In a Vase on Monday: New arrivals

Sunday was Mother's Day here in the US.  Both my mother and my mother-in-law passed away in 2013 and my husband and I don't have children (unless you count the furry kind) so we had no specific plans for the day but I thought it might be nice to put together a few small arrangements and leave them curbside for neighbors to take.  I've done this before but I didn't really think about a giveaway until early Saturday evening when it was too windy to accomplish much.  As it turned out, I received a call from a family member about a medical emergency that got me up before dawn Sunday morning.  I was rattled by the call and found it hard to focus but, once I was up and moving around, I started cutting flowers to distract myself.  By the time I'd filled two water jugs with cuttings, I'd received a text letting me know that an emergency room visit had ruled out the worst case possibility.  Although it was already a bit late to put flowers on the curb, I threw together several tiny bouquets anyway.

If I give away flowers, I try to leave them out either in the late afternoon or early morning to catch the attention of people that walk the neighborhood but I didn't get these out until late Sunday morning.  They didn't represent my best effort but they'd still disappeared by early afternoon.

Calmer, I went to work creating my own arrangements for "In a Vase on Monday," both built on blooms that have only recently appeared in my garden.  The first, inspired by the fragrant purple pea-like blooms of Psoralea pinnata,  is a mish-mash and not entirely satisfactory.

The noID bearded Irises are also new blooms but their color, which leans toward the red end of the purple spectrum, seems off to me relative to most of the rest of the materials

Back view: I added a few stems of the color-chameleon 'Blue Shift' sweet pea to the mix in an effort to play off the Iris but they didn't help much

Top view

Top row: Centranthus ruber 'Album' and blue and white Consolida ajacis (aka larkspur)
Middle row: noID Iris germanica and a variety of Lathyus odoratus, including 'Blue Shift', 'Navy' and 'High Scent'
Bottom row: Orlaya grandiflora (aka Minoan lace) and Psoralea pinnata (aka Kool-Aid bush because the flowers smell like that grape drink)

The second arrangement is more pulled together in my view.

The new arrivals in this arrangement include Allium 'Violet Beauty' and Salvia canariensis, visible in the front view

and Melaleuca thymifolia (aka thyme honey-myrtle), visible in the back view

Top view

Top row: Allium aflatunense 'Violet Beauty', Centranthus 'Alba', and Consolida ajacis 'Splish-Splash'
Middle row: Digitalis purpurea, Lathyrus odoratus 'High Scent', and Melaleuca thymifolia
Bottom row: Pelargonium 'Lady Plymouth', P. 'Lemona', and Salvia canariensis var candidissima

For more IAVOM creations from contributors drawing inspiration from the materials around them, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Scent

The spring floral lollapalozza in my garden continues.  I have three vases to share again this week.  The only thing that links them thematically is scent.  Taken as a group, their fragrance is almost overwhelming.

The first vase was inspired by a plant that goes by the common name of Kool-Aid Bush (Psoralea pinnata).  As suggested by the common name, the flowers smell very much like grape Kool-Aid.

The blue Anemones are still producing bloom after bloom so I used two more of them here

Back view: Freesias and Coleonema album (aka White Breath of Heaven) add to the arrangement's fragrance, although the scent of the Psoralea pinnata is powerful on its own

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Psoralea pinnata, Anemone 'Mistral Azzurro', Campanula portenschlagiana, Coleonema album, Centranthus ruber 'Albus', blue and white Freesias, and Trichostemma 'Midnight Magic'

The first sweet pea blooms in my cutting garden prompted the creation of my second arrangement.

I'm guessing that the lavender and wine-colored sweet pea blooms are from the 'Perfume Delight Blend' but, as I sowed seeds of three different mixes I can't be sure.  I added stems of Sweet Pea Bush (Polygala fruticosa) as its color played off the true sweet peas.

Back view: One of the white foxgloves is blooming again so I added three stems 

Top view: The vase was filled out with stems from two Pelargoniums

Clockwise from the upper left: Polygala fruticosa, lilac and violet Lathyrus odoratus, Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White', Pelargonium 'Orange Fizz' (the name reflects the scent of the leaves), and Pelargonium cucculatum 'Flore Plenum'

The third arrangement was designed around the pink Alstroemerias that popped up in several areas of the garden after our extended rainy period in early April.  Scent was only a minor factor in this one but Artemisia californica, scented Pelargonium leaves, and more Coleonema album added touches of it.  The scent of the native California Artemisia is mild and relatively pleasant to my nose.  I read that it's sometimes burned to remove skunk odor but those familiar with its use for that purpose have commented that its questionable which odor is worse.

The noID Alstroemerias came with the garden and bloom in various shades of pink

Back view: I added stems of Centranthus and Heuchera for height

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agrostemma 'Ocean Pearls' (with Coleonema album in the background), Anemone 'Mistral Rarity', Centranthus ruber in pink and white, Artemisia californica, noID Pelargonium with Erigeron karvinskianus, Heuchera maxima (another California native) and, in the middle, noID pink Alstroemeria

After morning clouds, we're expecting sunny skies and warmer temperatures for the next 10 days, possible exceeding 80F.  Our rainy season seems to have come to its expected end.  Work in the garden will continue unabated!  Wherever you are, I hope your weather also allows you to spend some pleasant time outside.

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


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

Bloom Day - April 2020

Spring is in full force here and at this time of year it seems impossible to cover everything that's in bloom.  I decided to focus on the blue flowers and give shorter shrift to those in other colors.  Still, be forewarned, this is a long post even for me.

