Bloom Day - August 2020

Until this week, I'd been exclaiming over what a comfortable summer we've been enjoying in my area of coastal Southern California.  This week, the thermostat has been turned up and each day has been getting more toasty.  Forecasters say this heatwave is going to be with us for awhile.  With the heat on, I've confined my garden activity to early morning rounds delivering extra water to bolster sensitive plants - and taking photos for this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post.

I'll start with this month's star performers.

This is Amaryllis belladonna, also called the naked lady because the flowers bloom well after the foliage has died back.  Tammy of Casa Mariposa kindly sent me a couple dozen of these bulbs back in 2015 after she decided they weren't a good fit in her Virginia garden.  They're having their best year ever here.

This is a white Amaryllis belladonna from the same shipment.  They're somewhat more unusual it seems.

I got yet another flush of flowers from Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' this month.  As soon as the heat turned up this week, they started fading from this lovely peachy-pink to dusty beige.

This is Crassula pubescens.  It flowers later than the yellow-flowered variety with smaller leaves but it has almost as much impact in my succulent beds.  I've discovered that the flower stems are great in arrangements too.

Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' just keeps on flowering

Ditto for Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun'

This combination of orange and yellow Lantana has been blooming buoyantly for a good month

One border in my back garden is dominated by this variegated Lantana 'Samantha'

Symphyotrichum chilense, aka California aster, is something of an out-of-control monster, but it's pretty even so

I've come to love this hybrid of California's native woolly blue curls, Trichostema 'Midnight Magic'

Last year, Dahlias were the headliners of my August post but this year they're only just getting started.  This is entirely my fault, as I planted my tubers a good six weeks later on average than I did last year.  I'm including the few blooms I have thus far with the other recent arrivals.

The first and second Dahlias to bloom were 'Sellwood Glory' (left) and 'Mr Optimist' (right)

Dahlias 'Enchantress' (left) and 'Labyrinth' (right) didn't quite make full bloom status in time for their Bloom Day portraits yesterday but I expect they'll be in full flower later today

Most of my Agapanthus are early summer bloomers.  I added five bulbs of Agapanthus 'Stevie's Wonder' last year and two of those produced their first blooms this month.  The flowers are a deeper blue than any of those I inherited with the garden.

I didn't get around to sowing any Cosmos seeds until July but I bought a six-pack of white Cosmos bipinnatus to provide a supply of those blooms as the seedlings grow

I saw this plant out of the corner of my eye on my last trip to the garden center and found I couldn't leave without it.  This is Cuphea ramossima 'Pink Shimmer'.  The flowers are truly tiny.

I planted Gladiolus in my cutting garden this year after finding the corms on a last-chance sale.  These are 'Green Star' (left) and 'Vuvuzela' (right).

I've killed Grevillea 'Moonlight' twice before.  This one, planted in early March, seems happy.

Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara' was purchased by mail order in July

Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' came with the garden.  It's starting its summer/fall bloom phase.

I planted several packs of Zinnia plugs in July to provide a quick splash of color on the south end of my garden but the seed-sown plants in my cutting garden are finally starting to bloom too.  The large photo in this collage features Zinnia elegans 'Queen Lime Blush'.

I had a few surprises too, which deserve special notice.

I fell in love with Coreopsis 'Redshift' in 2012 and planted several in various areas of the garden.  This plant in the back border is the only one that survived.

This unnamed Crocosmia popped up, seemingly out of nowhere, belatedly reminding me that I'd planted a dozen bulbs a few years ago.  This is the first to ever make an appearance.

I planted  a huge bulb of Drimia maritima, aka sea squill, on our back slope last year.  The foliage died down in March and it's producing its first bloom spike now.  The bloom hasn't flushed out yet and I hope I don't miss it when it does.  Although I've never discovered their nest, there are fire ants down there and, when I checked on the Drimia earlier this week, I got stung (again).  I suited up in protective gear to get this photo yesterday morning.

As has become my practice, I'll close with the best of the rest, organized in collages by color.

Clockwise from upper left: Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Broderick', blue and lavender Eustoma grandiflorum, Plectranthus neochilus, Salvia canariensis var candidissima, and Salvia x jamensis 'Ignition Purple'

From the upper left: Pandorea jasminoides, Achillea ptarmica 'Peter Cottontail', Coriandrum sativum, Eustoma grandiflorum, Magnolia grandiflora, Mimulus bifidus, and Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum'

From the upper left: Achillea 'Moonshine', self-sown Gazania, noID Phalaenopsis, and Rudbeckia hirta 'Denver Daisy'

From the upper left: Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Superb', Hemerocallis 'Persian Market', Hesperaloe parviflora 'Brakelights', Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit', Lantana 'Irene', and Russelia 'Flamingo Park'

From the upper left: Leucadendron 'Summer Red', self-sown Amaranthus, Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Penstemon mexicali 'Mini-bells Red', and Pelargonium peltatum 'Burgundy'

Top row: Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', Bauhinia x blakeana, and Cuphea 'Starfire Pink'
Middle row: Eustoma grandiflorum, Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', and Fuchsia 'Old Berkeley'
Bottom row: Osteospermum 'Berry White', Rosa 'Pink Meidiland, and Scabiosa columbaria

For more blooms, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.  

