In a Vase on Monday: Moving toward spring

Spring arrives early in coastal Southern California.  We don't have much of a winter season to begin with.  My area doesn't experience freezes, much less snow.  Our nighttime temperatures rarely dip below the 40sF (5C) and our daytime temperatures don't often descend below the mid-50s (13C).  Weekend temperatures were on the warm side here this week, at least once the morning marine layer lifted.  Signs of spring are emerging here and there, although my sweet peas stubbornly remain in stasis, not yet ready to send their vines climbing.

My first arrangement was inspired by the early blooms of Leucospermum 'Sunrise', although the flowers of Metrosideros 'Springfire' ended up playing a more prominent role.

I'd intended this arrangement to be mostly orange but 'Springfire' is leaning red at the moment

Back view, with the foliage of Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' contributing its own touch of orangish-red

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Inca Sundance', Grevillea 'Superb', Leonotis leonurus, Leucospermum 'Sunrise', and Metrosideros collina 'Springfire'

I couldn't resist cutting more of the Anemones in the cutting garden this week.

I used 3 varieties of Anemone coronaria in this small vase with my favorite, 'Rarity', front and center

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Mistral Azzurro', A. c. 'Mistral Grape', A. c. 'Rarity', Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', Lavandula multifida, and Limonium perezii

Last week's arrangements held up pretty well.  With a little paring and cleanup, both are still providing spots of color, albeit in different areas.

While the first bloom on Hippeastrum 'Marilyn' faded, 2 others opened on the same stem and half the green Eustoma grandiflorum flowers are still looking good too.  The pink Anemone 'Rose Chiaro' also held up, along with one stem of Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna'.  I was reminded that the Anemones, like tulips, grow taller even after being cut.

A little more rain is expected this week, as three atmospheric rivers are reportedly headed our way from the north.  If forecasts are to be credited, we can't count on more than half an inch but we got more than predicted with the last rainstorm so maybe we'll have similar luck this time.

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: The garden's gifts

Both of last week's floral arrangements are still in good shape.  I edited them a little, gave them fresh water, and shuffled them into new positions.  I didn't expect to find much I could use this week that wouldn't be a retread of recent arrangements but, once again, my garden delivered.  I created one bouquet and used other cut stems to jazz up a store-bought wreath.

While I did use stems of my old standby, Grevillea 'Superb', I added stems of Metrosideros 'Springfire', which is suddenly covered in flowers, as well as fresh blooms of 2 Alstroemerias

Back view: Despite the lack of rain, the first Narcissus are making an appearance too!

Top view

Top row - Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', A. 'Inca Sundance', and Corokia virgata 'Sunsplash'
Middle - Correa 'Ivory Bells', Grevillea 'Superb', and Leucadendron salignum 'Blush'
Bottom - Leucadendron salignum 'Summer Red', Metrosideros collina 'Springfire', and noID Narcissus

I initially stuck the store-bought wreath on its hook and just added a bow and one small ornament, planning to leave it at that.  However, several stems of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' stood out when I walked into the garden on Sunday morning.  I initially thought I'd put them in my floral arrangement but the wreath was begging for embellishment.

I decided that the red-tinged stems of both Leucadendron salignum 'Safari Sunset' and Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', originally cut for my vase, were a better fit with the red notes in the wreath

Rain on Christmas Eve is still in the forecast as a possibility.  One weather service gives our chance at thirty-five percent and another fifty-five percent, although they agree that the total precipitation isn't likely to amount to much.  I have my fingers crossed nonetheless.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Best wishes for a happy holiday week!

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

Bloom Day - December 2023

I checked last December's Bloom Day post before starting this one.  There were more flowers in December 2022 than there are this December but then we got over four and a half inches of rain between October 1st and December 31st in 2022.  Thus far, we've received less than half an inch in total between October 1st and today so the difference in the volume of flowers isn't all that surprising.  On the good news side, there's currently a significant chance of rain next week.  Maybe the tide is turning at last.

In November, Barleria obtusa (aka bush violet), Camellia sasanqua, and Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigolds) were the stars of my garden.  The bush violets and marigolds are now all but gone but other plants have stepped up to fill the vacuum.

Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' usually puts on its best display in the spring but it's doing pretty well this December, even if the bright orange leaves of the persimmon tree behind it are competing for attention

At some point during the last year, this Leucadendron 'Summer Red' exploded in size, at least when viewed from the back.  The colorful bracts aren't true flowers but they deserve the same kind of acclaim.

Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' hasn't reached maturity yet but it provides a nice backdrop for the Leucadendron in the prior photo

I took these photos of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' as night was falling.  Like 'Summer Red' this plant is also looking more dramatic viewed from the back.

