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

In a Vase on Monday: Picking flowers in the rain

It rained on Sunday morning.  If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know I get very excited about rain.  We get a lot less of it than many of you do, and rain in summer is particularly surprising.  I saw the forecast that said we had a 30% chance of precipitation but, unless I see predictions of 80% or higher, I don't put much stock in them so I was delighted.  Our rooftop weather system registered 0.07/inch, not a lot by any means but enough to fill my empty 50-gallon rain tank.  It drizzled as I rounded the garden picking flowers.  It was wonderful!  It provided a much nicer start to the day than walking out the back door straight into the path of a coyote as I did last Tuesday.

This week I had in mind exactly what I wanted to cut for today's vases and I actually stuck to my plan, more or less.  The flower-like bracts of the Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' in my back garden was the inspiration for my first vase.

There are actually two Leucadendron here.  The cones and bracts of 'Safari Sunset' on the right are larger than those of 'Devil's Blush' on the left but about the same color.

I was happier with this mix of plants when they were in the jar I used while collecting the stems than I am with the finished product shown here.  Do you ever have that experience?

Back view: I cut the glossy green foliage of the cherry laurels (Prunis ilicifolia) grown as a hedge along one property line as I felt I needed a sharp contrast with the deep red of the Leucadendron.  The cherry laurels are in the process of developing their fruit but it's still green.  Stems with red fruit would've made a nice color echo.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Ammi majus 'Dara', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', shaggy Leucanthemum x superbum, Prunus ilicifolia, and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink' 

My blue Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) are full of flowers at the moment but I was challenged to find something different to pair with them until I decided to cut stems of Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink'.  I'm not sure I've cut any of the latter this year even though I have ten of these shrubs in full bloom at the moment.  Hummingbirds and bees adore these shrubs.

It's hard to compete with Lisianthus but Monarda 'Peter's Purple' is giving it a good try.  This Monarda is the only one I've ever managed to grow in my garden.

Back view: The white Pandorea jasminoides (aka bower vine) was a last minute addition.  I had the stems arranged at the front of the vase at first but they didn't complement the Lisanthus as well as they do the Cuphea so I moved them to the back, where they look a little like the flounce on a skirt.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Eustoma grandiflorum, Pandorea jasminoides, Monarda 'Peter's Purple', Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink', and Salvia leucophylla x clevelandii 'Pozo Blue'

As I had leftover stems, I threw together a third vase, which may be my personal favorite this week.  It's not as fussy as the other two arrangements, which makes it perfect for the kitchen island.

I used the extra stems of Abelia, Ammi majus, and Scabiosa here and tucked a few stems on Origanum 'Monterey Bay' in the back

The other arrangements took their places on the dining and front entry tables respectively.

For more arrangements created from floral and foliage materials found in the creators' own gardens, visit our IAVOM host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.


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

In a Vase on Monday: Pruning byproducts

With the holidays behind us, I've stepped up my activity in cleaning up my garden.  I've been pruning the shrubs I allowed to get out of control, tidying up others, and pulling out plants that have just become too woody (or too trashed by remodel-related damage) to salvage.  My first vase contains the byproducts of some of these efforts.

I've hard pruned my pink Cuphea, which blooms continuously but gets ratty during the course of the year.  I also cleared out some of the twiggy growth on my Hong Kong orchid tree.  It's flowers don't last long in a vase but they look flashy for a few days.

Back view: I kept this vase simpler than most

Top view

Clockwise from the left: Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree), Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink', and Lavandula multifida (aka fernleaf lavender)

My second arrangement features the vase I received from a good friend as a Christmas present.  It has a relatively small opening, which I stuffed with bits and pieces scavenged from different corners of my garden.

It's not so much an arrangement as a collection of miscellaneous cuttings

Back view: The green Chrysanthemums I purchased at the supermarket 2 weeks ago are past their prime but I tucked some of the most presentable stems here too

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White', Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest', noID Chrysanthemum, noID Narcissus, Pittosporum tenufolium 'Silver Magic', Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly', and noID Viola

With the introduction of our kitchen island, I now seem to feel compelled to have a vase there, as well as in the front entry and on the dining room table.  Luckily, I still have a steady supply of Amaryllis (Hippeastrum 'Zombie') blooming in my shade house so I've been able to refresh the dining room display as needed.  What am I going to do when that supply dries up?!

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find more "In a Vase on Monday" creations.


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

July Favorites

I'm still in my summer doldrums, where it's hard to see my garden's pluses.  The sun's glare shines a spotlight on its imperfections and, despite all the mulch and soil amendments I've added, my sandy soil sheds water faster than I can deliver it, leaving many plants looking perennially parched.   The mimosa tree's pink flowers have turned brown and continue to drop fuzz under its wide canopy.  Nonetheless, the favorite plant selection hosted monthly by Loree at danger garden encouraged me to take a closer look at what I've got and I found plenty to be pleased about.

