In a Vase on Monday: The Lisianthus step up

It's considerably harder to determine what to use to fill a vase now that the summer bloomers are, for all practical purposes, gone.  A few new flowers have emerged here and there but they don't send the siren's calls that dahlias do.  However, the bush violets, Barleria obtusa, have just gotten started and I can't ignore their blue flowers.  While these plants flower abundantly, the stems are best used as accents and fillers so the remaining question concerned what I could use as a focal point.  Luckily, a small number of Lisianthus (officially classified as Eustoma grandiflorum) provided the answer.

I cut stems of just about every blue flower I have to fill the vase but I had just one stem of a pure white Lisianthus

Back view: The bush violets flower profusely but their delicate blooms also drop continuously.  Fortunately, buds continue to open as others fall.

Top view: The butterfly-like flowers of Rotheca 'Ugandense' (formerly classified as Clerodendrum ugandense) are as prone to dropping as those of the bush violets but less profuse, yet I included them too

Clockwise from the upper left: Barleria obtusa, berries of Billardiera heterophylla (formerly Sollya heterophylla), foliage of Centaurea 'Silver Feather', Eustoma grandiflorum, Lavandula multifida, and Rotheca myricoides 'Ugandense'

I'd originally planned to use stems of the green Lisianthus in my back garden with the bush violets but, when I saw the pristine white variety in the front garden, I went with it.  Still, I'm very fond of the green variety (which I've used as wallpaper on my mobile phone) so I wanted to take advantage of them while they're fresh.  I cobbled together a second arrangement featuring two of those stems.

I used stems of Correa glabra, a green-flowered Australian fuchsia, to echo the pale yellow-green color of the Lisianthus.  The Correa's flowers are sparse but the plant seems to produce slightly more flowers with each passing year.  The vase is a smaller version of the green porcelain vase I've often used this year. 

Back view:  I used 2 stems of Coleus 'Chili Pepper' to spice things up a bit (pun intended)

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Coleus 'Flame Thrower Chili Pepper', Correa glabra 'Coliban River', Eustoma grandiflorum, and Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata'

All but one of my dahlias, the 'Caproz Pizzazz' that produced a single bud, are now gone.  While preparing to remove 'Lady Darlene', I realized I had two more zinnias growing nearby in the corner of the same raised planter.  I plopped two of the flowers into the small vase on our kitchen island, accompanied by some of the leftovers from the vase that contained the last of 'Lady Darlene's' flowers last week.

Single stems of Zinnia elegans (probably 'Senorita' and 'Benary's Giant Coral') accompany stems of Leucadendrons 'Blush' and 'Jester'

The marine layer has brought down temperatures again over the last few days but weather forecasters are predicting yet another mid-week uptick.  Meanwhile, there's no rain in sight as we bore ahead into November.

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

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

Bloom Day - December 2024 (Early Edition)

For the record, I'm two days ahead of schedule for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted on the 15th of each month by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.  This month the outlook in my garden is very pink.

My Camellia sasanqua came with the garden and I had no IDs for the the 2 cultivars I inherited.  An Instagram commentator suggested a name for this one, which sent me down a rabbit hole.  While the ID that was offered didn't fit based on the specifications I found online, I determined that this one might be 'October Magic Rose'. 

I also think the other 2 Camellia sasanqua could be 'Early Wonder'

Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre' lagged behind my other Australian fuchsias but it's blooming heavily now

Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' usually blooms lightly during the fall and more heavily in spring but the 2 tall shrubs are putting on a pretty good show this month

The bracts of Leucospermum salignum 'Blush' are doing a good job of mimicking flowers

I had to use a telescope setting on my camera to capture a photo of the flowers of Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree), all of which can only be found in the upper reaches of its branches

Here are some more pink flowers:
Top row - Argyranthemum 'Aramis Apricot', Cuphea 'Honeybells', and Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy'
Middle - Medinilla myriantha, Pelargonium hortorum, and P. 'Little Pink Splash'
Bottom - Pentas lanceolata, Persicaria capitata, and Protea neriifolia 'Claire'

There were several standouts in the garden that weren't pink.

Aloe vanbalenii x ferox is finally letting its color show

I wasn't able to get the rust-resistant snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) I prefer this year but I picked up a dozen mixed plugs in November when it came time to prepare my cool-season cutting garden 

I found some lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) at my local garden center in November too and scooped up 8 plants, just now getting their bloom on

Meanwhile, Senna bicapsularis is still flaunting cheerful flowers in December

As usual, there were a few blooms I hadn't anticipated.

Haemanthus albiflos (aka paint brush lily), which I often don't catch in flower until it's already bloomed out 

Two daylilies flowering off-season: Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake' on the left and a paler than normal H. 'Persian Market' on the right

Mahonia x media 'Charity' didn't flower at all last year for some reason

This is an unusual shrub I picked up somewhere years ago, Ruscus hypoglossum (aka butcher's broom).  It produces tiny flowers in the middle of its leaves.  It creeps out some people who feel the flowers look like insects but I think it's interesting.

I've once again dumped my other floral photos into color-coded collages.

Top row - Barleria obtusa, Evolvulus glomeratus, and Felicia aethiopica
Middle - Lavandula multifida, Osteospermum '3D Silver', and O. 'Violet Ice'
Bottom - Pelargornium peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard', Polygala myrtifolia, and Vitex trifolia

Clockwise from upper left: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest', noID Cyclamen, Correa 'Ivory Bells', Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', and noID Impatiens 

Clockwise from upper left: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Cuphea 'Vermillionaire, Faucaria tuberculosa, Grevillea 'Superb', Nasturtium 'Alaska', Senecio amaniensis, and Tagetes lemmonii

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Anthurium, Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Metrosideros collina 'Springfire', Pelargonium peltatum, and Primula vulgaris

The holiday season is speeding forward, leaving my head spinning.  Best wishes to all!  For other GBBD posts, check in with Carol at May Dreams Gardens on December 15th.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: New blooms and old

We're expecting unseasonably warm temperatures early this week and I allowed that to be an excuse for cutting my first Hippeastrum bloom on Sunday for today's vase.  I went overboard and purchased nine new Hippeastrum bulbs this year, all of which I potted up.  One, 'Apricot Parfait', was already sprouting when it arrived, whereas none of the others have done so yet even after being planted.

