In a Vase on Monday: Going for broke

The dahlias are producing more flowers every day, but this week my eyes first fixed on the foxgloves that burst into bloom all at once in one area of my cutting garden.  I don't generally expect to see foxgloves in July as the heat usually takes them out much earlier.  So I cut them first and looked for dahlias that could back them up afterwards.  Before I was done, I'd cut three varieties of dahlias and some lilies to add to the mix.  The lilies were a real surprise as I'd almost given up on seeing any more of them this season.

The lily is 'Pretty Woman', planted 4 years ago.  I'd noted earlier that 2 stalks had withered in place before the flowers fully opened, presumably in response to too much heat and too little water, so the third stalk was a pleasant surprise.  The dahlias shown at the front of the vase are 'Admiral Rawlings' and 'XXL Veracruz'. 

The back view of the vase, which shows off 3 'Hartennas' collarette dahlias and a few stems of Polygala (aka sweet pea shrub), has it's own personality

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Dahlia 'Hartennas', D. 'XXL Veracruz', D. 'Admiral Rawlings', Digitalis purpurea in purple and white forms, Polygala myrtifolia, and Lilium 'Pretty Woman'

It's been hot and humid here for the past week.  While our temperatures are no longer in the 90s (33C), it's still uncomfortable (mid-80sF/30C).  I try to get in my walks and any remotely strenuous garden activities done well before 10am if at all possible.  My garden is taking a beating as there's never sufficient time or energy to tackle everything, nor all the water the garden needs.  As the heat is on seemingly everywhere these days, I expect many of us are dealing with the same issues but, if you can't complain to other gardeners, who can you complain to?

Wherever you are, I hope you find a spot to cool off!  I know we're lucky to have air conditioning as many do not.  We're just closing our eyes to the electric bills for now.

For more IAVOM posts, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find what she and others have found to fill their vases this week.

My vase in place in the front entry

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

In a Vase on Monday: Some fumbling involved

The dahlias continue to produce buds but remain slow about delivering actual flowers. A couple of dahlia flowers opened very recently; however, there were not enough to make up a single bouquet. Luckily, one of the two stalks of 'Friso' lilies opened to fill the gap, boosted in part by a sudden flurry of wild carrot and other flowers. Hopefully, the dahlias will pick up their pace next week.

While I like the mix of flowers here, the arrangement itself is a little sloppy.  The lily had twisted its stalk around and refused to allow me to bend it into shape.

 

As may be evident from this rear view of the vase

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Daucus carota 'Dara' (self-seeded and known as both wild carrot and Queen Anne's lace), Leucanthemum x superbum (aka Shasta daisy, in its ruffled form), Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Lilium 'Friso', and Pelargonium peltatum 'Dark Pink' (aka ivy geranium)

Vase in the front entry

We didn't get the heat that was predicted last week, at least not in our area.  Our daily temperatures remained in the low to mid-70sF (22 to 24C) and it looks as though we should expect more of the same leading into the holiday weekend.  It's hard to know what to wish for there.  I'd settle for a stretch of relative calm.  For those of you in the US, I wish you the same.

To see more IAVOM posts, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Hidden Treasure

I'd thought that my lilies might be something of a loss this year. Only 'Orange Planet' had made an appearance. But it seems that I gave up too soon. I spotted a single flower of 'Montego Bay' last week and, by Sunday, I had six flowers. They were well hidden below and behind 'Orange Planet'. I cut all of them as it made no sense to leave them where they were, where neither I nor anyone else could see them.

I don't recall 'Montego Bay' blooming all at once for me before

Back view, filled in with stems of Alstroemeria 'Third Harmonic'

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left are: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', A. 'Third Harmonic', Crocosmia 'Plum Hussey', Digiplexis 'Illumination Raspberry', and Lilium 'Montego Bay' 

This is the arrangement in place in our front entry

I've also discovered that I have at least one other lily in the wings - 'Friso', I think. 'Pretty Woman', one of my favorite lilies, appears to be producing stalks, although I'm not convinced they're going to amount to anything. I've no idea where either 'Zelmira' or 'Zeba' may be hiding, but maybe they'll surprise me. In the meantime, the dahlias are looking more promising each week.

For more IAVOM posts, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to discover what she and others have put together this week.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Sunshine ahead (I hope)

By the time Memorial Day rolls around, we can usually count on sunny days. After all, it's the unofficial start of the summer season in the U.S. However, that's not been the case this year. It's been gloomy and on the cool side more often than not. The political environment can also be seen as chilling. At least it usually gets sunny by the mid-afternoon most days here. Fortunately, my garden provided its own sunshine this week.

