Some of my favorite plant combinations

It's been a busy week, both in the garden and outside of it, but I managed to take a variety of photos of plant combinations I especially like to close out this week's blog posts.  Here they are in no particular order.

Salvia canariensis var candidissima stands tall, surrounded by plants flowering in similar colors, including Phlomis purpurea, Pelargonium cucullatum, Hebe 'Wiri Blush', and lots of self-seeded Polygala myrtifolia

Blues and yellows line the flagstone path viewed looking north, with touches of violet here and there.  The strongest blue element at the moment is provided by Salvia 'Mystic Spires'.  The yellow color is provided by Achillea 'Moonshine', Arctotis 'Large Marge' and the foliage of Cistus 'Little Miss Sunshine'.  The violet accents are currently provided by Polygala myrtifolia and Teucrium aroanium but the creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum 'Elfin') is just starting to bloom.

The view from the same point in the back garden looking south highlights yellows and oranges.  The 'Kaleidoscope' Abelias incorporate both colors.  The chartreuse foliage of Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' and the flowers of Achillea 'Moonshine' echo the yellow notes.  Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' (visible on the far left of the first photo) and Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi' flowers add a touch of peach.  Stronger orange notes are provided by Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' and a distant peek at a noID coral Hippeastrum.

This is the Hippeastrum visible at the far right edge of the first photo in the prior collage.  It was sent to me in 2022 as 'Appleblossom' but it's doesn't match the description of that flower.

Zeroing in on this vignette at the southeast end of the back garden, I was pleased with the combination of vivid Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' and the softer tones of the 'Joe Hoak' Agaves and the reddish foliage of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' (before I pruned it).  Tall flowers of  Daucus carota 'Dara' on the far left echo the red notes.

Burgundy and green colors stand out here with touches of pink and white on the margins.  The burgundy color is provided by Aeonium 'Jack Catlin', Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple', and Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey'.  Cistus 'Sunset' contributes the pink color and Lagurus ovatus (aka bunny tail grass) adds touches of white.

I'm less fond of the combination of the Cotinus and the Coprosma viewed from this different angle under sunnier conditions, where the reddish-green foliage of 'Plum Hussey' reads more brown than burgundy 

These are views of the same Grevillea 'Superb', Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', and Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' from 2 different directions.  It shines in both views.  In the photo on the left, 2 varieties of Gaillardia and an Erysimum 'Wild Orchid' reinforce the color scheme.

This combination was hard to photograph as the space doesn't allow me to back up as far as I'd have liked.  Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata' and Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid' mingle well in this section of my front garden.  Accents here include Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny', Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire', and Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi'.  The Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', partially visible behind the Leucadendron, reflects the same colors.

Notably, most of the Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid' flowers have matured since early spring, changing color as they've done so.  The styles of the mature flower have turned from a peachy-yellow to orange-red and their centers have evolved from pink to beige as shown in this photo of a stem containing 2 flowers at different stages of development.

The combination of Aeonium arboreum and Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' on the lower level of my front garden are all about the contrast of plant shapes, not colors.  The Agaves shown here were planted as pups of 2 parent plants that bloomed out in 2019.  They're now about as big as the parent plants were when they bloomed.

The shift from spring toward summer is more evident each day.  In addition to my pruning activities, it's time to pull apart my cutting garden to make way for Dahlias, Rudbeckias, Zinnias and other summer blooms.  I hate removing the waning spring blooms but it's got to be done!

Best wishes for a nice weekend.  May Mother Nature treat you kindly in the weather department!

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

My favorite plant combinations (at the moment)

In spring it's hard not to fall in love with your garden, no matter how frustrated you might have been with it during the the winter or summer months.  This year, after all the unexpected rain we received, my garden seems more bountiful than ever and I appreciate everything it's giving to me.  Some vignettes have stood out as especially appealing and, as temperatures are expected to climb this weekend, at least temporarily, I thought I'd share them before they fall prey to rising temperatures.

 

I got the blue, white and yellow color mix I'd dreamed of in this area surrounding the fountain in the back garden.  The Freesias are mostly gone now but the Dutch Iris, 'Sapphire Beauty' and 'Mystic Beauty', are still going strong.  They're complemented here by Argyranthemum 'White Butterfly' and more blue flowers in the form of low-growing Felicia aethopica and the taller spires of Echium webbii.  Yellow touches are provided by Phlomis fruticosa and Argyranthemum 'Grandaisy Yellow'.  The wire cages protect Echinops and Eryngium from hungry rabbits.