Blue blooms are prominent in my garden in spring when the Iris bloom and again in summer when the Agapanthus bloom.   I seem to acquire more blue Iris every year and they're make a particularly big splash this year.

I've added Dutch Iris to the garden in increments over the last 4 years.  The largest number of these surround the fountain in the back garden.

Iris hollandica 'Sapphire Beauty' was blooming last month but the flowers are more prolific now

'Mystic Beauty' made its appearance this month

The Pacific Coast Irises are going strong his month too.  This is Iris douglasiana 'Santa Lucia'.

I have only one Iris douglasiana 'Wilder than Ever' but I wish I had more

The only bearded Irises in my garden that have done well are those I transplanted to our the back slope after moving in.  My guess is that this is dwarf Iris germanica 'Darth Vader'.  It has a lovely fragrance!

Felicia aethiopica 'Tight & Tidy' makes a nice blue clump alongside the Iris

Bulbs of hybrid Anemone 'Mistral Azzurro' were a great investment

The blue Freesias bloomed after most of those in other colors were done

Almost all my lavenders are blooming.  Left to right are: Lavandula 'Goodwin's Creek', L. multifida, and L. stoechas.

Limonium perezii (aka sea lavender) is blooming in several areas

I cut back most of my Osteospermums last month when they bloomed out.  Osteospermum 'Violet Ice' was an exception.

This Plectranthus neochilus lost most of its foliage variegation but it's flowering better than ever.  It's too bad it smells like skunk.

A few newcomers are just getting started.

Ageratum corymbosum with its purple foliage opened its first buds last weekend

Echium candicans 'Star of Madiera' had been blooming for just days but it's already drawing in bees in large numbers

Psorlea pinnata offers blooms that smell like grape Kool Aid

There are a host of other blue blooms that deserve a nod.

1st row: Abelia sp., Ajuga 'Mint Chip', Alyogyne huegelii, and Aristea inequalis
2nd row: Babiana rubrocyanea, Campanula portenschlagiana, noID Ceanothus, and Geranium incanum (a weed)
3rd row: Ipheion uniflorum, Nierembergia caerulea, noID Pericallis, and Salvia 'Mystic Spires'
4th row: Sisyrinchium 'Devon Skies', Trichostema 'Midnight Magic', Veronica 'Waterperry Blue', and noID Viola

Under less congested circumstances, I'd probably include flowers in the lilac-violet range with the blue blooms but this month I've pulled them out as a separate group.

1st row: Geranium 'Tiny Monster' and Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy'
2nd row: Two noID varieties of Lathyrus odoratus and Nemesia '7th Heaven Mix'
3rd row: noID Pericallis, Pelargonium cucculatum 'Flore Plenum', and Polygala myrtifolia

Now on to the pink flowers!

Arctotis 'Opera Pink'

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar'

Lampranthus 'Pink Kaboom'

Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' has had a smattering of flowers since fall but it's exploded with flowers since the rain returned this month

1st row: noID Alstroemeria, Anemone 'Mistral Rarity', Centranthus ruber, and Cistus 'Grayswood Pink'
2nd row: Cistus 'Sunset', Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', and Cuphea 'Starfire Pink'
3rd row: Pelargonium 'Pink Blizzard', noID Pelargonium, P. 'Orange Fizz', and Osteospermum 'Berry White'

Next up is the white-flowered group.

Coleonema 'Album' (aka white breath of heaven)

Narcissus 'Geranium', by far the most prolific Narcissus I grow

Zantedeschia aethiopica (aka calla lily) is blooming heavily relative to last year

1st row: Alstroemeria 'Claire', Agrostemma githago 'Ocean Pearls', and Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest'
2nd row: Centranthus 'Alba', Gazania 'White Flame', and Heuchera maxima
3rd row: Ornithagalum umbellatum, self-seeded Osteospermum, and Trifolium repens

Let's move on to those in the yellow group.  (I feel as though I'm coordinating a parade of marching bands.)

Gazanias are common plants but in spring following a good rain, they put on a spectacular show.  These self-seeded.

My large-flowered Grevilleas bloom year-round but 'Peaches & Cream' is outdoing all the others this month

Leucadendron 'Pisa' produces luminescent bracts that look like flowers

Leucospermum 'Goldie' flowers more heaving with each successive year

Phlomis fruticosa is covered in blooms that would please Dr Seuss

1st row: noID Clivia, Colmanara 'Wildcat', and Cotula lineariloba
2nd row: Eriophyllum lanatum, Euphorbia x martinii 'Ascot Rainbow', E. 'Dean's Hybrid' and Euryops 'Sonnenschein'
3rd row: Hymenolepsis parviflora, noID Narcissus, and Rosa 'Golden Celebration'

The oranges are up next.

More self-seeded Gazanias

Leucospermum 'Brandi'

Leucospermum 'Spider'

Climbing Rosa 'Joseph's Coat'

Clockwise from the upper left: Eschscholzia californica, Anagallis arvensis (weed), Bignonia capreolata, Grevillea 'Superb', Erysimum x allionii, and Pelargonium 'Tweedle Dee'

The red group brings up the rear.

Another self-seeded Gazania, my current favorite

A river of Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset' (punctuated with a single Narcissus 'Sunny Girlfriend)

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Euphorbia 'Black Pearl', Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Lobelia laxiflora, and Linum grandiflorum

I'll close with an unusual bloom that needs its own category.

Ferraria crispa (aka starfish Iris)

For a look at what's blooming elsewhere in the country and other parts of the world, check in with Carol, the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, at May Dreams Gardens.


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