Bloom Day - October 2017

It's a subdued October Bloom Day.  Some of the flowers I count on to make the biggest splash at this time of year are running late relative to the last 2 years, which I find strange as we were plagued by drought conditions and serious water restrictions in 2015 and 2016.  However, Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Wonder' bloomed right on schedule.

This year, Plectranthus 'Zulu Wonder' is keeping happy company with burgundy flowered Pelargonium peltatum (ivy geranium)

The late-comers, Barleria obtusa and Senna bicapsularis, have barely said hello but I expect they'll both be coloring up the garden within the next couple of weeks.

Barleria obtusa (bush violet) shows signs of wishing to take over various sections of my garden but, with healthy green foliage and masses of purple-blue flowers, I can forgive it almost anything

The first buds of Senna bicapsularis 'Worley's Butter Cream' opened just yesterday and, as the plant serves as host to sulphur butterflies, I expect to see them make an appearance soon too

Tagetes lemmonii is also late in making its regular fall appearance, probably due to tardy pruning, but the dwarf form is trying to make up for its absence with a carpet of bright yellow blooms.

The compact form is right at home at the base of Agave 'Jaws' and Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'

While Eustoma grandiflorum has moved on prematurely, leaving only a few blooms behind, Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' continues its long seasonal performance.

Two of the 5 purple fountain grass clumps in my garden

I discovered a few surprises on my rounds.

I inherited a few Anemone hupehensis japonica with the garden but they bloom only sporadically and in small numbers if at all

Salvia 'Mystic Spires' can be found in various areas of my back garden but this clump in a corner of my south side succulent bed, while short in stature, is the healthiest one in my garden despite the fact that I've almost entirely ignored its existence

This Tibouchina urvilleana (Princess Flower), also inherited with the garden, has produced more blooms this year than I can ever recall it doing in the 6+ years we've had the garden

The rest is bits and pieces of this and that.

Top row: noID Angelonia, noID Duranta (sold as 'Gold Mound'), Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick' and Iochroma 'Mr Plum'
Second row: Lotus jacobaeus, Osteospermum '4D Silver', lavender Pelargonium peltatum, and noID Plumbago
Third row: Lavandula multifida and noID Leucophyllum
Fourth row: Polygala myrtifolia 'Mariposa' and Trichostema 'Midnight Magic'

Top row: Achillea 'Moon Dust', Clematis paniculata, Eustoma grandiflorum, and Gazania 'White Flame'
Second row: self-seeded Gazania, Lantana 'Samantha', Leucanthemum x superbum, and Oncidium 'Wildcat'
Third row: Gaura lindheimeri, Hunnemannia fumariifolia, and Lantana 'Lucky White'

Top row: Aloe 'Johnson's Hybrid', Arbutus 'Marina', Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' and Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun'
Second row: Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', G. 'Peaches & Cream', G. Superb', and Lantana camara 'Irene'
Third row: Leonotis leonurus, Mandevilla 'Sun Parasol Apricot', and Salvia elegans

Top row: noID Argyranthemum, Bauhinia x blakeana, Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', and dark pink Pelargonium peltatum
Second row: Pentas 'Graffiti Violet', noID rose, and Rosa 'Pink Meidiland'
Third row: Correa 'Wyn's Wonder', Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', and the last of the Zinnias

I'll close with blooms of 2 of the prettier weeds in my garden.

Top row: tiny cream-colored blooms of Artemisia ludoviciana
Second row: the buff-colored blooms of Helichrysum petiolare 'Silver Mist'

That's it for my October bloom summary.  Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens for more posts celebrating Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.


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

In a Vase on Monday: There's always something

Stepping into the garden to cut flowers and foliage for "In a Vase on Monday," hosted each week by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden, I'd no big ideas about what to use.  First up, I checked the Helianthus 'Sunfinity Yellow' I'd picked up a few weeks ago to fill an empty pot, but last week's heatwave and some kind of critter left me nothing suitable for cutting.  The few dahlias left in the cutting garden also let me down (even 'Loverboy').  However, some of the Zinnia flowers still looked good, even if the plants themselves don't, so I focused on those.

