In a Vase on Monday: Shaking things up

My home is still chaotic.  As our remodel proceeds, there's a new wrinkle every day - and sometimes two or three.  Our contractor is off to meet with a structural engineer today to resolve an issue with the kitchen extension that impacts the new windows, which have already been purchased and paid for.  The earth not only seems unsteady under our feet, it actually gave us a couple of honest-to-goodness jolts last week with two of the largest earthquakes Southern California has had in decades.  Actually, I didn't even feel the first one.  I was working in the garden but I heard about it nearly immediately from friends and family.  The second one, registering 7.1 on the Richter scale, had 10 times the intensity of the first 6.4 quake.  I did feel that one but, as both were in Ridgecrest some 180 miles away, my area wasn't materially impacted.  Ridgecrest and its neighboring communities have experienced damage and serious disruptions but fortunately no deaths have been reported.  However, even at a distance, major earthquakes shake up everyone here in earthquake country with reminders of the necessity to be prepared for "the big one" we've been told is long overdue.  I grew up in SoCal and I've been through 2 major quakes but, exposed to a lot more small quakes, it's easy to become complacent.  My husband and I have emergency packs on hand and we've taken precautions to prevent furniture and appliances from falling over on us in the event of a strong quake but reminders to review those precautions are always useful.  Coincidentally, we already had an earthquake retrofit earmarked as part of our remodel plan.

But back to flowers!  A few weeks ago, Cathy, our "In a Vase on Monday" host at Rambling in the Garden, featured a vase mixing blue and orange flowers.  I tend to stick with analogous or harmonious colors rather than complementary colors when composing floral arrangements but, after seeing Cathy's arrangement, I decided it was time for me to mix things up.  There are some strong oranges and blues in my garden at the moment so the time was right.

I've also had to change things up when it comes to photographing my vases while living in only half a house.  This week I experimented by shooting pictures in both our temporary kitchen and a vacant corner of my office, recently cleared for work that will affect the wall adjoining the kitchen.  The pictures of this vase were taken in the latter spot with the help of a board pulled from the garage.

I wasn't sure about mixing Agapanthus and Leonotis leonurus (aka lion's tail) but I was surprised at how much I like the combination

Top view: The woolly Leonotis flower looks a little like an orange tarantula spider but it doesn't bite

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Agapanthus, Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', noID Lavandula angustifolia, Leonotis leonurus, and Cuphea 'Vermillionaire'

I fell back on my usual formula for my second vase.  I've been eagerly waiting for more of my Dahlias to bloom but, while there are fat buds developing on a few more plants, 'Enchantress' and 'Labyrinth' are still the only two cultivars blooming at the moment.  Both are pumping out flowers like there's no tomorrow.  Maybe the earthquakes shook them up too!

The bees are preoccupied with 'Enchantress' so I left left those alone this week

'Labyrinth' was slower to flower but it's working hard to pass up 'Enchantress' as top bloomer

These photos were taken in our temporary kitchen, attached to the north end of the house adjacent to our master bathroom

Top view: My husband outfitted the temporary kitchen using shelving and drawers from our old kitchen

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Labyrinth', Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Grevillea 'Superb', and Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream'

For more Monday vases, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

My Daylily Collection

My daylilies were just getting started during the first half of June and most are finishing up their season during the early days of July so I thought I'd take this opportunity to share them as a group.  Daylilies like more water than I generally give them so they're not spectacular summer blooms here.  My sandy soil, which provides excellent drainage for drought-tolerant plants, probably isn't optimal for growing them, especially when the the rain generally comes to an abrupt end in March and they have to make-do with what my irrigation system provides from there out.  This year saw heavier-than-usual winter rain and some precipitation as late as early May so I thought I might get a better than average show; however, it was a mixed bag.  Some daylilies bloomed better this year but others just put in a so-so performance and a few failed to make any appearance at all.

I'll start off with my favorites.

This is Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem', the most consistent performer in my garden and, with one exception, the most profuse bloomer

The plants line our front walkway, framed by Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy' on one side, shown on the left.  The photo on the right is the last of these flowers, in bloom on July 4th.

'Persian Market' is another favorite, although it hasn't bloomed as strongly since I relocated the plants 3 years ago

'Plum Perfect' was a new introduction last year but it really took off this year.  The flowers are small relative to the rest of my daylily crop but they keep on coming and the flowers last longer than any others in my garden.

My most profuse bloomer is 'Sammy Russell', a winter dormant variety I inherited with the garden.  It's not a favorite but it's reliable.

The plants were dormant when we bought the house and moved in.  They were a nice surprise in early summer when the foliage appeared but, in a climate with year-round gardening, I think an evergreen variety might have been a better choice.

Most of the others in my garden produce a bloom here and there without making a significant display.

The blooms on 'Apollodorus' are huge but, thus far, the flowers appear one by one on few scapes.  However, this one was also added just last year so it may gain vigor in time.

This is 'Double Impact', the only double-petaled variety I have.  I don't love it but it also blooms reliably.

I bought 'For Pete's Sake' mainly for the name.  It reminds me of my father, who died in an accident when I was 6.  I moved it last year and it hasn't entirely settled into its new location.

'Indian Giver' was perhaps my most expensive acquisition.  It's color is less vivid this year than in prior years for some reason.  Nutritional deficiencies perhaps.  I'm bad about feeding my daylilies.

'Joan Senior' was a gift with purchase last year.  She's a shy bloomer thus far but I love the color.

'Pandora's Box' was also a gift with purchase several years ago.  It disappeared for awhile (possibly because it's been engulfed by Acacia 'Cousin Itt') but it surprised me with several blooms this year.

'Elizabeth Salter' (not shown here) bloomed back in May.  She's not a favorite but she's always the first to bloom.  No shows thus far this year include 'Cordon Rouge', 'Dallas Star', 'Prairie Moonlight', and 'Russian Rhapsody'.

That's it for me this week.  I hope you enjoy a pleasant weekend.  For the record, if you've heard news of Southern California's recent earthquake, we were unaffected here.  The 6.4 quake hit yesterday morning in Ridgecrest, about 182 miles northeast of us.  It was widely felt, including by friends and family somewhat north of us.  SoCal's earthquake expert, Lucy Jones, says there's a 20% chance of an even bigger quake within the next few days.  Although the 6.7 Northridge quake 20 25 years ago caused tremendous damage and cost 72 people their lives, the Ridgecrest quake in a rural and much less populous area hasn't had as disastrous an impact.  My fingers are nonetheless crossed that they don't experience an even bigger quake.


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