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

In a Vase on Monday: My personal challenge

Yesterday I set myself a personal IAVOM challenge to create an arrangement around a flower I couldn't conceive pairing with much of anything.

This is Salvia africana-lutea.  The flower color is a mix of terracotta and reddish-brown.

As it turned out, it wasn't all that difficult.  A spin around my garden and, voila!  I accumulated more plant material than I needed.

Phylica pubescens, aka featherhead, immediately presented itself as a perfect accent plant

and Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' was another natural pairing

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Salvia africana-lutea, Corokia x virgata 'Sunsplash', Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow', Phylica pubescens, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and Narcissus tazetta 'Geranium'

There's no shortage of flowers for use in creating vases at the moment.  Spring may not have officially arrived yet but it's well underway in my garden, although over a week of rain on and off has some flowers looking worse for the wear.  One plant that was within days of blooming got completely plastered.

More than 80% of this Agrostemma 'Ocean Pearls' snapped off its base when it collapsed during our heaviest rain last week

Not that I'm complaining about the rain!  What we've received has been wonderful and most of it hasn't come down too hard or too fast.  We're still well below "normal" here and, even with more rain expected this week, it's doubtful that we'll reach that level before our short rainy season comes to an end.

In any case, there were plenty of flowers available to cut.  Among others, the Dutch Irises I was watching last week came on strong and were a natural choice for a vase this week.

I created yet another blue and yellow mix, this one featuring not only the Iris but also a Leucospermum flower and stems of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', sporting delicate pale yellow flowers for the first time

There are still lots of Freesia blooms even though some have been beaten into the dirt by rain

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Anemone 'Mistral Azzurro', yellow Freesia, Iris hollandica 'Sapphire Beauty', Lavandula multifida, Leucospermum 'Goldie', and Scilla peruviana

There's really no color I don't like but I'm not head-over-heels about pink; however, the mauve-pink Anemones in my cutting garden were begging to be picked before they finish their bloom cycle so they kicked off a third vase, which actually may be my personal favorite this week.

Yes, I tucked too much into this one as well

This vase always looks like it holds more than it does

Top view

Clockwise from upper left: noID Alstroemeria, Anemone 'Mistral Rarity', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Persicaria capitata, Prostanthera ovatifolia 'Variegata', and pink Freesia

With events being cancelled right and left, including the school tours I was scheduled to lead as a docent for our local botanic garden, and officials increasingly encouraging members of the public to minimize the risk of exposure to the pandemic coronavirus, my friends and I are already feeling a little stir crazy but I'm well aware that I'm lucky to have the freedom to stay home.  All those people who are unable to work from home because of the nature of their jobs, the health professionals and care givers doing their best to take care of those who are ill or otherwise need support, and all the delivery people working rigorous schedules to bring goods where they're needed are to be applauded.  And then there are people stuck in quarantine or far away from home without the ability to be home with their families.

Two cruise ships are docked at the Port of Los Angeles while cruises are on an indefinite hold.  Many of those in the crew are presumably marooned here while they wait this out.

I hope you're able to accommodate whatever circumstances you're confronting.  Divert yourself by checking other IAVOM creations.  Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Welcoming the new year!

I've got just one vase to offer this week.  The holidays have been busy and floral material is also in short supply.  My Grevilleas are still the main source of flowers so it's no surprise that another of these set the color scheme for this week's arrangement.

The big, bold flowers of Grevillea 'Ned Kelly' kicked things off this week and last week's featherhead (Phylica pubescens) came along for the ride

The flower-like bracts of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' took over the stage on the other side of the vase

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Antirrhinum majus 'Bronze', berries of Heteromeles arbutifolia, Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset', Phylica pubescens, Russelia equisetiformis 'Flamingo Park', and, in the center, Grevillea 'Ned Kelly'

It's been cold and, of late, exceptionally dry here and, after running our heater virtually non-stop most of the month, our Christmas tree dried out in record time so I stripped the interior of the house of its Christmas decorations this past weekend, leaving a lone snow globe sitting in the front entry as a nod to the winter season.

