In a Vase on Monday: Lisianthus at last...

It seemed to me that my Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) were late in blooming but, based on a quick check of my Bloom Day records for the last 2 years, it appears they're right on schedule.  Somewhat to my surprise, one of the first to bloom this year is 'Rosanne Black Pearl', a variety that didn't bloom well last year.  Only a few of last year's plants survived our very dry winter and I noted that comments on the grower's site indicate that other purchasers were as disappointed as I was by the performance of this cultivar.  While I didn't order any more 'Black Pearl' plugs this year, I took a chance on yet another new variety introduced by the same grower, 'Mint Cocoa'.  One of these plants also produced its first bloom this week so I threw it into my vase with 'Black Pearl' even though the color isn't quite right.

Although not actually black, 'Black Pearl' is a very deep purple.  The grower showed it in combination with chartreuse flowers, which possibly would have given it more life than the mix I chose.

Back view: Once again, I got a little carried away stuffing the vase with flowers

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Catananche caerulea, Consolida ajacis, Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White', Eustoma grandiflorum 'Mint Cocoa', Helleborus 'Anna's Red' (shown with Orlaya grandiflora), Limonium perezii, Pandorea jasminoides 'Alba', Santolina virens, and, in the middle, Eustoma grandiflorum 'Rosanne Black Pearl'

The palette for my second vase was set by the foliage of Leucadendron 'Chief'.  One of 'Chief's' branches was obscuring the smaller Leucadendron 'Ebony' next to it and, after cutting it off, I decided I should make use of it.  As a transition from spring to summer blooms is underway, the pink snapdragons in the cutting garden joined the Leucadendon in my bucket.  After weeks of the moist air associated with our "May Gray" marine layer, rust is developing on all the snapdragons, the rest of which I expect I'll pull soon.

I added white Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum) and yellow yarrow (Achillea 'Moonshine') in an effort to prevent the vase from becoming too sugary sweet 

I dressed up the back view with a few stems of Heuchera maxima, a California native

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Achillea 'Moonshine', Antirrhinum majus, Leucanthemum x superbum, Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', and Heuchera maxima

Like the snapdragons, my sweet peas are suffering the side effects of prolonged exposure to damp air, showing the first signs of powdery mildew.  The plants got off to a very slow start as something, I suspect the bunnies that now pay me regular visits, repeatedly chewed the seedlings down to the ground.  As a result, I made little use of them in arrangements this spring and, now that their decline is imminent, I felt compelled to cut a small posy for my desk.

Most of the seed sown sweet peas were part of a mix but I used a few special named varieties

The blue blooms here are Lathyrus odoratus 'Blue Shift' and I think the maroon variety behind them is 'Black Prince'.  I was looking forward to seeing 'Blue Vein', an orange flower with blue veining, but the orange blooms that have appeared thus far, while pretty, are missing that distinctive veining.

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find more Monday vases.

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

In a Vase on Monday: 'Loverboy' gets married

The question is: Is the marriage a good one?  Dahlia 'Loverboy' has been blooming his heart out for over a week now, outstripping the other Dahlias in my cutting garden, so it was a natural choice for inclusion in a vase this week.  However, with its vivid red color, I was at a loss as to which plants to partner with it.  I have other reds in my garden, mostly in the form of foliage, but those generally have yellow-brown undertones, while this Dahlia has purplish-blue undertones.  Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) fit the purple-blue spec but I'm not sure the marriage is entirely happy.  You can judge for yourself.

If I had a plentiful supply of props like our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, I'd have paired this vase with a wedding cake.  I guess I could have scrounged up a couple of rings but that was an afterthought.

This photo shows that Eustoma grandiflorum deserves the comparison with roses it often receives - could there be anything closer than a blue rose bud than this?  I almost prefer this view of the back of the vase to that I selected as the front.  A lighter touch with the Dahlia blooms may have been a good move in composing this vase.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Dahlia 'Loverboy', Aloysia citrodora (aka lemon verbena), African Blue Basil, blue Eustoma grandiflorum, Eustoma 'Rosanne Black Pearl' (which is a LOT smaller than it appears in this photo), and a very dark purple-red Pelargonium peltatum.  My husband sniffed and asked "what's that smell?" when I was preparing this vase and his tone wasn't positive.  I think the combination of the lemon verbena and the basil is lovely but tastes clearly differ.

