In a Vase on Monday: The calla lilies show up

My friend Hoover Boo (the handle she goes by on her blog, Piece of Eden) often says "rain is magic" and that seems to be the case this year.  Our largely unirrigated back slope came with a plethora of calla lily bulbs, something I discovered our first spring living here.  The plants go underground as soon as summer arrives, only to reappear with the rain.  However, I had fewer plants and very few flowers last year.  They seem committed to making a comeback this year.

I pulled 7 of the tall lily stems but cut them down to better fit with the other materials I collected

Back view: the Lotus berthelotii (aka parrot's beak) is attempting to steal the show

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Antirrhinum majus, Freesia, Grevillea 'Poorinda Leane', Lotus berthelotii, and Zantedeschia aethiopica

I changed my mind a few times about a second arrangement, both about having one and what flowers I'd use if I did.  In the end, I leaned into the blues, primarily because they're so readily available at present.  The anemones and sea squill won't last long once the temperatures soar so I decided I'd best use them while I can. 

I added a touch of yellow to break up the blues a bit

Back view: I filled in with stems of Ageratina adenophora (aka Crofton weed), a plant native to Mexico and considered invasive in California, which I believe planted itself here a couple of years ago.  I cut it back hard last year but decided not to pull it out.  It hasn't spread (yet) but it has grown back to its former size.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Ageratina adenophora, Narcissus papyraceus, Osteospermum '4D Pink', Anemone coronaria 'Azzurro', A. c. 'Lord Lieutenant', Hebe 'Grace Kelly' (which is gradually losing its variegated foliage), and Scilla peruviana

We got over two inches of rain last week, which was great.  Unfortunately, the additional rain originally forecast for later this week has all but completely evaporated.  AccuWeather's longer-term forecasts show the possibility of more rain in mid-to-late March but the chances they've floated are nothing to lay bets on.  Meanwhile, I'm all too aware that our rainy season typically comes to an end in April.

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

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Fire and Ice

While I can't claim we're in the middle of a true heatwave, it's been unseasonably toasty here of late with temperatures running in the low 80sF (27-28C).  Humidity levels remain low and my plants are begging for infusions of extra water despite the fact that the automated irrigation system currently kicks in twice a week.  The morning marine layer is projected to make appearances on and off this week, which should lower the temperatures and raise the humidity but I won't count on that until I see it happen.  February is traditionally the wettest month of our all-too-short rainy season in Los Angeles County but the ten-day forecast doesn't hold any real chance of rain at this point.  However, the warmth is bringing on fresh flowers in my garden on a steady basis.

As a nod to the warmer conditions, I selected a few blooms of the fiery Leucospermum 'Sunrise' to guide the choices for my first arrangement.

I threw in a few stems of white Marguerite daisies (Argyranthemum frutescens) at the last minute to help balance all the red-orange colors but I don't think it really did the trick.  I also can't explain why the 2 stems of Alstroemeria suddenly collapsed the way they did.

Back view: more yellow Marguerite daisies might have helped

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Argyranthemum frutescens 'Beauty Yellow', A. f. 'Mount Everest', Antirrhinum majus, Grevillea 'Poorinda Leane', and Leucospermum 'Sunrise'

ICE (the acronym for the US Immigations & Customs Enforcement agency) has been on my mind and as a friend and I joined an ICE Out protest on Saturday, I felt compelled to add that reference to my post's title when I cut two of the first Scilla peruviana (aka Portuguese squill) to bloom this year and added more blue tones to complement them.

I probably should've held off on cutting the Scilla peruviana until the stems were taller but I couldn't resist.  These are the first blooms from new bulbs I planted in November.  My larger clump (which I still haven't divided) hasn't developed buds yet but I've little doubt they're on their way.

Back view: I can't account for the lavender Anemone blooms.  They're distinct from the 'Azzurro' variety I used last week but they're definitely not either of the 2 other bulb varieties ('Rarity' and 'Rosa Chiaro') I ordered this fall.  My best guess is that they're 'Mona Lisa', included in my order by mistake.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Lord Lieutenant', noID Anemone (maybe 'Mona Lisa'), noID Ceanothus, and Scilla peruviana 

Last week's Hippeastrum 'Amadeus Candy' held up well, with the last two buds opening as the week came to an end.  I couldn't bring myself to toss them out so they were plunked in a small vase for the kitchen island.

The other 2 bulbs of 'Amadeus Candy' are already in full bloom.  I guess I couldn't count on their pacing their bloom schedules more widely.

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

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: The blues and bright spots

I tend to favor blue over every other color in my garden and, at this time of year, there are plenty of blue flowers available to fill a vase.  This week I downplayed the sharp contrast of blue and yellow I used last week for a softer look.

In retrospect, a few more light flowers would've been useful to break up the mass of blue flowers.  In addition to Scilla peruviana, I used 3 different Dutch Iris varieties this week.

