In a Vase on Monday: My own kind of fireworks

We celebrated Independence Day in the US on Sunday.  Fireworks are a hallmark of the holiday but, over the years, exploding personal fireworks from June well into August has become an obsession in our area.  Despite the fact that brush is tinder dry in drought-plagued areas like ours.  And despite the fact that personal fireworks are illegal in our city and most of the surrounding cities.  As pandemic restrictions have eased dramatically, public displays supervised by fire department personnel are readily available this year and everyone from government officials to newscasters has made pleas to leave firework displays to professionals - to little avail.  Fireworks blasted away nearly continuously most of yesterday afternoon and we expect them to continue into the wee hours of Monday morning.  We just remain on guard and ride out the holiday, hoping for no serious mishaps nearby.

In spite of my annoyance with clueless neighbors, I had fireworks in mind when I selected flowers for "In a Vase on Monday" yesterday.  My first arrangement isn't red, white and blue but many of the flowers evoke images of fireworks.

The fuzzy orange flowers of Leonotis leonurus (aka lion's tail) inspired the arrangement.  The flowers front and center are Venidium fastuosum 'Orange Prince' (formerly Arctotis fastuosa).  I recently obtained 3 of these new-to-me plants by mail order and I love them.  They're already unavailable from the grower so I may have to try growing more from seeds.

Back view: I hadn't originally planned to add blue notes to the arrangement but decided I liked the effect

Top view

Top row: noID Agapanthus, Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', and Cuphea hybrid 'Vermillionaire'
Middle row: Delphinium 'Pacific Coast Hybrid', Lavandula angustifolia, and Leonotis leonurus
Bottom row: Leucanthemum x superbum, Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum', and Venidium fastuosum 'Orange Prince'
(Included but not shown in closeup are Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated' and Myrtus communis)

My second arrangement isn't red, white and blue either but it also contains some elements that may remind you of fireworks.

The first stem of pink Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) was the inspiration but the firecracker-like flowers of Cuphea 'Starfire Pink' set the color scheme

Back view: Daucus carota 'Dara' just keeps on giving

Top view

Top row: hybrid Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Daucus carota 'Dara', and Origanum 'Monterey Bay'
Middle row: Fuchsia 'Deep Purple', Eustoma grandiflorum, and noID Pelargonium
Bottom row: Delphinium 'Pacific Coast Hybrid', Penstemon x gloxinioides 'Midnight', and Trachelium caeruleum

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

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Barrels of Fun

A couple of weeks ago my husband asked me what I'd like for my birthday.  He reminded me that I'd mentioned a new set of everyday dishes following our 2019 home renovation but I had zero interest in shopping for china.  I told him what I'd really like was three more half-barrels for the garden and, two days before my birthday that's what I received, along with some bags of top soil to fill them.

Two of the barrels joined the three I already had in the front garden under the magnolia tree.  I've made minor attempts to plant directly into the ground under the tree but tree roots have prevented me from getting very far.  When we moved in, there was lawn there but it struggled too and required too much water.  So we put in a bench around the tree and covered the soil with bark mulch.  Planting in barrels has provided the color I wanted.

So, lets look at what I've got in the barrels, starting with the two newest ones in the foreground of the above photo.

This is the first of the new barrels, which I planted using mostly plants considered annuals here

The photo on the left provides an overhead view of the contents shown on the right, plugs of Cosmos bipinnatus, a white-flowering Delphinium (moved from my cutting garden to make room for a dahlia), and plugs of Salvia lyrata

This is the second of the new barrels, containing a mix of plants, at least two of which I hope will last more than a season

Clockwise from the upper left, this barrel contains: a white Bacopa, a single Cosmos plug, Dahlia 'Kogane Fubuki', hybrid Digitalis 'Pink Panther', Pimelea ferruginea 'Magenta Mist', and Salvia 'Danielle's Dream'

The third barrel, one of those I received for my birthday last year, had been filled with Iceland poppies which for some reason never took off and, with summer coming, I pulled them and replanted from scratch.

