In a Vase on Monday: Soggy flowers

We got more rain than expected last week, albeit the only snow nearby was in the mountains to the east of us. 

Photo from our back garden looking east.  The Port of Los Angeles is in the foreground and the City of Long Beach is visible in the mid-range area.  The mountains beyond are usually obscured but they showed off their snowy caps clearly after storms scrubbed away the smog. 

Many of my flowers were left in a soggy state and finding enough to fill a couple of vases was harder than I'd anticipated on Sunday.  The Hippeastrum 'Exception' I used last week was in passable condition so I put together another arrangement recycling it as the centerpiece.

I reduced 'Exception's' stalk by almost half and cut off 2 of the blooms that were browning around the edges

Back view: I used more feathery foliage than I assembled last week and added stronger punches of color

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', a noID Alstroemeria, Antirrhinum majus, Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', Chlorophytum comosum (aka spider plant), Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', and Hippeastrum 'Exception'

I created a second arrangement using Hippeastrum 'Elvas'.  It wasn't in perfect condition but I patched together a vase with a nod to Valentine's Day.

I hunted down red flowers to play off the red edges of 'Elvas'.  I can usually count on the feathery flowers of Calliandra haematocephala (aka red powder puff) at this time of year but they're only just getting started.

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Alternanthera 'Little Ruby', Calliandra haematocephala, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola', and Hippeastrum 'Elvas'

Best wishes for a happy Valentine's Day!  We expect sun today but mostly cloudy skies through the rest of the week, probably culminating with the arrival of another atmospheric river on Saturday. 

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: Variations on a hue

I'm not in love with pale pink but sometimes that's what the garden delivers.  Last week, my Amaryllis belladonna began popping up on their leaf-less stems, one after another.  Frankly, if I had to choose, I'd say I like the plants' foliage, which dies down as soon as temperatures soar, better than its flowers but the real problem is that the bulbs aren't optimally placed to hide their naked stems so they look a little ridiculous.  That placement wasn't intentional but, as shrubs and perennials died off over time long after the bulbs were planted, that's what's happened.  As an Alstroemeria in the front garden had produced an unexpected flush of matching pink-tinged flowers, the die was cast and I cut two stems of the most awkward-looking Amaryllis flower stalks.

I added a single Dahlia 'Karma Prospero' to the mix, mainly because it was the only new dahlia bloom in the right color range.  As I'd neglected to pinch back the dahlia earlier to promote side stems, it was also a good time to correct that error before it was too late.

I dressed up the back view with Daucus carota 'Dara', which is already rapidly going to seed

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Coleonema album, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Pelargonium schizopetalum, Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', Amaryllis belladonna. Dahlia 'Karma Prospero', and Daucus carota 'Dara'

I switched to the vivid side of the color spectrum with deep red flowers for my second arrangement.  I avoided red in my former garden and, even now, I haven't entirely embraced it.  However, I sowed seeds of Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Deep Red' earlier this year and they're the first of my Zinnias to bloom en masse so they were a natural choice.

To lighten up the arrangement I added one of the last stems of Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky'.  Alstroemeria doesn't care for our hot summer temperatures so I don't expect to see many more flowers from that genus until late fall.

Back view: I added several stems of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' to the mix, one if the few red "flowers" in my garden that meshed well with the Zinnias

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: more Coleonema album and Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown', Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky', Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', Persicaria capitata, and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Deep Red'

The last two stems of the 'Cobalt Dreams' Delphinium in my cutting garden had toppled over and were fading fast, leaving me compelled to cut them for a final hurrah on the kitchen island.

Utilizing the same vase as last week, I added two varieties of coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides), 'Salsa Verde' and 'Vino' (in flower), to accompany the Delphinium 'Cobalt Dreams'

Our weekend weather was wonderful.  A persistent morning marine layer kept our afternoon temperatures remarkably low for this time of year.  It's not realistic to assume that those conditions will continue for long but I was happy that I was able to make good use of my time in the garden in any case.  Unhappily, however, late afternoon on Sunday was marred by the continuous sound of helicopters circling the area.  Sadly, that turned out to be the result of a mass shooting at a park less than 5 miles away.  The last report I heard was that seven people were transported to the hospital and two people died. The US population's sick addiction to guns continues unabated, even in California, which has some of the strongest gun regulations in the country.

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

 

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

 

 

Bloom Day - March 2022

Although the calendar says otherwise, it's the height of spring here in my part of coastal Southern California.  A few early spring plants are already showing signs of decline and, as daytime temperatures are expected to soar (again) this week, I expect to see some heading for the exits soon but, at this time of year, more blooms arrive each day than disappear.  That's one way of saying that this will be another long post, even though I split off the bulb flowers in a separate post, published last Friday.

I'll begin with the plants I consider the stars of my March garden, starting with the Leucospermums (aka pincushion shrubs), which are having a very good year despite the woefully low rainfall we've had.  January and February are traditionally our rainiest months but what we got was well short of what the State of California has called "measurable rainfall" for a single storm.  According to one source, those were California's driest months in 127 years.

Leucospermum 'Goldie' was my first experiment with this genus and it's currently the most floriferous

Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi' has the largest flowers

Leucospermum 'Hybrid Spider' is perhaps my favorite.  Its flowers look very different at each each stage but I like the halfway-opened stage the best.

Acquired about 3 years ago, this is the first year Leucospermum 'Sunrise' has bloomed

Plants in the Osteospermum genus, one of several genera commonly referred to as African daisies, are also having a banner spring season.  As temperatures get higher they'll stop blooming but the flowers will return in the fall.