The Camellia sasanqua shrubs are even more floriferous than they were last month.  Both varieties came with the garden and I don't have IDs for either.  I've always considered them similar in color but these photos show their differences in color and flower shape.

Many of the usual workhorses of my garden are present as well, even if not putting on a boisterous show.

The Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) sprang back after it was pruned in October; however, all the flowers are so far above my head I had to use a telephoto lens to capture them.  Wind and low humidity has also taken its toll on the flowers.

The Cupheas all need a hard pruning but I've been waiting for the onset of serious rainfall to do that.  From left to right are 'Honeybells', 'Starfire Pink', and 'Vermillionaire'.

Gomphreana decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' is back with a vengeance now.  What the flowers lack in size, they make up for in volume.

Even Grevillea 'Superb' (left and upper right) is a little light on flowers at this time of year.  A couple of months ago, I'd feared that Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' (lower right) was failing but an irrigation repair and eviction of some gophers has helped the shrub recover.

The Osteospermums are returning slowly - and I've yet to find any of the double-petaled varieties I prefer to fill empty spots where I'd like more.  All shown here except the yellow variety, '4D Sunburst', have been in my garden for one or more years.

This Pelargonium peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard' (aka ivy geranium) is happier than any others in my garden at present

Pentas lanceolata has been doing particularly well in this barrel container, which gets more water than my borders

There were a few surprises in terms of plants that have held on longer than I expected.

I didn't expect the blooms of Hibiscus acetosella 'Haight Ashbury' to continue once our nighttime temperature fell but they have.  Although the flowers last only a single day, I also discovered that flower buds on a cut stem do open in a vase.

I showed this Ruscus hypoglossum in a November post on foliage plants.  It's now covered in its peculiar tiny flowers, which remind me of alien insects (see closeup on the upper right).

Salvia discolor is still producing its delicate, almost black, sweetly scented blooms

Several Aloes and a few other succulents are just getting started.

Clockwise from the upper left are: Aeonium arboreum, Aloe lukiana, A. 'Moonglow', A. vanbalenii x ferox', A. 'Safari Rose', and Crassula orbiculata var rosularis

I've tied photos of the best of the rest together in color-coordinated collages.

Clockwise from the upper left: Barleria obtusa, Calibrachoa 'Mini Double Blue', Duranta repens 'Sapphire Showers', Lavandula multifida, Nemesia 'Sun Glow Bicolor', Polygala myrtifolia, and Vitex trifolia

Top row: noID Alstroemeria, noID Angelonia, and Argyranthemum 'Grandaisy Dark Pink'
Middle: Boronia crenula 'Shark Bay', Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre', and Pelargonium hortorum 'Dynamo Hot Pink'
Bottom: Persicaria capitata, Ptilotus exultatus, and Ruschia lineolata 'Nana'

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Claire', noID Angelonia, Dipladenia 'Sundenia White', and Fuchsia 'Wind Chimes White'

Top row: Arbutus 'Marina', Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', and Leonotis leonurus
Middle: Calibrachoa 'Supercal Cherry', Gazania 'Gold Flame', and noID Gazania
Bottom: Euryops chrysanthemoides, Rudbeckia 'Cherokee Sunset', and Tagetes lemmonii

For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Is it Spring yet?

For the first time in many months, I could only work up the energy for one arrangement this week.  Although buds are appearing here and there, there are few "new" blooms but, when I noticed that one of my small-flowered Grevillea was slowly covering itself in tiny flowers, I decided I could use it as a springboard (pun intended) for an arrangement featuring some of my old standbys.  However, the title of this post stemmed from my discovery that Metrosideros 'Springfire' had produced a few blooms too.  As it bloomed in winter last year as well, maybe it shouldn't have come as a surprise, especially as we've got another stretch of unseasonably warm weather starting here.  Meanwhile, we remain extraordinarily dry with no rain expected in the foreseeable future.  Winter means rain here and there's reason to wonder if our one and only rainy season, which has seen just a single decent storm thus far, is already over.  Northern California, which provides most of Southern Californa's water, is getting less rain than "normal" but at least the faucet seemingly isn't broken there as it is here.

The small flowers of the Grevillea that set my color scheme aren't readily visible in this view but the three stems of Metrosideros 'Springfire' are front and center

Large-flowered Grevillea 'Superb' tends to steal the show, especially in this back view

Top view

Top row: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Aloe 'Safari Rose', and noID Antirrhinum majus
Second row: Inspiration pieces Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' and Grevillea alpina x rosmarinifolia
Bottom row: noID paperwhite Narcissus, Leucadendron salignum 'Summer Red', and Grevillea 'Superb'

So that's it from me this week.  Friday is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, which means I need to get started on a scavenger hunt.  We'll see if I turn up anything suitable for next week's In a Vase on Monday post during that process.