I picked just about all of the coral, peach and yellow zinnias I had left in the cutting garden

Rear view: Not an exciting arrangement perhaps but cheerful

Top view

Clockwise from the upper right: Zinnia elegans (probably from the Cactus and California Giant seed mixes), the ripening berries of a noID Cotoneaster that planted itself at the base of one of my Arbutus trees, and Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'

Despite last week's blast of heat, Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Wonder' continued to produce a steady stream of new blooms and as I still had a few Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus) blooming in the garden, I cut more of both.  As most of last week's Eustoma were still looking good, I also repurposed those for this week's second vase.  It's not an exact match of last week's vase, though, as I altered the supporting cast.

Pretty Erigeron glaucus and Leucanthemum blooms added a fresh touch to this week's arrangement

Last week's "black" Eustoma blooms bring up the rear, accompanied by stems of  the weedy Artemisia that planted itself in my garden and the always available Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy'

The top view highlights the lavender blush form of Eustoma, looking just as fresh as it did in last week's vase

The vase contains, top row: Artemisia ludoviciana, Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick', and Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star'
Middle row: Various forms of Eustoma grandiflorum, including 'Rosanne Black Pearl' (left)
Bottom row: Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Leucanthemum x superbum, and Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Wonder'

I hadn't planned to duplicate the color schemes I used last week but that's what happened.

Visit Cathy to discover what she and other gardeners used to fill their vases this week.


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

In a Vase on Monday: One side or another

I almost always show the arrangements I create for "In a Vase on Monday" from various angles.  While the front and back views are sometimes very different, the front view is usually the splashier of the two.  This week, I'm not so sure that either side can claim that honor.

New blooms on the beloved Plectranthus I brought here as a cutting from my former garden provided the jumping off point for my first arrangement.

I grow Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Wonder' for its textured foliage but I do love the lavender flowers that appear in early fall each year

The back side of the arrangement is equally pretty.  It also shows off the mug I used as a vase this week.  I bought this mug expressly for the purpose of using it as a vase 2+ years ago and I don't think I've done so prior to this.  It was just the right size for the flowers I'd cut and there are even touches of lavender in the glaze.

Eustoma grandiflorum in various colors accent the Plectranthus

Counterclockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Abelia x grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', 5 different cultivars of Eustoma grandiflorum (only the first of which I can identify, 'Rosanne Black Pearl'), and Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Wonder'

A flush of blooms on Dahlia 'Terracotta' provided the impetus for the second arrangement, even though the starring roles went to other blooms.

While Dahlia 'Terracotta' is still producing a lot of blooms, the flowers are steadily getting smaller, but late bloomer, Dahlia 'Fairway Spur', produced one good-sized flower.  The color difference between the two is more apparent now.

I added guavas to this arrangement; however, they're almost hidden behind the flowers.  The guavas are still green but, most years, not many survive to ripen as the squirrels seem to confuse them with nuts and bury them.

In contrast to some of my prior vases, the flowers of the Grevillea hold their own in this arrangement

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Dahlia 'Fairway Spur', Abelia x grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Dahlia 'Terracotta', Grevillea 'Superb', and noID guava

The vases assumed their usual places, under the oversight of my feline "consultant."

Pipig plunked herself down next to the first vase on the table in the front entry and gave me a questioning look.  I think she continues to be amazed that flowers can hold my attention when she's around.

Visit Cathy, our "In a Vase on Monday" host, at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other bloggers have put together this week.


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

September Favorites

I'm once again joining Loree of danger garden in identifying the plants that earned my favor this month.  The exercise, which has me making the rounds of my garden to see what's doing well, is always useful in providing perspective.  This time, it also led to the discovery that my adversaries, the raccoons, had made their own extensive examination of my garden, in the process of which, among other things, I discovered that they'd dug up some of the bulbs I'd planted only days ago.  But they also left me empty snail shells here and there so I'm trying to see the yin and the yang of my relationship with them.  Everything's been tidied up again and, hopefully, they'll employ their skills elsewhere for a time and give me a break.

On to this month's favorites!

I've presented the large mass of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' that grows under the peppermint willow in my back border on other occasions but this time I'm sharing the 'Cousin Itt' growing elsewhere in my garden.  All took their time to beef up but I think I can now say they've reached a mature size.  The plant on the left, which sits underneath the Leucadendron 'Pisa' outside my home office window, is almost too enthusiastic and I fear it may someday swallow the plants surrounding it.  The plants in the middle and right-hand photos sit on opposite sides of a flagstone path that extends through the front garden.  If you look closely at the middle photo, you can see an exposed branch, which we were able to attribute to breakage resulting from a battle between 2 of my raccoon friends after viewing video from our security cameras.

