Bloom Day - July 2024 (Early Edition)

Time is short and the heat is on so I got an early start on my Bloom Day post this month.  Even though my eyes see a diminished supply of flowers, there's still plenty of color in my garden, although the blooms do wither faster than they did in May and June.  As mentioned in Wednesday's post, a persistent marine layer, relatively unusual in July, has helped us out along the coast, keeping temperatures from soaring sky-high as they've done in many parts of the country.  How much longer that'll last is anybody's guess.

I'll start with five megastars of my July garden.

The last 2 years, Agapanthus have peaked in July rather than June as they formerly did.  With the exception of 'Twister' on the lower left, all those shown here are unnamed varieties that came with the garden.

To the best of my knowledge, the succulents in the top row are Crassula pubescens and those on the bottom are C. p. ssp radicans.  They occupy a variety of spaces throughout my garden.

Somewhat to my dismay, Daucus carota 'Dara' has also popped up throughout my garden, all self-seeded.  They're a pretty pest but I hope they don't continue to spread to the same extent in subsequent years.

The 2 tree-sized Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' in my front garden are blooming like never before, probably because I never got around to pruning it back last year

Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman' in my south-side garden is having a banner year

There are a host of other plants pumping out blooms on a lesser scale too.

Bignonia capreolata on my back slope is another plant inherited with the garden

The blooms of Cistus 'Grayswood Pink' (left) and C. 'Sunset' don't last long but the plants continue to produce new flowers

The flowers of (left to right) Cuphea 'Honeybells', C. 'Starfire Pink', and C. 'Vermillionaire' are small but profuse

I planted Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' on my back slope in 2012 and they continue to spread there.  I like the way they play off the succulents and I'm thinking of trying them in my recently renovated succulent bed adjacent to the garage next year. 

Gaura lindheimeri, now classified as Oenothera lindheimeri, is as pretty but equally as weedy as pink evening primrose.  I cut it back soon after taking these photos.

Gazanias self-seed as well but, unlike Oenothera, they're relatively manageable.  Their seedlings don't always replicate their parents, however.

Clockwise from the upper left are the Grevilleas currently in bloom: G. alpina x rosmarinifolia, G. 'Poorinda Leane', G. 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Moonlight', G. 'Superb' (in a wide shot and closeup), and G. sericea

My noID shaggy Leucanthemum x superbum

Magnolia grandiflora - if only it didn't continuously drop leaves and petals by the bucketfuls during the summer months!

Pandorea jasminoides and Trachelospermum jasminoides doing their summer thing sharing an arbor

Polygala myrtifolia continuing its relentless effort to fill every open spot in my garden

Rosa 'Pink Meidiland' also came with the garden

Long-blooming Salvia canariensis var candissima 

Sollya heterophylla (aka Australian bluebell creeper), now classified as Billardiera heterophylla, continues to spread, which may necessitate adjustments to its bed

I planted 2 small Tanacetum parthenium as fillers in one of the raised planters of my cutting garden late last year.  They remained small until last month when they mounted a takeover.  The T. p. 'Aureum' remains relatively modest in size but the straight species is now feet taller and wider.

There are some new arrivals this month.

The Begonia 'Roseform Pastel Mix' tubers I potted up earlier this year just started to bloom this week

The Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) I planted as plugs received by mail order are finally blooming but I've lost a few already to dry conditions

Excuse the Daucus carota photobombing the Leonotis leonurus on the left.  The lion's tail shrubs want more room and more sun than they're getting.

Hybrid Monarda 'Peter's Purple' is the only bee balm that's survived in my garden

Despite the influence of the marine layer, there are a significant number of plants headed for the exits as the temperatures climb.

Clockwise from the upper left, the pending exits include: Achillea 'Moonshine', Arctotis 'Large Marge', Cynara 'Purple Romagna', and Digitalis purpurea 'Peach Dalmatian'

Other exits include the daylilies, clockwise from the upper left: Hemerocallis 'Apollodorus', H. 'For Pete's Sake', H. 'Strawberry Candy', H. 'Persian Market', and H. 'Sammy Russell'

After delaying their blooms for well over a month, the lilies are now sprinting for the finish line.  Clockwise from the upper left are: Lilium 'Conca d'Or', L. 'Friso', L. 'Orange Planet', and 'Pretty Woman'.  The latter has 2 more bloom stalks but they're still without buds.