Back view: The Acacia 'Cousin Itt' I used as a foliage filler looks a bit messy from this angle

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Anemone coronaria 'Mr Fokker', noID Narcissus, Iris hollandica 'Mystic Beauty', I. h. 'Pink Panther', I. h. 'Sapphire Beauty', and Scilla peruviana

I chose to fill my second vase with a mix of bright flowers.  Much as I love blue, I find myself in need of something cheerful to look at these days when every newscast seems to be worse than the one before.  It's hard not to feel anxious about the direction our country is headed under the current administration.

I took advantage of the first flowers of Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi' as a starting point

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: more wispy Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Calendula officianalis 'Cantaloupe Mix', C. o. 'Ivory Princess' and 'Oopsy Daisy', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny', Narcissus 'Geranium', and Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi'

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find what other contributors have put together.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: The spring extravaganza continues

We got a fifth of an inch of rain on Saturday as forecast and my 50-gallon replacement tank was ready to receive it, thanks to my husband's effort in retrofitting it.  It wasn't a lot of rain but it was enough to fill the tank.

We didn't look at the new tank's overflow mechanism when we purchased it by mail order.  It turned out that any excess spewed from the bottom, which isn't a good thing when the tank is set up against the house.  My husband drilled a hole in the side and fit it with a pipe to divert any overflow to the funnel system that that runs below ground, directing water away from the house.

It's been very windy of late but the latest rainstorm gave the garden the boost it needed.  Once again, there was no problem finding material to fill a couple of vases.  The first arrangement was inspired by Dutch Iris 'Pink Panther'.  The flowers have shot up virtually in unison in two areas of my front garden.

'Pink Panther' is more lavender than pink.  I initially wasn't sure what I had that would complement its color but I had no trouble whatsoever finding appropriate companions.

Back view: I added 2 Dutch Iris 'Eye of the Tiger' to provide more contrast

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: 2 noID varieties of Lathyrus odoratus, noID Scaevola, noID Ageratum, Iris hollandica 'Eye of the Tiger', I.h. 'Pink Panther', and Scilla peruviana

My second arrangement is yet another yellow and blue mix.  This one was inspired by the last of the potted Hippeastrums to bloom this year, one I initially thought might be a dud because it took so long to sprout.

Hippeastrum 'Lemon Star' looks a lot like the H. 'Luna' I grew in pots last year.  I planted the 'Luna' bulbs in the ground after they finished flowering last year and they're now producing flower stalks so I may have more Hippeastrum blooms in another month or 2.

Back view: I used the first flowering stems of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' as a foliage filler

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Hippeastrum 'Lemon Star', Iris hollandica 'Mystic Beauty, 2 different noID Narcissi, and Phlomis fruticosa 

Last week's Leucospermums held up well.  I removed the Narcissi and Ranunculus blooms that had fallen apart to create a streamlined version of the arrangement that included Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi'.

The simplified version is shown on the left and the original version is on the right

There's a good chance of more rain next Saturday.  In the meantime, I'm hoping we get a less wind and more sun to facilitate work in the garden and maybe some spring plant shopping.

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: New spring blooms keep coming

At this time of year new spring blooms seem to pop up almost daily.  I'm trying to pace myself when it comes to tossing them into floral arrangements but I ended up with three arrangements this week anyway.  The first of these was inspired by one of my favorite bulb flowers, Scilla peruviana.

As the Scilla peruviana, aka Portuguese squill, are only just beginning to unfold, I cut only one.  Despite the fact that its name suggests it originated in South America, the bulb is actually native to the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

Back view: The tree-sized Ceanothus is in full bloom on the back slope so I took advantage of it

Top view: The blue Anemone coronaria and white and yellow Freesia are still plentiful

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria, Auranticarpa rhombifolium, Lathyrus annuus, Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt', white and yellow Freesia, noID Narcissus, and Scilla peruviana

The second arrangement was inspired by the white and pink species tulips I found flowering in my back garden this past weekend.  I picked additional flowers to flesh out the vase but some didn't mesh with the tulips the way I'd envisioned.  I ended up separating what I'd cut into two separate arrangements.

Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane' has white and rosy-pink petals that look like candy canes when the petals close in low light

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky', A. 'Inca Vienna', Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane'

The "leftovers" I'd cut with the tulip arrangement in mind landed in the vase featuring a woman's clasped hands, manicured with pink polish.

The flowers shown in this arrangement are a deeper reddish-pink, leaning toward burgundy

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Grandaisy Dark Pink', a pink Freesia exhibiting an uncommon color break, a normal pink Freesia, Hebe 'Wiri Blush', Helleborus 'Anna's Red', and Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata'.  I wasn't able to find anything on color breaks caused by virus or other conditions in Freesias but this is at least the second year I've seen these.

The first Dutch Iris blooms have just appeared and my Leucospermums are opening, albeit slowly.  As we're expecting warmer temperatures during much of this week, I expect the spring cycle may accelerate.

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

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