In a Vase on Monday: Begging the Hummingbirds' Forgiveness

It's rained off and on for more than 2 weeks now (yay!) but that's left the limited flowers I have left looking rather disheveled.  My inspiration for this week's vase was the ribbon bush I've finally managed to establish in my garden.  Although its flowers were well past their peak, I still felt a twinge of guilt cutting the best looking stem because the hummingbirds have claimed the shrub as their own.

I added stems of Vitex trifolia because the undersides of its leaves are a lovely purple color.  The lavender Lisianthus, planted last May, was supposed to be a brownish red but it clearly isn't that.

Back view: I'm hoping the drooping Vitex leaves recover with a little more time in water.  I realize they look sad in this photograph.  They've perked up a bit since I took it.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest', mislabeled lavender Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus), another mostly white Lisianthus, Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' (recycled from one of last week's vases), Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly', Vitex trifolia, Hemizygia 'Candy Kisses' and, in the center, Hypoestes aristata (aka ribbon bush)

The brightly colored foliage of the 'Fuyu' persimmon grabs my attention every time I walk through my garden so I cut a couple of stems and paired it with berries for an impromptu second vase.

I paired the persimmon leaves (Diospyros kaki 'Fuyu') with berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolium

While the Grevillea flowers in last week's vase didn't hold up well against the power of our new heating system, the rest of the contents of the vase did so I cleaned it up and moved it to the dining table, which is finally clear of debris.

The flowers of the lovely Amaryllis (Hippeastrum 'Zombie') have lifted their pretty heads a bit since last week

Meanwhile, the new vase moved to the table in the front entry.

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


All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

A Bevy of Dahlias

Five of my dahlias have now produced blooms and 4 others have buds.  Only one, 'Diva', living up to her name, has failed to produce any buds as yet.  Caving to their siren calls, I ended up with 3 vases this week despite limitations on places to put them while living in half a house during our remodel.

The impetus for my first vase wasn't actually one of the dahlia blooms but rather the interesting blooms on a succulent.

It took me awhile to formally identify this succulent as Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce'.  Although I recognized it as a Sedum, I'd listed it in a bed other than the one in which the blooms appeared this weekend.  I planted it from a 6-pack in 2015 but I think this is the first time it's bloomed.  The flowers appear at the top of an 8-inch stem in an interesting  snowflake configuration.

I picked Dahlia 'Citron du Cap' as its companion

I dressed up the back of the vase with ruffled Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum) and the fading stems of Sideritis cypria

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Citron du Cap', Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', Lonicera japonica, Leucanthemum x superbum, Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce', and Sideritis cypria

Dahlia 'Enchantress' was the first to bloom in my cutting garden this year and she continues to produce a steady series of flowers.

I used a couple new pink-tinged white lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) to bring out the white touches in 'Enchantress'

I used Abelia "Edward Goucher' to dress up the back of the arrangement

Top view

Clockwise from the top: Dahlia 'Enchantress', Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Eustoma grandiflorum, and Tanacetum parthenium

Dahlia 'Bluetiful' produced her first 2 blooms this weekend.  I'd intended to tuck one into my second vase with 'Enchantress' but I decided that wouldn't do justice to either.

While not nearly a true blue, 'Bluetiful' leans further in that direction than 'Enchantress'

Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly' is a near color match for the Dahlia

Top view: I'd ignored Melaleuca thymifolia too long and finding flowers fresh enough to include in this arrangement was a challenge

Clockwise from the left: Dahlia 'Bluetiful', Polygala fruicosa 'Petite Butterfly', and Melaleuca thymifolia

I managed to find spots for all 3 vases.  For more IAVOM arrangements, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

Good light inside the house is hard to find these days! 

All material © 2012-2019 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

In a Vase on Monday: Ageratum corymbosum blooms at last!

I noticed buds developing on my Ageratum corymbosum in late December.  The buds became larger and more prolific in January.  I thought they'd open in time for Bloom Day in February but, as they did last year, they kept me waiting until March.  They finally began opening en masse at the end of last week so their inclusion "In a Vase on Monday" didn't require any deliberation whatsoever.

