In a Vase on Monday: The new arrivals

Two of my long-awaited dahlias finally bloomed last week.  Although the supply of dahlias available for cutting is still very small, there was no question about what I'd use in my vases this week.  The only issue was what I had available to pair with them.

Dahlia 'Sellwood Glory', front and center here, was the first to produce buds and the first to bloom in my cutting garden.  It was described as purple but it reads on the pink end of the purple spectrum rather than the blue end, which made it harder for me to find suitable companions.

Back view: Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy' is trying to steal the show in this vase I think.  The plant literally blooms year-round but I'm not sure I've used it much, if at all, this year so it may be making up for lost time.

Top view: Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', selected as a filler, shows up best in this overhead view 

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Sellwood Glory', Cosmos bipinnatus, Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Pelargonium peltatum in burgundy and lavender, and Pentas lanceolata

'Sellwood Glory' (which always sounds to me like it should be the name of a thoroughbred race horse) beat out 'Mr Optimist' by less than a day.  Finding a companion for 'Mr Optimist' was easier as my first gladiolas arrived on its heels.

'Mr Optimist' was meant to be the star of this arrangement but Gladiolus 'Green Star' may be eclipsing it 

Back view: I'm disappointed by this view.  The small red Penstemon stems can't hold their own here.  I probably should have added another gladiola stem or maybe more Coreopsis.

Top view: I was pleased with how well the foliage of Coprosma 'Plum Hussey' balanced the gladiolas, however

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Mr Optimist', Coreopsis 'Redshift', Gladiolus 'Green Star', Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', and Penstemon mexicali 'Mini-Bells Red'

Last week's vases held up well.  I tossed the contents of last week's first vase on Sunday but the second vase consisting primarily of foliage looks almost as fresh as it did last Sunday so it moved to the kitchen island.

The two new vases took pride of place in the front entry and dining room table respectively.

Six more dahlias have buds, including a second 'Mr Optimist'.  Seven other dahlias sprouted and continue to grow but have yet to produce buds.  Yesterday afternoon, I noticed that one of the purple gladiolas was blooming and that a few of my seed-grown zinnias have produced flowers.  While things in my cutting garden are looking up, I'd say it's still running a month or more behind last year's garden.  Cooler summer conditions may be a factor but most of the delay lays squarely on my shoulders.  I planted most of my dahlia tubers between late April and early May this year instead of early March.  I sowed zinnia seeds even later, and I've pinched back both the developing dahlias and zinnias on a more routine basis than I've done in the past.  Hopefully, I've just pushed my peak flower season forward rather than reducing its duration but we'll see.

To see more vases created from materials contributors have on hand in their own gardens, visit Cathy in Rambling in the Garden.

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

Bloom Day and a Bouquet - August 2016

After a rough start to the summer with June's horrific heatwave, we've had comparatively mild weather.  The morning marine layer has kept temperatures below 85F most days, although the heat was back on this past weekend.  There's been no rain of course, but the local water district has reduced the restrictions on water use and, as I already had a significant credit in my water budget, I've been watering the garden more.  Although it's made a visible difference, floral color is still limited.

The daylilies are done and the few remaining Agapanthus blooms are looking worn.  Many of the other plants I featured in July's Bloom Day post are still flowering, albeit less effusively.  But there are a few new entrants to the line up.

Front and center here are 3 Gomphrena 'Pinball Snow-tip Lavender', one of my latest acquisitions

Polygala myrtifolia 'Mariposa' has finally got its bloom on

Stachys 'Lilac Falls', a Stachys-Lamium hybrid, has been blooming for a while but it's finally spread enough to make an impression (shown here surrounding a flower-less Erigeron 'Wayne Roderick')

Impressed by the success Amy of A Small, Sunny Garden has had growing Catharanthus roseus in desert conditions, I gave the humble vinca another look.  This is a new-to-me hybrid form, Catharanthus 'Soiree Ka*wa*i*i'.

Coreopsis 'Desert Jewel' and C. 'Redshift' have just begun their annual bloom cycle

All the ornamental grasses seem to be in bloom but I'm letting Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum', the biggest of the bunch, stand up for all of them

The blooms of Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus) that featured prominently in last month's post have faded; however, the plugs I planted in spring are finally producing buds so it appears I'll get another round of blooms on a smaller scale.

Blue, ivory and pink forms of Eustoma grandiflorum

I'm giving the uptick in irrigation credit for producing another small flush of blooms from various plants, including several of my roses.

From left to right are a noID rose (possibly 'Angel Face'), 'Buttercream', 'California Dreamin', and 'Ebb Tide'.  'Pink Meidiland' and 'Joseph's Coat' have also produced sporadic blooms.

Other surprise blooms have come from, top row: Angelonia angustifolia, Bauhinia x blakeana, and Bulbine frutescens
Middle row: Centranthus ruber, Cistus x skanbergii, and Lobelia valida
Bottom row: Osteospermum 'Berry White', Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom', and Pentas 'Nova'

The best surprise was finding a large number of blossoms on the lemon tree at the bottom of the slope.  This tree had borne fruit continuously since we moved in 5 years ago, only to drop the majority of the spring crop almost overnight in response to the June heatwave.  The fruit that didn't drop rotted in place until we removed it.  I've been hand-watering the tree regularly ever since  but was surprised to see it already setting new fruit.

My most dependable shrubs, perennials and ground covers have kept plugging away.

The Grevilleas keep on giving.  Clockwise from the left, are blooms of Grevillea 'Pink Midget', G. alpina x rosmarinifolia, G. 'Ned Kelly', G. 'Peaches & Cream', and G. 'Superb'.

Other shrubs and perennials with extended bloom seasons include, clockwise from the left: Abelia x grandiflora, Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Achillea 'Moonshine', Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', and Pelargonium peltatum.  The last has turned itself into a climber.

Lantana 'Samantha' and Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach' are very slowly providing ground cover along the back patio

Gazanias continue to be my go-to ground cover for hot, dry areas

Other notable flowering ground covers include: Convolvulus sabatius 'Moroccan Beauty' and Brachyscome 'Enduring Blue' (top), Phyla nodiflora (aka Lippia, bottom left), and Thymus serpyllum 'Minus' (bottom, right)

And here are a few more that deserve honorable mentions for sticking out the heat of summer:

Clockwise from upper left: Duranta erecta 'Sapphire Showers', Alstroemeria 'Claire', Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' (which had a spectacular show of blooms just 2 weeks ago), Nierembergia caerulea, Salvia 'Mystic Spires' and Russelia equisetiformis 'Flamingo Park'

That's it for my Bloom Day selections.  It's an impressive show for August, at least from my perspective.  Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, our Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day host, for more delicious Bloom Day posts.

As it's Monday, a time some of us also celebrate "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden, I also have a floral bouquet to share.  Visit Cathy to see more.

Anticipating that the current heatwave will quickly put an end to my rose blooms, I cut several 'Buttercream' roses, some Coreopsis 'Redshift', 'Achillea 'Moonshine', and Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', combining these with foliage of Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' and Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'.  The photo on the left shows the arrangement from above and the photo on the right shows it in place on our dining room table.

All material © 2012-2016 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