I'd considered pulling out the Dutch Iris 'Eye of the Tiger' last year but I found I like how it plays off the brown stems and leaves of Aristea inaequalis, as well as its bright blue flowers.  It also complements the 3 Mangave 'Pineapple Express' planted in front of it.

This is a more extreme color mix than I usually prefer but it's become one of my favorites nonetheless.  It combines Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', and Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset'.  There are even a handful of succulent flowers in the background that currently echo the pinkish-orange colors of the Arctotis.

I'd love this yellow-flowered Leucospermum all by itself but I appreciate the way its color is echoed by Arctotis 'Large Marge' in the background too.  I've always identified the Leucospermum as 'Goldie' because that's how it was labeled when I bought it but, after recently spending time looking at plants in this genus online, I now believe it's actually 'High Gold'.

Of course I also like the way the Leucospermum looks against a background of succulents when viewed from its other side

I'm happy with this unplanned mash-up of Melianthus major, backed by Arbutus 'Marina', and highlighted in front by Leucadendron 'Jester', Lobelia laxiflora, and Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi'.  Although the flowers of the Melianthus are largely hidden within the strawberry tree's canopy and the Lobelia is almost always out-of-control, it makes a pretty mix, especially as the Leucospermum's blooms develop further.

This combination is more congested than I'd like at present as Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny' is too big for this spot and probably needs to move.  Still, I like the combination of Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid', Narcissus 'Geranium', and Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata'.

Limonium perezii (sea lavender) mixes pleasantly with the foliage of Arthropodium cirratum, Graptopetalum 'Fred Ives', and self-seeded Lobularia maritima (sweet alyssum) and Osteospermum.  Within the next month, the Arthropodium (aka Renga Lily) will add elegant sprays of white flowers accented with small touches of lavender and yellow.

I love the mix of rockroses in this area: Cistus x skanbergi, C. 'Sunset', and C. 'Grayswood Pink'.  The hot pink flowers of Cistus 'Sunset' are only just getting started and that color will be echoed soon by Callistemon 'Hot Pink'.  Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple', visible when the bed is viewed from the opposite direction, also adds a complementary punch of color.

This view of my north side garden, photographed from the stairway leading down my back slope, drew my attention mainly because I'm finally getting a nice display of flowers from Callistemon viridflorus, which plays off the Osteospermum 'Double Moonglow' in front of it and the bright foliage of the persimmon tree in the background.  The Callistemon was kindly sourced and mailed to me by Tamara of Chickadee Gardens in October 2018 when I was unable to find it locally.

I'd be negligent if I didn't include at least one photo focusing on the mix of succulents in my south-side garden.  This photo highlights Agave 'Blue glow', A. 'Blue Flame', Aeonium 'Zwartkopf', A. 'Sunburst', and Crassula pubescens ssp radicans among other plants.

I'm happy with many of my containers too, particularly the barrels.

This barrel in my cutting garden contains Viola 'Penny Peach', noID Ranunculus, and Antirrhinum majus 'Chantilly Peach'.  The snapdragons are taking their time about blooming this year.

Also in the cutting garden, this barrel contains Digitalis 'Dalmatian Peach', noID Calibrachoa, and more Viola 'Penny Peach'

In my front garden, this barrel holds yellow and orange Calendula, noID Calibrachoa, another Digitalis 'Dalmatian Peach', and Argyranthemum 'White Chocolate'

This barrel contains Bacopa 'Double Indigo' (not readily visible in this shot), Nemesia 'Sunglow', and Scabiosa columbaria 'Deep Blue'.  There's also a Nepeta 'Blue Prelude', which isn't flowering yet but may be eaten to the ground by the neighborhood cats before it does.

This barrel, in heavier shade, contains Pericallis 'Violet Bi-color', Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Blue Sky', Viola 'Penny Peach', and Lobularia maritima (alyssum) in a variety of colors

This pot is barer than the others but, as I love everything blue, I'm still fond of it.  It contains Delphinium elatum 'Cobalt Dreams' and Nolana paradoxa.  The recently planted Nolana is supposed to spread quickly but, if it doesn't, I'll add a second groundcover.

My back slope and my cutting garden have been slow to get moving this spring, presumably because our temperatures have remained on the cool side.  I've been expecting both areas to burst into bloom any time now, especially as our temperatures are in the process of jumping.  I'll share closer looks at those areas once they take off.  In the meantime, best wishes for a pleasant weekend.