I never got a good shot of the tall red flower stalks of Melianthus major growing up through one of my strawberry trees but the spent flowers with the lime green seedpods show up better

I'm surprised that some Osteospermums have hung on for this long.  Clockwise from the upper left are O. 'Coral Magic', O. 'Double Moonglow', O. 'Purple Spoon', and O. 'Violet Ice'.

This has already been a long post but, as usual, I've gone ahead and appended photos of the best of the rest in collages organized by color with names noted clockwise from the upper left.

Red flowers: Allium spaerocephalon, Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky', Fuchsia 'Voodoo', Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', G. 'Spintop Copper Sun', Lotus berthelotii, Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', and Pelargonium peltatum 'Dark Burgundy'

Orange and yellow flowers: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Argyranthemum 'Angelic Maize', Eriogonum nudum 'Ella Nelson's Yellow', Lantana 'Lucky Yellow', Lonicera japonica, and Santolina 'Lemon Fizz'

White flowers: Alstroemeria 'Claire', Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', Phyla nodiflora (aka Lippia), 2-headed Acanthus mollis, and Dipladenia

Pink and lavender flowers: Pelargonium hortorum 'Dynamo Hot Pink', P. peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard, P. hybrid 'Orange Fizz', Teucrium cossonii majoricum, and Tulbaghia violacea

Blue and purple flowers: one of 10 Gladiolus 'Purple Flora' quickly withered by the heat, Globularia x indubia, Salvia 'Mystic Spires', noID Scaevola, Viola 'Sorbet XP Neptune, and Wahlbergia 'Blue Cloud'

I hope I haven't bored you with another long Bloom Day post.  For more posts from a range of locations in the US and beyond, visit Carol, the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, at May Dreams Gardens on July 15th.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Pungent Scents

Since last October, I've participated in an online meeting with other gardeners on a roughly monthly basis to discuss selected garden books.  Last week, we discussed The Scentual Garden: Exploring the World of Botanical Fragrance by Ken Druse.  I'd recommended the book based mainly on its fabulous photographs; however, the general consensus was that it's a "coffee table book."  Druse addressed the science of scent, how it can be captured and preserved, and how scented plants can be presented in a landscape but his central focus was on classification.  I for one was disappointed there wasn't more emphasis on how to use fragrant plants in association and how to carry fragrance through the seasons.  The book nonetheless spurred a lively discussion about how each of us respond to the scents in our own gardens, which fragrances we like and which we don't.  That exchange emphasized points Druse made in the introductory section of his book: scent is in the "nose of the beholder" and, in many cases, how we feel about a scent depends a lot on the long-term memories associated with them.

I didn't set out to select plants for this week's "In a Vase on Monday" post based on scent but, as it turned out, I ended up with two arrangements this week each of which included stems of particularly pungent scented plants.  The first arrangement was inspired by the Agapanthus just now beginning to bloom in my garden.  If Agapanthus has a scent, my nose is incapable of detecting it but two of the other plants I included in the mix did register, one very strongly.

My theme was color, not scent, based.  I chose blue and white colored flowers.  The scent was supplied by Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman', another Salvia hybrid, and the minty foliage of Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata'.

Back view:  The mint scent of the variegated Prostanthera is light and very pleasant.  I expect I could tuck a few stems in my pillow case and have nothing but sweet dreams.  In contrast, the Salvias have a heavy, musky scent.  I expect that they would bother me with prolonged exposure in an enclosed space.

Top view: The other elements had little or no noticeable scent

   

Top row: noID Agapanthus and two of the varied colors of Consolida ajacis 'Summer Skies' mix
Middle row: noID Delphinium, Gilia tricolor, and Globularia x indubia
Bottom row: Phacelia tanacetifolia, Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman'
(Included but not shown in close-up is Salvia leucophylla x clevelandii 'Pozo Blue')

I should note that Druse is based in the northeastern part of the US.  His book emphasizes the plants with which he's most familiar and there's relatively little overlap with the plants I grow in the Mediterranean climate of my coastal Southern California garden.  The inspiration for my second arrangement this week was the Matilija poppies (Romneya coulteri) blooming on my back slope.  This genus isn't mentioned in Druse's book.  I can detect a only a light scent from the flowers but bees love the plant.