I see this Agave ovatifolia (aka whale's tongue agave) first thing every morning through the bathroom window.  It looks good regardless of the season.  It was one of the first plants I put in the dry garden on the northeast side of the house after I cleared the area of weeds and the plastic sheeting buried several inches below compacted soil and gravel.  Planted almost 5 years ago in August 2012, it's still only 18 inches tall and about 28 inches in diameter.  Although it wasn't labeled as such, my guess is that it's the cultivar known as 'Frosty Blue'.  

In March 2012, I planted 3 Cuphea 'Starfire Pink' in the backyard border, where they've performed admirably ever since.  They're not actually in peak condition in the middle of summer but, if you could see the mass of bees and tiny butterflies that swarm the plants from early morning into evening at this time of year, you'd understand how they ended up on my July list.  Annie's Annuals & Perennials recently featured this Cuphea on its "indestructable plants" list.  Mine get watered 2x a week during the summer months by our automated irrigation system but I don't consider it a water hog and it takes our hot summers in stride.  As an aside, the unidentified butterfly is smaller than the average skipper and seemingly impossible to catch with its blue wings open.  Amy of A Small Sunny Garden has seen it in her garden in the Sonoran Desert too. It's underside wings appear similar to butterflies identified alternatively as the Hammock Skipper and the Cassius Blue but on-line input makes both IDs unlikely.

So far, Dahlia 'Loverboy' is the most vigorous of the Dahlias I purchased by mail order as tubers this spring.  Several others have yet to flower and a few plants, most notably 'Otto's Thrill', don't look as though they'll even reach bloom size this year.  'Loverboy' is identified as a semi-cactus type.  I don't usually go for red flowers and this one wasn't originally on my shopping list but, when many of my top picks sold out before I reached check-out, I picked this one as a substitute on the fly.   'Loverboy' may be a turning point in my relationship with red flowers.

The Echeverias are looking good in mid-summer.  All 3 of these are in pots kept in afternoon shade.  Left to right, they are: Echeveria 'Afterglow', E. cante, and E. 'Raindrops'.  

Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) has been the star of my summer garden for several years now.  In prior years, the pink forms outshone the blue, white, and yellow varieties but this year the blues have it.  The semi-succulent leaves help the plants survive our summer heatwaves.  The blue form appears to appreciate some afternoon shade.

The sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) I planted from seed in April finally began to bloom this month.  The first to do so are 'Lemon Queen', shown here.  Half a dozen or more flowers have opened since I took these photos.  So far, none of the plants have toppled over or broken in the wind but I did have to add supports to some of the taller stems.

Okay, I featured Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' in last month's favorites post but, when I caught a photo of the leaves in the early morning sunlight, I had to share it again.  It makes great use of the early morning and late evening sunshine and, in my opinion, should always be sited to take advantage of it.

Rudbeckia hirta 'Cherry Brandy' has provided me a lesson in patience.  I planted 2 six-packs (plugs) of these plants in early November last year.  They've previously bloomed off and on throughout the year for me but this time they made me wait until summer to bloom.  However, this is the only Rudbeckia that's ever done well here so I'll forgive it the delay, especially as every source I've consulted indicates that my prior experience was unusual and that it normally blooms summer to fall.

This is Sedum oxypetalum (aka dwarf tree stonecrop), which I picked up earlier this year at the local Cactus & Succulent Society show and sale.  The plant is suitable to treatment as a bonsai subject to keep it smaller than its projected mature size of 2-4 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide.  While mine is placed in full sun, it tolerates shade as well.  It also has low water requirements.  The flowers are a bonus in my view as its foliage and tree-like form is what attracted me to it.

My Zinnias, most grown from seed, are even splashier than the Dahlias in my cutting garden.  They do need a substantial amount of water to thrive, which is why I've restricted them to these raised planters in what formerly functioned as my vegetable garden.  However, they handle summer's heat with aplomb.  The variety of colors and flower forms also makes them useful in floral arrangements.

With the exception of succulents, buying new plants in summer is at the top of my list of garden don'ts; yet it's a rule I break just about every year.  Featuring any such recent purchase as a "favorite" within a month or less of purchase also seems inadvisable as it could easily be dead before summer draws to a close but, because I can't help myself, here are 3 additions to my list of favorites this July.  Perhaps I should refer to them as "plant crushes" rather than favorites as they could be history in no time.