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

My favorite plant this week: Coreopsis 'Redshift'

I'm attracted to plants with yellow flowers.  I've grown Coreopsis grandiflora with its prolific yellow flowers at periodic intervals but I was never really satisfied with it.  It needed regular dead-heading to look good and, in my garden, it was prone to powdery mildew.  I discovered the hybrid Coreopsis 'Redshift' in 2012 and it quickly became one of my favorite plants.  My original 3 plants are currently blooming their hearts out in the backyard border along the hedge that separates our property from the neighbor below us.  Five additional plants, added to the new backyard border we created as an extension of the small bed around our fountain in early spring, are just beginning to bloom.

Coreopsis 'Redshift' bordered by a hedge on one side and a mix of shrubs and perennials on the other side

My only complaint about the plant is that the blooms tend to face the rising sun, which means that the 3 original plants don't show their faces to greatest advantage, a problem I complained about last year.*

The same 3 plants photographed from the path along the hedge, looking back across the garden toward the house

C. 'Redshift' is part of the "Big Bang" series bred by hybridizer Darrell Probst, who crossed 8 species of Coreopsis to create 'Redshift' and the other plants in this series.   The plants are reportedly more winter-hardy than other varieties of Coreopsis and many, like 'Redshift' produce flowers with colors that vary with the temperature.  According to most descriptions, the flowers open in summer with pale yellow petals and a dark red disk surrounding a yellow button center.  Red streaks extend from the center along the petals of some flowers.  When temperatures cool in the fall, the flowers may turn entirely red.   In my own garden, the temperature fluctuations we experience in the fall, often punctuated by our worst heatwaves, seem to make flower color more unpredictable.

Photo taken earlier this week

Photograph taken for Bloom Day in August 2013

Photo taken in mid-September 2013, probably after an earlier shearing

The plants grow about 3 feet (1 meter) tall and 1.5-2 feet (46-61 cm) wide.  They require little in the way of maintenance and have no serious disease or insect problems, although the crown can rot in moist, poorly-drained soil.  With a late summer shearing, the plants will bloom through fall.  They need full sun.  They're heat tolerant and somewhat drought tolerant and they attract butterflies.

Predictions as to the plant's winter hardiness vary, with some sources stating that it can survive in USDA zone 4 but most claiming hardiness to zone 5.  I can make no personal testimonials on the subject as we don't get freezes here.  However, Allan Becker's discussion of the plant contains some interesting feedback from the breeder on both winter hardiness and how to produce sturdier stems and better flowering, which you can find here.    

Coreopsis 'Redshift' is my contribution to Loree's favorite plants post, which you can find at danger garden.  I'm sufficiently enthusiastic about the plant to be on the look out for other plants in the "Big Bang" series, most notably C. 'Cosmic Evolution' and 'Star Cluster.' 

*My references to the location of the rising sun relative to my garden have created confusion on the part of readers of earlier posts so I thought I'd attempt an explanation here.  Although I'm located on the West Coast and my backyard garden overlooks the Port of Los Angeles, the backyard actually faces roughly southeast.  I live on a peninsula which juts into the South Bay.  The ocean visible in some of my pictures is part of the bay, not the open ocean to the west.  If it wasn't always so hazy, you could see Long Beach stretching along the distant side of the bay. 

In a Vase on Monday: Watching and Waiting

I've been watching and waiting for my Coreopsis 'Redshift' to start its bloom cycle.  In my garden, these blooms take over as the blooms on the Agapanthus taper off.  I have a total of 8 of these perennial plants in the back yard, 5 of which I added in March of this year.  The buds began appearing a month or more ago but, at the time of my July Bloom Day post, only a few buds had opened.  A day or two after Bloom Day, the 3 original plants were covered in blooms, making them a suitable choice to use "In a Vase on Monday," the meme sponsored by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden.  As the Coreopsis are rather wispy, they needed a centerpiece with greater impact, which was provided by Helianthus annuus 'Valentine,' but the Coreopsis dictated the overall color scheme.

The bouquet includes:

• 2 stems of Amaranthus cruentus 'Hopi Red Dye'
• 5 stems of Coreopsis 'Big Bang Redshift'
• 1 stem of Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Goblin'
• 2 stems of Helianthus annuus 'Valentine'
• 3 stems of Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'
• 1 stem of Solenostemon scutellarioides 'Coleus Inky Fingers'

As the following picture shows, the color of the Coreopsis varies.  At the start of the bloom cycle in summer, the flowers open with butter yellow petals and a deep red halo around the center.  The red streaks at the center gradually radiate to the tips of the petals.  The flowers are temperature sensitive and, as the weather cools in the fall, the red color will dominate.

A fuzzy photo showing some of the color differences in the Coreopsis

I added the coleus at the last minute in an effort to lighten the heaviness created by the burgundy-colored annual Amaranthus.