I included Dahlia 'Iceberg', which gets big.  The tomato cage was added to provide support, assuming that the tuber takes off.  This one is a division taken from the plant I grew last year.

Clockwise from the upper left: overhead view of the barrel, Dahlia 'Iceberg' (with lavender alyssum), Penstemon 'Rock Candy Blue', Nepeta 'Blue Prelude', Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Deep Blue', Angelonia 'Archangel White' and, in the center, Calibrachoa 'Ice Blue'.  I'm hoping the Nepeta won't be eaten to the ground by the neighbor's cat, which has been the fate of every other Nepeta I've tried to grow.

I didn't touch the next barrel.  It contains the same plants I installed last year.

The pink Scabiosa bloomed lightly last year but took off this year.  The new blue Scabiosa is part of the same 'Flutter' series so I'm hoping it'll also thrive.

Clockwise from the upper left: overhead view, Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' (aka mint bush), Pelargonium peltatum 'Burgundy' and 'Lavender', and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink'.  There's a Penstemon mexicali in there somewhere but it seems to have been swamped by its companions.

I replanted the last barrel earlier this year.

I had herbs, principally basil, in this tub last year

Clockwise from the upper left: overhead view, Dichondra 'Silver Falls', noID Hedera, Hemerocallis 'Space Coast Behavior Pattern', and Nemesia 'Banana Swirl'

The third barrel my husband bought me was intended for a shady corner near the street.  I'd had a barrel there for years but it literally disintegrated over time.

This barrel was intended for a spot in the background on the right

The wood slats of the barrels pulled away easily but it took a good deal of work to wrangle out the metal bands and dig up the Salvia and Abelia that had rooted into the ground below the barrel

Cleared area

With the area cleared, I moved in the new barrel, balancing it atop several concrete bricks in the hope of providing this one a longer useful life.  As this area behind the front hedge and directly below a peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa) is very shady, I selected plants that tolerate those conditions.

It gets a little sun in the late afternoon

Clockwise from the upper left: overhead view; Calathea 'Medallion'; Fuchsia 'Miss California'; and three varieties of  Plectranthus scuttellariodes (aka coleus) 'Flame Thrower Salsa Verde', 'Sea Monkey Purple', and 'Vino' 

All things considered, even given the hassle of pulling out the disintegrated barrel and its contents, this was a fun project.  Now, fingers are crossed that all new plants will do as well as that fourth one I showed you.

Best wishes with whatever new projects you have in store for the weekend.

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Mixing things up

Last week's heat fried some plants, including the tulips sent to me in error last November by a mail order nursery.  I didn't expect much from them but, after keeping them in our refrigerator for three solid months before carefully planting them out and dutifully watering them in the absence of any rain, I was still disappointed.  The cool season flowers I grew from seed have been unimpressive this year too but, looking ahead, I see the summer bloomers are gearing up, possibly responding to the summer-like heat that's sounding the death knell for the cool season blooms before they ever got very far.  I've even got Agapanthus buds developing in some areas.

My first arrangement reuses some of the flowers I cut last week, albeit in a different combination.  The Leucospermum stems have at least another week of life in them, as do the stems of Alstroemeria 'Claire'.

The rose is a new bloom and it was so large and perfect I gave it a starring role.  We're expecting another round of warm weather mid-week and I thought I'd get more enjoyment out of it inside the air-conditioned house than I would watching it wither outside when the temperature reaches the mid 80sF (28C).

Back view: Achillea 'Moonshine' has produced its first blooms.  I added more of the flowers of Aeonium 'Kiwi Verde'.  I'd estimate a third of those plants are currently in bloom throughout the garden and, when the bloom dies, so does the succulent rosette that sprouted it.

