Getting back to work

I tested negative for COVID on Tuesday so I figured it was time to get back to work in my garden after nearly a two-week break.  The first task I tackled was cutting back the shaggy Agapanthus flower stalks. They were already looking sad when I left for the Fling but the higher temperatures during my absence left them looking even worse. 

Photo taken the evening of July 22nd

The back border presented a much neater appearance once the Agapanthus stalks were removed

For some reason, I always underestimate the time and effort that goes into their removal, even with the plants spread out throughout my garden.  The expanse in the mid-section of the back border shown above accounts for but a fraction of the total number of Agapanthus in my garden.  They populate other parts of the back garden, as well as numerous areas of the front garden.  I counted well over 150 stalks cut on Tuesday morning alone, only to belatedly realize that I'd missed a few dozen more growing in the shade beneath the large canopy of Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid'.

Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' produced a late July flush of blooms so I'm holding off on pruning it.  I've yet to get a clear handle on its bloom schedule.  A quick survey of my blog posts indicates that it's bloomed as early as April and as late as November.  It commonly, albeit not always, produces 2 flushes with an August flush being the most common.

Another pressing task was stripping the seedy stalks of Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima) before it spreads ever wider.

The photo on the left was taken in early July and the photo on the right was taken on July 31st.  Thus far I've cleaned up about three-quarters of the feather grass clumps in my garden.

I didn't take a "before" short of the feather grass on either side of path off the south patio but this one was taken after I cleaned these clumps up.  In addition to raking out the seed, I pull out all or most of the dead grass too.

Did you notice that plant climbing above the clumps of Nassella on the left side of the above photo?  That's a Wisteria floribunda that came with the garden.  I've been trying to remove it since we moved in over twelve years ago.  I even brushed the vine's growing tips with a vine killer earlier this year.  I suspect its roots extend under the house.  In any case, it took advantage of my absence and weaved its way under the rain shields attached to the catio, which I failed to remove after I lost Pipig in June.  I've once again added its removal to my list of garden chores.

Another task added to my list upon my return home was the removal of the large and obviously dead Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike' in the front garden, which I noticed as soon as my husband and I turned into our driveway.

Definitely dead

This is what it looked like at its best in February 2019

It grew taller than expected and by July 2022 when this photo was taken I was already concerned about its placement on the edge of a moderate slope (which isn't readily visible from this angle).  I started trimming it back to control its height but not so hard that I thought it'd damage the plant.

I cut out 2 dead branches in late 2023 but it was evident from this photo under foggy skies in early July that the plant was on its way out so I can't say I was really surprised to find it dead

While I was weathering COVID, my husband removed the dead Leucadendron, which left a surprisingly small footprint given the plant's height and girth.  I'm currently planning to fill the bare space with succulents and more Lantana as the area is very dry.

My garden is in the process of descending into its summer doldrums stage, as it usually does in August; however, there are some bright spots.

Even with the vast majority of my Agapanthus gone, a few late bloomers with particularly deep blue flowers have made an appearance.  The one on the left is 'Elaine' and the one on the right is 'Stevie's Wonder'.

Aloe lukeana was producing a bloom stalk just before I left and I almost missed the show

The dahlias are coming on at last.  Clockwise from the upper left are 2 views of 'Break Out', 'Creme de Cognac', 'Catching Fire', and 'Vancouver'.  'Summer's End', already featured in one floral arrangement, has many more blooms pending.  Other dahlias in bud include: 'Excentric', 'Labyrinth', 'Luna', and 'Mikayla Miranda'.  The slow pokes include 'Brown Sugar', 'Fairway Spur', 'Hometown Hero', 'Iceberg' and 'Lady Darlene'.  I'd virtually given up on 'Belle of Barmera' but she finally sprouted so I've given her space to catch up with the others if she can.

The Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara' plugs I ordered by mail last year are picking up speed (left) and a handful of seed-sown Zinnias are coming on, which off-hand I can't identify as I mixed up my seeds

And these Protea nerifolia buds may not not like much but I'm thrilled to see them!  The one on the left is 'Claire' and the one on the right is 'Pink Ice'.  Although the photos don't reflect it, the 'Pink Ice' buds are quite large already.  I purchased 'Pink Ice' in December 2016 but didn't put it in the ground until December 2018.  Two small buds dried out and failed to bloom last year but I'm feeling better about the 5 buds the plant currently has.  'Claire' was a purchase from Flora Grubb Gardens in December 2023 and has just 2 buds so far.

