In a Vase on Monday: Stuffed to the gills

The dahlias in my cutting garden are still relatively plentiful but, as many of the new blooms are side shoots growing on slender stems, they tend to collapse before I'm ready to cut them.  Hence my decision to stuff my vase with the flowers of three different dahlias.

Dahlia 'Punkin Spice' got the starring role

The back of the vase was filled out with Dahlias 'Terracotta' and 'Labyrinth'

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Punkin Spice', Duranta repens 'Gold Mound', Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', Dahlia 'Labyrinth', D. 'Terracotta', and Zinnia elegans

In search of additional flowers for that first vase, I paid my first visit to my back slope in a month or more.  It's a mess and it needed tending well before now but, after two run-ins in a row with fire ants down there, I kept finding excuses to avoid the area.  Piles of lemons are rotting under the tree, which is seriously in need of harvesting, and burned-out Centranthus and other plants are in need of pruning.  I made a start before turning to attention to the flowering crossvine that drew me down there in the first place.

Flowers of the crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) open with a tangerine color but quickly turn pinkish and I decided they'd look better with Dahlia 'Otto's Thrill' than the vivid red-orange of 'Punkin Spice'

Back view: I filled out the vase with pink zinnias and the flowers of what I think is English ivy (Hedera helix).  The ivy is an invasive pest in Southern California.  I'm constantly cutting the plants that creep across our property line on the south side, as well as the ivy on my upper slope, inherited with the garden.

Top view: The crossvine is also a pest.  While its massive trunk sits on our property, it was planted by a neighbor long before we purchased the property and it's woven through her fencing.  The flowers are pretty but the vine is a monster to control.

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Otto's Thrill', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Hedera flowers, Bignonia capreolata (aka crossvine), and pink varieties of Zinnia elegans

I hope to get back to work on the back slope today or tomorrow while our temperatures are on the cool side.  The roofers will be back today and the painters are expected to be back to finish spray-lacquering my kitchen cabinets as well - facing the fire ants may well be preferable to their combined auditory assault.

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: 'Punkin Spice' is back!

News that Starbucks was bringing back its pumpkin spice latte made the national news in the US late last month.  Ridiculous as I find that, I'm pleased that my own 'Punkin Spice' Dahlia is finally flowering strongly enough to greet the public "In a Vase on Monday," the popular meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  I planted 2 of these tubers but put one in a large pot placed in a shady area where it doesn't get the regular attention (translation: water) it needs and it hasn't flowered well.  The second tuber, planted in a plastic pot as a temporary measure, was late in finding space to spread its roots in one of my cutting garden's raised beds but the plant is healthy and happy and finally flowering.

With our remodel finally speeding up a bit, I finally got back a real wall in my home office, opening up space for me to photograph my vases there.  It's still awkward but at least it's better than the temporary kitchen space I've been using.

I think I actually like the back of this vase better than that I designated as its front

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Punkin Spice', Bulbine frutescens 'Hallmark' with Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', red Zinnia (perhaps 'Benary's Giant Wine'), and Duranta repens 'Gold Mound'

I cut Dahlia 'Terracotta' to accompany 'Punkin Spice' in the vase but, realizing its inclusion would stuff the vase too tight, 'Terracotta' was given its own vase.

Dahlia 'Terracotta' looks pinker here and in most photos than in does to the naked eye

Dahlia 'Citron du Cap' was preparing to bend its tall stem and keel over so it got tucked into the back of this vase

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Citron du Cap', Leucadendron 'Jester', L. 'Summer Red', Pelargonium 'Lady Plymouth', Tanacetum parthenium, Zinnia elegans 'Queen Lime Orange' and, in the middle, Dahlia 'Terracotta'

After more than a week in a vase, Dahlia 'Diva' still looks good.  All of my other dahlias are singing their swan songs after 4 days in a vase so this performance has proven 'Diva's' worth in my eyes.  She's been bumped to the card table we're currently using as our dining table but I'm going to hang onto her for awhile yet to see how long it takes for her to fall apart.