While the daisy-like shape of the Gaillardia is similar to that of the tickseed and sunflower, the color was just a little off, so it ended up tucked into the back of the bouquet.

Other floral rejects - 2 stems of Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit,' 3 stems of Bulbine frutescens and a small piece of Coreopsis - ended up in a small vase consigned to the guest bathroom, where all my rejects seem to end up at present.

And the larger vase ended up in the front entry, as usual.

Go to Cathy's blog at Rambling in the Garden to see her creation this week. You'll also find links to photos of vases created by other participating gardeners.

Late Summer Bouquet

I recently discovered the Seasonal Bouquet Project courtesy of a post by Denise of A Growing Obsession.  The project involves weekly posts of bouquets created by 2 farmer/designers on opposite coasts using locally available materials.  They're very inventive constructions, using more than conventional flowers and foliage materials.  They've prompted me to think more creatively about what I use in a bouquet; however, this is not to say that my creation comes anywhere close to the inventiveness of those shown on their site.

I haven't even tried to put together a bouquet for a few weeks.  Our unusually cool summer turned wicked and it has become increasingly hot and humid.  I noticed that the few roses I have wither almost upon opening.  But pumped up by new floral images, I cut one rose in bud before it had a chance to wither and went looking for other materials to show it off.  Here's what I ended up with:

I used some of the same materials I've used in other bouquets but the mix is different and, this time, more dependent on foliage materials.  Here's what I included:

• Rosa 'Medallion'
• Coreopsis 'Redshift' (which has shifted back toward yellow as the days and nights have grown warmer)
• Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' and another variety that piggybacked its way into my garden with 'Arizona Sun'
• Leucadendron salignum 'Chief'
• Nandina domestica (no ID) berries and foliage
• Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' 

I've previously used Nandina flowers and, while I liked how they look in an arrangement, they shed continuously, dropping rice-like petals.  The Nandina berries hold up much better.

Here's another shot showing the rose fully opened:

Rose, Gaillardia, Coreopsis, Leucadendron, Nandina, Pennisetum

I probably won't post many bouquets as the summer heat wears on but, with those I do, I'm going to make more of an effort.  Now, if I can just keep the cats away from those tempting Pennisetum stems...

August 2013 Bloom Day

For this Bloom Day, I've classified my August blooms into 5 categories:

• Star Players - the flowering plants that are making the biggest impact in my southern California garden right now
• Marathon Runners - the long-blooming plants that keep on giving
• Splash & Dash Performers - the plants that make a big impact for a short period and then suddenly take a bow
• Come-Back Kids - the plants that made appearances earlier in the year and have come back for a repeat performance
• Probationary Players - the plants that may not make the next round of cuts 

Here are my current Star Players:

Aster novae-angliae 'Skyscraper', making the first of hopefully many annual appearances

Coreopsis 'Big Bang Redshift" showing her back to the stage

The same Coreopsis pointing her pretty face toward the sun

Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' with a mutant yellow side-kick

The Marathon Runners include:

Acanthus mollis (maybe 'Summer Beauty'), still putting out new spikes

Echinacea hybrid 'Sombrero Hot Coral', a good performer even when she's more pink than coral

Hebe 'Wiri Blush', not flashy but does her part in the garden 

Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver', a major performer in late winter willing to play a minor role for much of the rest of the year

Pentas 'Nova', a relatively new addition, now coming into her own

Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' brings his own fireworks from summer through fall

Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly', a bit player but she does her job

Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy', now a little ragged but still showing incredible stamina

Salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue', which doesn't take a good picture

Achillea 'Moonshine', which adds her glow to the garden repertory

Not pictured above is Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink' which blooms its heart out all year unless mercilessly cut back for its own good.


The Splash & Dash Performer of the month is:

No ID lily (possibly 'Stargazer'), which arrived with a bang in late July only to fade into obscurity before August Bloom Day

The Come-back Kids include:

Coleonema pulchelium 'Sunset Gold', an unexpected summer bloomer

Self-seeded Cuphea vienco in an unexpected return role (she apologizes for the poor head shot)

Another self-seeded Cuphea vienco, returning in a new white and lavender costume 

Hemerocallis 'Cordon Rouge', reblooming just as her publicist claimed she would

Eupatorium corymbosa, reprising his spring role in a low-key way

Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', returning in a walk-on part or understudying for a starring fall/winter role in the dry garden?

Plectranthus zuluensis, unexpected but welcome

Rose 'California Dreamin', a recent introduction to the garden

Rose (no ID), still a favorite even if her foliage is a bit rusty

The Probationary Performers include:

Globularia x indubia shows good-looking foliage but those blue eyeballs are hard to warm up to

Lisianthus, a pretty annual but she doesn't hold her own in the back border so she may not be invited back next year

Rose 'Buttercream' blooms heavily but always looks a little ragged and fades quickly

Please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, the host of the monthly Bloom Day event, for links to other gardeners' selections of blooming plants.