So now what?

One of the two Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' in the dry garden area on the northeast side of our property has been looking unhealthy for some time now.  I first noticed dying branch tips on the formerly robust shrub last spring.  I pruned off the sections that looked bad and waited to see if it'd recover.  While it produced some new green foliage and it bloomed on schedule, it looked worse overall this spring.

This is the healthy Grevillea 'Penola'

and this is the unhealthy specimen.  If you look at the base of the plant, you can see it's leaning.  I wondered if the heavy winter rains of 2016-2017 combined with the high winds that routinely rip through our area combined to compromise the shrub's root system.

This isn't the best photo but it gives you a good idea of what the branch tips looked like

I enlisted my husband's help in taking out the afflicted Grevillea this week.

This is a wide shot of the area immediately before the Grevillea was removed

And this is approximately the same view after the Grevillea was removed.  The bare tree in the center of the photo is a cherry we inherited with the garden.

This is the same area, viewed from the concrete steps that lead into the area from the back slope

So now what do I do with this area?  The status of that cherry tree alongside the stairs to the back slope is still in question.  Inherited from a prior owner, it amazed me by producing a handful of cherries for several years in a row, despite the fact that getting the recommended 800-900 hours of winter chill is a virtual impossibility here.  However, I don't recall seeing any fruit last year and thus far this year it hasn't produced leaves, much less flowers.

There are lots of buds like these but they show no signs of opening

If  we pull out the cherry tree, I might try another tree in that location.  A crape myrtle maybe.  Whatever I select, it can't be too tall as I don't want to risk the ire of my next door neighbor, whose spa sits on the other side of the fence.  I still haven't planted the Arctostaphylos 'Louis Edmunds' I picked up at a discount at my local botanic garden a couple of weeks ago either, so that's another possibility.

Meanwhile, other parts of this garden area also demand further consideration.  I never designed this part of the garden so much as just plunked plants there.  My husband said he'd like to add a tree to block the view of (and from) a house up the hill that's currently in the latter stages of construction.

The owners of the house I've circled in this photo more than doubled their space, adding an entire floor on top of the existing structure.  It's been under construction for over 2 years now but it finally looks as though they're getting close to completion.

If I positioned a tree to screen the area my husband identified, it'd mean removing the Salvia clevelandii 'Allen Chickering' I circled here

There was an apricot tree in the general location of that Cleveland sage when we moved in but it died soon afterward.  If I put a tree in the Grevillea's former spot, that'd probably be too close anyway.  As the spot gets a considerable amount of shade from a mature Arbutus 'Marina' nearby, maybe another New Zealand tea tree (Leptospermum scoparium) would be a better choice to address my husband's request.

That question had me considering the placement of the 2 Leptospermum I currently have in this area.  The 2 shrubs sit beside an inherited guava tree.  I don't hate the guava but it's not something I would've planted either and it doesn't look at all great next to the Leptospermum.  Maybe the guava needs to come out.

The guava tree (left) and the Leptospermum (to the right) don't do anything for one another.  The second Leptospermum is largely hidden behind the guava from this viewpoint.

There's another guava tree on the other side of the gravel path running through the area.  Guavas are self-fruitful so it doesn't require a second tree to produce fruit but fruit production is said to be heavier when there are others in the same species nearby to promote pollination.  However, no one here eats guavas except the squirrels and I wouldn't be distressed if they had fewer fruits to bury in my garden borders.

And then there's the problem of what to do about the Cordyline 'Renegade' I planted last fall.  They looked great - until our temperature unexpectedly soared into the 90s a couple of weeks ago.  What happened to them doesn't bode well for their fate this summer.

Here's what the Cordylines look like after a week of temperatures above 90F

A friend recently told me that, when remodeling a home, the domino theory comes into play, with one change precipitating another.  It looks as though the same can be said for gardens.

Any and all suggestions will be gratefully considered!  In the meantime, I'll leave you with a pretty picture of one of the Matilija poppies now blooming on the back slope.  Enjoy your weekend!

I may not have any California poppies at the bottom of the slope but Romneya coulteri had no problem returning for a second year

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

In a Vase on Monday: Caught between seasons

Is it winter or spring in Southern California?  The calendar says it's winter but it's feeling more and more like spring.  Unlike gardeners in many other parts of the Northern Hemisphere, we don't like to rush winter here.  Winter is our rainy season, or that's supposed to be the case anyway.  Now I'm not wishing for heavy rain - the folks in the burn areas don't need any downpours.  But some nice, gentle rain parsed over a period of days would be very, very good.  We had a chance of such rain last week but we got nothing.

When the last storm moved out late Friday afternoon, my season total (measured from October 1st) remained stuck at 1.27/inch

At least the haze over the Los Angeles Harbor cleared, giving us a better view.

Saturday morning's view looking from my back garden toward Angel's Gate, the entrance to the Los Angeles Harbor

My vases for IAVOM this week are as schizophrenic as the weather.  Winter blooms dominate my first vase.

