A pause for prettier stuff

After spending a little too much time with pruners in my hands, I took a break to replant two containers that had seen their best days.  Replanting them provided an instant mood boost.  One can only spend so much time chopping things back.

The barrel that contained Rudbeckia hirta from summer through fall needed to be changed out.  Although the Rudbeckia might have sprung back into flower come late summer, I plant the barrels under the Magnolia tree specifically to provide a splash of year-round color.  Admittedly, the garden centers don't have much variety in annuals at this time of year when they're still recovering from the holidays but I made do.

The primary element was labeled as Delphinium grandiflorum but it looked a lot like Consolida ajacis and I wondered it it was mislabeled.  While both plants are called larkspurs, it seems that the plants native to Siberia and China are classified as Delphiniums.  However, it has me wondering if botanists will be reclassifying them or Consolida ajacis one day.

Clockwise from the upper left, the barrel includes: Delphinium grandiflorum 'Diamonds Blue', Nemesia 'Nessie Plus White', Viola 'Colossus Lemon', and V. 'Sorbet XP Neptune'

The other container I replanted was the urn positioned in the bed in front of the garage that I walk by several times a day.  The Ptilotus 'Joey' was pretty for several months and then it wasn't.  It turned out to have a very shallow root system.  The trailing Verbena I'd planted to complement it never did well even if the butterflies enjoyed it for a short time.  This time, I decided to plant the urn with succulents, which should hold up longer.

I wanted a taller Mangave but decided to replant one a friend gave me years ago instead of buying a new one.  It was very overcrowded in its relatively small pot and I ultimately had to break the pot to free it.  I purchased 2 small Graptosedums to complement the Mangave and split them into smaller pieces, adding a few other cuttings from my garden.

Closer view from the top

Clockwise from the upper left, the urn contains: Crassula multicava, Graptosedum 'California Sunset', Mangave 'Kaleidoscope', and Portulacaria afra

I removed 5 small pups from the larger Mangave, which I'll try to root.  'Kaleidoscope' is a prolific pupper.

That's it for me this week.  I'm off to the dentist this morning...

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

In a Vase on Monday: Large, medium & small

A few new blooms popped up last week but there wasn't a plentiful supply of any of them so the challenge was what to make of each.  That led to three arrangements: one large, one medium-sized, and one small.

The largest arrangement was designed around stems of Delphinium 'Cobalt Dreams' from my cutting garden.  I cut the plant back in April after its first flush of blooms and it exploded with another flush this month.  The floral stalks were much taller this time and one of them toppled over under its own weight late last week.  I put the broken stem in water, which made it an obvious starting point for an IAVOM arrangement.

The 3 Delphinium stems were ridiculously tall.  I had to get out a tape measure to determine how much to cut them to ensure that the stems wouldn't interfere with the lighting fixture that hangs over our dining room table.

Back view: Finding plant material in the right colors with sufficient height to complement the Delphinium wasn't a simple matter either

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', Eustoma grandiflorum, Delphinium elatum 'Cobalt Dreams', Pandorea jasminoides, and Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Salsa Verde' (aka Coleus 'Salsa Verde')

My second, medium-sized arrangement was inspired by the first Lilium 'Pretty Woman' bloom, which I paired with stems of Dahlia 'Southern Belle'.

The second lily bud is on the verge of blooming, while one of the dahlia flowers was already fading

Back view: I added a stem of white Lisianthus from one of last week's arrangements, as well as a couple of noID zinnias to pick up the coral pink of the dahlias

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Cuphea 'Honeybells', Dahlia 'Southern Belle', Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus), Orienpet Lilium 'Pretty Woman', and noID Zinnia elegans

The third arrangement was an after-thought.  Dahlia 'Summer's End' bloomed on the heels of 'Southern Belle' last week and the first flowers were already fading so I cut two of them to fill the small vase that sits on our kitchen island.

Front and back views: In addition to Dahlia 'Summer's End', the vase contains one stem of Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', 2 stems of Antirrhinum majus 'Double Azalea Bronze', and 2 stems of Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach'

Two other lilies bloomed this past weekend but I didn't have any idea what to do with them so they may sidestep the limelight this year.  The rabbits stripped several lily stems of all their leaves before I realized what they were up to, which meant no blooms this year and probably doesn't bode well for future flowers.

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

 

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

In a Vase on Monday: Just peachy

On Saturday, I noticed that the Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri) on our back slope was sporting five blooms.  Although I've tried to remove the thuggish plant twice, even enlisting my husband's help to dig it out once, it inevitably reappears, producing tall, sprawling stems topped with fragile blooms beloved by the bees.  I headed down the slope early Sunday morning hoping for at least three intact blooms and came back with only one but I was committed to a white and yellow arrangement so I persevered.  Some peach colors infiltrated the mix as I tried to fill it out.