This snow globe formerly belonged to my mother-in-law, an avid birder.  Mrs. Cardinal seems to have faded over the years.

The new arrangement occupies the usual place of honor on the dining room table.

For more IAVOM posts, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Best wishes for a beautiful, floriferous new year!


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

In a Vase on Monday: Merry Christmas!

Each year before Christmas, my husband and I host an annual smorgasbord, a tradition I took over from my mother years ago.  The food selections have become less traditional over time - even my mother never served lutefisk and I've abandoned the stewed prune dessert she insisted on serving.  (Warning: the lutefisk video may not be suitable for all audiences.)  My husband, who isn't Scandinavian, made Swedish meatballs.  Other than salads, I picked up everything else from a local deli and bakery.

Our family is smaller than it once was but now includes friends who feel like family.  As our current home is a slog for most of our guests, we held this year's celebration on Saturday so everyone could avoid long commutes and the worst of the holiday freeway traffic.  I prepared floral decorations for the dining area on Friday evening, although as the light was terrible, my photos were taken on Sunday.

The Grevilleas were meant to be the stars of this arrangement but I think the Phylica pubescens (aka featherhead) steals the show

Back view, showing off the large flowers of Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream'

Top view

The vase contains, top row: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', and noID Cotoneaster
Bottom row: Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Superb', and Phylica pubescens

I reused the stems of Westringia 'Morning Light' (aka Australian rosemary) I cut last week in my second arrangement, along with a stem from the poinsettia I bought a few weeks ago.

The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) occupies my outdoor shade house but I also wanted to enjoy it inside the house

The back view is boring but it faces a stone wall

Left to right: Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', Euphorbia pulcherrima 'Ice Punch', and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light'

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

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas to those of you who are celebrating!

I skipped the succulents I usually add to my store-bought wreath this year, just adding stems from my recently trimmed Magnolia grandiflora, Heteromeles arbutifolia berries, a bow, and a tiny gnome

It took awhile but I finally finished decorating the Christmas tree

Can you tell that Pipig is in a snit?   Presents have overtaken most of the area under the tree she'd claimed as hers.  I've explained to her that the tree will be hers again after Christmas morning but she's not mollified.  Oh well, I'm not sure it's ever possible to please a cat.

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

Not much to look at

In addition to the one major project I've undertaken since our seasonal shift began last month, I've been chipping away at a host of smaller garden projects and tasks.  They're not much to look at, at least not at this stage but, for my own record as much as anything else, I'm going to inventory them here.

There's a relatively good-sized area sandwiched between the newly renovated succulent bed in front of our garage, the trees and shrubbery in the northwest corner of our property, and the neighbor's driveway that I've largely ignored for the 6+ years we've lived here.  When we hauled in topsoil to create berms for the succulent bed, I used some of it to do the same in the neglected area after first clearing it of weeds and the one poor shrub I planted when we moved in, which had stubbornly refused to grow.  As it's a semi-shady location, I decided to use it for part of my burgeoning bromeliad collection.  It's by no means done but I've made a start.

Left, the area after it'd been cleared and soil was added.  Right, after soil amendments, rocks and the first plants were added.

I'd originally planted this Aechmea lueddemanniana 'Mend' in a pot and placed it in what I thought was a sufficiently shaded location but it got singed.  In the 2 weeks since I moved it to is new location, it's pink variegation has become much more vibrant.

I surrounded 'Mend' with plants I felt would complement it.  Clockwise from the upper left, these include: a Neoregelia hybrid, the pup of another Neoregelia that appears to have similar parentage to the first, Peperomia caperata 'Rosso', a pup of Nidularium wittrokia leopardinum, and a pup of Vriesea ospinae var gruberi.  As accents, I've planted an asparagus fern and Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard'.  Thus far, all seem to be doing well, although I'm still giving the Peperomia only a 50-50 chance of surviving there.

