In a Vase on Monday: They look like flowers anyway

There are lots of flowers in bloom in my garden but there isn't much that's new at present. The Agapanthus are at their peak but I've used them more than once "In a Vase on Monday" post already this year. I pulled out my sweet peas last week as they were looking sad, and the larkspur are well on their out way out the door too. So I decided to use three of my Leucadendrons as the centerpieces of this week's arrangement. One of these does a particularly good job of imitating flowers.

 

The dark red rose-like "buds" are stems of Leucadendron 'Blush'

The back view of the vase shown here highlights sprays of the white flowers of Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'.  It's blooming well this year.  The shrubs are large but the flowers themselves are quite dainty.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left are:  Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', L. 'Jester', L. 'Jubilee Crown, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and Leucanthemum x superbum (a noID Shasta daisy)

Arrangement in place on the dining room table

It's been sunnier the past week but thankfully it hasn't gotten hot yet.  All but three of my dahlia tubers have sprouted; however, none of those look anywhere near reaching bloom stage yet.  And I have scads of Zinnia seed packets I haven't opened much less planted.  My nearly continuous therapy sessions and doctor visits give me much less time for gardening than I'd like!

Check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for more IAVOM posts.

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Kicking off the fall season

Although the calendar says we've entered the fall season, "Indian summers" are the norm rather than the exception here in coastal Southern California.  For one thing, we don't get frosts.  However, in contrast to the recent heatwave, our temperatures were on the deliciously cool side last week.  It's supposed to be warmer today (low 80sF/27C) but our morning marine layer is back, which operates like natural air conditioning.  If we're lucky, we can at least anticipate that the heatwaves are behind us and nighttime temperatures should continue in the low 60sF (17C).  In other words, it's our version of fall even if very different from conditions in much of the Northern Hemisphere.

My dahlias are still going strong.  The first arrangement includes two varieties of dahlias, one which I've used before (and also grew last year) and the other which is new.

I've featured the huge blooms of Dahlia 'Fairway Spur' before but the ball-shaped 'Brown Sugar' Dahlias are new to my garden.  I haven't made up my mind about them yet but I thought their rusty orange color echoed that at the center of 'Fairway Spur'.

Back view: The foliage of Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' may be too similar to the 'Brown Sugar' Dahlias

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Brown Sugar', D. 'Fairway Spur', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and Zinnia elegans 'Golden Hour'

The second arrangement contains another dahlia I'm growing for the first time this year.  As with Dahlia 'Brown Sugar', I haven't decided if this one's a keeper either.

Dahlia 'Excentric' is supposed to be a hot coral-pink variety but in the garden it's more pink than coral, although the coral element is easier to see up close than it is in the photos here

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Excentric', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Coral', Z. e. 'Raspberry Limeade', and Z. e. 'Zinderella Peach'

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: What heatwave?

No, I haven't forgotten our recent scorching six-day heatwave.  However, dahlia flower production was unabated - it even appeared to step up in many cases.  Their foliage may look awful and dozens of dahlia flowers did end up in the compost bin during the worst of it but I've got more of these flowers this week than I know what to do with.  (Note: The rest of my garden didn't fare as well as my cutting garden, which received extra sessions of deep watering before and during the heatwave.)

There were enough 'Labyrinth' Dahlias to make a splashy arrangement.

The 'Labyrinth' flowers start out on the pinky side before turning a peach color at maturity

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the top: Dahlia 'Labyrinth', Grevillea 'Superb', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Coral', and Z. e. 'Golden Hour'

I threw three different dahlias into my second arrangement.

Some of the 'Catching Fire' Dahlias that opened post-heatwave appeared more pink and white than red and white so I combined them with both the violet-purple flowers of Dahlia 'Vancouver' and the lavender and white flowers of Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda'

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Catching Fire', D. 'Vancouver', D. 'Mikayla Miranda', 2 shades of Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Wine' (one pink and the other burgundy-red), and Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'

A third arrangement couldn't be avoided as I can no longer abide leaving the kitchen island without flowers.

Top: 2 views of the smaller third arrangement
Clockwise from the middle left: Dahlia 'Iceberg', D. 'La Luna', Clematis terniflora, Pelargonium graveolens 'Lady Plymouth', and Symphyotrichum chilense

Two of my dahlia varieties have yet to bloom but one of these is getting closer.  I haven't given up on the second one either.  For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

My Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post for September will be published on Wednesday.

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

Bloom Day - July 2024 (Early Edition)

Time is short and the heat is on so I got an early start on my Bloom Day post this month.  Even though my eyes see a diminished supply of flowers, there's still plenty of color in my garden, although the blooms do wither faster than they did in May and June.  As mentioned in Wednesday's post, a persistent marine layer, relatively unusual in July, has helped us out along the coast, keeping temperatures from soaring sky-high as they've done in many parts of the country.  How much longer that'll last is anybody's guess.

I'll start with five megastars of my July garden.

The last 2 years, Agapanthus have peaked in July rather than June as they formerly did.  With the exception of 'Twister' on the lower left, all those shown here are unnamed varieties that came with the garden.

To the best of my knowledge, the succulents in the top row are Crassula pubescens and those on the bottom are C. p. ssp radicans.  They occupy a variety of spaces throughout my garden.

