In a Vase on Monday: Heatwave holdouts

While the heatwave that started last week hasn't been as bad as the prior one, it's held on longer than originally forecast and it's not over yet.  Temperatures have come down from our 102F (38.9C) peak but we've been stuck at 92F (33C) here for days now.  Our air quality has worsened again too so nothing but the most minimal gardening work is getting done but hopefully the weather and air will be better by the end of this week.  In the meantime, I've slogged through all the propositions on California's November ballot (12, not including an LA County measure) so I'm prepared to vote as soon as my ballot arrives.  I haven't tackled my ironing backlog yet but that's on the docket next...

The dahlias in my cutting garden went into hyperdrive last week.  I don't think it was a response to the heat but the heat had an impact nonetheless.  Lots of the top-heavy blooms toppled over and even those that didn't bloomed out quickly.  There are still a lot of flowers out there but last week was crazy and I only had the energy for two arrangements yesterday.

The sudden appearance of several new Lisianthus blooms after a lengthy hiatus was the inspiration for this arrangement but I think Dahlia 'Iceberg' stole the show

Back view: The rose was a last-minute addition.  It's the first white rose I've had bloom this year and it seemed smarter to cut it than let it wither in the heat.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Iceberg', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus), Salvia leucantha, Pandorea jasminoides, Leucophyllum laevigatum, and noID rose

Dahlia 'Rip City' is blooming like there's no tomorrow so it won more time in the limelight this week.

I love 'Rip City' but I haven't found it easy to find appropriate companions for it

The manicured fingernails of this vase were the inspiration for this pairing, although I managed to largely cover them up when I added the stems of red Penstemon 

Back view

Top view: I added the pink Lisianthus mainly because the burgundy centers of those flowers echoed the color of dahlias

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Rip City', Eustoma grandiflorum, Hebe 'Purple Shamrock', Penstemon mexicali 'Mini Red Bells', and Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star'

For more IAVOM creations, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden is the one to see.

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

Bloom Day - October 2019

My summer flowers are slowly fading but my traditional autumn bloomers have been slow to make an appearance.

The newest arrivals are these:

The Anemone hupensis japonica came with the garden and aren't prolific bloomers in my climate but I love them just the same

Cuttings of this Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Wonder' came with me from my former garden.  It's one of my favorite plants but needs a good bit of shade - and it doesn't much like being trod on by construction workers.

This is a Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara' I thought had died.  If you look carefully at the stem in the middle, you'll see a lurking crab spider.  They're suddenly everywhere in my garden.

Senna bicapsularis finally produced its first blooms this past weekend.  Despite a hard pruning earlier in the year, the stems are very tall, making the flowers hard to photograph.

The flowers of Vitex trifolia aren't especially impressive but the shrub itself, bearing leaves with purple undersides, is attractive

My cutting garden is still the source of the majority of my flowers.  If the following photos look familiar, that's probably because you saw very similar ones last month.

The dahlias are the flashiest denizens of the cutting garden
Top row: Dahlias 'Bluetiful', 'Enchantress' and 'Hollyhill Karen Lee'
Middle row: 'Citron du Cap', 'Labyrinth' and 'Terracotta'
Bottom row: 'Otto's Thrill' and 'Punkin Spice' (Only 'Diva' is a no-show right now)

I can't put names to most of the Zinnia elegans currently in bloom so I'll let them all go incognito

Other cutting garden blooms include: noID Cosmos bipinnatus (top), Amaranthis caudatus (bottom left) and Rudbeckia 'Denver Daisy' (bottom right)

Elsewhere in the garden, a few of the plants that bloomed earlier in the year are responding to our cooler nights with another flush of flowers.

From left to right: Bauhinia x blakeana, Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' and Leonotis leonurus

Meanwhile a variety of stalwarts continue to put on a good show.

Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated' is having a very good year

This bed, dominated to Pennisetum 'Rubrum', Lantana 'Lucky White' and Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', has stood up really well against the construction mess associated with our ongoing remodeling project 

Although closer to the action, this bed containing Grevillea 'Superb' and Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' has also done remarkably well

Some of my Leucadendrons, 'Devil's Blush' (left) and 'Winter Red' (right), are continuing to put on good imitations of flowers

Pennisetum 'Rubrum' is such a star it deserves a second look

I'll wrap up as usual with the flowers keeping a lower profile this month.