As I've recently spent considerable time working on the succulent bed in front of our garage (described here), I'd plenty of time to admire the large, multi-trunked Agave attenuata I inherited with the garden.  Not only is it a beautiful specimen of its species, it's also the source of many of the pups I've cut and relocated to other parts of the garden.  As the photo on the right shows, there are more good sized pups available now, which I may soon move elsewhere.

I planted the 3 Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' pictured here just over a year ago.  They also took their time bulking up but, despite the hot, dry summer, they've finally taken off.  This is the first of the orange-flowered Cupheas I've tried that's done well.

Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick' wins a spot on this month's list just because it's so darn pretty.  It blooms intermittently throughout the year.

I featured Gaura lindheimeri as a favorite sometime this past spring but, as it sprung back this month after a severe haircut in June, it deserves another mention.  Its flowers are among the most noticeable in my front garden at the moment.  In the late afternoon, the flowers tend to look sad but every morning the plants shine once more.

Leonotis leonurus is another plant that I cut back in June only to have it bounce back with a new flush of flowers in September.  The taller of the 2 plants shown here was inherited with the garden but it never before looked as good as it does this year.  I don't know if I can credit the hard pruning I gave it last year for its revival or our heavier-than-usual winter rains but I'm pleased by its rebirth (especially as I'd been close to digging it up and tossing it out).  The shorter plant was added last fall.

I featured Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' last month and warned that the plant would probably be even better looking in September.  It is so I'm showing it again.  There are 4 of these plants spaced at intervals along the moderate slope facing the street in the front garden.  You can see 2 in this photo.

Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Wonder' is just now coming into bloom.  While I grow the plant mainly for its quilted green leaves with purplish undersides, I love the graceful flowers too.  The mass planted by the back door grew from cuttings I brought from my former garden.  Although I've planted cuttings elsewhere, this is the only spot in which it's done really well; however, I'm trying it once again in a shady spot in the front garden. 

Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star' always looks its best at this time of year.  I think it responds to the increased humidity we often get in late August and September as a by-product of the monsoonal rains in the desert areas to the east.  The plants do bloom but the flowers aren't nearly as colorful as the variegated foliage.

Salvia elegans, commonly known as pineapple sage, produced only a smattering of flowers all through the summer months but now it's finally blooming heavily.  I wonder if that's because I left the hose running there too long a couple of weeks ago?  In any case, both the bees and the hummingbirds love it.

Trichostema 'Midnight Magic' is a hybrid form of our native wooly blue curls.  The latter is an extremely finicky plant that I've killed twice.  This one is much more at home in a garden setting.  It flowers sporadically.

The 3 clumps of Zephyranthes candida (aka rain lilies) I planted years ago surprised me by blooming earlier this month without any rain.  Since then we've received light rain twice (tallying a whopping 0.15/inch) and the rain lilies have just kept producing new flowers.  Despite the common name linking their flowering to rainfall, it seems more likely that flowering is triggered by seasonal weather or light shifts as a review of old blog posts indicates they also bloomed in September last year.

That's it for this month's favorites.  Visit Loree at danger garden to find her picks.  And, if you'd like to see what's looking good across the pond right now, visit Chloris at The Blooming Garden.


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

Battling it out on the edge

I have a tendency to cram too many plants into a space.  I dislike bare soil so I try to cover it, often using aggressive plants on the theory that, if they become too crowded, I can always thin them out.  But sometimes I just end up with a mess.  Here's a look at a group of ground covers growing at the edge of a walkway in the back garden:

This area along the walkway contains the following ground covers: Ajuga 'Mint Chip', Campanula portenschlagiana,  Erigeron karvinskianus, Euphorbia' Blue Lagoon', Liriope spicata and Persicaria capitata.  The Erigeron was self-planted.  The Euphorbia, Campanula and Persicaria, presumed dead during the drought, were resurrected by our winter rains.  The Liriope was a big mistake - I can't say I wasn't warned. 

I was only minimally successful in cleaning them up.

Much as I like its grass-like appearance, the Liriope probably needs to come out but it spreads by runners and removing it will require digging out the entire area.  If I don't talk myself out of that (again), I'll tackle that in the fall.