A second bloom stalk has developed, making me feel less guilty about cutting the first one

Back view: I found a few other flowers with colors that picked up on the salmon-pink color of the Hippeastrum (commonly known as Amaryllis)

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre', Leucadendron 'Jester', Hippeastrum 'Apricot Parfait', and Metrosideros collina 'Springfire'

The second, smaller arrangement was inspired by a lone Lisianthus flower lying face down in one of my backyard borders.

I was disappointed by the Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) this year so I was surprised to see one pop up when I least expected to see any.  The bush violets (Barleria obtusa) are fading fast so it was a match I couldn't resist.

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Correa 'Ivory Bells', Osteospermum 'Violet Ice', Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', Barleria obtusa', and Eustoma grandiflorum

It's still very dry here.  While the Pacific Northwest is expecting an atmospheric river to bring heavy rain this week, none of that's likely to reach us in Southern California.  In fact, there's no rain showing in the ten-day forecast and the last long-term forecast I read suggested that rain is more likely in late December or January.  I don't mind a delay but I wish I could be more certain that the rain will get here eventually.

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Going but not gone

Neither my dahlias nor my zinnias are going to last much longer.  In its current state, I figure that my cutting garden may have one more week of flowers to offer -  barring another heatwave, further plumbing issues, or an earthquake.  Actually, thanks to my husband's efforts, the irrigation system seems to be working like new which I suppose shouldn't be a surprise as we now have new pipes, new valves, and a dozen or more new sprinklers.  We got a little rain last week too, most of it in the form of two brief cloudbursts.  Unfortunately, that didn't help the mildew problem.  On the other hand, my additional raccoon deterrents have kept the little demons (mostly) at bay.

After last week's bounty, Dahlia 'Fairway Spur' produced a single new bloom this week.  Given several weeks, it might produce another flush of flowers but, this late in the season, that's not a given so I'll probably dig up those tubers and hope that, with an earlier start next year, I'll get more flowers from them.

Dahlia 'Summer's End' hasn't produced a profusion of flowers at any one time but it's steadily offered a bloom to two more weeks than not.  The ripening berries of a noID Cotoneaster that planted itself in my garden several years ago helped to tie the colors of the 2 dahlias together.

Back view: The flowers of Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' fit the blend too

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left:  Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' (stems left over from last week), Zinnia elegans 'Queen Red Lime', noID Cotoneaster, Dahlia 'Fairway Spur', D. 'Summer's End', and Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream'

 

I haven't made much use of Zinnia 'Carmine Rose' this year.  I love the flowers but I could never seem to find much to pair with them so this week, before I lose the rest to mildew, I decided to make them the centerpiece of their own vase.

Australian fuchsia, Correa 'Wyn's Wonder', complemented the Zinnias well.  I threw in a couple of stems of Angelonia to lighten up the arrangement a bit.

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left:  Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', noID Angelonia, Correa 'Wyn's Wonder', Grevillea 'Superb', Leptospermum 'Copper's Glow', and Zinnia elegans 'Carmine Rose'

 

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

 

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

In a Vase on Monday: The usual suspects

Pickings in my garden are still sparse as Mother Nature insists on following her own schedule, regardless of my efforts to hurry her along.  Every January I find myself clipping the same flowers - and flower substitutes - to fill a vase and this year is no different, although I did throw in one element this week in an effort to elevate my first arrangement.

A rosette of succulent Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' was added as an afterthought and positioned front and center

Grevillea and Leucadendron stems dominate the back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre', Leucadendron 'Summer Red', Graptoveria 'Fred Ives', and Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream'

As I stripped the house of most of its Christmas finery over the weekend, I wanted a second arrangement to add color to the front entry.  We got a healthy amount of rain here last week and, although we're drying out now, it's remained cold (by our standards).  I chose a yellow and white color palette in an effort to create the illusion of warmth.

Short stems required a squat vase

Back view: Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' is one of the few "flowers" (actually colorful bracts) in ample supply this month

Top view: Narcissi are making their first appearance of the season

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum frutescens 'White Butterfly' and 'Yellow Butterfly' (aka Marguerite daisies),  Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', 2 noID Narcissi, Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Phlomis fruticosa (aka Jerusalem sage)

Last week's rain was welcome, although it looks as though at least a few of my smaller succulents drowned (!) despite my sandy soil.  There's no real chance of any more rain in the next 10-day forecast, giving us a chance to dry out.  Meanwhile, the local mountains are flaunting lots of snow.

This is a view of the San Gabriel Mountains east of us from our back garden.  The tallest peak in the range, Mount Baldy, rises over 10,000 feet (3069 meters) above sea level.

The mountains are approximately 70 miles away, a 90-minute drive on a good day (probably existing only in the imagination of someone promoting ski resorts)

The Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California, which are more important to the state's water supply, got even more snow.  Unfortunately, my sister-in-law and her husband have been snowed in without power for the past week in Nevada County in the northeast part of the state.  They've been told their power might be back tonight.  Despite our unusually cold and wet December, California is still considered to be in a persistent state of drought.  Current projections suggest we're heading into another extended warm, dry period during what's supposed to be our rainy season.

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

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