This vases features the red and pink blooms characteristic of January here, including the splashy flowers of Calliandra haematocephala (aka Pink Powder Puff)

I used the small silver glass vase I picked up in December

Leptospermum 'Pink Pearl' hogs the limelight when the vase is viewed from above

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Calliandra haematocephala, Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', Crassula multicava, Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl, and Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' (Lobularia maritima aka alyssum was included but not shown in close-up)

In contrast, my second vase screams spring, even to my eyes.

The starting point for this vase was the foliage of the variegated Hebe 'Purple Shamrock'

The rain in early January prompted Euryops 'Sonneneschien' to produce its almost florescent yellow blooms

A stray Lisanthus bloom complemented 2 Anemones growing inside my lath house

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: blue and purple Anemone coronaria, Argyranthemum 'Mega White', Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick', Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschien' , Eustoma grandiflorum, Nemesia 'Sunshine', and, in the center, Hebe 'Purple Shamrock'

There's another slim chance of rain later this week but, as the odds are even lower than they were last week, I'm not counting on it.  The good news is that Northern California is getting somewhat more rain than we are down south but, without a February or March miracle, the rainy season here is looking like a major bust, with rain totals prospectively even lower than they were at the height of the drought in 2015.

The new vases ended up in the front entry and the master bedroom.  Last week's vase featuring Leucadendrons is still in good shape on the dining room table, needing only new stems of Lotus berthelotii to refresh the arrangement.

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


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

Almost Forgotten February Favorites

On the last Friday of the month, Loree of danger garden presents the plants currently garnering her favor and invites other bloggers to give a shout out about theirs as well.  I usually join in but yesterday I completely blanked out on the fact that February was rapidly drawing to a close, so this morning I zipped around my garden giving it a once-over and snapping some photos.

Here's a quick run through of this month's stand-outs:

My unequivocal favorite this month is Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola'.  I have 2 of these large shrubs, as you can see in the photo on the left.  One shrub was tied to the fence and has been pruned to allow passage along the narrow stairway that leads down the back slope.  The other was given much more room to spread out but, with all the rain we've had this season (over 24 inches since October 1st!), it's leaning and I'm not sure what to do about that.  At a minimum, I'll probably brace it so it doesn't fall over any further and topple down the slope.  The photo on the right gives you a good sense of how dense the flower clusters are on this plant.

The humble Calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) have started to bloom in earnest on the back slope.  I started to count the number of plants down there but gave that up when I reached 4 dozen - I suspect there are well over 6 dozen plants just in that area.  They're even coming up in an area I was using as an informal compost pile.  There were a lot of these plants last year, even dry as that winter was, but nothing like the number there are this year.  Who knew they spread like weeds?  They disappear when the temperatures soar but return with the winter rains.  I didn't plant any of these - they came with the house.

All the Osteospermum love the cooler temperatures this time of year and they appear to appreciate the rain too.  However, this group of 3 Osteospermum '4D Silver' grab my attention at every pass through the back garden.  Alstroemeria are growing up around and through these plants so things may get crowded in the coming weeks when those flowers start to bloom in earnest.

Front and center is Echium handiense 'Pride of Fuerteventura', purchased at my local botanic garden (the only place I've ever found it).  Planted this fall, it's now sporting its first blooms.  This is a dwarf Echium I've grown before and lost after a couple of years in a drier part of my garden.  This spot is more well-irrigated so I'm hoping the plant has a longer lifespan here (not that I've used any irrigation since early December).  One in a neighbor's front garden is doing spectacularly well so I'm hopeful.  Also, note the plant to the right of the Echium.  I believe this is Aristea inequalis, something I planted in 2014.  There are bloom stalks on it now for the very first time!

Limonium perezii is a very common plant here in SoCal but it's another one that grabs my attention every time I walk by.  It holds up well to both heat and drought but it's looking especially good after all our rain.  The foliage can get ratty after a few years but it's easily and inexpensively replanted from plugs.  The flowers dry well and can be used effectively in arrangements.

Corokia x virgata 'Sunsplash' is one of my more unusual shrubs.  Its stems twist and turn, giving it an airy quality and I love its variegated foliage.  This plant is doing well in the front border although another one, planted only 10 feet or so away, isn't nearly as happy.

And then there are the bulbs.

The gold Freesias, shown on the left, were the first to bloom but the pink, red, blue and yellow varieties are slowly making an appearance.  None of the white ones have bloomed yet, though.  These South African bulbs are the easiest ones to grow in my garden.

Ranunculus asiaticus normally struggle in my garden, probably because I don't give them as much water as they want.  That hasn't been much of an issue this year due to the rain; however, I also planted them in the raised beds in my vegetable (now cutting) garden, where I could give them more attention.  They make excellent cut flowers.

