In a Vase on Monday: Variations on a theme

I've been happy to see that the lisianthus plants I happened upon at my local garden center six-plus weeks ago have started to bloom, even if I've yet to see blooms on any of the plants that were supposed to have blue flowers.  I cut two stems of the lavender-blushed variety again this week but used different flowers and foliage to complement them.

The lavender blooms of Polygala myrtifolia and Pelargonium peltatum look better with the lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) than the flowers I selected last week 

The shiny dark green Ceanothus foliage I used is nice but, in retrospect, this back view could've benefited from some lighter elements

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Ceanothus griseus horizontalis 'Carmel Creeper', Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown', Pelargonium peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard', Eustoma grandiflorum, and Polygala myrtifolia (aka sweet pea shrub)

I've been planning to cut the flowers of Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigold) for a few weeks now but, as my husband dislikes their scent, I knew I couldn't use too many stems without annoying him.  I clipped flowers from two other shrubs, Senna bicapsularis and Grevillea 'Superb' to fill out the arrangement.  The Senna flowers are on their way out but the ever-blooming Grevillea is always available to fill out a vase.

The color mix is very autumnal but I wasn't entirely happy with it, at least in this view

Back view

Top view: I did like this particular view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolium, Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple', Grevillea 'Superb' (shown with a seed head of Echinacea purpurea), Senna bicapsularis, and Tagetes lemmonii 

Our temperatures have been vacillating but we've had several days of warm afternoon readings in the low to low-to-mid 70sF (21-24C), which have been prompting the Ranunculus and Anemone bulbs to sprout.  Temperatures could go higher still beginning next weekend.  Meanwhile, our "water year" total (counted from October 1st) stands at 0.19/inch with little to no rain in sight.  If Santa could deliver rain, I'd send him a letter...

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

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

Bloom Day - November 2024

My garden is less colorful this month but, in coastal Southern California, there's always something to share.  I'll start with some of the plants that make a habit of blooming at this time of the year.

Many of my aloes are getting ready to bloom but Aloe lukeana in ahead of the pack.  It bloomed back in July and I didn't expect another round this year.

Hybrid Aloe 'Safari Sunset' also got an early start

Barleria obtusa was just starting to bloom last month but all 4 of my shrubs are flowering now

The Camellia sasanquas that came with the garden weren't put off schedule by the recent Santa Ana winds but they do seem inclined to bloom facing the house instead of outward

Senna bicapsularis (aka winter cassia) has once again sent its flowers sky high

Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigold) blooms in spring and then again in the fall

As is true in most months, there are some blooms that surprised me.

Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' reliably flowers during late summer but it's only produced a flush of flowers in November once before in 2016

I've previously missed all the flowers of Disocactus anguligar (aka fishbone cactus, syn. Epiphyllum anguliger) but I finally caught one before it withered away

I picked up a Helianthus 'Sunfinity' in late September and it took its time about getting its bloom on.  I'd thought that most sunflowers would have thrown in the towel for the season by November.

Medinilla myriantha (aka Malaysian orchid) always surprises me when it graces me with a flower or 2

While the Protea 'Pick Ice' in another area has already bloomed out, Protea neriifolia 'Claire' is made of stronger stuff (or it just gets more water from the irrigation system)

And then there are the dependable plants that offer color all or most of the year, at least off and on.

Correas (aka Australian fuchsias), left to right: 'Ivory Bells', 'Pink Eyre', and 'Wyn's Wonder'

Cupheas 'Honeybells', 'Starfire Pink', and 'Vermillionaire'

These noID self-seeded Gazanias are coming back with cooler temperatures

Grevilleas 'Moonlight' (left) and 'Peaches & Cream' (right) are more sporadic with their flowers than others in my gardens

Grevillea 'Superb' blooms all year round but it's current flower frenzy has been greatly appreciated by the hummingbirds since the flowers of Arbutus 'Marina' have faded

The Pelargoniums are putting on a decent show too.  Clockwise from the upper left are: P. hortorum 'Dynamo Hot Pink', P. hybrid 'Little Pink Splash', and 3 varieties of P. peltatum.

There are a few recent additions to my garden in bloom too.

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus 'Sonnet Speedy White', Argyranthemum 'Aramis Apricot', Nasturtium 'Alaska', and Primula vulgaris

I'll close as I always do with collages featuring the best of the rest.

Clockwise from the upper left: Felicia aethiopica, Polygala myrtifolia, Salvia 'Mystic Spires', Salvia discolor, and Vitex trifolia

From the upper left: noID Cyclamen, noID Dipladenia, Eriocapitella hupehensis, Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', and noID Impatiens

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Osteospermum '4D Pink', and Persicaria capitata

Faucaria tigrida, Leonotis lonurus, and Pennisetum 'Sky Rocket'

noID Anthurium, Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', and Leucadendron salignum 'Summer Red'

It's been more than six months since we've had anything that could be characterized as real rain.  Ours is characterized as a Mediterranean climate so long stretches without rain aren't unusual but this is getting ridiculous.  The marine layer has made tiny contributions at intervals since then but, since the start of the current "water year" on October 1st, those only amount to 0.03/inch of precipitation.  We're very, very dry.  Forecasters keep teasing us with reports of rain that "might" spill down the state from Northern California but, to date, that hasn't happened.  There's another slight chance in the wee hours of Friday morning but I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

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

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

Bloom Day - November 2023

When I look at my garden I see far fewer flowers than there were last month when I still had dahlias, zinnias and cosmos but I admit I still have more than many gardeners in colder parts of the Northern Hemisphere.   We don't get frosts here but we haven't had much rain either and it's very dry as we wait for our first real rain of the 2024 "water year" this week.  I'm looking forward to it - despite the surprise provided by Tropical Storm Hilary in September, my rain barrels have already been dry far too long.

