In a Vase on Monday: More Grevilleas and Leucadendrons

We got rain last week and there's more coming this week!  The air is fresh and clear and my plants have been thoroughly cleaned of dust and grime.   Everything looks prettier, even the usually smog-infused horizon.

This was my view of the Port of Los Angeles Saturday afternoon once last week's storm passed

Late afternoon brought a rainbow

And this was the sky as evening fell on Saturday

The rain hasn't instantly produced much in the way of new blooms but I still found enough to inspire me to fill 2 vases.  My Grevillea 'Superb', a year-round bloomer, is simply loaded with flowers at the moment and the availability of a single rose in a similar hue clinched the color scheme for my first vase.

We could get as much as 4 inches of rain between Monday and Thursday (more than we received in total last year) and I doubt the rose could make it through those storms unscathed.  I need to get started on pruning my roses in any case.  (The sunset showing on the TV screen in the background when I took this photo was a complete fluke.)

Back view

Top view, showing off the flower-like bracts of the Leucadendron

Clockwise from the upper left: Grevillea 'Superb', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' (my go-to foliage filler), berries of Nandina domestica, Rosa 'Joseph's Coat', noID Leucadendron (probably 'Blush'), and my first bloom of Papaver nudicaule (aka Iceland poppy), recently planted from plugs

The pink Alstroemeria in the backyard border have already produced a few flowers but they were past their prime before I noticed them.  When I saw two more flowering stems plastered against the ground by the last rainstorm, I decided to use them as the starting point for a second vase.

I sought out plants with touches of pink and yellow to complement the Alstroemeria

I almost prefer this back view without the Alstroemeria

Top view: Many of the paperwhite Narcissus were also plastered to the ground by the last storm so they got cut

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Alstroemeria, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', noID Narcissus, and Pyrethropsis hosmariense (aka Moroccan daisy)

For more Monday vases, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

(Not) In a Vase on Monday: Thinking outside the vase

Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, our In a Vase on Monday host, is celebrating the fifth anniversary of this popular meme.  Last week she challenged participants to put together something not in a vase.  I've previously used pumpkins, driftwood and teapots to support arrangements so I tried harder to come up with something different, with mixed success.  My first arrangement doesn't deviate far from my norm.  I used an old basket, tucking in 2 jam jars to hold the contents that required water.

The berries and the guava fruit can survive without water but everything else requires it

I mixed 2 kinds of berries.  The larger ones start out looking like tiny pumpkins but soon dry out, turn brown, and open to display sticky seeds.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Auranticarpa rhombifolium berries, noID guava fruit; Leucadendron 'Devil's Blush', Leucadendron 'Chief', Nandina domestica berries, Plectranthus scutellariodes 'Electric Lime' (coleus), and, in the middle, Rosa 'Joseph's Coat'

I also played around with a pair of concrete shoes my sister-in-law gave me years ago.

I'd planned to add flowers after planting the shoes with succulent cuttings (Aeonium arboreum and Crassula tetragona) but decided I preferred them just like this

My other idea started with the recognition that many of my bromeliads have vase-like structures to hold water.

This Nidularium wittrockia leopardinum illustrates the "storage tank" that collects water in many bromeliads

I use a bench surrounding our Magnolia tree in the front garden to display a variety of bromeliads and other potted plants.  On Sunday morning I filled the water tanks of 4 bromeliads with flowers.  In retrospect, I think the bromeliad arrangements would have been more attractive on their own rather than grouped together but I'd run out of time to fuss with them when I reached that conclusion.  As the nasty Santa Ana winds have started blowing again, it's not clear that these flowers will last long anyway.

This Aechmea fasciata (aka silver vase plant) holds stems of Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' and Cuphea hybrid 'Starfire Pink'.  The larger pink flower stalk just visible behind the bromeliad's leaves is part of the plant itself.

Nidularium witttockia leopardinum made do with the feathery plumes of Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum'

Orange Aechmea blanchetiana was fitted out with Tagetes lemmonii, Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Correa 'Ivory Bells, and Lantana 'Lucky White' 

This was my biggest flop.  This noID Aechmea (possibly A. orlandiana 'Rainbow') hosts Erigeon 'Wayne Roderick', Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', Polygala fruticosa, and Osteospermum 'Violet Ice'.  It might have looked better without the busyness of the Gomphrena.