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

My Favorite Spring Plant Combinations

I took photos of some of my favorite flower combinations in preparation for my Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post but, as it turned out, I'd accumulated so many flower photos, I couldn't bring myself to include these in my already lengthy mid-month post.  So instead, I'm throwing them into a separate post!

Not all my flowering plants complement each other, a fact that was emphasized this month when, triggered by our heavier-than-usual winter rains, everything in my garden sprang into bloom seemingly at once rather than unfolding in a more restrained and orderly fashion.  However, for this post, I'm going to focus on the combinations I found most pleasing.

Here are some from the back garden:

Cotula lineariloba (aka brass buttons and big yellow moon) mingles comfortably with self-sown Gazanias and Erigeron kavinsianus (aka Santa Barbara daisy) on one side of our backyard fountain.  Cotula is a rampant grower.  I pull most of it late in the season when it gets ratty but it always comes back.

On the other side of the fountain, Felicia aethiopica echoes the color of the blue Dutch Iris (Iris x hollandica).  I thought the new Iris I planted this year would be identical to the established bulbs but the falls on the new flowers are a shade lighter.

A wider shot facing the opposite direction shows the same Iris and Felicia consorting with white flowers: Santa Barbara daisies, Alstroemeria 'Claire', and Argyranthemum frutescens 'Mega White'.  My new favorite Salvia, S. heldreichiana, is also visible in the background.

Another wide shot, taken from the opposite direction, shows Salvia heldriechiana in the foreground with the Felicia and Iris in the background.  Echium webbii (right), just coming into bloom, adds another blue note.  In the distance, you can see Ageratum corybosum sited next to the house.

The flowers of Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' have just enough orange color to mix well with the self-seeded Gazanias and Lotus bethelotii 'Gold Flash'.  I probably wouldn't have planted the Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas) so close to the Arctotis myself but it seeded itself there.  The white flowers of Ozythamnus diosmifolius (aka rice flower) temper the association in this bed and the Ageratum corymbosum in the background carries the eye beyond the lavender.

The area surrounding the lath house offers this nice yellow and blue vignette:

I couldn't resist planting blue Pericallis (aka cineraria) and Nemesia 'Sunshine' as accents at the base of Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein' 

On the south end of the front garden we find these combinations:

Grevillea 'Superb' blooms year-round here but Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' is currently providing a nice color complement

This mix on the other side of the flagstone path is more foliage than flowers but I appreciate how the soft green of Artemisia versicolor 'Seafoam' blends with the brighter green Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' (left), while contrasting civilly with the burgundy foliage of Cordyline 'Renegade', the red stems of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' , and the flowers of Helleborus 'Anna's Red' (right).  Less visible are the burgundy buds of Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown', which I'm happy to report I've managed not to kill this time.

I have mixed feelings about this view.  It's pretty enough but, once again, I was sold mislabeled Freesias.  Last year, I got pinks instead of blue.  This year I got a LOT of yellow instead of blue.  Although the yellow Freesias echo the agave blooms in the distance, those will soon be gone and, unless I pull out the bulbs while I can still see their foliage, all those yellow Freesias are going to irritate me year after year.  Do Freesia growers have a blue bulb shortage or something? 

The area surrounding the front entry to the house is looking particularly frothy right now.

There are at least 5 Coleonema album planted in my front garden, all of which came with the house.  They bloom in tandem with the Santa Barbara daisies, giving the area a light, bubbly feel.

The foliage of Coleonema album (aka white breath of heaven) has a delightful scent.  Regrettably, I can't say the same for the flowers.

Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' is still covered in pale pink flowers with Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' blooming alongside it, now joined by a host of blue and purple blooms, including: Lavandula stoechas 'Double Anouk', L. multifida and, in the background, the first spires of Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira'

This vignette is tucked just to the left of the plants featured in the prior photo.  Here, another Lavandula stoechas mixes with Euphorbia characias 'Black Pearl' and more Santa Barbara daisies.

The north side of the house provided one of my very favorite plant combinations in early spring.

While I'm not sure about the touches of pink here, I love the mix of Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', the self-seeded white and blue Osteospermums and the blue Limonium perezii.  Since this photo was taken, I've cut back the Osteospermums in the hope of getting a second flush of blooms before it gets too hot and the plants assume a low profile for the summer.

If you've visited my blog with any regularity, you've probably heard me describe my back slope (i.e. the area that lies beyond the hedge visible in the last photo) as "hideous."   It usually deserves that epithet - except in Spring when a riot of pretty weeds helps to transform it.  It hasn't reached its peak yet but I can honestly say I don't mind spending time down there right now.

