In a Vase on Monday: Fleeting beauty

I suspect I've used this post title before but it describes both of my arrangements this week.  As at least one reader anticipated, I decided to feature the Hibiscus flowers that surprised me last week for my first vase.  The velvety red blooms were just too pretty to ignore, even if the flowers close in low light and don't usually last more than two days at most. 

My house is quite bright inside but, regardless, the Hibiscus flowers were already closing by mid-afternoon.  It remains to be seen if they'll open again in the morning light, or if any of the buds clustered along the stems will open.

 

I dressed up the back view with a handful of the flower-like bracts of Leucadendron 'Blush'

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', Hibiscus acetosella 'Haight Ashbury', and Pennisetum 'Sky Rocket'

My second arrangement consists of only three elements, with the primary component being the fragile flowers of Camellia sasanqua.  Although we received less than a half inch of rain spread lightly over the course of four days, that was enough to leave many of those flowers shattered.  With wind predicted, I cut three stems from the largest of my shrubs.

Both varieties of Camellia sasanqua were inherited with the garden.  They differ in form but are very similar in color.

Back view: I could've used more filler plants but c'est la vie

Top view

From left to right: Camellia sasanqua, Pentas lanceolata, and Persicaria capitata

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

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

Bloom Day - October 2022

I'm a day ahead of the official schedule for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day but I've been busy in the garden and had to fit my post in when I had the time to work on it.  My garden is in its late-summer doldrums, worsened perhaps due to two recent heatwaves and a two-week outdoor watering ban, but I realize my climate is still kinder than many so you may feel the floral display is greater than I perceive it to be.  Temperatures have plummeted in the past week but daytime highs remain in the mid-60sF to low-70sF, perfect for tackling garden chores that have been on hold much too long.

I'll start with the plants providing the brightest splashes of color right now.

Dahlias, clockwise from the upper left: 'Catching Fire', 'Lavender Ruffles', 'Enchantress', Fairway Spur', 'Summer's End', and 'Karma Prospero'

Felicia aethopica 'Tight & Tidy'

The ever dependable large-flowered Grevilleas 'Superb' and 'Peaches & Cream'

Pelargonium peltatums (aka ivy geraniums), refreshed by a little rain and cooler temperatures

Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum'

The vast majority of zinnias have already succumbed to mildew (which really means I just couldn't stand the appearance of their foliage and have pulled them up).  These 4, clockwise from the upper left, are still somewhat presentable: Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Deep Red', 'Benary's Giant Carmine Rose', 'Benary's Giant Purple', and 'Queen Red Lime'

Ripening fruit doesn't count as flowers but it does provide color at this time of year.  The 2 persimmon trees (Diospyros kaki 'Fuyu' and 'Hachiya') are bearing more heavily than ever before despite our drought conditions.

What would a Bloom Day be if there weren't a few surprises?  Here are mine:

An Agapanthus blooming in October is just plain weird

I had a difficult time determining the identity of the 5 bulbs whose foliage showed up in the middle of my backyard border.  I finally found record of planting 5 Amarine belladiva 'Emanuelle' (a cross between Nerine and Amaryllis belladonna) in April 2021, which is clearly what this is.  The first bloom is just opening now.

I cut this Argyranthemum frutescens 'White Butterfly' back hard about 6 weeks ago in lieu of pulling it up altogether but I was still surprised when it began to come back

Yucca 'Bright Star' blooms on its own schedule.  This bloom spike popped up during the last heatwave and is already spent.

A hedge of Xylosma congestum shrubs surrounds our garden on 3 sides.  I've seen sporadic blooms on a small scale before but this month the entire section of the hedge running alongside the street is in bloom.  The area is covered in bees.

A few other plants are getting an early start on their fall displays.

Barleria obtusa (aka bush violet) usually blooms in November but the shrubs in the back garden are already getting started

All the Australian fuchsias have started to bloom.  The flowers are hard to photograph even at the height of bloom.  From left to right are Correa 'Dusky Bells', 'Ivory Bells', and 'Wyn's Wonder'.

As usual, I'll close with the best of the rest organized by color in collages.

Clockwise from the upper left: berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolium (like tiny pumpkins) and a self-seeded Cotoneaster, Echeveria compressicaulis, Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', Gaillardia 'Spintop Copper Sun', Lantana 'Irene', and noID orange Lantana

Clockwise from the upper left: fresh blooms of Achillea 'Moonshine', noID Gaillardia, Grindelia camporum, Nemesia 'Banana Split', Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Lantana 'Lucky White', Zephyranthes candida, and noID Angelonia

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Angelonia, noID Duranta repens, D. 'Sapphire Showers', Salvia rosmarinus officianalis, noID Scaevola, and Trichostema 'Midnight Magic'.  I still can't get over the fact that rosemary is now classified as a Salvia.