Somewhat to my dismay, Daucus carota 'Dara' has also popped up throughout my garden, all self-seeded.  They're a pretty pest but I hope they don't continue to spread to the same extent in subsequent years.

The 2 tree-sized Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' in my front garden are blooming like never before, probably because I never got around to pruning it back last year

Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman' in my south-side garden is having a banner year

There are a host of other plants pumping out blooms on a lesser scale too.

Bignonia capreolata on my back slope is another plant inherited with the garden

The blooms of Cistus 'Grayswood Pink' (left) and C. 'Sunset' don't last long but the plants continue to produce new flowers

The flowers of (left to right) Cuphea 'Honeybells', C. 'Starfire Pink', and C. 'Vermillionaire' are small but profuse

I planted Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' on my back slope in 2012 and they continue to spread there.  I like the way they play off the succulents and I'm thinking of trying them in my recently renovated succulent bed adjacent to the garage next year. 

Gaura lindheimeri, now classified as Oenothera lindheimeri, is as pretty but equally as weedy as pink evening primrose.  I cut it back soon after taking these photos.

Gazanias self-seed as well but, unlike Oenothera, they're relatively manageable.  Their seedlings don't always replicate their parents, however.

Clockwise from the upper left are the Grevilleas currently in bloom: G. alpina x rosmarinifolia, G. 'Poorinda Leane', G. 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Moonlight', G. 'Superb' (in a wide shot and closeup), and G. sericea

My noID shaggy Leucanthemum x superbum

Magnolia grandiflora - if only it didn't continuously drop leaves and petals by the bucketfuls during the summer months!

Pandorea jasminoides and Trachelospermum jasminoides doing their summer thing sharing an arbor

Polygala myrtifolia continuing its relentless effort to fill every open spot in my garden

Rosa 'Pink Meidiland' also came with the garden

Long-blooming Salvia canariensis var candissima 

Sollya heterophylla (aka Australian bluebell creeper), now classified as Billardiera heterophylla, continues to spread, which may necessitate adjustments to its bed

I planted 2 small Tanacetum parthenium as fillers in one of the raised planters of my cutting garden late last year.  They remained small until last month when they mounted a takeover.  The T. p. 'Aureum' remains relatively modest in size but the straight species is now feet taller and wider.

There are some new arrivals this month.

The Begonia 'Roseform Pastel Mix' tubers I potted up earlier this year just started to bloom this week

The Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) I planted as plugs received by mail order are finally blooming but I've lost a few already to dry conditions

Excuse the Daucus carota photobombing the Leonotis leonurus on the left.  The lion's tail shrubs want more room and more sun than they're getting.

Hybrid Monarda 'Peter's Purple' is the only bee balm that's survived in my garden

Despite the influence of the marine layer, there are a significant number of plants headed for the exits as the temperatures climb.

Clockwise from the upper left, the pending exits include: Achillea 'Moonshine', Arctotis 'Large Marge', Cynara 'Purple Romagna', and Digitalis purpurea 'Peach Dalmatian'

Other exits include the daylilies, clockwise from the upper left: Hemerocallis 'Apollodorus', H. 'For Pete's Sake', H. 'Strawberry Candy', H. 'Persian Market', and H. 'Sammy Russell'

After delaying their blooms for well over a month, the lilies are now sprinting for the finish line.  Clockwise from the upper left are: Lilium 'Conca d'Or', L. 'Friso', L. 'Orange Planet', and 'Pretty Woman'.  The latter has 2 more bloom stalks but they're still without buds.

I never got a good shot of the tall red flower stalks of Melianthus major growing up through one of my strawberry trees but the spent flowers with the lime green seedpods show up better

I'm surprised that some Osteospermums have hung on for this long.  Clockwise from the upper left are O. 'Coral Magic', O. 'Double Moonglow', O. 'Purple Spoon', and O. 'Violet Ice'.

This has already been a long post but, as usual, I've gone ahead and appended photos of the best of the rest in collages organized by color with names noted clockwise from the upper left.

Red flowers: Allium spaerocephalon, Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky', Fuchsia 'Voodoo', Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', G. 'Spintop Copper Sun', Lotus berthelotii, Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', and Pelargonium peltatum 'Dark Burgundy'

Orange and yellow flowers: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Argyranthemum 'Angelic Maize', Eriogonum nudum 'Ella Nelson's Yellow', Lantana 'Lucky Yellow', Lonicera japonica, and Santolina 'Lemon Fizz'

White flowers: Alstroemeria 'Claire', Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', Phyla nodiflora (aka Lippia), 2-headed Acanthus mollis, and Dipladenia

Pink and lavender flowers: Pelargonium hortorum 'Dynamo Hot Pink', P. peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard, P. hybrid 'Orange Fizz', Teucrium cossonii majoricum, and Tulbaghia violacea

Blue and purple flowers: one of 10 Gladiolus 'Purple Flora' quickly withered by the heat, Globularia x indubia, Salvia 'Mystic Spires', noID Scaevola, Viola 'Sorbet XP Neptune, and Wahlbergia 'Blue Cloud'

I hope I haven't bored you with another long Bloom Day post.  For more posts from a range of locations in the US and beyond, visit Carol, the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, at May Dreams Gardens on July 15th.

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