I see this area, not large enough to be called a secret garden, as a surprise pocket garden.  Before I do more planting, I want to add a flagstone path to minimize the risk that anyone, myself included, will trod on the plants.  I'm planning to use grasses and grass-like plants, probably Seslaria 'Greenlee's Hybrid' and Ophiopogon japonicus 'Nanus' (dwarf mondo grass) to soften the areas around the stepping stones and the bromeliads.  I'll probably add shade-tolerant succulents too, like the Manfreda maculosa I need to move to make way for my future lath/shade house.

Mini-project #2 was tackled on roughly the same schedule as the bromeliad bed.  I used some of that imported topsoil to raise the soil level and improve drainage in the garden on the northeast side of the house.  Digging out a mass of germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) and Geranium incanum in the area was the toughest part of the job.  After getting started on replanting, I wasn't able to get the Barleria obtusa I wanted to fill in the remaining empty spaces so it appears I'm going to have to propagate the plants I need myself.

The new plants here are Melinus nerviglumis (ruby crystal grass), Grevillea lanigera 'Jade Mound', and Vitex agnus-castus.  Behind the new plants are 3 Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite' (2 of which I added last fall), Globularia x indubia (globe daisy), Salvia clevelandii and self-planted Dorycnium hirsutum (hairy Canary clover).

I've been replanting areas of another large bed in front of the garage too.  Many of the plants I put in during the first quarter of 2016 needed more shade than that location provided.  I've been gradually swapping them out with plants that enjoy more sun.

The most recent additions are 4 varieties of daylilies, all in pale yellow or purple shades.  I've also planted Hebe andersonii 'Variegata' and Polygala fruitcosa 'Petite Butterfly'.  The Arthropodium cirratum I planted more than a year ago from divisions is still there and I'm hoping it will beef up into sizable clumps with this year's winter rains. Oh, and I also added lots of bulbs here, including Freesia and Dutch Iris.

Next, I tackled a problem location in the back garden, an area that quickly killed off anything I planted there, even succulents.  The soil in this area is especially sandy and the soil amendments I added seemed to wash away from the area which sits on the upper edge of the back slope.  I added rocks to help hold the new topsoil and soil amendments I dug in here and filled in with bulbs and a few plants.  I'm trying to find more Lantana camara 'Irene' so I can tie the area just beyond it.

The bulbs, Sparaxis and several daffodils, are of course invisible at the moment.  The visible additions include Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow', Lantana 'Samantha', and Hunnemannia furmarifolia 'Sunlite'.  The asparagus fern has been there since we moved in and to this point is the only plant that's been happy there.

The moderate west-facing slope got a clean-up, a couple of new plants, and some bulbs.

I cleared out some Shasta daisies and Agapanthus that were never happy here, relocated a couple of bearded Iris and added more Lantana, a Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata, and a Phylica pubescens.  More daffodils and Sparaxis bulbs also went in here.

Although I didn't previously have any luck planting Phylica pubescens in the ground, I found this healthy specimen on sale for $10 and couldn't pass up trying it again.  All of a sudden, this plant is everywhere at fairly reasonable prices (by current standards), which is hilarious given that the first one I saw several years was priced at $400.

In addition to these projects, I made a few quick fixes this week.

I pulled the blueberry plants that previously occupied these pots for years several weeks ago.  I'd neglected the plants, which should have probably been pulled up and root pruned before replanting in fresh potting mix a year or 2 ago.  I replaced the plants this week with varieties geared to pot culture, 'Pink Icing' and 'Bountiful Blue'.

I finally replaced the Coleonema that died in my front border with 3 Lavandula stoechas 'Silver Anouk'.  At maturity, I'm hoping they'll look as good as the specimen shown on the right, shown blooming in April elsewhere in my front garden.

Finally, I replaced the desiccated succulents in the circle pot on my back patio table with fresh plants.  While I once again used cuttings of Aeonium arboreum and Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', the focal point is Graptosedum 'California Sunset'.  With a bit of stress and plenty of sun, it should eventually take on the delicious orange color shown in the photo on the right.

There's still a lot to do but another heatwave arrived today and, after a brief cool down early next week, we're expecting yet another blast so I'm holding off any any more planting or transplanting until the temperatures cool again.

Best wishes for a peaceful weekend after what's been a very troubling week.


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