the blooms before the coming storms knock them out.  I kept the palette very simple so as not to detract attention from the shapely Camellias but I accented them with stems of another recent arrival, Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay'.

I cut 3 stems of the Camellia, sacrificing several buds in the process

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the left: Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection', Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', and Grevillea 'Jubilee Crown', now sporting tiny brown cones in the midst of feathery foliage

 

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

 

I'll close this week's post with some pretty pictures of snow in the mountains to the east of us.

I took this and the next 2 photos Saturday afternoon from my back garden during a sunny pause between rainstorms

I used a telephoto lens

The view was remarkably clear for a change.  The mountains are often hidden behind clouds and smog but the view was relatively unimpaired on this occasion.

 

Best wishes for a pleasant week.

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

Empty pots no more

I recently emptied two large pots sitting in our front entry area and relocated their contents.  Those pots stood empty for more than three weeks, which surprises even me.  While I think an empty pot can add mystery or perhaps an artistic touch in a well-placed spot in a garden, I'm not capable of leaving mine unplanted for long.  It's arguable that the front entry isn't the right place for empty pots anyway.

This week, on a trip to the local garden center to pick up compost and planting mix (my usual excuse for such trips), I discovered several plants that I thought would do to fill those empty pots.  My choices are a little iffy as one of my key plants has shown itself to be short-lived and I've killed another at least twice but I plunged ahead anyway.  Those empty pots were starting to bug me.

The empty pots in question, photographed in January

The plants I chose to fill the two blue pots were these:

This is Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' (aka mint bush).  It produces lovely purple blooms but the scented foliage alone is worth its inclusion in the garden.  They never survive more than a couple of years in my garden yet I still love them.

This is Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', the plant I've killed twice

I filled in with Nemesia '7th Heaven Mix', white Violas, and Lobularia maritima (sweet alyssum)

The effect is muted but pleasing.  Both the Prostanthera and the Boronia are Australian natives that can get by with partial shade.  I expect the mint bush could grow to 4x3 feet and the Boronia to roughly half that size in their pots.  It's an experiment - and I've been known to swap out potted plants seasonally in any case.

One of 2 identical pots

But I didn't leave things there.  You see, there was this Pericallis hybrid I'd been eyeing for some time and the garden center finally got a supply of smaller plants in stock.  I couldn't pass it up.  One came home with me and I popped it into an empty pot I had stored behind the garage.

This is Pericallis 'Senetti Magic Salmon'.  Isn't that flower color fabulous?

I couldn't get a great after shot of the front door area as it's still shady.

My conclusion is that I could use a few more pots here.  I'll get to that at some point.

Today and tomorrow are supposed to be warmer, with a chance of rain late Sunday and Monday.  Perfect for planting.  Luckily, reinforcements arrived right on time.

I used the gift card a friend gave me for Christmas

My haul includes (clockwise from the upper left): Lobelia fistulosa, Echium wildpretii, Lupinus propinquus, Erysimum x allionii (2), and Clarkia unguiculata (3)

I hope you enjoy the weekend, whatever your weather.


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

Bloom Day!

Another Bloom Day is here already!  In the past month, Southern California has had fluctuating periods of cold and warm weather.  It's expected to get up to 80 degrees this weekend.  As far as many of the plants are concerned, Spring has already arrived.  Much of what was blooming in mid-January is still blooming now in mid-February but a host of additional plants are joining the chorus.

For this Bloom Day, I thought I'd present my flowering plants by color.  As befits the month in which we celebrate Valentine's Day, there are a large number of red and pink-toned flowers on display in the garden.

Cybister Amaryllis 'La Paz' (now in full bloom)

Arbutus 'Marina' (still blooming but past its prime)

Argyranthemum frutescens 'Pink Comet' (in full bloom)

Argyranthemum frutescens "Bright Carmine' (still blooming)

Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay' (in full bloom)

Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' (just coming into bloom)

Calliandra haematocephala 'Pink Powder Puff' (1st time in bloom in 2 years)

Camellia japonica 'Taylor's Perfection' (in full bloom)

Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' (in full bloom)

Leptospermum scoparium (blooms are waning)

Leucadendron - No ID (bracts, yellow in January, are now red/green & cones have turned from yellow to brown)

Viola - no ID

Ribes viburnifolium 'Catalina Perfume Currant' (nearing full bloom)

Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' (are these the final blooms of the season?)

Kalanchoe delagoensis x daigremontiana 'Pink Butterflies' (in final bloom stage?)

I love blue in the garden and seek out plants in that color.  My blue bloomers include:

Anemone coronaria 'Dr. Fokker' (still blooming)

Ceanothus, maybe 'Joyce Coulter' (hedges just coming into bloom)

Echium handiense 'Pride of Fuerteventura' (1st flush of bloom is fading)

Lavandula multifida (coming into bloom)

Pericallis x hybrida (2nd flush of bloom)

Ipheon uniflorum (1st of tiny bulbs are blooming)

Viola - no ID

Westringia 'Naringa' (in full bloom)

Some of the blue flowers shown above lean toward lavender but there are also blooms that fall more clearly into the purple/lavender category.

Bauhinia x blakeana (Hong Kong Orchid Tree with fading blooms)

Erysimum linifolium 'Variegatum' (just coming into bloom)

Eupatorium corymbosa (still covered with Eucalyptus dust and not quite in bloom but getting close)

Osteospermum "Serenity Purple' (in full bloom)

Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver' (still going strong)

Limonium perezii (coming back into bloom)

Viola - No ID

I'll close with a mash-up of white, yellow and orange blooms.

Anemone coronaria 'Mona Lisa' (early bloom)

Coleonema album (just starting to bloom)

Zantedeschia aethiopica (1st Calla Lilly bud ready to open)

Nemesia 'Sunsatia Lemon' (still blooming)

Primula & Kalanchoe in pot

Chorizema "Bush Flame' (early stages of bloom)

Viola - no ID

Moussonia elegans 'Taylor's Selection' (early blooms)

Rose, probably 'Joseph's Coat' climber (my only rose bloom)

Pyrus calleryana (close-up of flowers on tree in full bloom)

Leucanthemum x superbum, unnamed variety (1st blooms)

Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snow Lady' (early blooms)

Echeveria flower - No ID (still blooming)

You can find links to posts with more plants in bloom at May Dreams Garden.  Thanks, Carol, for hosting this monthly event!