That's not the only area in the back garden that's a battleground.  On another front, Lotus berthelotii is fighting with creeping thyme.  Erigeron karvinskianus is duking it out with asparagus fern - and just about everything else in its path.  Cotula lineariloba is clambering over Gazanias and poking its way through daylily foliage.  And here's another battleground:

Phyla nodiflora (aka Lippia or frogfruit) is doing a pretty good job holding the line here but Erigeron karvinskianus (aka Santa Barbara or Mexican Daisy), Lobularia maritima (Sweet Alyssum), and Gaura lindheimeri, all self-planted, are putting up a fight.

Why can't they all get along?  A few do.

Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Wonder' is peacefully cohabiting with Campanula portenschlagiana and Pelargonium peltatum 'Dark Burgundy'

While others cut loose and seek uncharted territory.

Seedlings of Lobelia erinus have escaped the pots the plant shares with blueberry shrubs to find a new home under the garden bench in the space between the patio pavers

Do your ground covers behave themselves?



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

Bloom Day - October 2015

It's been hot and, despite unexpected rain in July and September, after 4 years of drought and watering restrictions, the garden is also very dry.  However, after looking back on my October Bloom Day posts for 2013 and 2014, I find I'm not doing as badly in the bloom department as I thought I was.  There are some no-shows but these are counter-balanced by blooms on plants like the Grevilleas and the Gazanias, which weren't introduced to my garden until last year.

The star of this month's garden is Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior', which did have a prominent place in my garden in prior years.  I brought cuttings of this plant with me from my former garden.  I now have it in 2 areas of my current garden and plan to try it in other areas as well.

Plectranthus can handle a little sun but does best here with shade during the hottest part of the day

In terms of plant combinations, 3 areas are looking good, at least relative to the rest of the garden.

Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' could use some dead-heading to neaten it up and Agastache 'Sunset' is getting a bit ragged but both are still looking pretty

Hebe 'Wiri Blush' is surrounded here by Pentas 'Nova' and Celosia 'Intenz'

New-ish plantings of Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly' and Euphorbia 'Breathless White' are combining nicely with older plantings of Tulbaghia violacea (aka Society Garlic) and Eustoma 'Echo Blue', returning for another round of bloom (I hope)

Selected genera are also putting on a good show at the moment.

Eustoma grandiflorum 'Mariachi Pink' (right) and 'Echo Pink' (not shown) have been blooming heavily for 2 months after an earlier spring flush; 'Echo Blue' (left) and 'Borealis Yellow' (middle) have been less floriferous but have still put on impressive performances

Despite becoming the newest salad bar for the resident squirrels, Gazanias 'New Day Yellow', 'White Flame' and 'Golden Flame' still have some unmolested blooms

Grevilleas 'Ned Kelly', 'Pink Midget' and 'Superb' have flowered continuously for a good part of the summer. G. 'Peaches & Cream' (not shown) has produced flowers sporadically but seems camera shy whenever Bloom Day comes around.

Pennisetum 'Fireworks' (left) is smaller than Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' (right) but no less impressive in bloom this summer. (Yes, I know it's officially fall but apparently Mother Nature's local representative hasn't gotten the message.)

During the past month, roses have appeared here and there, although not in significant numbers.  'Californa Dreamin' (left) and 'Pink Meidiland' (right) are currently making appearances in the front garden.

The Salvias soldier on, with the exception of 'Amistad' which appears to have given up the ghost.  From left, Salvia discolor, S. 'Mesa Azure' and S. 'Mystic Spires'.

And here are the best of the rest, organized by color groupings.

Orange, yellow and white flowers include, clockwise from upper left: Portulaca 'Carrot', Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Clematis terniflora, Coreopsis 'Redshift', Gaura lindheimeri 'Snow Fountain', Hemerocallis 'Double Impact', Lantana 'Lucky White' and Leonotis leonurus

Pink and magenta flowers include, clockwise from left: Bauhinia x blakeana, Angelonia 'Archangel Raspbery', Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', Nerium oleander, and Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom'

Also my noID Hoya carnosa with what I thought was a bee making a casual visit (left).  She turned out to be the prisoner of an unidentified white and black spider which is still on hand waiting for its next victim (right).

The blue flower group includes, from the left: Aster frikartii 'Monch', Duranta 'Sapphire Showers', Felicia aethiopica "Tight & Tidy', and prostrate rosemary

That's it for my Bloom Day post this month.  I'm hoping that summer, which is apparently loathe to let go of Southern California, will come to an end this month and cooler weather will bring the "second spring" we usually enjoy during the autumn months.  Some rain would also be nice.  (Do you hear me El Niño?)

For other Bloom Day posts, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, the esteemed host of the monthly event that is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party