In a Vase on Monday: Coral Color

My May favorites post focused on the coral and red colors in one of by backyard beds and I found I couldn't shake my preoccupation with that color palette when it came time to select plants for this week's vase.  I had friends over for lunch on Saturday so my vase was prepared Friday night and photographed Saturday morning this week so it'd be in position to greet my visitors when they arrived.

Front view

Back view

Top view

I didn't actually use any of the plants featured in my May favorites post.  There's plenty of material in the same color range scattered through other areas of the garden.  Here's a closer look at the individual elements:

Clockwise from the upper left: Grevillea 'Superb' (framed by Abelia 'Kaleidoscope'), Achillea 'Moonshine', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Bignonia capreolata, Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid', and Tanacetum niveum

And here's the finished product stationed opposite the front door:

For more flower and foliage creations, constructed from materials at the fingertips of participating gardeners, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, the host of "In a Vase on Monday."  For those of you in the US, best wishes for a wonderful holiday and the unofficial start of summer.


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

Fall Foliage Envy

I've been enviously admiring all the wonderful fall foliage photos posted by other bloggers over the past month.  The color changes that accompany colder weather and shorter daylight hours in northern areas aren't as prevalent in southern California.  However, as I sat on a stationary bike running through my morning exercise routine earlier this week, a mirror in the room caught the reflection of colored leaves outside.  I'd almost forgotten that, in addition to colorful fruit, the persimmon trees on the northwest side of the house produced rather pretty fall foliage.

This is Persimmon 'Fuyu':

The leaves on Persimmon 'Hachiya' are running a little behind 'Fuyu' but the color changes are just as pretty.

The foliage on our Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku') is rapidly turning from yellow to brown.

The ornamental pear (Pyrus calleryana) is just beginning to take on some color but there's little in the way of leaf drop yet.

The toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is also producing masses of bright red berries, another hallmark of fall here.  This tall evergreen shrub, also known as California holly, was designated as the official plant of Los Angeles last year.  Yes, Los Angeles has its own official plant (as you can read about here).  We lost one toyon as collateral damage when the Eucalyptus tree was removed from the side yard earlier this year but there's another very tall specimen at the border of our property.

I also found some small-scale color changes:

'Bountiful Blue' blueberry

The color change on this Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' may be due to transplant shock rather than a seasonal change but it's pretty nonetheless

Trachelospermum jasminoides

This is fall, southern California style.

My favorite plant this week: Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid'

The return of summer heat in our area has taken a toll on the appearance of a lot of my plants, especially the flowering ones.  My roses look downright sad, with the blooms withering almost as soon as they open.  Even Coreopsis 'Redshift,' which has been blooming heavily for weeks, looks a little wilted.  It may be that I've been too stingy with the water this summer but, if you saw our last water bill, I'm sure you'd understand.  We discovered two leaks the week before last, which may account for the stratospheric charges on this month's bill but, until I can be sure of that, I'm metering out the extra water very carefully.

Strolling through my garden, I wasn't sure there was anything I could call my "favorite" this week - until I walked down the stairs of my slope and saw Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid.'  Nothing on the hot, dry slope looks particularly good at the moment - except this plant.  It's thriving even though none of the plants down there are irrigated automatically and they recently went a good 2 weeks without water when I was preoccupied with other tasks.

I put 5 of these plants in on the slope last year.  I lost one but it self-seeded nearby.  I cut back a few of these last week when their blooms turned tawny and they're already producing new foliage.  The foliage of this Euphorbia is soft and fern-like with a blue-ish tint.

New foliage is coming in at the base of this plant which I cut back just a week ago

The one plant I haven't yet cut back has turned into a behemoth, overwhelming the Ribes viburnifolium 'Catalina Perfume Currant' next to it.

The seedling hasn't bloomed yet but it looks healthy.

I planted a few of these Euphorbia in my backyard border as well back in May.  They haven't assumed the size of those on the slope but perhaps they just need more time in the ground - or maybe this plant actually prefers the abuse it received on the back slope.

Euphorbia planted in May next to Coreopsis 'Tahitian Sunset'

'Dean's Hybrid' grows up to 30 inches tall and 2 feet wide.  It's hardy in USDA zones 7a-10b.  It makes do with occasional water and needs full to partial sun.  Removing the stems when the flowering bracts become tawny will keep new foliage coming.  As with any Euphorbia, you need to be careful of the milky sap produced when a stem is cut as it causes skin irritation.

In addition to the ferny foliage, the plant produces bright, acid yellow blooms in spring and again in mid-summer.  The bracts gradually fade to a light yellow, eventually taking on a muted tan/orange shade.

'Dean's Hybrid" sporting its signature chartreuse bracts in May

Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' is my contribution to the "favorite plant of the week" meme sponsored by Loree of danger garden.  You can see Loree's current favorite plant and find links to favorites posted by other gardeners here.

The Garden as a Refuge

It's been a tough week.  Someone I love landed in the hospital quite unexpectedly.  Things are looking up now and I'm grateful for that.