To see how other garden bloggers responded to Cathy's challenge, visit her at Rambling in the Garden.

Cathy's challenge was a nice distraction from the stresses of the past week.  First there was the tumult of the midterm elections; then a White House firing that raises concerns about where the political roller coaster is heading; then yet another mass shooting, this one close to home; and then wildfires.  The fires dredge up both apprehensions associated with living in a fire danger zone and memories linked to the 1993 fire that leveled my in-laws' home in Malibu.  We're some 50 miles from the nearest fire, currently burning unchecked in Malibu.  Thus far we've only had periodic whiffs of smoke; however, my brother and some friends in the West San Fernando Valley are uncomfortably close to the action.

My brother took this photo from a hill near his home on Friday night.    The last I heard, the so-called Woolsey Fire is only 10% contained.  (Photo used courtesy of Eric Peterson)

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

In a Vase on Monday: Spring Stampede

It feels as though everything in my garden wants to bloom at once.  Many of the winter bloomers made late arrivals and the spring bloomers are now off and running too.  The embarrassment of riches in terms of floral choices could have set my head spinning but I focused my attention on the climbing rose offering its first flush of bloom and let that direct me in preparing this week's arrangement for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  However, I did stuff the vase full of flowers.

The front view emphasizes the coral colors of the rose

The back view shows off some of my yellow flowers

The top view merges both colors

Here's what I included:

Clockwise from the upper left: 'Joseph's Coat' climbing rose, Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Cotula lineariloba 'Big Yellow Moon', a red Freesia, yellow Freesia, Heuchera sanguinea 'Bressingham Hybrids', Narcissus 'White Lion', and a noID Narcissus with Coleonema album

The new vase sits on the dining room table

But wait!  There's more.  (Do I sound like an infomercial?)  The orchid arrangement that had been sitting on the dining room table for 2 weeks was looking haggard but the Cymbidium centerpiece was still in perfect condition.  I threw away the other contents of the vase and created a new one using that same Cymbidium flower stalk.

The buds at the top of the Cymbidium's flower stalk have opened since I created the original arrangement for my February 29th "IAVOM" post

Left: close-up of Cymbidium Sussex Court 'Not Peace' shown surrounded by Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'; right: Coleonema album

I was tired of breakfasting with the Cymbidium so, this week, it landed in the front entryway

No, I didn't stop there.  With some rain expected Sunday evening, I decided to "rescue" a few of my Camellias as they don't usually look their best after rain.

Camellia hybrid 'Taylor's Perfection' has been blooming for 6 weeks and hasn't received the attention it deserves

I briefly considered creating a blue or purple arrangement as well but I stopped myself.  Maybe next week.

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other contributors have come up with this week.


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Wednesday Vignette: Welcome and Unwelcome Visitors

I've been hounded by unwelcome visitors of the furry variety all week.  Every morning is spent cleaning up after raccoons who seem undeterred by either rain or the active presence of coyotes in the neighborhood.  However, after filling holes, sweeping up dirt and replanting upturned succulents early this morning, I saw this:

Ladybug on the climbing rose, 'Joseph's Coat'

The rose, often blocked from view by my husband's truck, is the first to bloom in my garden this season.

The rose grows up the stone-fronted chimney above a grouping of succulents (previously featured in my favorite plant combinations post)

Unfortunately, annoying furry visitors don't confine themselves to nighttime stalking expeditions.  There are daytime stalkers as well.

I saw this fellow from my office window sitting on top of the Xylosma hedge staring intensely at something

Then he moved forward to the Ceanothus hedge

Then he sought a better view from the mimosa tree

A wider view shows the focus of his interest

Seconds later, his goal is achieved (but he looks disappointed to have found the feeder almost empty)

For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - April 2015

It's Bloom Day, when Carol of May Dreams Gardens leads gardeners all over the world in sharing what's blooming in their gardens.  Despite the heatwaves that knocked out some flowering plants prematurely in March, there's a lot going on in my Southern California garden this month.  The star of this month's parade of flowers is the climbing rose 'Joseph's Coat.'

