Bloom Day and a Bouquet - August 2016

After a rough start to the summer with June's horrific heatwave, we've had comparatively mild weather.  The morning marine layer has kept temperatures below 85F most days, although the heat was back on this past weekend.  There's been no rain of course, but the local water district has reduced the restrictions on water use and, as I already had a significant credit in my water budget, I've been watering the garden more.  Although it's made a visible difference, floral color is still limited.

The daylilies are done and the few remaining Agapanthus blooms are looking worn.  Many of the other plants I featured in July's Bloom Day post are still flowering, albeit less effusively.  But there are a few new entrants to the line up.

Front and center here are 3 Gomphrena 'Pinball Snow-tip Lavender', one of my latest acquisitions

Polygala myrtifolia 'Mariposa' has finally got its bloom on

Stachys 'Lilac Falls', a Stachys-Lamium hybrid, has been blooming for a while but it's finally spread enough to make an impression (shown here surrounding a flower-less Erigeron 'Wayne Roderick')

Impressed by the success Amy of A Small, Sunny Garden has had growing Catharanthus roseus in desert conditions, I gave the humble vinca another look.  This is a new-to-me hybrid form, Catharanthus 'Soiree Ka*wa*i*i'.

Coreopsis 'Desert Jewel' and C. 'Redshift' have just begun their annual bloom cycle

All the ornamental grasses seem to be in bloom but I'm letting Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum', the biggest of the bunch, stand up for all of them

The blooms of Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus) that featured prominently in last month's post have faded; however, the plugs I planted in spring are finally producing buds so it appears I'll get another round of blooms on a smaller scale.

Blue, ivory and pink forms of Eustoma grandiflorum

I'm giving the uptick in irrigation credit for producing another small flush of blooms from various plants, including several of my roses.

From left to right are a noID rose (possibly 'Angel Face'), 'Buttercream', 'California Dreamin', and 'Ebb Tide'.  'Pink Meidiland' and 'Joseph's Coat' have also produced sporadic blooms.

Other surprise blooms have come from, top row: Angelonia angustifolia, Bauhinia x blakeana, and Bulbine frutescens
Middle row: Centranthus ruber, Cistus x skanbergii, and Lobelia valida
Bottom row: Osteospermum 'Berry White', Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom', and Pentas 'Nova'

The best surprise was finding a large number of blossoms on the lemon tree at the bottom of the slope.  This tree had borne fruit continuously since we moved in 5 years ago, only to drop the majority of the spring crop almost overnight in response to the June heatwave.  The fruit that didn't drop rotted in place until we removed it.  I've been hand-watering the tree regularly ever since  but was surprised to see it already setting new fruit.

My most dependable shrubs, perennials and ground covers have kept plugging away.

The Grevilleas keep on giving.  Clockwise from the left, are blooms of Grevillea 'Pink Midget', G. alpina x rosmarinifolia, G. 'Ned Kelly', G. 'Peaches & Cream', and G. 'Superb'.

Other shrubs and perennials with extended bloom seasons include, clockwise from the left: Abelia x grandiflora, Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Achillea 'Moonshine', Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', and Pelargonium peltatum.  The last has turned itself into a climber.

Lantana 'Samantha' and Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach' are very slowly providing ground cover along the back patio

Gazanias continue to be my go-to ground cover for hot, dry areas

Other notable flowering ground covers include: Convolvulus sabatius 'Moroccan Beauty' and Brachyscome 'Enduring Blue' (top), Phyla nodiflora (aka Lippia, bottom left), and Thymus serpyllum 'Minus' (bottom, right)

And here are a few more that deserve honorable mentions for sticking out the heat of summer:

Clockwise from upper left: Duranta erecta 'Sapphire Showers', Alstroemeria 'Claire', Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' (which had a spectacular show of blooms just 2 weeks ago), Nierembergia caerulea, Salvia 'Mystic Spires' and Russelia equisetiformis 'Flamingo Park'

That's it for my Bloom Day selections.  It's an impressive show for August, at least from my perspective.  Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, our Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day host, for more delicious Bloom Day posts.

As it's Monday, a time some of us also celebrate "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden, I also have a floral bouquet to share.  Visit Cathy to see more.

Anticipating that the current heatwave will quickly put an end to my rose blooms, I cut several 'Buttercream' roses, some Coreopsis 'Redshift', 'Achillea 'Moonshine', and Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', combining these with foliage of Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' and Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'.  The photo on the left shows the arrangement from above and the photo on the right shows it in place on our dining room table.

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

Fall Planting Frenzy - Part II

What constitutes a planting frenzy?  In my case, it means more than 6 hours in the garden in one day with scarcely a break, preceded by one or more expensive trips to nurseries or garden centers, and followed by exhaustion and painful joints.  It also means doggedly facing unplanned planting obstacles, which in my garden usually means digging out pockets of rock, apparently left over from the 1940s when this property was part of a large quarry.  Sometimes I think I should give up gardening altogether and just go into the rock quarry business.