Top row: Delphinium elatum, Eustoma grandiflorum, and noID Lantana
Middle row: Lavandula multifida, Plumbago auriculata 'Imperial Blue' and Polygala fruticosa
Bottom row: Salvia 'Mystic Spires', Trichostemma 'Midnight Magic' and Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud'

Top row: Aloe 'Rooikappie', Alstromeria 'Indian Summer' and Lantana camara 'Irene'
Middle row: Euryops chrysanthemum 'Sonnenschein', Correa 'Ivory Bells' and Clematis paniculata
Bottom row: Pandorea jasminoides, Phylica pubescens and Zephyranthes candida

Top row: Correa 'Wyn's Wonder', Grevillea 'Ned Kelly' and Pentas lanceolata 'Graffiti Pink'
Middle row: Hemerocallis 'Plum Perfect' (another bloom spike!) and Penstemon mexicali 'Mini-Bells Red'
Bottom row: Rosa 'Pink Meidiland' and Salvia canariensis

For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, check in with Carol at May Dreams Gardens.


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

In a Vase on Monday: There's Always Something

Since the start of summer, I've wondered every week what I can possibly come up with to include in a vase for the post linked to the "In a Vase on Monday" meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  For the last 2 weeks I featured bright red-orange-coral hues and I didn't want to do that again even though Grevillea 'Superb' is overachieving in the bloom department at the moment.  And, while the cooler temperatures have prompted a few Camellia sasanqua to bloom, there weren't enough to make a splash.  However, the Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior' by the back door has flowers aplenty so it was the obvious choice, even though I had no clue what to combine with it.  But, strolling through the garden turned up all the elements this simple bouquet needed.

Front view

Back view (I can't explain why I didn't trim that one sky-high Salvia stem before I started taking pictures except to say I had no more time to fuss)

In addition to the Plectranthus, I included:

• Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold,' aka Breath of Heaven
• Pentas lanceolata 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom'
• Salvia leucantha, aka Mexican bush sage

I grow Plectranthus 'Zulu Warrior' mainly for the foliage but, in fall, the flowers offer an added bonus

I also grow Coleonema 'Sunset Gold' mainly for the foliage but it does produce tiny pink flowers and the scent, when you run your hand along the foliage, is indeed heavenly

Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom' has suddenly produced a healthy flush of bloom, although the flowers are somewhat smaller than they were earlier in the year

I added Salvia leucantha to accentuate the purplish tones of the Plectanthus

The flowers sit on the dining room table in a vase I think I picked up during my college days.

Please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see her creation this week.  A lot of other gardeners are joining in to flaunt their flora so, if you have a vase created from materials in your garden, link up!


All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Early Fall Bouquet

I haven't cut flowers for a bouquet in a few weeks but I was prompted to spend a few moments doing so when I saw a perfectly formed white rose on a trip to take out the garbage.  There are 5 rose bushes arrayed in a semi-circle along the pathway leading to the trash bins.  Not an optimal placement in my book but they were there when we bought the house.  None of the 5 are particularly vigorous either - they get too much shade and are prone to rust.  However, I'm committed to do what I can this year to improve their condition because I do enjoy the sporadic blooms they produce.

I put together a bouquet of purple and white, with a touch of pink.

Rose, Cuphea, Nandina, Plectranthus, Salvia

Here's what I included:

• Rose (no ID)
• Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink'
• Nandina berries
• Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior'
• Salvia leucantha, aka Mexican Bush Sage

I have a dozen shrubs of the Cuphea, all currently badly in need of pruning.  The Salvia recently sprang into bloom in my garden and, seemingly, all over town.  I featured the Plectranthus as my favorite plant of the week last month.  It has developed more and more blooms every week since, although last week's Santa Ana winds flattened the shrub for a time.  I don't think I've ever used its flowers in an arrangement before and I'm not sure how well they'll hold up.  Although the plant is tough and resilient, the blooms are very delicate (and hard to photograph).

Close-up of blooms on Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior'

I'm joining the Seasonal Bouquet Project with this post.  You can read about the project here.  In brief, it's sponsored by Erin and Jennie, 2 flower farmers and designers working on opposite coasts.  Click here to see their floral productions this week, as well as the contributions of participating gardeners.