Absent a Paxlovid rebound, my husband and I are looking forward to returning to our normal routines on Sunday when we should be able to call my COVID episode over and out, eliminating the "his" and "her" divisions of our household we created to protect him from exposure to the virus when I tested positive.  The repiping project that demanded our attention during the two weeks prior to my Fling trip was finished up on July 17th, except that the pipes have been groaning on and off whenever hot water is running in the kitchen or the bathrooms.  That problem has yet to be fully resolved.  The plumbing contractor claimed the problem lay with our weather heater (installed in 2019), which the company's representatives dispute; however, my scientist husband has conducted his own evaluation of the water heater and now believes it has to be replaced even as the company that built it continues to argue the matter.  Work on our chimney has been delayed another week but at least that should be done before we're likely to see rain again.

Best wishes for a healthy and stress-free weekend!

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

In a Vase on Monday: Tulips, my way

I regularly complain about my inability to grow tulips.  It's not for lack of trying.  I've purchased tulip bulbs several times, pre-chilling them before planting, only to have large-scale failures on each occasion.  Pre-sprouted tulips have become available here in recent years and I've tried those too but with only nominally better results.  Warm Santa Ana wind conditions are the chief problem; however, those winds don't bother most of my plants.  Looking at my Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike' this week, it occurred to me that, with the stems stripped of most of their green foliage, the colorful bracts might create a half-decent facsimile of a tulip.

What do you think?

I filled in with other flowers and foliage in chartreuse tones

Top view

This is what Leucadendron 'Goldstrike' looks like in my garden

I used stems of this mutant Aeonium bloom in the arrangement.  Aeoniums normally produce cone-shaped bloom spikes.

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Aeonium arboreum, Euphorbia rigida, noID Narcissus, Prunus laurocerasus (aka English Laurel), Tanacetum parthenium (aka Feverfew) and, in the middle, Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike'

I created a second vase as usual.  I'd originally intended to put it together for Valentine's Day but as it was sopping wet outside for two solid days I didn't get to it until Saturday morning.  As Sunday was my wedding anniversary, it still seemed appropriate.

The centerpiece is Calliandra haematocephala (aka Pink Powder Puff)

but I think the real star is the pink and white-flowered Grevillea 'Penola'

I added some white Dianthus for contrast

Clockwise from the top: Calliandra haematocephala flower, buds of the same plant, Dianthus caryophyllus, and Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola'.  The Calliandra flowers don't last long but I'm hoping, perhaps unrealistically, that the buds may open as the full-blown flower fades.

The house is flower-filled at the moment.  In addition to the two new vases, I have two tiny vases containing cast-offs from one of this week's vases and remnants of one of last week's vases, plus an orchid I received from my husband and another pot of orchids received from a lovely family that visited my garden on Saturday.

The two new vases landed in the usual spots on the dining and front-entry tables

Leftover stems from the first vase ended up in my tiny cactus-shaped vase.  I popped the stem of Globularia x indubia (aka Globe Daisy) from last week's arrangement into a tiny blue vase because I couldn't bear to throw it into the trash after so many of the tight buds had opened.

My husband bought me a Phalaenopsis to mark our anniversary.  The other pot was a gift from my visitors.  Both pots will join the other orchids in my lath house once the flowers are spent and temperatures warm.

I hope you find some color to brighten your week too.  Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and her merry band of IAVOM contributors have to share this week.


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

The joy that rain brings

Last year was one of the driest in Southern California since records have been kept but this year we're on target to reach or exceed our "old normal" standards.  The rain has come in several bursts over consecutive days.  Our last storm cleared out Tuesday morning.  There's a chance of another this weekend and still another during the middle of next week.  We've been lucky to have a couple of sunny, albeit cold, days in the intervening period, during which I took time to clean up the garden a bit and take some pictures.  It already looks as though were headed in the direction of a nice spring.

I don't usually get much pleasure out of visiting my back slope but on this occasion it offered a few positive surprises.

The lemon tree that dropped every single piece of fruit in early July when our temperature hit 110F has fully recovered

Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt', planted in 2015, is finally taking on the tree-like form I envisioned for it

With the rain, the calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) planted decades ago by another gardener at the bottom of the arid slope have magically reappeared

Centranthus ruber has self-seeded generously in the same area and it looks as though the California poppy plugs I planted in December are thriving too

On the main level of the back garden, I couldn't miss the fact that the Xylosma congestum hedge that surrounds it produced fresh new foliage.

The garden service that maintains our hedges cut the new foliage back the day after I took these photos but, with more rain expected I don't think it'll be long before my "ring of fire" is back

The backyard offered other surprises as well.