Ageratum corymbosum planted outside our living room window

Front view of completed vase

Back view

In addition to the Ageratum, I included lavender and yellow Freesia and Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly.'  The stems of yellow Freesia were a last minute addition, intended to perk up the mix by picking up the subtle yellow color in both the lavender Freesia and the Polygala.

Close-up of Ageratum flower stalk

Lavender Freesia

Polygala fruitcosa

The new vase replaced the one containing Cymbidium stems I created 3 weeks ago on the dining room table.  The orchids had faded a bit but they still looked surprisingly good even when I tossed them.

Cymbidium arrangement just before it was chucked

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she's got in a vase this week and to find links to other participants' creations.


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

In a Vase on Monday: Sweet Peas!

I was so excited when my sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus 'Perfume Delight') began to bloom last week.  Instead of planting sugar snap peas along the trellis in the vegetable garden last October, I elected to plant sweet peas.  The seeds germinated without a problem.  I thinned them and watched as the vines grew longer and longer.  And I waited and waited for buds to appear.  Then I waited some more for the buds to open.  Last night, I decided that there were finally enough to make a small bouquet.

So far, all those that have bloomed are lavender, cream or cream with a tinge of lavender on the edges.  I paired them with pale yellow snapdragons (Antirrhinium majus, Rocket variety), Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly' (also known as Sweet-pea Shrub), and a few tiny stems of Abelia x grandiflora.  A back view of the vase shows the Polygala to better advantage.

I left the bouquet in the kitchen and they perfumed half the house within 30 minutes.  The 'Perfume Delight' variety of sweet peas I chose is reputed to be especially heat-tolerant as well as intensely fragrant, which is good in that our temperatures are forecast to soar towards 90F (32C) this week.  Renee's Garden, which I think was the source of my seeds, says that their mix produces flowers in rose, pale pink, deep purple, white and bi-color.  Maybe other colors will appear as the bloom period continues.

This bouquet is my contribution to Cathy's meme at Rambling in the Garden.  You can see Cathy's floral creation, also scented, and find links to other gardeners' contributions here.

More Blooms!

We've had a spot of very warm weather due to a high pressure system hanging over our area and another onslaught of Santa Ana winds.  Temperatures have been in the mid-80s for 2 days and the humidity is near zero.  The good news is that new blooms are popping up all over.  The bad news is that they also wither quickly with exposure to the wind and low humidity.

As I'm not sure what will last until Bloom Day, I thought I'd feature some of the new blooms, starting with the bulbs.  I inherited the Calla Lilies with the property - they pop up here and there at the start of spring when the weather is still relatively cool and generally disappear as temperatures rise.

Zantedeschia aethiopica (Common Calla Lily)

I put in a large number of Dutch Crocus last year, hoping to duplicate the purple, white and yellow mix shown in the catalog I ordered from; however, the yellow Crocus consistently bloom ahead of the others and are usually gone by the time the purple and white varieties show up.

Crocus vernus

Freesia do exceptionally well here and they're easy to grow from bulbs.  I put in dozens in shades of yellow, purple, pink and white.  Only the pink ones have yet to make an appearance.

Freesia

Freesia (with hitchhiker)

Freesia complemented by Violas

Sparaxis tricolor, commonly called Harlequin Flower, also do well here and naturalize freely.

Sparaxis tricolor

Another Sparaxis tricolor

Other recent bloomers include Alstroemeria, commonly known as Peruvian Lily.  These plants are solid performers in Southern California.  They die back during the heat of summer but reemerge in spring.  This one is the first to bloom for me this year.

Alstroemeria - No ID

I love true geraniums.  Most of mine die back, becoming almost invisible during the fall/winter months, but Geranium hybrid 'Tiny Monster' kept its foliage throughout the winter months, some of it taking on a red color.  This one stays low, growing only 6-12 inches high, but spreading up to 2 feet.

Geranium hybrid 'Tiny Monster'

My Sweet Pea shrubs are also beginning to bloom.  I currently have just the dwarf variety, Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly', which grows just 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide.

Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly'

Our weather is supposed to turn cooler tomorrow, dropping to the upper 60s, and rain is predicted for mid-week so maybe I'll hang onto these new blooms for awhile yet.