The first sunflowers bloomed in my cutting garden late last week so I cut the head off the tallest one while I could still reach it without a ladder.

Helianthus annuus 'Lemon Queen' needs little accompaniment but of course that didn't stop me from cutting all kinds of accent plants

Back view

top view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Helianthus annuus 'Lemon Queen', Coreopsis 'Redshift', Jacobaea maritima, Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum', Phlomis fruitcosa (flower), Phlomis seedpod, and Tanacetum vulgare

Two very different vases!  Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find more.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Oops, I did it again

Regular readers probably won't believe me when I state that I rarely plan on preparing more than one arrangement for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden.  When I step out into my garden to look for material, I feel lucky if I have just one idea as to what to pick as a floral focus.  On Sunday, when I ventured out following a storm that brought us just 0.04/inch of rain overnight, I headed straight for an orchid stem I'd discovered in a corner of the property the day before when I was cleaning up after the tree trimmers we'd had on-site that morning.  The unusual color combination in the orchid had me combing the rest of the garden looking for burgundy accents.

This is the second flush of flowers on the noID Oncidium orchid I picked up at an orchid show hosted by my local botanic garden in September

The acid yellow foliage of Duranta erecta provided a nice echo of the orchid's yellow color

The yellow and burgundy color echoes show up best in this top view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: noID Oncidium; shiny Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey'; yellow/green Duranta erecta NOT 'Gold Mound'; Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', included to fill in some empty space upfront; Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', which is beginning to take on its beautiful red winter color; and Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset'.  The yellow in the Gaillardia bothered me here but I didn't have a good substitute.

As I was rounding the opposite end of our property, I noticed that the first bud of Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection' had bloomed.  More rain is expected on Thursday and the Camellia blooms don't like rain so I decided to clip that flower to enjoy it in the house.  One thing led to another and soon I had more than enough material for a second vase.  Oops!

Second vase featuring one flower of Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' front and center.  This Camellia is a hybrid of C. japonica and C. saluenensis.

Back view: I picked the snapdragons after discovering 2 plants infected with rust.  The rust is particularly frustrating as I've been careful to avoid overhead watering and have given the plants ample space to ensure air flow around the foliage; however, 2 rainy weekends and the return of fog associated with the marine layer probably tipped the scales.

Top view, showing off the variegated leaves of Pelargonium peltatum 'Crocodile', a gift from Denise of "A Growing Obsession" last year.  I'm more excited about the Pelargonium leaves than any other elements of this vase.

Clockwise from the left, the vase contains: Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection', noID Camellia sasanqua, noID orange/pink Antirrhinum majus, Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre', and Pelargonium peltatum 'Crocodile'.  Also included, but not highlighted, are stems of variegated Correa 'Wyn's Wonder'.  Correa flowers often "hide" mid-stem, making them harder to show off in arrangements.

Spending time outside collecting plant material was particularly enjoyable as the air was cool and fresh.  We played peek-a-boo with rain clouds all day but received no further precipitation; however, I remain hopeful that we'll get another good soaking later this week.  At present, our seasonal rainfall total (since October 1st) stands at a paltry 1.72 inches.

This week's vases are in place.

With Christmas decorations popping up throughout the house, vase space is becoming harder to come by

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


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

August 2016 Favorites

It's the last Friday of the month, when Loree of danger garden calls for gardeners to celebrate the plants that earned their favor this month.  August is a month when the plants here hunker down and wait for better days so finding stand-outs isn't easy.  Even though our summer temperatures have been milder than they were in late June and extra irrigation has generally perked things up, the plants I'm drawn to at the moment are mostly those I've already featured within the last few months.  But a few plants are deserving of notice.

Ozothamnus diosmifolius, planted in November 2015, is finally living up to my expectations.

The Australian native isn't in flower at this time of year but I really didn't buy it for the flowers

I love its erect form which makes me think of a miniature pine tree

Also known as rice flower, it's often grown for its flowers, shown here in a photo taken back in April

Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', planted in January 2013, fulfilled its promise long ago while its companion, Leucadendron 'Ebony', planted some 8 months later, has been slower to develop.  The two are finally beginning to play off one another as I'd envisioned.

Leucadendron 'Ebony', a sport of L. 'Safari Sunset', has gained size at last this year, although its growth is uneven.  At maturity, 'Ebony' should grow 3-4 feet tall, or about half the height of 'Chief'.  I trim  'Chief' back each year but have yet to trim 'Ebony'.