The orange lilies finally came through with their flowers this week.  I think this variety is 'Orange Planet', which I planted in 2021.

Back view, filled out using Alstroemeria 'Claire' and Shasta daisies called 'Sweet Baby Izabel' (Leucanthemum x superbum)

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana',  Alstroemeria 'Claire', A. 'Inca Sundance', Leucanthemum x superbum 'Sweet Baby Izabel, Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi', and Lilium 'Orange Brandi'

View of arrangement in place

Depressing as circumstances have been on many fronts this year, it's time to dig in and slog through the ballot that's currently sitting on my desk.  At the same time, some 50,000 people in Orange County to the near south of us are under evacuation orders due to a serious toxic chemical leak. What a way to spend a holiday weekend!

I hope you've had an opportunity to spend time in your garden - or someone else's - this week.  You can check in with Cathy at Rambling and others who put something "In a Vase on Monday" here.

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

The last of the lilies

Last year, while attending the Puget Sound Garden Fling, a garden tour geared toward bloggers and other people specializing in social media focused on plants and/or gardening, I fell in love with a lily.  I saw it in one Pacific Northwest garden after another but I never got the name of the cultivar until I posted a photo of it on Instagram when a commentator told me it was 'Zeba'.  I searched for it online, found a source based in Holland, and placed an order for three bulbs.  I planted them soon after the bulbs arrived earlier this year.  When I placed the order I wasn't one hundred percent certain 'Zeba' was an exact match for the lily I remembered but, when it bloomed at last, it was!

All three bulbs produced bloom stalks and I cut two of them for this week's first arrangement.  I'd only planned to use one but all three blooms of the first stalk were already fully open so, to give the arrangement a longer vase life, I caved and cut a second stalk with only one of its three flowers open.  I intend to leave the third stalk alone to shine in the garden for as long as it lasts.

I opted for a looser arrangement on this occasion to allow the lily stems to sprawl

Back view: I surprised myself in choosing to combine the lily with Zinnia 'Queeny Red Lime'

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Achillea 'Terracotta', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', Lilium 'Zeba', and Zinnia elegans 'Queeny Red Lime'

I'd originally cut Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Wine' to combine with Lilium 'Zeba' but I decided I liked the lily with Zinnia 'Queeny Red Lime' better so the 'Benary's Giant Wine' stems landed in a separate vase (sidelining Leonotis leonurus once again).

I chose to combine this Zinnia with stems of Leucadendron 'Jester' but they're almost too alike in color.  These 'Jester' stems came from a shrub grown in full sun and the color is more red than pink.  When grown in partial shade the foliage leans toward pink.

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Radiance', Crassula pubescens, Leucanthemum x superbum, Leucadendron 'Jester', and Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Wine'

I've got buds on some of my dahlias but dahlia buds seem to take forever to mature...Maybe Leonotis will eventually get its time in a vase next week.  If you're looking for more IAVOM creations, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for contributions from other bloggers.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: A tropical treat

I spotted the first and only bloom of Lilium 'Montego Bay' late last week.  I'd originally planted three bulbs but two of them appear to have vanished and, given that the single remaining bloom stalk produced only one flower, there was nothing much more to expect of it so I made it the focus of today's arrangement.

An abundant flush of flowers on Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' sealed the deal on a coral color theme

Back view, showing the flower-like stems of Leucadendron 'Blush'

Overhead view: The flower stem of Hesperaloe 'Coral Glow' was a last minute addition.  The plant, or rather half of it, recently survived a gopher's strike.

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', Crassula pubescens ssp radicans, Hesperaloe parviflora 'Coral Glow', Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', and Lilium 'Montego Bay'

I saved a handful of stems from the second of last week's vases, cramming them into the small vase that normally sits on our kitchen island.

The remaining stems include Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown', L. salignum 'Safari Sunset', and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Wine' and 'Queeny Red Lime'

Feeling the pull of other projects, I didn't take the time to put together a second arrangement from scratch this week.  For arrangements from other IAVOM contributors, visit our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Not what I planned

I've been participating in the weekly "In a Vase on Monday" meme long enough that, by Sunday morning, I usually have something in mind to fill my vase(s).  Although I did cut a stem of a 'Pretty Woman' lily as planned for my first arrangement, that's where the direction I'd envisioned shifted.  I'd thought I was going to put together another blue and white arrangement but two stems of perky fuchsias sent me elsewhere.

The first stalk of Lilium 'Pretty Woman' has been in bloom for over a month but I waited to cut it until the last 4 flowers had opened.  I hadn't thought of leaning into the pink touches at the base of each flower until I noticed that Fuchsia 'Windchimes Upright White' had 2 long stems just begging to be cut.