Finally, here's a fuzzy photo of Ferraria crispa, also known as Spider Iris, another South African bulb.  You can see a better photo of it here.  Planted just a couple of months ago, I didn't expect to see any blooms on it this year but this plant surprised me by producing 2 flowers this far.  They don't last long but they're interesting.  I haven't had a chance to get close and smell them - they're reputed to have an odor that some people hate but others appreciate.

That's my quick February favorite wrap-up.  Visit Loree at danger garden to see the stalwart plants that are warming her heart after a particularly nasty winter in the Pacific Northwest.


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

In a Vase on Monday: Valentine's Day Blooms

There's a healthy supply of red and pink flowers in my garden at the moment and, in celebration of Valentine's Day tomorrow, I took advantage of them to create today's arrangements for "In a Vase on Monday."  (Yes, there are two.)  I was particularly happy with the first arrangement.

It's hard to believe that I avoided red in my former tiny garden, feeling that it overwhelmed the space.  There are plenty of flowers and foliage in that color in my current garden.

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola', Calliandra haematocephala (bloom), Calliandra (flower buds), Coprosma repens 'Fireburst', and red and white Ranunculus asiaticus.  The blooms of the Calliandra (aka Pink Powder Puff) don't last long either in a vase on on the plant but the tight flower buds are also attractive.

I used another new vase.  You may note that it looks similar to the one I used a couple of weeks ago.  The garden center at which I purchased the earlier vase had 3 versions with the same shape but complementary designs.  Well, as I had lunch planned with a friend and as he lives in Orange County, I offered to meet him down that way and, having a little free time prior to our appointment, I paid another visit to the garden center, leaving with the other 2 vases.  Serendipity!

This version of the urn-shaped vase has more ivory color in its surface design

My second vase is simpler.

The narrow throat of this vase limits how much I can stuff into it, which in my case is a good thing

Top view

Clockwise from the left, this vase contains: Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star', Argyranthemum frutescens, Coriandrum sativum, noID Dianthus, and the first Lathyrus odoratus (sweet peas), blooming in pink for the holiday

The house no longer feels right without a vase on the dining table and another in the front entry and that's where this week's vases landed.

After snapping my photo of the arrangement on the left, I noticed that the Anthurium on the credenza behind the arrangement is sporting heart-shaped leaves - how appropriate!

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for more vases.  Happy Valentine's Day to all my favorite amateur florists and IaVoM participants!


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

In a Vase on Monday: On the Cusp Between Winter and Spring

The seasons are already shifting here - I can feel it.  Although winter in coastal Southern California is little more than an abstract concept, there are changes I've come to recognize as signifying the onset of spring.  One of these, as I described in my last post, is the explosion of blooms on our ornamental pear tree, Pyrus calleryana, which seems to occur overnight.  At the same time, I notice that the hummingbirds are getting feistier and other birds show signs of nest-building, while spring bulbs produce their first blooms.

In preparing this week's vase for the meme sponsored by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, I was juggling the winter and spring blooms in my garden.  I thought I'd pair some of the new blooms of my pink Alstroemeria with wintry stems of Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' which has been blooming for a good 2 months now.  But the 2 just didn't seem to belong together.  So, yet again, I ended up with 2 vases, one geared to spring and the other to winter.

The spring blooms went into a cut glass vase with a heart-shaped throat, as appropriate for the week heading into Valentine's Day.  I don't often use this vase as its tapered opening has proven awkward to work with.

The finished vase shown from different angles

The spring-like elements I included are:

• Alstroemeria (no ID)
• Bulbine frutescens
• Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey' (foliage)
• Freesia
• Jasminium polyanthemum
• Pelargonium tomentosum (foliage)
• Zantedeschia aethiopica (common Calla Lily)

This short-stemmed Alstroemeria is traditionally one of the first spring flowers to bloom in this garden each year

The Freesia, loved for its scent as much as its flowers' shape, is appearing on roughly the same schedule it did last year but earlier than it did in 2013

The Jasmine doesn't actually belong to me - it spills over the fence from my neighbor's garden

This Zantedeschia, shown here with the snake-like blooms of Bulbine, grows along the stairway leading down our back slope

In addition to the Alstroemeria, I tried pairing the Grevillea lavandulacea with the Calla Lily and the Jasmine but neither seemed right with the strong gray color of the Grevillea.  So, I cut some of the blue-gray foliage of Senecio cineraria (syn. Jacobaea maritima, commonly called Dusty Miller in the US) and popped it and the Grevillea into one of my favorite mugs and left it at that.

The rose-red blooms say Valentine's Day to me

Blooms like these cover literally every stem of the 6-foot tall Grevillea

The glass vase landed in the entry way, where it can be viewed from a couple of angles.

And the wintry mug landed on the fireplace mantle in the master bedroom.

To get a look at vases put together by other gardeners from materials on hand in their gardens, please visit Rambling in the Garden.


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