L. 'Chief' makes great use of the late afternoon sunlight

In contrast, L. 'Ebony' is dark and moody

Lantana camara 'Irene', planted from 6-packs in May 2015, is at last providing the pops of color I'd imagined around the base of the Pennisetum in the back garden.  Although it's a drought tolerant plant, it needed the boost it got from additional irrigation to produce more than a flower here and there.

Lantana camara 'Irene' has pretty multi-colored flowers which play off both the reddish pink of the Pennisetum 'Fireworks' to the left and the orange Agastache behind.  Hibiscus trionum (to the right) recently made a surprise reappearance after dying off last year.  Considered a noxious weed in some areas of the country, it doesn't present an issue here.

The succulents can be depended upon to look good year round but two earned special recognition this month.

Crassula perfoliata falcata (aka airplane plant) produced its first bright red bloom

Although relatively small, Agave parryi patonii draws my attention every time I pass it.  I love those exaggerated leaf imprints.  It's produced a couple of pups but I don't think I can manage to get them out intact without digging up the entire plant.

Unfortunately, I also had a major loss this month.  My Leucadendron galpinii, a relatively recent purchase, dropped dead in record time.

It lasted less than 2 months in the backyard border, despite the extra water I provided to help it get established

I was excited to find this plant in a one-gallon container for the first time and, perhaps foolishly, decided to go ahead and plant it in the backyard border in July rather than waiting for more hospitable weather.  Even more foolishly, I planted it in the same location as the Adenanthos sericeus I'd lost earlier.  Tracing the history of plants in this area, I realized these aren't the first losses in the same area.  I previously lost both a Prostanthera ovalifolia and a Philotheca myporoides in the same general vicinity.  Based on my (somewhat patchy) records, all seem to have expired relatively quickly.  I'm going to test the soil to see if that provides clues to what's going on.

So as not to end on that sour note, here's a photo of the lovely Pennisetum 'Fireworks' in my back garden.  I think they look even better than they did in last month's favorites post.  Pop over to Loree's site for more August favorites.

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

In a Vase on Monday: The Vessel Sets the Scene

My husband bought me a new vase on our recent visit to the Huntington Botanical Gardens and, as I wanted to see what I could do with it, the vessel determined the choice of flowers this week rather than vice versa.

The new "standing leaf" vase is about 8 inches tall and wide but has a narrow profile

I looked for plants that would complement the vase but not eclipse it.

Front view of new vase with lilies taking center stage

I couldn't bring myself to cut another lily stem to adorn the back view so simple daisies had to do

Top view

I'd been hoping that my Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) would be ready for picking but they've been slow to bloom this year.  They're close but not quite there.

The columnar-shaped plants shown scattered about in the left-hand photo are all Eustoma planted in 2015 or 2014.  The photo on the right shows buds just about ready to bloom.  Most of the plugs planted this year also have buds but the plants don't look nearly as vigorous as the returnees.

The noID pink lilies were my second choice.  I received 3 bulbs with a purchase of other bulbs a few years ago and, while the beautiful 'Stargazer' lilies I planted shortly after we moved in have long since died out, these continue to return.

The lilies aren't scented or flashy and I generally think they look better in the garden than highlighted in a vase

I selected just 3 other plants to accompany the lilies:

Clockwise from the left, the vase contains: noID lilies, Helichrysum petiolare (probably 'Silver Mist'), Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', and Tanacetum niveum

As I wandered my garden in search of companions for the lilies, I'd cut a number of other plants on spec as well.  Although I'd planned to construct a second vase of Achillea 'Moonshine' and Leucanthemum x superbum as both are available in quantity right now, my leftover cuttings pushed me in another color direction.

After all, there's also a large supply of Agapanthus in the garden

Clockwise from upper left, the second vase contains: noID Agapanthus, Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink", Heteromeles arbutifolia (aka Toyon), noID lavender (probably Lavandula angustifolia), Origanum 'Monterey Bay', and Tanacetum niveum

As the winds are up again and I'm wary about having my new porcelain vase take flight in the front entry (as 2 other vases have previously done), I placed it on the dining room table.

And the larger, heavier blue vase was placed in the front entry.

For more vases, visit Cathy of Rambling in the Garden, the host of "In a Vase on Monday."


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