Almost Forgotten February Favorites

On the last Friday of the month, Loree of danger garden presents the plants currently garnering her favor and invites other bloggers to give a shout out about theirs as well.  I usually join in but yesterday I completely blanked out on the fact that February was rapidly drawing to a close, so this morning I zipped around my garden giving it a once-over and snapping some photos.

Here's a quick run through of this month's stand-outs:

My unequivocal favorite this month is Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola'.  I have 2 of these large shrubs, as you can see in the photo on the left.  One shrub was tied to the fence and has been pruned to allow passage along the narrow stairway that leads down the back slope.  The other was given much more room to spread out but, with all the rain we've had this season (over 24 inches since October 1st!), it's leaning and I'm not sure what to do about that.  At a minimum, I'll probably brace it so it doesn't fall over any further and topple down the slope.  The photo on the right gives you a good sense of how dense the flower clusters are on this plant.

The humble Calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) have started to bloom in earnest on the back slope.  I started to count the number of plants down there but gave that up when I reached 4 dozen - I suspect there are well over 6 dozen plants just in that area.  They're even coming up in an area I was using as an informal compost pile.  There were a lot of these plants last year, even dry as that winter was, but nothing like the number there are this year.  Who knew they spread like weeds?  They disappear when the temperatures soar but return with the winter rains.  I didn't plant any of these - they came with the house.

All the Osteospermum love the cooler temperatures this time of year and they appear to appreciate the rain too.  However, this group of 3 Osteospermum '4D Silver' grab my attention at every pass through the back garden.  Alstroemeria are growing up around and through these plants so things may get crowded in the coming weeks when those flowers start to bloom in earnest.

Front and center is Echium handiense 'Pride of Fuerteventura', purchased at my local botanic garden (the only place I've ever found it).  Planted this fall, it's now sporting its first blooms.  This is a dwarf Echium I've grown before and lost after a couple of years in a drier part of my garden.  This spot is more well-irrigated so I'm hoping the plant has a longer lifespan here (not that I've used any irrigation since early December).  One in a neighbor's front garden is doing spectacularly well so I'm hopeful.  Also, note the plant to the right of the Echium.  I believe this is Aristea inequalis, something I planted in 2014.  There are bloom stalks on it now for the very first time!

Limonium perezii is a very common plant here in SoCal but it's another one that grabs my attention every time I walk by.  It holds up well to both heat and drought but it's looking especially good after all our rain.  The foliage can get ratty after a few years but it's easily and inexpensively replanted from plugs.  The flowers dry well and can be used effectively in arrangements.

Corokia x virgata 'Sunsplash' is one of my more unusual shrubs.  Its stems twist and turn, giving it an airy quality and I love its variegated foliage.  This plant is doing well in the front border although another one, planted only 10 feet or so away, isn't nearly as happy.

And then there are the bulbs.

The gold Freesias, shown on the left, were the first to bloom but the pink, red, blue and yellow varieties are slowly making an appearance.  None of the white ones have bloomed yet, though.  These South African bulbs are the easiest ones to grow in my garden.

Ranunculus asiaticus normally struggle in my garden, probably because I don't give them as much water as they want.  That hasn't been much of an issue this year due to the rain; however, I also planted them in the raised beds in my vegetable (now cutting) garden, where I could give them more attention.  They make excellent cut flowers.

Finally, here's a fuzzy photo of Ferraria crispa, also known as Spider Iris, another South African bulb.  You can see a better photo of it here.  Planted just a couple of months ago, I didn't expect to see any blooms on it this year but this plant surprised me by producing 2 flowers this far.  They don't last long but they're interesting.  I haven't had a chance to get close and smell them - they're reputed to have an odor that some people hate but others appreciate.

That's my quick February favorite wrap-up.  Visit Loree at danger garden to see the stalwart plants that are warming her heart after a particularly nasty winter in the Pacific Northwest.


All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Foliage Follow-up - Highlights of my Garden Stroll

With what's reputed to be the most powerful storm of the season to hit Los Angeles in the offing, I took a spin through the garden to see if there were any tasks I should take care of before it arrived.  In the process, I took photos of whatever foliage caught my fancy for this month's Foliage Follow-up post, hosted by Pam at Digging.

I started on my neglected back slope, an area easily overlooked because it's largely invisible.  Accessible only by a narrow (and steep) stairway of  concrete blocks hidden behind a hedge, it's easy to ignore and, since the area was severely impacted by a horrific heatwave on the first day of summer last year, spending time down there has been more of a chore than a joy.  Cooler temperatures and the winter rains have done more than my poor ministrations to improve its appearance and there are now quite a few things to smile about.

The Agave attenuata I planted 2 or 3 years ago looked awful this past summer but they're looking great now.  One has even produced 2 pups (not visible in this photo).  The Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' and Pelargonium 'White Lady' I planted have spread nicely.  The noID Iris germanica I moved from elsewhere in the garden look better than any of the Iris I have in the more carefully-tended areas of my garden.  Only the Carpenteria californica here (upper right) still looks terrible.  I pruned it in the hope of giving it a fuller, more pleasing shape.