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

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - January 2020

This January's Bloom Day post is a bit lighter on flowers than those in the two prior years, although my garden's usual workhorses are mostly present and accounted for.  I generally attribute year-to-year floral fluctuations to rain, or the lack of it, but comparisons of 2020, 2019 and 2018 bring that rationale into question.  Rain levels were higher in 2019 but much lower in 2018 yet my January posts for those years are comparable.  This year I expect that my preoccupation with the late stages of our remodel during the last quarter of 2019, which dramatically reduced the time I spent in the garden, is largely responsible for the differences.  Fall is usually my peak planting season but I did precious little of that in the last few months.  Still, there's no shortage of flowers to share this month, at least by comparison to those of you who garden in colder winter climates.

I'll start with the biggest surprises.

This is Metrosideros collina 'Springfire'.  I featured it in last month's post too.  It's supposed to bloom in spring and summer but here it is in the dead of winter brightening the south end of my garden.

Crocus don't do well here.  At best they bloom the first year and then disappear.  I stopped planting them years ago.  However, when I got a handful of the bulbs as a gift with purchase 3 years ago, I went ahead and stuck them in the ground.  This is now the third year they've made an appearance.

I showed the first sign of a bloom spike on this hybrid Aloe ferox x vanbalenii last month.  It's now in full bloom for the first time since I acquired the plant in 2016.

As was the case in prior years, the Grevilleas and Leucadendrons are putting on a good show.

The large-flowered Grevilleas like 'Ned Kelly' bloom year-round here but the small-flowered varieties are now joining in the parade.  Clockwise from the upper left: Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', G. rosmarinifolia, G. alpina x rosmarinifolia, G. 'Peaches & Cream', and G. 'Superb'.

A variety of Leucadenrons produce flower-like bracts during the winter months.  Clockwise from the upper left: Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', a close-up of the same plant, L. salignum 'Summer Red', L. 'Safari Sunset', and L. salignum 'Chief'.

Many of last month's bloomers are still going strong.

Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid) has been blooming steadily since October

The noID Camellia sasanquas shown in the first 2 photos have now been joined by the hybrid Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection'

Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) 'Zombie' is finishing up its run but I'm hoping that 'Moon Scene' and 'Giant Amadeus' may show up within the next month of so

The plants that flower year-round or nearly so are making their contribution.

Arbutus 'Marina' blooms almost non-stop but the trees are usually relatively bare of flowers in January because I generally have them pruned in late fall.  Pruning was postponed while we finished up our remodel so the trees are heavily laden with flowers at the moment.

The Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' shrubs in the front garden are blooming, although those in the back garden are not.  Who knows why.  The tiny flowers look white from a distance but they're actually a very pale pink. 

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' only stops blooming when I cut the shrub down to one foot in height

I've added a few plants in the past month but only one of those is already adding a punch of color.

Brachyscome angustifolia 'Brasco Violet' (aka Swan River Daisy) is a drought tolerant Australian native.  Sold as an annual, it's a short-lived perennial here.

Other flowers are present in smaller numbers.  As usual, I've packaged them in collages organized by color.

Top row: Campanula poscharskyana, trailing Lantana, and Lavandula multifida
Bottom row: Polygala fruticosa, Rosmarinus 'Gold Dust', and noID Viola

Top row: Dermatobotrys saundersii, Euryops chrysanthemoides, and self-seeded Gazania
Bottom row: Phylica pubescens, Rudbeckia hirta 'Denver Daisy', and Tagetes lemmoniii

Top row: Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre', Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink', and assorted Cyclamen
Middle row: Eustoma grandiflorum, Osteospermum 'Berry White', and noID Pelargonium x hortorum
Bottom row: Pelargonium peltatum, Penstemon mexicali 'Mini-bells Red', and Rosa chinense 'Mutabilis'

Top row: Antirrhinum majus, Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest', and Digitalis purpurea
Middle row: Lantana 'Lucky White', Nemesia 'Snow Angel', and Osteospermum '4D Silver'
Bottom row: Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum', Pyrethropsis hosmariense, and Lobularia maritima

What's most obviously missing from the current line-up are the blooms of Aeonium arboreum.  I use this succulent as a filler throughout my garden and the flowers generally arrive on schedule with no help at all from me.  This January there are plenty of bloom spikes but no actual flowers as yet.  The Aeoniums, along with several other common January bloomers, are taking their time making an appearance in 2020 but they're on their way.

Clockwise from the upper left, coming attractions include: Aeonium arboreum, Calliandra haematocephala (first bloom!), buds on Echium handiense, tiny buds of Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola', naval and Mandarin oranges (not quite ripe yet!) and, in the middle, the first flowers of my noID paperwhite Narcissus

That's a wrap!  Visit Carol, the host of Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, at May Dreams Gardens to discover what's happening in other gardens.


All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party