This flat area at the bottom of the slope between the lemon tree and the three Pittosporum 'Silver Magic' that mark the boundary of our property (left) has calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) and California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) in bloom at the moment.  With the end of our rainy season and a rise in our daytime temperatures, the calla lilies are already fading.

As the calla lilies fade, Centranthus ruber, effectively a weed here, is just coming into bloom.  Within a month, pink blooms will dominate the entire back slope.

For the moment, however, splashes of white, chartreuse, and purple dominate the slope's main bed.  The chartreuse color is provided by Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid'.  The white flowers are Pelargonium 'White Lady' and Carpenteria californica (aka bush anemone).  Bearded Iris and Lantana add touches of purple and lavender.

That's a wrap for this week.  I'm off to Santa Barbara County on a plant shopping expedition this weekend, not that I have any business buying more plants.  But I'm sure I will.  I hope you have a chance to do something you enjoy this weekend too.


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

Favorite Plant Combinations

I've been studying my garden from a new angle lately.  My wide shots posts consider the major segments of the garden as a whole.  My Bloom Day and Foliage Follow-up posts generally look at plants in close-up as stand-alone entities.  So what's been missing is an intermediate view of plant assemblages.  Some of my combinations are pleasing but many are too busy, especially at this time of year when every other plant seems to be blooming, preparing to bloom, or just finishing blooming.  When I take a step back, I find that the combinations I like best usually feature one or more strong foliage accents.

This combination includes Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Cotyledon orbiculata 'Silver Storm' and Pelargonium x hortorum 'Mrs. Pollock'.  Without the mediating influence of the Cotyledon, the variegated foliage of the Abelia and the Pelargonium would fight with one another.

This combination includes Aeonium arboreum, Aeonium 'Kiwi', Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' and Senecio vitalis.  Although the Aeoniums and Senecio do bloom, this combination is based on foliage color alone.

This combination consists of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Aeonium arboreum and Phormium 'Ed Carmen'.  Pops of yellow flower color will be added when the groundcover Cotula lineariloba 'Big Yellow Moon' begins to bloom in earnest, picking up the yellow color in the Phormium.  In the meantime, interest is provided by the contrast of textures and shapes.

The contrast of shape and texture is the principal source of interest in this combination too.  It consists of Agave attenuata, Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid', which is just beginning to produce its chartreuse flowers, and trailing Lantana montevidensis.

Phormium 'Maori Queen' echoes the floral color of Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' in the foreground.  The variegated foliage of Correa 'Wyn's Wonder' (to the right and left of the Phormium) picks up the creamy yellow in the Phormium's foliage and the dainty pink flowers and chartreuse foliage of Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' complement both.  The Correa also produces pink blooms in spring. 

Most of my combinations are a crap shoot.  I'm waiting and watching to see if this one comes together.

This combination consists of Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira', Argyranthemum frutescens 'Madeira White' and Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'.  The Echium has already produced buds but it's anybody's guess as to whether the blue flower spikes will appear while the Ceanothus behind it (not shown) is still in bloom.

Some combinations are tied together by small elements.

The small white and pink flowers of Erigeron karvinskianus neatly mimic the larger flowers of Gazania 'White Flame', which in turn echoes the colors of Coprosma repens 'Inferno' and Phormium 'Maori Queen'

I'm currently working on a new combination in the backyard.  It has a ways to go before it fills in but I already like how the foliage and flower colors reinforce one another.

This combination includes Grevillia 'Ned Kelly', Leucadendron 'Jester', Lobelia laxiflora and Melianthus major.  The Lobelia was just added and I think it does a great job of picking up the sunset pink color of the Grevillea and the Leucadendon without making it overwhelming.

My successful plant combinations are most often a matter of pure serendipity but a new book on my bed-side table may help me up my game: The Perennial Matchmaker by Nancy Ondra.  Nan has written several books and regularly publishes posts on her blog, Hayefield.  Although my climate and Nan's couldn't be more different, I always learn something from viewing the wonderful plant combinations she features in her posts from her Pennsylvania garden.  Her new book provides a plant-by-plant discussion of ways to complement 80 perennial favorites and a step-by-step guide to good matchmaking.  You may notice some familiar photos among the 400 included in her book to illustrate her points - as the credits at the back of the book show, many garden bloggers have contributed photos.  I even have one (on page 118)!  I received an advance copy but the book is scheduled for release next week.


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