Clockwise from the upper left: Arbutus 'Marina', Cuphea 'Honeybells', C. 'Starfire Pink', Polygala fruticosa (with yellow spider), Osteospermum 'Berry White', Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky', and Leucadendron salignum 'Blush'

That's it for October's Bloom Day.  I'm babying a handful of dahlias and zinnias but it's almost certain that all these plants will be gone well before November's Bloom Day.  I'm looking forward to getting started on my cool season cutting garden, sowing seeds and planting plugs, but there probably won't be much to see there until early next year.

To see what's blooming in other parts of the US and various locations around the world, check in with Carol of May Dreams Gardens on October 15th.

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - September 2022

I'm getting a one day jump on Garden Bloggers Bloom Day as Wednesday is a better fit for my schedule this week.  Due to the extended heatwave that concluded just last Friday, there are far fewer flowers to be found in my garden this month.  We're also in the middle of a 15-day outdoor watering ban and I've been running around like a madwoman with watering cans just trying to provide emergency rations to plants where I can.  A random tropical storm, the remnants of Hurricane Kay in the Pacific, provided an assist but any rebound the garden may get from that event isn't evident yet.

I took many of the following photos during the heatwave.  I'm going to start with those that don't usually receive much attention.

My ornamental grasses are getting started.  This Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' looks better than almost anything else in my front garden.

Tulbaghia violacea (aka society garlic) is easily overlooked most of the year but it makes a statement when it's one of the few things in full bloom

Clematis terniflora (aka sweet autumn clematis) is the only member of the genus I've been successful at growing.  I managed to train most of the vine up the arbor but one long stem evaded me and managed to weave itself through a Cistus shrub (photo on the right).

I took this photo of Leucophyllum laevigatum (aka Chihuahuan sage) a little before our heatwave swung into full gear.  Responding to an uptick in humidity, it exploded into bloom for a brief period before fading away almost as quickly as it appeared.

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' may have tiny flowers but they're abundant and keep on blooming regardless of weather conditions

I haven't been thrilled by the performance of my dahlias this year.  Even now, in mid-September, there are several that have yet to bloom.  Clockwise from the upper left, here are those that are blooming now with varying levels of vigor: Dahlia 'Calin', D. 'Summer's End', D. 'Southern Belle', D. 'Catching Fire', D. 'Enchantress', D. 'Lavender Ruffles', D. 'Karma Prospero', and D. Mikayla Miranda'.

The performance of my zinnias have also been spotty.  These 3, all grown from seed, have been the most rewarding: Zinnia elegans 'Carmine Rose', Z. 'Benary's Giant Deep Red', and Z. 'Benary's Giant Purple'.  For some reason, those in the 'Queen Lime' series, also grown from seed, have been disappointing this year.

I've crammed everything else into collages organized by color.  This month even old standbys like my large-flowered, ever-blooming Grevilleas are looking a little forlorn.

Clockwise from the upper left: Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) 'Balboa Blue Rim' and a noID blue variety, Geranium 'Tiny Monster', Petunia 'Night Sky', and noID Phalaenopsis

From the upper left: Agastache 'Morello' (still in its temporary pot), Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', Anthurium 'Maine', Cosmos bipinnatus, Eustoma grandiflorum, Hoya carnosa, Osteospermum 'Berry White', and Persicaria capitata

From the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', A. g. 'Kaleidoscope', Amaryllis belladonna 'Alba' (which crashed early into the heatwave), Cosmos bipinnatus, Pandorea jasminoides, Pelargonium peltatum 'White Blizzard', noID Phalaenopsis, and Phyla nodiflora

From the upper left: Grindelia camporum, noID Phalaenopsis, noID Plumeria, Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Superb', Gaillardia aristata 'Spintop Copper Sun', Leonotis leonurus, and Rudbeckia 'Denver Daisy'

From the upper left: Alstromeria 'Inca Lucky', Cosmos bipinnatus (in true red!), Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree), Pelargonium sidioides, and noID Phalaenopsis

For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, check in with Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

 

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Best wishes for a Merry Christmas!

I was leaning toward an arrangement featuring Grevillea 'Superb' this week but I knew if I did that it was going to end up looking very much like the one I created just before Thanksgiving just based on what's currently available in my garden.  Instead, I selected Leucadendron 'Blush' as my starting point to create an arrangement featuring tones of pink and burgundy.

The appearance of a single rose bloom, shown here at the front of the arrangement, was pure serendipity.  To the best of my recollection, this is the first time 'California Dreamin' has bloomed this year.

Back view, highlighting the burgundy elements of Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Vino' (aka coleus) and Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum'

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre', Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown', L. salignum 'Blush', Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum', Persicaria capitata (aka knotweed), Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Vino', and Rosa 'California Dreamin'

I also picked a few stems to create a new arrangement for the kitchen island.

A single stem of the orchid, Oncostele 'Wildcat', kicked off this arrangement.  As new floral stems are developing and this one had already been blooming for at least 2 months, I didn't feel bad about cutting it.  