But, in terms of the sheer volume of blooms, there are other key players jockeying for attention as well:

Pink Alstroemeria, inherited with the house

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' continues to play a dominant role in the beds along the front walkway

3 Argyranthemum frutescens 'Butterfly' have merged into a mass of bloom

Centranthus ruber has popped up in all the drier areas of the garden

I've fallen in love with this Gazania hybrid 'Kiss Frosty White Flame' after years of snubbing my nose at the entire genus

Lavendula stoechas occupies prominent positions in both the front and back borders

The humble Limonium perezii is adding color in the drier areas on both ends of the garden

The Phlomis fruticosa shrubs in the backyard have reached their peak of bloom

Some of my favorite combinations of flowering plants right now include the following:

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar,' backed up by Euphorbia characias 'Black Pearl' and Phormium 'Maori Queen' along the front walkway

A mix of white and pink Centranthus is filling in the formerly empty areas along the back slope, mixing with Oenothera speciosa, which is just starting to bloom in the same area

Cynoglossum amabile is shown here mingling with Alstroemeria, Erigeron, and self-seeded Cerinthe major

Felicia aethiopica 'Tight & Tidy' and Gazania 'New Day Yellow'

This bed may have too much going on with Grevillea 'Superb' producing bloom after bloom in the center, accompanied by Convolvulus sabatius 'Moroccan Beauty,' Gallardia grandiflora 'Goblin,' Nandina domestica and Salvia 'Mesa Azure'

Lavandula stoechas again, accompanied by Felicia aethiopica and Gazania 'New Day Yellow'

This may be my favorite combination at the moment: Osteospermum 'Serenity Purple,' Geranium incanum and Leucadendron 'Ebony'

Cistus 'Sunset,' Limonium perezii and trailing Lantana

Hard-to-photograph Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud' mingling with Nierembergia  linarifolia

As this post also serves as my record of what's blooming each month, I'm going to try the reader's patience by adding a few collages of flowers organized by color.

Blue blooms include (clockwise from upper left): Lobelia mingling with blueberries, Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip,' Aquilegia 'Spring Magic,' Convolvulus 'Moroccan Beauty,' Felicia 'Tight & Tidy,' and Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud'

In the purple category (clockwise from upper left): Acanthus mollis 'Summer Beauty,' Iris germanica (no ID), Senecio stellata, Salvia 'Mesa Azure,' Salvia 'Mystic Spires' and Solanum xantii 'Mountain Pride'

Magenta blooms include (from left): Geranium 'Tiny Monster,' Osteospermum 'Serenity Purple,' and Pelargonium 'Oldbury Duet'

The red category includes (clockwise from upper left): Feijoa sellowiana, Fuchsia 'Windchimes Neon & White,' Hippeastrum (no ID), the last blooms of Grevillea lavandulcea 'Penola' (in flower since December), the first ever blooms of Leucadendron 'Ebony' and the first blooms of Leucadendron 'Jester'

Pink blooms include (clockwise from upper left): Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl,' Helleborus 'Phoebe,' Hoya (no ID), Oenothera speciosa, Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom' and Schizanthus  pinnatus

Pink Pelargoniums include, top row: 2 unidentified P. peltatum; bottom row: P. 'Aurelia' and what may be P. 'Katie' 

Orange and peach blooms include (clockwise from upper left): Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream,' Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin,' Bignonia capreolata, Hemerocallis 'Elizabeth Salter,' Pelargonium x domesticum 'Georgia Peach, and Rosa 'Medallion'

Yellow blooms include (clockwise from upper left): Cotula lineariloba, Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid,' Gazania 'New Day Yellow,' Leucadendron 'Pisa,' Osteospermum 'Blue-eyed Beauty' and Narcissus 'White Lion'

White blooms include (clockwise from upper left): Carpenteria californica, Coleonema album, Nandina domestica and Trachelospermum jasminoides

Even my flowering weeds are at their peak:

Although they are virtually weeds here, I give Centranthus ruber, Erigeron karviniskianus and Geranium incanum some freedom to spread about

Okay, this post exhausted even me so, reader, if you got this far, bravo!  For even more blooming plants, please visit Carol, the host of May Dreams Gardens.


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