I'll kick off this post with the plants putting on the best show this month.

The blue flowers are Barlera obtusa, aka bush violet.  It's a drought tolerant South African native.  I've never seen it in a local nursery or garden center.  I picked up a single 1-gallon pot at a local botanic garden's plant sale several years ago and I now have 2 large clumps in my back garden and 2 in the front.  It self-seeds freely but it's easy to control.  The bees and hummingbirds love it!

I inherited 3 Camellia sasanqua shrubs with the garden.  There are 2 varieties but they're almost identical in color if not form.  The recent Santa Ana winds took out the first flush of flowers but they're on a roll now.

Tagetes lemmonii, aka Copper Canyon daisy and Mexican marigold, blooms lightly in spring and more robustly in autumn.  We took out a large shrub that previously loomed over the Tagetes late last year and it's never bloomed as well.  It has a strong scent that generally doesn't bother me but my husband tolerates it in only small doses.

There are other plants offering decent, if less splashy, shows.

This is a mix of 3 colors of Catharanthus roseus, aka the humble vinca.  I never gave these annuals the recognition they deserve until this summer.

All my Correas, aka Australian fuchsias, are blooming.  The variety shown in the top row is Correa 'Ivory Bells'.  The 2 in the bottom row are Correa 'Dusky Bells' and C. 'Wyn's Wonder', a variegated form.  They're the very definition of subtle flowers but, unlike true fuchsias, they get by on relatively little water. 

All the Cupheas are currently in need of a good pruning but, given the minimal attention they've received from me, they're looking pretty good.  From left to right are Cuphea 'Honeybells', C. 'Starfire Pink', and C. 'Vermillionaire'.

What can I say?  My top workhorse, Grevillea 'Superb' never, ever stops blooming.  This is another bee and hummingbird magnet.

Many of my Leucadendrons are currently covered in flower-like bracts.  Leucadendron 'Summer Red', left and top right, is outdoing itself this year.  The one on the lower right is L. 'Blush'.

I have 3 varieties of Pennisetums in bloom.  The 2 shown here are Pennisetum 'Sky Rocket' and P. advena 'Rubrum'.

This is another humble plant that deserves an honorable mention.  It's Persicaria capitata (aka pink knotweed).  It's truly a weed in some areas but it's been remarkably well behaved here, even if it did plant itself underneath 3 potted blueberry shrubs in my back garden.

There were a couple of surprises.

I planted 5 bulbs of Amarine belladiva 'Emanuelle' 2 and a half years ago.  All 5 have bloomed for the first time, albeit on completely independent time schedules.  The one shown here is finishing up and the 5th one has buds preparing to open.  They're an intergeneric hybrid of Amaryllis belladonna and Nerine bowdenii.

If Salvia discolor with its light green foliage and its blackish-purple flowers has a bloom schedule, I've yet to figure it out.  It's a relatively uncommon plant that's been part of my garden for several years now.

There are some flowers that largely disappeared earlier this month but they're worthy of mention nonetheless.

Clockwise from the upper left, flowers that were taken out prematurely by the hot, dry Santa Ana winds include: Eriocapitella hupehensis (aka Japanese anemone), Senna bicapsularis, Hemerocallis 'Persian Market', and Iris germanica 'Autumn Circus'

And, then there are plants that are only just stepping onto the stage to take advantage of our cool season even if cooler temperatures are taking their time to settle in.

Aloes and other succulents are starting to flower.  Clockwise from the upper left are: noID small Aloe, A. 'Safari Orange', A. 'Safari Sunset', Echeveria 'Black Prince', and Faucaria tigrina.

Argyranthemums are short-lived perennial shrubs here.  These are 2 new ones: Argyranthemum 'Grandaisy Dark Pink' and A. 'Angelic Maize'.

Defying its name once again this year, Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' is flowering in the fall.  The plant is currently covered in buds.

The Osteospermums have struggled to rebound as our "cool season" has been punctuated by several excessively warm spells.  In the top row are: Osteospermum '4D Pink', O. '4D White', and O. 'Double Yellow'.  The bottom row shows a more vigorous self-seeded variety, which I think may be the offspring of O. 'Violet Ice' with a little O. 'Berry White' in the mix.

Even though my perception is that there aren't many flowers at this time of year, there's obviously a lot of color left in my garden, even if much of it isn't as bountiful as the spring and summer displays.  I'll end as I usually do with the best of the rest organized by color.

Clockwise from the upper left: berries of noID Cotoneaster, Dipladenia 'Sundenia Coral', Gaillardia 'Spintop Copper Sun', 2 noID Gazanias, Rudbeckia hirta, and Pelargonium peltatum 'Dark Burgundy'

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Claire', Angelonia 'Archangel White', Antirrhinum majus, Dipladenia 'Sundenia White', Pandorea jasminoides, and Pentas lanceolata

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Angelonia, Bauhinia x blakeana, Fuchsia 'Wind Chimes White', and Pentas lanceolata

Clockwise from the upper left: Anchusa capensis, Calibrachoa 'Mini Double Blue', Hebe 'Grace Kelly', Polygala myrtifolia, Salvia 'Mystic Spires', noID Scaevola, Trichostemma 'Midnight Magic', and Viola 'Peach Penny'

For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, visit our host, Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party