Although the Matilija poppy was the inspiration for this arrangement, the 'Golden Celebration' rose assumed the lead role

Back view: I used stems of Argyranthemum frutescens and Pandorea jasminoides to add the touches of white I'd originally hoped to get from the poppies

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', Achillea 'Moonshine', Alstroemeria 'Claire', Romneya coulteri (aka Matilija poppy), Antirrhinum majus 'Chantilly Peach', Argyranthemum frutescens 'White Butterfly', Pandorea jasminoides, and Rosa 'Golden Celebration'

 

We had another stretch of hot weather late last week, with temperatures reaching 90F (32C).  The seemingly constant pattern of flip-flopping temperatures has stressed many of my plants.  My cool season flowers, like the foxgloves, sweet peas and larkspur, were slow to get going but now seem to be ready to throw in the towel.  The larkspur made an especially poor showing this year and I decided I'd best make use of the remaining presentable blooms before they're gone.

With the addition of a beefy stem of Delphinium elatum 'Morning Light', the arrangement was off to a lop-sided start but I did my best to give it better balance by adding numerous stems of Consolida ajacis (larkspur), Orlaya grandiflora, and Nigella papillosa

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Consolida ajacis, Delphinium elatum 'Morning Light', Lathyrus odoratus x belinensis 'Erewhon', noID white Lathyrus odoratus, Nigella papillosa, and Orlaya grandiflora

 

Nine of my dahlia tubers have sprouted thus far and I've already moved seven of these from their temporary pots into their summer homes, the raised planters and half barrels that make up my cutting garden.  As I remove the cool season plants, the space they occupy will be filled by other dahlia tubers and the zinnia and sunflower seedlings I've grown from seed in plastic pots.  Summer is breathing down our necks here.  Southern California had its first major wildfire last week and, on the heels of that, there was a smaller fire less than five miles from my home in a nearby park.  Swamped by over 80 firefighters and assisted by water drops from helicopters that flew directly over our house a couple of times, it burned just ten acres before it was extinguished.  Luckily no structures were damaged but it was a stark reminder of the challenges summer poses.

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

 

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

 

 

In a Vase on Monday: Bright blue

After a stretch of summer-like temperatures last week, peaking at 96F (35C) in our location but hitting records of 102F (39C) in other local areas, our temperatures dropped back into the 60s yesterday and are expected to remain in the vicinity of 64F (17C) until next weekend.  Given the circumstances, the mix of spring and summer blooms in my garden shouldn't be surprising.  While the sudden temperature shift fried some of my favorite spring blooms, it prompted others to hustle to get their bloom on.

I'd been watching a giant Delphinium 'Cobalt Dreams' in my cutting garden unfurl ever so slowly over the past several weeks but the heat caused it to explode, seemingly overnight.  When an unidentified critter broke two stems, cutting three for a vase was an obvious decision.

I used one of my larger crystal vases but still had to cut the Delphinium blooms substantially

Back view: I stuck mostly to a blue and white color scheme as all the other blue flowers in my garden would've been overshadowed by the bright blue of the Delphinium.  I cut long sprays of the flowering branches of my peppermint willows (Agonis flexuosa) as a foliage accent.

Top view: This is probably the widest wingspan of any of the arrangements I've photographed from above

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa, Centranthus ruber 'Albus', Iris hollandica 'Oriental Beauty', Delphinium elatum 'Cobalt Dreams', and Pandorea jasminoides 'Alba'

Easter being just around the corner, I couldn't help preparing an arrangement in colors that evoke that holiday for me.

So far, at least 5 of the "mixed" foxglove plugs I planted in my cutting garden have turned out to be 'Dalmatian Peach' but it now appears that I've also got 2 pink- and one white-flowered variety as well.  This time, I added 2 stems of my favorite Leucospermum and some of the Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' flowers that appeared en masse last week.

Back view: I also used 2 varieties of the snapdragons in my cutting garden, 'Chantilly Bronze' and 'Double Azalea Bronze', but they look so much alike at this stage of bloom, I can't really tell them apart

Top view: I threw in some Aeonium flowers too.  They're also blooming all over my garden now.

Clockwise from upper left: Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin', Antirrhinum majus ('Chantilly Bronze' and 'Double Azalea Bronze'), Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmation Peach', Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny' (foliage), and Leucospermum 'Hybrid Spider'

 

As I was preparing this post, movement outside my office window attracted my eye.  Another reminder of the Easter holiday hopped on by.