When I'm worried and feel unable to do anything to put things right, I find myself pulled into the garden.  Not that I'm able to exercise a lot of control there either, much as I might try.  Nature makes the rules and we have to work with them.  But, despite the fact that much of what happens in the garden is outside my control, being there focuses my attention and forces me to adapt to the circumstances facing me.  This week, with temperatures jumping into the 90s and the humidity plummeting to 1% according to my little garden weather station, the emphasis was on getting plants the water they need to cope with those conditions.

The slope at the back of our property doesn't have an automated irrigation system.  All watering is done by hand.  Although I've used drought tolerant plants there, most have been in the ground no more than a year so the area needs help when temperatures climb and our Santa Ana winds blow.  That area got attention first.   Even at 9AM, the area was already sun scalded and dry.

View from the top section of the slope looking down

Centranthus ruber, Oenothera speciosa, and Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' surround a fig tree

View from the bottom of the slope looking back up

Half of my "dry garden" at the top of the slope also has no irrigation system so that was the next priority.

Top of the stairway heading back into the dry garden

Guava tree surrounded by more Centranthus ruber, more Oenothera speciosa, and Phormiums

View of the pathway that leads through the dry garden down to the stairway that bisects the slope

I managed a few hours in the garden just watering and dead-heading flowers.  Yet that small amount of time helped to center me.  An old sign I've had for some 20+ years carries a reminder of the important role the garden plays in my life.

April Bloom Day

Spring is well underway in Southern California.  There's a lot in bloom.  While the spring bulbs have mostly finished up, many of the other plants I showed last month are still in bloom.  I'll try not to repeat myself too much.

In the front yard, the roses have just started to bloom.

I have no ID on this rose but I'd love to get more

This 'Joseph's Coat' climber was attacked by aphids last month but is now recovering

6 'Pink Meidiland' shrub roses growing in my front beds are all coming into bloom

Other new bloomers in the front garden include 2 Pelargoniums and an annual Schizanthus:

Pelargonium x hortorum 'Tweedle Dee' (I think)

Pelargonium 'Georgia Peach'

Schizanthus pinnatus

In the side yard, all 12 of the Phlomis fruticosa are now in full bloom.

Phlomis fruticosa blooming in a shade bed

I added annual Nemophilia menziesii to what was once a shade bed, which is in full sun since removal of our 60 foot Eucalyptus tree.  The area is buffeted by daily winds and, as a result, these plants lean to one side.

Nemophila menziesii (Baby Blue Eyes), photographed from its good side

The same Baby Blue Eyes photographed from their bad side

I recently added yet another Osteospermum, one of my go-to groundcover plants, to the side yard to complement my Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' (not shown here).

Osteospermum hybrid 'Sunny Amanda' 

A fuchsia is already blooming in a pot on the small patio on the side of the house.

Fuchsia 'Deep Purple" in pot

The border in the back yard has been undergoing a face lift since fall began as I try to figure out what plants do well here.  Over the past several months, I've added plants, moved others and pulled out still others.  A few are on probation.

This Alstroemeria, shown in last month's post, is a keeper

This Alstroemeria, positioned 10-12 feet from the other one, is also a keeper

This daylily, a dormant variety (no ID) positioned right next to the Alstroemeria shown above, is already showing its first blooms, presenting a troublesome color clash

Aquilegia hybrid 'Spring Magic,' put in last year, came back with a bang this spring

I put this Arenaria montana (sandwort) in as an edging plant last year from a 6-pack but pulled most of it when it failed to perform.  It looks great this year and I want more!

I just added this Cosmos 'Double Click."  I've admired photos of it in catalogs and, when I found it by chance, had to try it out.

This 'Ebb Tide' rose is new.  The color nicely echoes the Cuphea shown below, which is planted in front of it.

Cuphea aff. Aequipetala with Nemesia that returned from last year

Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', added last year as a foliage accent, is blooming for the first time

Erysimum linifolium 'Variegatum' is a workhorse that looks good in and out of bloom

One of my new favorite Osteospermums, 'Zion Copper Amethyst' sits in the "warm" color section of my long back border

Ixia, planted last fall, are the only spring bulbs just coming into bloom.  I like how it complements the Abelia 'Kaleidoscopes' planted nearby

The "dry garden" on the other side of the house also has a lot of blooming plants, although some of these could be construed as weeds.

Centranthus ruber and Zantedeschia both spread like weeds

Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink" behaves itself but Geranium incanum does not

More Geranium incanum, paired here with Thymus 'Pink Chintz'

My favorite Euphorbia, 'Dean's Hybrid,' is "flowering"

Genista canariensis

Bearded Iris inherited from a prior owner

Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl," which began blooming in January, is still in bloom!

Oenothera speciosa 'Siskiyou' (aka Pink Evening Primrose) spreads like a weed, albeit a pretty one

The California poppies, planted last year from seed, are in full bloom in my vegetable garden.

Eschscholzia californica

I even have an orchid blooming in my home office.

Orchid, an anniversary gift from my husband in February, is still going strong

Today is Garden Blogger's Bloom Day.  You can view more blooms at Carol's May Dream Gardens site.