I took this photo in the California Natives display garden at Seaside Gardens Nursery just over a week ago.  The bees really do swarm the blooms like this but, as the blooms in my garden are generally well over head-height, I don't manage to catch photos like this here.

The Matilija poppies established a color theme for this arrangement as well

Back view: The only flowers with scent I can detect in this arrangement are those of the Achillea 'Moonshine', which has a marigold-like scent I find unpleasant when sniffed close up, and Tagetes lemmonii, which I like in moderation but I know some people detest

Top view

Top row: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', Achillea 'Moonshine', and Alstroemeria 'Inca Sundance'
Middle row: Alstroemeria 'Claire' and Centranthus ruber albus
Bottom row: Romneya coulteri and Tagetes lemmonii

My husband is more sensitive to scent than I am.  He's objected to the smell of Tagetes lemmonii in the past so I use it sparingly in arrangements.  I can't remember if he's complained about Salvia clevelandii before but I personally find it a heavy scent so I'm waiting to see if he says anything.  What scents do you prize in your garden?  Are there scented plants you grow despite finding their fragrance objectionable?

For more IAVOM creations, 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: From Spare and Simple to Frou-frou

I've been thinking about using stems of Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' in a vase since my shrubs began sporting their pretty summer blooms a few weeks ago but I'd no idea what to use with them.  When the ruffled Shasta daisies started to bloom, it struck me that they'd make a good accent for the Leptospermum's deep burgundy foliage but a vase with just two elements seemed too simple to me.  On my first pass through the garden, I cut a few stems of foxglove and considered adding a bronze-edged Calendula too before concluding that spare and simple was the way to go.

I can't remember creating a vase this streamlined since I started participating in "In a Vase on Monday"

Back view

Top view

Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' (left) and Leucanthemum x superbum (right)

In viewing the above photos, you may have noticed that something's off with the kitchen space I use in photographing my vases.  After dealing with almost a year's worth of bureaucratic red tape, we finally kicked off our long-awaited remodel last Wednesday.  The current focus of work is outside as a team creates a new footing to support our five by nine foot kitchen extension but my husband is getting a head-start on taking apart our existing kitchen.

He's built us a temporary kitchen, which our contractor has referred to as the "Taj kitchen" (as in Taj Mahal).  He commandeered one set of upper cabinets from the existing kitchen for the temporary kitchen while I was out to lunch with friends last week.  The oven disappeared yesterday while I was working in the garden.  The refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven, and a supply of dishes and utensils will move this week.  And (ugh), two pantry cabinets will be relocated to our bedroom for the duration of the project.

I've yet to determine where I'm going to go to prepare and photograph future vases so I used the kitchen this week while I still could.  We expect the contractor to cut off water to the space later this week so I'll be grappling with that problem head-on next week.  The contractor told me that I was also going to lose some of my Agapanthus this week when they pour a footing for the new HVAC system so I had to rescue those flower stalks for a second vase.

It occurred to me that Agapanthus may look best on their own but one simple vase is all I had in me this week

Back view, featuring the last of the Nigella

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Agapanthus, Globularia x indubia (aka globe daisy), Helichrysum petiolare 'Petite Licorice' (another virtual weed here), Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman' (a California native), Nigella papillosa 'Starry Night Mix' (aka love-in-a-mist), and self-seeded Tanacetum parthenium (aka feverfew)

I hadn't planned a third vase but, rather than toss the foxglove stems I'd cut for first vase, I decided to use those in another vase featuring stems of Dahlia 'Enchantress'.  That plant produced nine new blooms this week and ignoring her output seemed a crime.

The vase ended up being a modified version of last week's dahlia arrangement

Back view, featuring the famous Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy' and the last of my Arthropodium cirratum

Top view

Clockwise from the left: Dahlia 'Enchantress' (shown with Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey'), Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga lily), and Digitalis purpurea (foxglove) with Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy'

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

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