Rear view: I selected the red berries to play off the red color in the orchid

Top view

Left to right: noID Cotoneaster, Oncostele 'Wildcat', and Phylica pubescens (aka featherhead)

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

Best wishes for a safe and happy Christmas!

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

Bloom Day - December 2021

I dragged my feet collecting photos for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day this month because I felt there wasn't much out there in the garden.  In coastal Southern California, our nighttime temperatures have dipped into the mid-40sF but we don't get frosts so, while floral production slows, it doesn't grind to a halt.  A closer look at my garden turned up plenty of the usual winter suspects.  

Note: All my photos were taken prior to Tuesday's rainstorm, which delivered just over three quarters of an inch of rain.  The storm was appreciated, although not a drought-buster.  Unfortunately, the long-term forecasts for the rainy season in Southern California are not particularly promising.

Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' is "blooming" a little early this year, or at least this shrub is.  The other was recently sheared like a hedge by "helpful" gardeners when I wasn't looking.

What I'm referring to as Leucadendron "flowers" are actually colorful bracts.  Clockwise from the upper left are Leucadendron 'Blush', L. 'Summer Red', and a mix of L. 'Safari Sunset' and another L. 'Blush'.

The ever-blooming Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream' (upper right) and G. 'Superb' (bottom row) are joined this month by G. alpina x rosmarinifolia (upper left)

Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree) blooms heaviest in cooler weather

While the flowers of the lower-growing Camellia sasanqua were mostly demolished by last week's light rainfall, this taller shrub is still looking good.  I don't have cultivar names for either.

Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre' has been in bloom for months now and is still covered in blooms, which are hard to photograph except in closeup

Felicia aethiopica is also difficult to photograph, as many blue-flowered plants seem to be

The ever-blooming Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy' rebounded from the pruning I gave it a couple of months ago and is once again a tangle of blooms

I really should give this Ocimum 'African Blue Basil' a hard pruning but I'm afraid the bees might not forgive me

The ivy geraniums (Pelargonium peltatum) also flourish in response to cooler temperatures

Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' still has lots of feathery plumes

Some of the traditional cool-season bloomers are just now making an appearance.

Aloes already in bloom include, clockwise from the upper left: tiny Aloe albiflora in a pot, A. 'Rooikappie', A. 'Safari Sunset', and hybrid A. vanbalenii x ferox

Like Pelargonium, Osteospermum responds well to the cooler temperatures of the fall and winter seasons.  Clockwise from the upper left:  Osteospermum 'Berry White', noID self-seeded variety, O. 'Double Moonglow', O. 'Violet Ice', and self-seeded O. '4D Silver'.

Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigold) is off to a slower than usual start as the gardeners also treated this plant as hedge material and cut off all its flower buds a month ago

I replanted various areas of my garden this fall and new flowers are filling in here and there.

Top row: Argyranthemum frutescens 'White Butterfly' and 'Yellow Butterfly (aka Marguerite daisies)
Middle row: Lobelia erinus 'Riviera Blue', planted en masse
Bottom row: Phylica pubescens, Phlomis fruticosa, and hybrid Salvia 'White Flame'

Pansies don't handle our unpredictable heatwaves well but I can never resist planting a few small Violas

Most months, I uncover a surprise or two.  This month I've had several worth sharing.

A single Eustoma grandiflorum (aka lisianthus) blooming late (or early?!)

I planted 3 tiny bulbs of Lachenalia viridiflora in a pot in October and all produced these fantastic turquoise flowers.  Hopefully, the plants will bulk up in future years.

My Salvia discolor was torn out by mistake when I dug out my rampant asters.  I luckily found a replacement in November, which is already producing its wonderful nearly black flowers (also hard to photograph).  I saw a hummingbird drinking its nectar earlier this week.

Other surprises include: Haemanthus albiflos, Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem', and Metrosideros collina 'Springfire'

I'll conclude as I usually do with collages composed of the best of the rest, organized by color.

Top row: Angelonia 'Archangel Blue-bicolor', noID Ceanothus, and trailing Lantana
Middle row: Lavandula multifida, noID Phalaenopsis, and Rosmarinus 'Gold Dust'
Bottom row: Scabiosa columbaria, Teucrium fruticans, and Vitex trifolia 'Purpurea'

Clockwise from upper left: Angelonia 'Archangel White', Correa 'Ivory Bells', Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light', and blueberry flowers (Vaccinium x 'Sunshine Blue')

Top row: Centranthus ruber, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', and Cuphea 'Starfire Pink'
Middle row: Digitalis 'Pink Panther', Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', and Phalaenopsis 'Balden's Kaleidoscope'
Bottom row: Cyclamen 'Djix' and Gazania 'White Flame'

Top row: Antirrhimum majus, Campsis radicans, and Cuphea 'Vermillionaire'
Middle row: Dermatobotrys saundersii, Xerochrysum bracteatum, and Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun'
Bottom row: noID Grindelia, Oncostele 'Wildcat', and Zinnia 'Profusion Yellow'

For more Bloom Day posts from the US and around the world, check in with our host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

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