The planting exercises I described earlier (in Frenzy-Part I) and now here were preceded by trips to 2 nurseries the weekend before last, another one this past Saturday, and a mid-week mail order delivery.  The buying is the easy part - reckoning with one's spouse about one's seemingly out-of-control spending habits can be another matter.  Arguments about the importance of fall planting and the value of planting prior to a forecast of rain don't seem to carry as much weight as they should.  I fully expect to receive one of my husband's infamous pie charts showing how much I've spent on plants this year any time now.

Annie's mail order delivery

My plant purchases from Saturday's trip to Rogers (minus the 2 Phormium and a few other things)

Many of the plants shown above went to fill vacancies in the backyard border created when I tore out a mass of lavender.  I'd also torn out an overgrown patch of common lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina) but, in that case, I'd like to note that no purchases were actually required to fill the area.  I managed this with divisions from Stachys byzantina 'Helen Von Stein' growing elsewhere in my garden and yarrow (Achillea 'Moonshine') relocated from an adjacent area.  (I can only hope the lamb's ear transplants take - they were looking a little bedraggled when I finished.)

Lamb's ear transplants up front with relocated Achillea 'Moonshine' in the upper left 

Nicotiana alata 'Lime Green,' purchased by mail order from Annie's, and Digitalis x mertonensis "Polka Dot Pippa,' obtained from Roger's Gardens, filled in the larger mid-border gap, along with some Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' moved from another area of the border.   A Salvia mexicana 'Limelight' from Annie's was tucked into the back area (in front of the Agapanthus in parallel to the mint bush) just to try it out.

The mint bush is no longer obscured but I hope my new additions gain size quickly so the area doesn't look so bare

Phygelius x rectus 'Salmon's Leap' replaced a Chorizema 'Bush Flame' on the right side of the border; however, now think I could use 1 or 2 more to fill in holes created by moving the Euphorbia.

Phygelius 'Salmon Leap' complements the Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' on either side much better than the poorly performing Chorizema

For the most part, I stuck to my list in making my recent plant selections, at least as long as the Phygelius counts as the "orange flowering perennial" on my list.  However, spouses must forgive the occasional deviation to pick up plants you don't know you need until you see them.  Such was the case with Uncinia uncinata 'Rubra,' a low-growing grass-like plant grown by Annie's but purchased through Roger's Gardens.  Look at the pictures below.  You understand, don't you?

3 Uncinata placed near the front of the border, where they should get the moisture they need

Sure, it's small, but look how the sun already lights up the foliage

I still have vacancies to fill in both the backyard and side yard borders.  I need more Phygelius and perhaps more Euphorbia for the back border, as well as additional succulents and some low-growing grass for the side yard.  Oh, and I think I've found a good space for that Grevillea 'Superb' I've been coveting.  Luckily, my friend and I have rescheduled our nursery trip to Carpinteria for early November...

October 2013 Foliage Follow-up

We don't get much in the way of a seasonal foliage color change in Southern California, at least not by comparison to the northeastern parts of the United States.  The only plant in my garden that's showing a definite color shift right now is the coral-bark Japanese maple planted in the vegetable garden alongside our garage.  Its tips tend to burn when the temperatures soar but, in its current placement, it gets full sun only in the morning, which helps to reduce the leaf scorch.

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' in the morning sunlight

Close-up of the Japanese maple's leaves, now shifting from light green to an apricot color

Other plants showing similar coloration unrelated to the seasonal changes in temperature and day length include:

Agonis flexuosa 'Nana,' with new growth in an orangey pink

Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire,' which develops a bright salmon-pink color in full sun

The gray-leaved plants look good regardless of the season.

The artichoke in the half-barrel in my vegetable garden is finally gaining size

I still have some reservations about this combination of Helichrysum petiolare 'White Licorice' and Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' - the Helichrysum constantly threatens to overwhelm the grass and other nearby plants

I have no reservations about Stachys byzantina 'Helen Von Stein,' my favorite form of lamb's ear

Other foliage that caught my eye during my garden rounds included:

Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey,' which is at risk of being swallowed up by the rampant growth of the Pelargonium tomentosum (aka peppermint geranium).  I think the latter is enjoying the extra water I've been giving the new plants nearby a little too much.

Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star,' in the border along our living room windows - this slow-growing plant looks identical to a plant I saw labeled as a Strobilanthus at a nearby nursery

Schlumbergera x buckleyi (aka Christmas Cactus), showing the beginnings of tiny flower buds

Solenostemon scutellariodes 'Electric Lime Coleus' and 'Mocha Mint Coleus,' which made it through the summer heat relatively unscathed

That's it for this month's foliage round-up.  Please visit Pam at Digging to view her foliage picks for the month and to find links to other gardeners' selections.