The burgundy beauty in these 2 photos is Alternanthera 'Little Ruby'.  I added 5 of them at the edge of the narrow bed that runs outside our dining and living room windows.  I like how they pick up the purple in the stems and leaf undersides of Plectranthus 'Zulu Wonder' (left) and complement the deep burgundy of Pelargonium peltatum (right).  They get morning sun and afternoon shade.  I've grown other Alternanthera as ground covers with relative success.  They're short-lived perennials here and most have gotten by with moderate water but the descriptions of 'Little Ruby' all refer to moist, well-drained soil so I have some concern in that regard.  Hopefully, I'll keep it from going belly up before the winter rains return.

The grass-like plant in the middle of this photo is Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty', a new hybrid.  I picked it up and put it down several times before I took it to the check-out stand.  It was a pricey plant but I've had great success with Lomandra 'Breeze' so I found I couldn't pass this one up.  It's a low-water evergreen plant that grows no bigger than 3x3 feet and it's good in sun or partial shade.  I've planted it among succulents on my front-facing slope, replacing Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln', which apparently wanted more water than it got in this location.

Mandevilla 'Sun Parasol Apricot' was another impulse purchase.  I first saw it in early June and managed to walk away but I ran into again a week ago at my local garden center, offered in its own hanging basket at a lower cost than the plant in the nursery pot I originally saw.  As the succulent planter I had hanging by the front door was in need of an overhaul, I decided this could be a summer substitute.  Mandevilla generally do well here year-round, although I've never grown one in a hanging basket before.  According to on-line sources, it should be allowed to dry out before being watered. which gives it improved chances of survival. 

That's my July list.  I can only hope things look as positive at the end of August.  Visit Loree at danger garden to see what's found her favor this month, as well as links to related posts by other bloggers.  And, for what's looking good across the pond, check Chloris' top 10 list for July at The Blooming Garden.

Best wishes for a wonderful weekend!


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

Bloom Day - August 2015

We're in the midst of a heatwave and that, combined with our water restrictions, is making it hard to find blooms fit to photograph or exclaim about.  In prior years, I complained that my September Bloom Days felt like scavenger hunts.  This year, that's how August feels.  There are some bright spots of course.

Gaillardia grandiflora 'Arizona Sun' and look-alike 'Goblin', shown here with Grevillea 'Superb' in the background, continue to pump out new flowers with regular deadheading

The flowers of Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' and Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink' may be small but they're plentiful and unstoppable

Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' is grabbing attention at stations throughout the garden

While most of the Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) that has graced my garden beds have hunkered down in response to the heat, there are signs that the pink form is poised to make a come-back.

Eustoma grandiflorum 'Echo Pink' has already begun producing new blooms

And, if the heatwave doesn't shrivel the buds, there should be plenty of flowers to follow

Most of the yellow sunflowers have fallen prey to the heat and water limitations but the red sunflowers I planted from seed continue to provide a bright spot in the vegetable garden.

All the Helianthus annuus seeds from a mix labeled "Drop Dead Red" have produced flowers in the same dark red color

Meanwhile, some plants, like the Fuchsia thymifolia I was foolish enough to add to my garden in early spring, have turned to toast.  Even the stalwart California native Solanum xanti, which has bloomed non-stop since November, is taking a rest.  Otherwise, there's a little of this and a little of that scattered about the garden.  I've organized my photos into color collages again this month.

Top row, left to right: Abelia 'Confetti', Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' and Echinacea 'Pow Wow White'
Middle row: Gaura lindheimeri, Gazania 'White Flame' and Hibiscus trionum
Bottom row: Pandorea jasminoides 'Alba',  Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom' and Plumeria (no ID)

Top row: Achillea 'Moonshine', Coreopsis 'Redshift' and Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach'
Middle row: Gazania 'New Day Yellow', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' and Grevillea 'Superb'
Bottom row: Tropaeolum majus, Salvia lanceolata and Zinnia

Top row: Abelia x grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Bauhinia x blakeana and Bougainvillea (no ID)
Middle row: Cistus x pulverulentus 'Sunset', Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy' and Pelargonium peltatum 'Dark Burgundy'
Bottom row: Pentas 'Nova', Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' and Scutellaria suffrutescens

Top row: Campanula primifolia, vareigated Caryopteris (no ID) and Duranta (no ID)
Middle row: Hemerocallis 'Indian Giver' (back for a brief return engagement), Limonium perezii and Polygala fruticosa
Bottom row: Salvia 'Amistad', Thymus serphyllum and Tibouchina urvilleana

And finally, a scattering of succulent flowers (clockwise from left): Portulaca 'Carrot', Aloe 'Johnson's Hybrid', Echeveria flower (no ID), Echeveria pulvinata 'Ruby' and Hoya carnosa (no ID)

For more floral fanfare, visit Carol, the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, at May Dreams Gardens.


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