Pulling a possum maneuver, he froze in place for a time as I crept up to him with my camera until I got within 2 feet, when he took off.  We played hide and seek for awhile and I'm still not sure he exited the area before I gave up chasing him.  If only they would eat weeds and leave my ornamental plants intact, I'd be a lot more tolerant.

 

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

 

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

In a Vase on Monday: My own kind of fireworks

We celebrated Independence Day in the US on Sunday.  Fireworks are a hallmark of the holiday but, over the years, exploding personal fireworks from June well into August has become an obsession in our area.  Despite the fact that brush is tinder dry in drought-plagued areas like ours.  And despite the fact that personal fireworks are illegal in our city and most of the surrounding cities.  As pandemic restrictions have eased dramatically, public displays supervised by fire department personnel are readily available this year and everyone from government officials to newscasters has made pleas to leave firework displays to professionals - to little avail.  Fireworks blasted away nearly continuously most of yesterday afternoon and we expect them to continue into the wee hours of Monday morning.  We just remain on guard and ride out the holiday, hoping for no serious mishaps nearby.

In spite of my annoyance with clueless neighbors, I had fireworks in mind when I selected flowers for "In a Vase on Monday" yesterday.  My first arrangement isn't red, white and blue but many of the flowers evoke images of fireworks.

The fuzzy orange flowers of Leonotis leonurus (aka lion's tail) inspired the arrangement.  The flowers front and center are Venidium fastuosum 'Orange Prince' (formerly Arctotis fastuosa).  I recently obtained 3 of these new-to-me plants by mail order and I love them.  They're already unavailable from the grower so I may have to try growing more from seeds.

Back view: I hadn't originally planned to add blue notes to the arrangement but decided I liked the effect

Top view

Top row: noID Agapanthus, Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', and Cuphea hybrid 'Vermillionaire'
Middle row: Delphinium 'Pacific Coast Hybrid', Lavandula angustifolia, and Leonotis leonurus
Bottom row: Leucanthemum x superbum, Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum', and Venidium fastuosum 'Orange Prince'
(Included but not shown in closeup are Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated' and Myrtus communis)

My second arrangement isn't red, white and blue either but it also contains some elements that may remind you of fireworks.

The first stem of pink Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) was the inspiration but the firecracker-like flowers of Cuphea 'Starfire Pink' set the color scheme

Back view: Daucus carota 'Dara' just keeps on giving

Top view

Top row: hybrid Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Daucus carota 'Dara', and Origanum 'Monterey Bay'
Middle row: Fuchsia 'Deep Purple', Eustoma grandiflorum, and noID Pelargonium
Bottom row: Delphinium 'Pacific Coast Hybrid', Penstemon x gloxinioides 'Midnight', and Trachelium caeruleum

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

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: A little of this and a little of that

While my climate is far gentler on plants during the fall/winter season than many other gardeners can claim, the pickings are definitely slimmer at this time of year, especially as I was late in getting my cool-season cutting garden started this year.  A stray bloom spike on the remaining Delphinium in the cutting garden provided the starting point for my first vase.

The white daisies are a recent addition to my garden

The bush violets (Barleria obtusa) are on the wane

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest White', Delphinium elatum, Osteospermum '4D Silver', Barleria obtusa, and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light'

The Rudbeckia I featured in a vase in late October are are only plants in my cutting garden still in full bloom so I used them again this week, with just a few adjustments to the mix.

Rudbeckia 'Denver Daisy' has proven to be very resilient in my cutting beds, although its stems are regrettably on the short side

The complementary yellow daisies (Tagetes lemmonii) are in full bloom now that temperatures have cooled

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Rudbeckia hirta 'Denver Daisy', Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', unripe Guavas, berries of Heteromeles arbutifolia, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' and Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum', and Tagetes lemmonii.  I added 2 little mice painting green leaves orange under the arrangement  as a reference to our lack of fall foliage.

Last Monday, I was hopeful that our 5+-month remodel project would be complete before the end of the week; however, unexpected problems emerged on Tuesday and Wednesday and at the moment I can't definitively say when we'll be done, other than I still hope it'll be before Christmas.  Tired of focusing on the house's interior, I've turned my attention back to the garden, diving into cleaning up the collateral damage it's sustained over the last several months.  But, as I've moaned and groaned over the the remodel on numerous occasions in my IAVOM posts, you're welcome to review the results of the project here in a post I published last Friday.

For more IAVOM posts, check in with our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party