Back view: There's not a lot of pink in my garden at the moment so I took advantage of abundant blooms of Daucus carota 'Dara' and the pinky variegated foliage of Leucadendron 'Jester'

Overhead view: On this occasion I removed all the pollen on the lily's anthers to prevent stains to the bright white petals

Clockwise from the upper left: noID white Agapanthus, Daucus carota 'Dara', Fuchsia 'Windchimes Upright White', Leucadendron 'Jester', and Orienpet Lilium 'Pretty Woman'

As the Leonotis leonurus (lion's tail) recently swung into bloom in response to steadily warming temperatures, I'd planned to go all in with orange flowers for my second arrangement but I dumped that plan when the first two zinnia flowers opened in my cutting garden.  I'd never gotten around to pinching my zinnia seedlings and I couldn't bring myself to do that once they'd formed fat buds; however, these initial blooms encouraged me to get on with it.  I wasn't sure what use I could make of two zinnias but I challenged myself to try.  I'm relatively pleased with the result.

The zinnias didn't even match but they were both reddish

Back view: The seedpods of Cercis occidentalis (aka western redbud) made this arrangement in my view.  The 2 trees I inherited with the garden have never borne as many seedpods as they have this year and I should probably cut them all off soon to discourage self-propagation.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Cercis occidentalis, (more) Daucus carota 'Dara', Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown', L. 'Safari Sunset', Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Wine', and Z. e. 'Queeny Red Lime'

I ended up with a third arrangement (also unplanned) as I cut several foxglove stems to flesh out the first arrangement but then decided they were more distracting then helpful.  I threw them into a small vase with a couple of leftovers from prior arrangements.

The heat hasn't been kind to the Digitalis purpurea in the container on my back patio so cutting all the stems was a good decision in any case.  The Leucanthemum (Shasta daisy) was a leftover from one of last week's arrangements and the Leucadendron 'Jester' stem is 3 weeks old.

It's been in the low-to-mid 80sF (28C) here for the last several days and it looks as though we can expect more of the same in the coming week.  The inland valleys will be about ten degrees hotter so we're lucky.  Meanwhile California's San Luis Obispo County is now battling the Madre Fire, which has burned over 80,000 acres since Wednesday with only thirty percent containment, already dramatically eclipsing the Eaton (14,021 acres) and Palisades (23,448 acres) Fires back in January.  At least the new fire is burning in a largely uninhabited forest area.  No cause has been identified yet but it certainly looks like we're facing another bad year in terms of wildfires.  You'd have thought people would keep that in mind when it came to the Independence Day celebrations last week but, while illegal firework displays were moderate leading up to the holiday, July 4th was as untamed as ever.

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

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Getting ahead of the heat

Our morning marine layer is still in place but it's retreating earlier and earlier each day.  Yesterday, we were socked in at 6am but the sunshine cut through the gloom well before 8am.  I dashed out the door before breakfast (albeit after feeding the cat) to cut flowers.  Our temperature hit 89F (31C) on Saturday but, although Sunday ended up a few degrees cooler, it was still on the toasty side.

I'd already decided to cut a stalk of Lilium 'Friso' and planned to accent it using stems of Daucus carota 'Dara' but I struggled a bit to find plant material that'd help the lily stand straight in its vase.  I settled on Myrtus communis, which is just now producing its first flowers.

'Friso's' flowers tend to point downward and the stalk wants to lean in one direction or another under its own weight

Back view: The Daucus flowers are especially prolific this year, all self-sown

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum 'Grandaisy Dark Pink', Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Daucus carota 'Dara', noID ruffled Leucanthemum x superbum, Lilium 'Friso', and Myrtus communis

Much as I love lilies, my second floral arrangement turned out to be my favorite this week.  I still don't have many foxglove stems in bloom but, given the warmer temperatures, I thought it best to cut what I had before they fried.

I used a small piece of plastic-coated hardware cloth to support the flowers I cut, which works well

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Ageratum corymbosum, Consolida ajacis, Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple', Digitalis purpurea, Pelargonium peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard', and Polygala myrtifolia

We're headed into the 4th of July holiday.  The reminders that fireworks are illegal here given the high risk of wildfires and numerous warnings that violators will be prosecuted and fined finally seem to have made a difference.  The fact that Southern California was devastated by a series of wildfires earlier this year may also have had an impact.  We usually hear "practice" fireworks every day and night for a month or more prior to the holiday but there's been far less of that this year.  We've heard a couple of what I assume were authorized public displays (presumably overseen by fire department personnel) but that's it.  We'll see what happens this coming Friday!

For more IAVOM posts, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party