All the contents of last week's vase held up well but, given how quickly most dahlias fall apart, I'm most impressed by 'Diva', who's flaws can only be seen in close examination

This week's fresh vases assumed places on the bedroom bureau and mantle respectively

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


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

In a Vase on Monday: Divas and Mutants

Dahlia 'Diva' finally arrived in sufficient numbers to warrant inclusion in a vase, although I dilly-dallied a bit trying to decide what I should use to show off those dark dramatic blooms.  I've always liked purple and green together so I sought out some bright greens to sharpen the contrast.

I used 3 types of foliage but the brightest is that of chartreuse Duranta repens 'Gold Mound'

I used Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy' to provide a color echo for the dahlias

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Diva', Abelia grandiflora 'Radiance', Duranta repens 'Gold Mound', Digitalis purpurea, and Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' (shown in the last photo encircled by stems from my peppermint willows, Agonis flexuosa)

As I planted all my sunflower seeds at the same time, I shouldn't have been surprised that most are blooming on the same schedule.  The odd thing is that many of the sunflowers appear to be a mutant form of 'Panache'.

'Panache' is on the left and one of the mutant blooms, identical to one another if not to 'Panache', is on the right.  The mutant's foliage and growth habit clearly identifies it as a sunflower but it lacks the central disk characteristic of Helianthus annuus.  The plants are popping up in the same area in which I sowed 'Panache's' seeds.  An on-line search on "mutant sunflowers" yielded an interesting article referencing the famous sunflowers painted by Vincent van Gogh, which you can find here.

Helianthus 'Panache' is shown front and center here, surrounded by Rudbeckia 

Back view

The petals of both the standard and mutant sunflowers are the same color and shape

Clockwise from the upper left: Helianthus annuus 'Panache', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum', the mutant sunflower, and Rudbeckia hirta 'Denver Daisy'

For more "In a Vase on Monday" creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

Foliage Follow-up - Standouts and Hidden Treasures

Rain and other demands on my time delayed my Foliage Follow-up post this month.  As early spring brings new blooms every day, it's also easy to lose track of the foliage for the flowers.  But, despite my seeming obsession with floral color, my garden actually has its share of attractive foliage.  I'll share a few of the standouts today, along with some plants my camera's missed in the past.

I love this Echium webbii both in and out of bloom.  In bloom, it looks like a dwarf version of E. fastuosum 'Pride of Madeira'.  Even though it's less flashy than the variegated 'Star of Madeira', its graceful form always draws my eye.

On the smaller end of the plant spectrum, this Abelia x grandflora 'Confetti' also earned my admiration this month.  Unlike most of my other Abelia, which throw out tall gangly branches on a haphazard basis, this one continues to form a nice neat clump.

This graceful Agave desmetiana 'Variegata', nicely framed by the bronzy new foliage of the Xylosma congestum behind it, also drew my eye

It looks great when viewed from the street too

After taking the first photo of the Agave desmettana shown above, I panned my camera further along the same bed and captured one of my favorite Agaves half-hidden from view.

Viewed from the back side of the street-facing succulent bed, this Agave 'Blue Glow' is partially screened by stems of the restio planted behind it.  The restio was sold to me years ago as the dwarf Chondropetalum tectorum (aka small cape rush) but, as explained in this article, it's probably C. elephantinum.

Here's another view from the street.  There are actually 3 'Blue Glow' Agaves in front of the restio.

I've pondered the fate of that restio many times, but it took years to become established and I lost 3 other specimens in the time that took that one to reach this point so it's going to stay.  Perhaps the 'Blue Glow' Agaves beneath its skirt will grow large enough to stand out on their own but, eventually, they'll bloom and die and I can replace them with something more appropriate in that spot.