The lemon tree was badly impacted by June's heatwave, dropping two-thirds of its fruit virtually overnight.  The rest rotted in place until I removed it.  It recovered well with extra watering through the remainder of the summer and the rains have also given it a boost.  It's loaded with immature fruit now.  Below it are some plants I inherited (Zantedeschia aethiopica, which die back each summer but return with our winter rains), others that moved in on their own (Centranthus ruber), and some I planted (Seslaria 'Greenlee's Hybrid' and Stachys byzantina).

Beyond the lemon tree, closer to the property line, there are more Calla lilies, some just beginning to flower; more self-planted Centranthus; a Romneya coulteri (aka Matilija poppy) I planted last year (upper left), which is fleshing out nicely after the haircut I gave it several weeks ago; and lots of California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) seedlings.  I bemoaned my inability to grow California poppies in a post a month or two ago but the rains have finally germinated some of the seeds I spread in this area so I may get a crop after all.  The raccoons like to dig here so  production is still lower than I'd like but it's a start.

Other foliage highlights on the slope include the almost florescent green moss I've shown before (which I guess isn't really foliage but I hope you'll humor me); an artichoke, which also dies down to the ground in summer but returns annually during our rainy season; and a close-up of some of my lovely poppy seedlings

Heading back up the stairs from the bottom of the slope brings me to my dry garden.  Just a couple of things grabbed my attention there.

Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', the first one I planted and still the largest and most robust, now about 5 feet tall

Two of my many succulent pots.  The one on the left with Agave titanota 'White Ice' as its centerpiece was recently spruced up with the addition of Graptoveria 'Fred Ives'.  The one on the right is newly planted with Sansevieria parva and noID succulents that appear to be some form of variegated Kalanchoe.

The front garden contains a lot of foliage plants but most of them have received plenty of attention in prior foliage posts.  However, two vignettes drew my attention on my pass through.

Phormium 'Maori Queen' enveloped by Euphorbia characias 'Black Pearl' 

The same Phormium viewed from the other side of the bed with Corokia x virgata 'Sunsplash' to the left

Moving down the dirt path that runs parallel to the street behind a Xylosma hedge to an area below the main section of the front garden, I spent a good half hour pulling seedlings of yet another of my hedges, which consists of Prunus laurocerasus (not shown).  While doing this I discovered a mystery vine, which has clearly sprouted and been encouraged to spread by all the rain we've received this season.

I wondered if it could be a passionflower vine but the way it's spreading (as shown on the right scrambling up the oleanders that run the length of my neighbor's driveway), I fear it could be a morning glory.  In my former garden, I learned the hard way how difficult it is to manage a morning glory growing in the ground.  Any guesses?  The leaves are smooth, not pleated.

Back up on the main level of the garden in the backyard, the Xylosma congestum hedge is still the most compelling foliage feature but I already gave that its due in last week's Wednesday Vignette (which you can see here).  However, there were a few more foliage plants that drew my eye.

Leucadendron 'Jester' with Melianthus major, which a cut back to the ground a few weeks ago

A noID succulent (perhaps a Crassula?) in a deep red color

Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star', which looks best growing up through another plant (like Ageratum corymbosum here), which hides its bare legs

That's it for my foliage highlights this month.  Visit Pam at Digging for more.


All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

My favorite plant this week doesn't photograph well

My favorite plant this week is Corokia x virgata 'Sunsplash', an evergreen shrub originating from New Zealand.  I picked it up last fall and put it in the front garden.  I wish I'd bought more.  I also wish I'd underplanted it with something that played up its wonderful variegated foliage.

Corokia x virgata 'Sunsplash' in situ in my front garden

The problem with capturing its beauty in a photograph is probably mostly the fault of the photographer.  You can't see the shrub's twisty silver-gray stems well in the photograph shown above, although they're readily visible in person.  The plant's shadow may give you a better idea of its shape.

My plant is still relatively small, about 2 feet (61 cm) tall but, in time it may grow more than twice that height and up to 3 feet (1 meter) wide.  It's drought tolerant but it can take regular water as well which will be an advantage if El Niño brings heavy rains to California this winter as more and more forecasters are predicting.

In addition to the lovely contorted silver gray stems, the plant's small leaves are prettily variegated in shades of green, yellow, and pink that play off the Phormium 'Maori Queen' I've placed nearby.  I surrounded the shrub with silver groundcovers but I'm going to look for other plants that will help bring out the colors of the leaves rather than the stems.

The mulch isn't doing anything to bring out the color of the leaves

Loree at danger garden does a better job than I do in photographing her favorite plants.  Check today's post to find her July favorites wrap-up.  Click here if you want a look at my favorite from last week, Campanula primulifolia.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party