Top view

Top row: Achillea 'Moonshine', Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', and Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'
Second row: Alstroemeria 'Claire' and Rosa 'Medallion'
Bottom row: Leucospermum 'Brandi', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach', and Antirrhinum majus

The second arrangement couldn't be more different.  It's all about soft pastels and wispy blooms.

The sweet peas are now blooming in earnest, perhaps because they know their days are numbered - they're cool season blooms here.  They and the fuchsia blooms (from a recent purchase) set the color scheme.

Back view: Echium 'Star of Madiera' accommodated by starting its annual bloom cycle

Top view: Cool season Coriandrum (aka cilantro/coriander) and Consolida ajacis (aka larkspur) provided the wispy filler material.  The Coriandrum is already producing seeds.  The larkspur just started blooming but I don't expect it's going to last long.

Top row: Consolida ajacis, Coriandrum sativum, and Echium candicans 'Star of Madiera'
Middle row: Fuchsia 'Deep Purple' and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink'
Bottom row: Lathyrus odoratus 'Blue Shift', 'Chelsea Centenary' and 'Sir Jimmy Shand' with 'High Scent' 

Other parts of the world still have many early spring blooms to share.  Visit our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, to enjoy what other contributors have found in their gardens this week.

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Visiting my Lath House!

The title of this post is a play on the "Coronavirus Tourism" posters designed by Jennifer Baer and shown on her website, This is Colossal, which Denise of A Growing Obsession introduced me to last week.  Stuck at home, visiting the nooks and crannies of my own garden is one of the few acceptable "adventures" now.  What could be more appropriate than a tour of my lath house, built by my husband two years ago for the shade plants that otherwise have difficulty surviving in my area?

So let's embark on the tour, shall we?

There it is!  We're looking at it from the upper level of the front garden.  It sits at the bottom of a moderate slope.

The door's open.  Let's head down there.

This is the path from the upper level of the front garden into the lower area where the lath house sits

We're approaching it now

Shall we take a peek inside?

View looking in the front door at the center of the structure

Pots on the ground

This is the view looking through the window on the right side

and this is the view looking in the window on the left side

So let's take a closer look at some of the plants inside, focusing on the most presentable specimens.

These are a few of my Begonias
Top row: Begonias 'Amberley' and 'Little Darling', 'Bundy Plum', and 'Champagne Bubbles'
Bottom row: Begonias 'Escargot', 'Nautilus Lilac', and B. luxurians

Ferns can be hard to grow here even where they're protected.  On the left is Asplenium nidus (aka Lasagna Fern) and on the right is a Staghorn Fern (noID Platycerium).

I still struggle with Fuchsias but I keep trying new ones.   Clockwise from the upper left are Fuchsia 'Autumnale'; the unusual trailing F. procumbens, followed by a close- up of its flower; and F. thymifolia.

I've somehow accumulated a lot of orchids.  Most, including the Epiphyllums (aka orchid cactus), aren't blooming now but four are.  Clockwise from the upper left are: Colmanara 'Wildcat', noID Cymbidium, Cymbidium Sussex Court 'Not Peace', and Dendrobium kingianum.

Two of the three Tillandsias are shown here: T. capita 'Peach' and T. xerographica

Other flashy plants include, clockwise from the upper left, Fatsia japonica 'Camouflage', assorted Cyclamen, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, and Philodendron 'Prince of Orange'

The lath house also has some decorative and utilitarian elements.  The iron cat in the center guards the door.  The wood piece on the lower left serves as both stepladder and stool.

The two window boxes are not looking their best and need an overhaul

That concludes today's tour.  Let me show you out.

The slope facing the lath house is planted mostly with succulents

Taking the lower level path to the driveway at the front of the house takes us by a mass planting of Aeonium arboreum but you have to squeeze by a large peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa) planted in the middle of the path

You've reached the lower level exit!

I hope you can take advantage of a staycation this weekend.  Best wishes for a safe holiday weekend, however you plan to spend your time.


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