You may remember that I faced a similar issue with out-of-control 'Cousin Itt' Acacias in my back garden (addressed in my October Foliage Follow-up post).  As mentioned in November's Foliage Follow-up, I moved the succulents swamped by the Acacias and planted several Lotus bethelotii to fill in as a groundcover in front of the Acacias.  The Lotus has always been a fast grower, with aggressive tendencies of its own, so I was perplexed by the failure of these plants to spread.  It soon became obvious that something was eating the infant plants as one after another virtually disappeared.  Disappearances and evidence of persistent nibbling occurred elsewhere in my garden too.  Insects?  Squirrels?  Birds?  I considered all of them.  Earlier this week, the culprit finally revealed itself.

Many of you may have immediately identified a bunny as the culprit but, although I know there are plenty of rabbits in a park a mile away, I've never seen any here.  I assumed they either had a territorial arrangement with the raccoons and skunks or their range was constrained by the coyotes.

My husband pulled video of the rabbit bouncing around our back garden in the early evening before my paparazzi effort sent it hopping.   Three screen shots are shown above.  Maybe the rabbits have expanded their range as more and more of my neighbors bring their dogs in at night due to the intensifying concerns about coyote attacks on pets. 

I'd already caged some of my plants and now the Lotus are covered too.

The bunny apparently loves the fresh foliage of Orlaya grandiflora (aka Minoan Lace).  A few of the plants completely disappeared overnight.  Caged, this one is now recovering.

I'm using empty flats turned upside-down to protect the Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset'.  They're held down with landscaping pins to prevent the bunny from moving them.  Why the bunny ignores the rampant Lotus on the other side of the path is a mystery.

Meanwhile, I've discovered that 'Cousin Itt' is now enveloping plants on the back side of that bed too.

Maybe the Duranta repens 'Gold Mound' can survive 'Cousin Itt's' embrace but, if it can't, it's not a big loss.

Oh well.  Visit Pam at Digging for more Foliage Follow-up posts.  Have a great weekend!


All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Sunshine and Showers

We got MORE rain!  Maybe Mother Nature heard those of you in rainier climes who wished you could send your excess rain to the drought-stricken areas of California.  While I've no illusions that our drought is over, getting rain 2 weekends in a row is an extraordinary blessing and much appreciated.  My garden is thoroughly soaked; the irrigation system will be off for at least another week; and all 3 of my rain barrels are full, giving me 475 gallons of rainwater in reserve.  Even my car got scrubbed clean.  Yay!

The second of two weekend storms crept through Sunday morning, finishing up before noon here.  I strolled the garden and decided that it's time to cut back the massive gold Duranta erecta in the front garden.  I clipped a few stems as the starting point for this week's "In a Vase on Monday."

Sold as Duranta erecta 'Gold Mound', which is described as a shrub 2 feet tall and wide, this nearly 6 foot specimen was clearly mislabeled

I wasn't sure what to pair with the acid yellow foliage of the Duranta and clipped a number of plants before settling on a direction.

Front view: In retrospect, I probably should have clipped the Phylica in front a little shorter and let the Duranta in the back stand taller

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the left, the vase contains: feathery Phylica pubescens, Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', red-stemmed Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Duranta erecta 'Not Gold Mound', and Tagetes lemmonii.   My husband is already complaining about the scent of the Tagetes but I like it.

The extra stems I clipped on my first round through the garden went into a second vase.  I pulled the vase out of the back of my cupboard, where it had been all but forgotten.  I bought it on-line earlier this year or maybe last year, thinking it would work well for succulent arrangements, but I don't think I've used it for those or anything yet.

The vase has an angular geometric shape and a pale green matte finish

It was just the right size to contain the cuttings I had left.

Front view of the leftovers

Back view featuring the graceful foliage of the dwarf peppermint willow

From left to right, the vase contains: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', and the berries of Heteromeles arbutifolia (aka Toyon and California Holly)

The sun came out in the afternoon.  The vases found their spots.  And, in the hour before dusk, the clouds moved and revealed snow in the mountains.  All in all, it was a great weekend.

The air was scrubbed clean by the rain and the wind

The first vase sits on the dining room table and the second in the entryway

And snow was visible on the mountains to the east

For more vases, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party