I'd entirely forgotten these plants with the tiny white flowers.   I think they smartly went underground last summer.   This is Arabis alpina 'Variegata'.

This is the first flower on Isopogon anemonifolius, an Australian plant I picked up on a whim while plant shopping in November.  It's interesting but it doesn't look like much like it did on the plant tag; however, I'll give it more time to develop before making any decision about whether it stays or goes.

Plants showing flower buds include: Ageratum corymbosum (left) and Leucospermum 'Brandi' (right).  It'll be awhile yet before either will be in full bloom but it's nice to see progress in that direction.

My discoveries weren't limited to the back garden.

Euphorbia rigida is blooming in the succulent garden on the south side of the house

Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike' produced its luminescent flower-like bracts seemingly overnight in the front garden

After looking near death this summer, Aeonium 'Mardi Gras' is blushing again

Moss has appeared on paths, along the stairs leading down my back slope and between paving stones

The first flowers have opened on the tall bloom stalks produced by the 2 Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' planted in my street-side succulent bed.  The foliage of each plant now has a pretty pink blush too.  I don't know if that's a reaction to the cold or simply part of its slow process of dying.

Along with the calla lilies, the first Freesia bulbs are flowering.  I expect my other early spring bulbs aren't far behind.

The blue Freesias are the first to appear this year.  Ferraria crispa (upper right) has also produced fresh foliage.  Leucojum aestivum, Narcissus and Sparaxis are also on their way.

I know it's been a nasty winter for many of you in the Northern Hemisphere but spring is getting closer.  Take heart!


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

After the Hedge: A Foliage Follow-up Post

Earlier this month, I posted on the removal of the last remaining portion of the deteriorating Ceanothus hedge we inherited with our garden.  Not one to leave any ground bare for long, I began preparing the area for planting within a week of clearing it.  The first step involved bringing in yet another batch of what the local stone yard refers to as "small boulders" to hold the front slope.  The next step was to dig out and divide the large mass of Agapanthus.  Shopping, mostly for succulents, was also involved.  Although I expect to do some tweaking, I've completed my first pass at redesigning the area.

For reference, here's another photo of the area after the hedge was removed but before it was replanted:

In addition to dividing the Agapanthus, I cleared out a lot of the Santa Barbara Daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus), which is virtually a weed here.  The large plants in the level area above the Agapanthus - Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', Tecoma stans, and Echium candicans 'Star of Madiera' - were retained.

And here's a look at it after replanting:

I added about 500 lbs of rock to stabilize the soil on this slope, which is steeper than it appears in this photo

View of the same area from the opposite direction

Not all the plants came from garden centers.  In addition to dividing the Agapanthus into 3 smaller clumps, I transplanted plants taken from elsewhere in the garden.

From left to right: newly planted clump of blue Agapanthus; one of 3 divisions of Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' taken earlier in the year; and Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike', purchased in early spring and temporarily kept in a pot

I also took cuttings of succulents I had elsewhere.

Clockwise from the left, the cuttings I took from elsewhere in the garden include: Agave attenuata, Aloe 'Rooikappie', Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire', what was sold to me last year as Senecio amaniensis (but may be something else entirely), and Senecio vitalis

And here are the plants I purchased:

First row: Aeonium 'Kiwi', Agave geminiflora, Anacampseros 'Sunrise', and Crassula ovata 'Sunset'
Second row: Echeveria 'Blue Atoll', E. 'Blue sky', Festuca californica, and Kalanchoe luciae
Third row: Pennisetum orientale, Sedum adophii, Sedum haworthii, and Sedum "hybrid"
Fourth row: Sedum rubrotinctum 'Aurora' and 3 noID succulents
(Not shown: both green and variegated forms of Portulacaria afra)

Most of these species were purchased in multiples and I've already picked up a few additional succulents that don't appear in my photos so, as I said, tweaking will continue.  I considered dressing the lower area with gravel but the sloping surface presents a challenge so I'm leaning in the direction of adding more small-leafed succulents as ground cover.  There's a large space just south of the variegated Echium that needs to be filled too but I haven't settled on the right thing to complement the surrounding plants yet.

As we brought home 860 lbs of rock from the stone yard, I still have about 360 lbs of rock to use elsewhere now that I'm mostly done with this area.  I'm waiting for the cricks in my back to smooth out before I get started with that.  The work that's already been done will stand as my Foliage Follow-up post this month.  For more foliage selections, visit our host, Pam at Digging.


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