Most of the Osteospermum shown here are self-seeded.  The single-petaled varieties have always self-seeded freely but I recently noted that some of the so-called "double-petaled" varieties have also done so.

This is 'Double Moonglow'.  The nice thing about the double-petaled varieties is that they don't close in low light, making them useful subjects for floral arrangements.

Top: Recent acquisitions 'DarkViolet & White' and '4D Pink'
Middle: '4D Silver', 'Violet Ice', and 'Purple Spoon'
Bottom: self-seeded single-petaled plants in purple, pink, and lavender

Here are some of the other plants putting on a particularly good show:

Arctotis is another genus of African daisies.  From top to bottom are 'Large Marge', Pink Sugar', and 'Opera Pink'.

Argyranthemum (aka Marguerite daisies): 'Pink Comet', 'White Butterfly' and 'Yellow Butterfly'

The flowers on my tree Ceanothus on the back slope, featured last month, faded quickly in response to warm temperatures but those on this noID Ceanothus hedge, inherited with the garden, have been blooming non-stop since January

Cercis occidentalis (aka western redbud) is doing well despite the heavy pruning I did in late fall

Cistus x skanbergii scatters its delicate pink blooms every time the wind blows but the flowers keep coming

This month, Coleonema album (aka white breath of heaven, left) joined its pink-flowered cousin, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', in bloom.  While, like the pink version, the foliage of the white-flowered variety has a pleasant scent, I find the smell of its flowers slightly unpleasant.

Accurately capturing the periwinkle color of Felicia aethiopica 'Tight & Tidy' in photos is always a challenge

Lavandula stoechas in the front and back garden.  The plant on the right was self-seeded.

Sometimes disparaged as a common plant, I find Limonium perezii (aka sea lavender) is an attractive addition to the landscape (although the old foliage should be cut back at least annually)

Maybe I should have called March "daisy season."  This is Pyrethropsis hosmariense (syn Rhodanthemum hosmariense, aka Moroccan daisy).

Of course, my ever-dependable large-flowered Grevilleas are still doing their part.

Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' (left) and 'Superb' (right)

As always, there are a few surprises worthy of note.

I acquired this plant by mail order in January 2012, labeled simply "Abelia species."  The grower no longer shows it even among its discontinued offerings and I've yet to find a more precise ID for it.  The leaves aren't glossy like the Abelias commonly sold here and its flower color distinguishes it from others I've seen, like 'Edward Goucher'.  My most recent search turned up Linnaea uniflora 'Bumblebee' but the leaf size doesn't look right.  It flowers routinely this time of year on my difficult back slope.

My best guess is that this is the white form of Ageratum houstonianum, which to my recollection I've never planted.  It popped up for the first time this year in a backyard border.

This Dombeya burgessiae is a passalong plant I received from Denise of A Growing Obsession last fall.  I didn't expect to see it bloom this soon after getting its roots in the ground.

I hadn't planned to include any bulb blooms in this post but this species tulip, Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane', produced its first 3 blooms the day I published my Friday post.  The following day, there were 11 blooms.  They'll be gone long before the the next Bloom Day post in April so here you are.

A few prominent plants are poised to conclude their annual bloom cycles within the next couple of weeks.

Those preparing for near-term departures include: Aeonium arboreum, Aristea inaequalis, and Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection'.  The Camellia in particular was hit hard by our yo-yo weather conditions.  In January the shrub had more buds than I'd ever seen but, in response to constant bouts with wind and warmer temperatures, it dropped dozens and dozens of buds, as well as perhaps a quarter of its leaves.  The bloom shown on the right is one of the few that haven't fallen while still in bud.

I'll close as usual with the best of the rest, organized by color into collages.

Top: noID pink Alstroemeria, Centranthus ruber, and Hebe 'Wiri Blush'
Middle: Cuphea 'Honeybells' and C. 'Starfire Pink'
Bottom: Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' and noID orchid 

Top: Pelargonium cucculatum, dark pink P. peltatum, and P. 'Pink Blizzard'
Bottom: noID peach tree blooms, noID rose, and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink'

Top: Geranium incanum (a weed), G. 'Tiny Monster', and Lavandula multifida
Middle: lavender Pelargonium peltatum, Polygala fruticosa, and Salvia 'Bee's Bliss'
Bottom: Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Deep Blue', Trichostema 'Midnight Magic', and Viola 'Penny Peach'

Top: Auranticarpa rhombifolium, Centranthus ruber 'Albus', and Leucanthemum paludosum
Middle: Crassula multicava 'Red' and C. orbiculata var rosularis
Bottom: white Pelargonium peltatum, P. 'White Lady', and Philotheca myoporoides 'Profusion'

Top: Euphorbia rigida, Gazania 'Gold Flame', and Grevillea 'Moonlight'
Middle: Lantana 'Lucky Yellow', noID Nemesia, and self-seeded Nigella orientalis
Bottom: Oncostele 'Wildcat', Phlomis fruticosa, and Phylica pubescens

Top: Aloe striata, Alstromeria 'Indian Summer', and Antirrhinum majus 'Chantilly Bronze'
Middle: Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' Gasteria 'Kyaka', and Lantana 'Irene'
Bottom: Lobelia laxiflora, Pelargonium 'Tweedle Dee', and Salvia africana-lutea

Top: Calliandra haematocephala, Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset', and Pelargonium sidiodes
Middle: Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' and noID dwarf Cymbidium
Bottom: Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', G. lavandulacea 'Penola', and G. 'Scarlet Sprite'

For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom day posts, check in with Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

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