September 2013 Bloom Day Scavenger Hunt

I somehow lost track of Bloom Day this month.  This was mostly to do with the fact that, after our recent heat wave, there are relatively few flowers to be found in my garden.  And, with a few exceptions, those that are there are relatively undistinguished.  However, in the interest of maintaining a record, here are the results of today's Bloom Day scavenger hunt:

I'm impressed by this Acanthus mollis (probably 'Summer Beauty'), which is still putting out new bloom spikes despite the heat and the exposure to scorching sun following the removal of a nearby tree in February

The foliage of this Anemone japonica (no ID) is looking horrible but I do love the flowers

I placed 3 Angelonia 'Angelmist Pink' in my dry garden, not expecting much, but they've done fine there despite the hot, dry conditions

Argyranthemum frutescens 'Elsa White' isn't splashy but the blooms have kept up non-stop since I put in 3 4-inch pots in late February

Billbergia nutans, brought from my former garden and largely ignored in this one, regularly surprises me with new blooms (Note: the quality of the photo doesn't do it justice)

The first Camellia sasanqua (no ID) has appeared - maybe fall is on its way to SoCal after all

Coreopsis 'Big Bang Redshift' is still blooming, although the flowers are smaller and, presumably in response to the recent heat, are showing less red

This Cymbidium (no ID), rescued from my mother-in-law's garden before sale of her house, has delivered a bloom spike since its arrival in my garden

Echinacea 'Sombrero Hot Coral' is more pink than coral now but it handled the heat well in a partially shaded spot in the back border

I grow Lavandula multifida (fernleaf lavender) more for the foliage than the flowers but it's pumping out flowers right now

Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snow Lady,' a short, non-flopping Shasta daisy, is producing a new round of blooms

Lisianthus 'Echo Pink' continues to produce relatively short, sweet pink blooms

Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver' is also producing new blooms since being cut back several weeks ago

This low-growing Pentas lanceolata (no ID), relocated from my former garden, is brightening the border of my vegetable garden

A flower has already appeared on one of the Phlomis fruticosa (Jerusalem sage) in my back border

The Plectranthus ciliatus (no ID), brought in as a cutting from my former garden, is producing its first blooms of the season

This Plectranthus ecklonii, purchased by mail order from Annie's and moved once, has beautiful blooms on a still immature plant

Salvia mexicana is putting out a few blooms

Salvia 'Mystic Spires" is still going strong

Bloom Day is sponsored by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.  Please go to her webpage here to see other gardeners' Bloom Day selections.

Not that I needed an excuse to buy plants...

South Coast Botanic Garden (which I previously wrote about here) held its annual Fall Plant Sale today.  Purchases benefit the garden's foundation.  As a new member of the botanic garden, I qualified for both preview access and a 10% discount.   As I'd signed up for the "family plan," I was able to bring a friend along to shop with the same privileges.  In addition, now that a large section of grass has been cleared from our side yard and prepared for planting, I actually need plants to fill the new space.  I couldn't have had more excuses for plant shopping, could I?

The outside courtyard just inside the entrance of the garden was occupied by a variety of local vendors, offering succulents, tropical selections, and drought-tolerant plants.

I almost bought the Salvia clevelandii 'Wilfred Gilman' (2nd from the right on the table)

More healthy selections from the same vendor

I passed on the Plumerias  - I have to see if I can keep the one I've got alive before picking up another

The prices on the vendor offerings, while pretty good, generally ran  higher than the plants on display in the main auditorium.  My impression is that volunteers supply many of the plants offered for sale in this area but San Marcos and Native Son nurseries also provided donations.

An Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' - do you see that price?!

Agave 'Blue Glow' - a wonderful plant but not as good a price as I've found elsewhere for its size

I spent 10 minutes debating the purchase of this beautiful ornamental banana ($20!)

Beschorneria yuccoides 

There were a variety of Cuphea, a genus that does well in my SoCal garden

An unidentified variety of Plectranthus - I love the genus but this variety looked rangy

Strobilanthes anisophyllus 'Purpurea' (aka Mexican petunia)

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy had an entire room dedicated to California natives.

This plant looked interesting but the common name put me off

Melica imperfecta, a low-growing, drought-tolerant grass

None of the plants on display fit into my current plan for the side yard.  Nonetheless, I didn't walk out empty handed.

My purchases

Here's what I got:

• Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' (yes, I already have 3 of them but, at $15 for a beautiful plant priced at $40 by the local nurseries, I could hardly take a pass)
• Beschorneria yuccoides 
• Cuphea ignea 'Alba'
• Aeonium simsii hybrid
• Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' 

My total expenditure was a very reasonable $36.90.  So does it matter that I have a specific spot identified for just one of these plants?

My favorite plant this week: Bauhinia x blakeana

My favorite plant this week is a tree, Bauhinia x blakeana, also known as the Hong Kong Orchid Tree.  Although this semi-deciduous tree looks a bit shabby part of the year, it's hard to overlook when it's in bloom.   I think mine could use some judicious pruning to improve its overall appearance but that will have to wait until it finishes this year's bloom cycle.

I don't have record of its bloom period for our first 2 years in the house but my impression is that it's blooming early this year.  Sunset Western Garden Book, which says that the usual bloom period is late fall until spring, appears to substantiate this impression.

The large, 5-6 inch, magenta flowers, which attract regular visits by our resident hummingbirds, are readily visible through our bedroom window.  The flowers are said to be fragrant but I can detect only the slightest scent.  They become paler as they age, taking on a light purple hue.

The leaves are interesting.  They are bi-lobed, which gives them a butterfly-like appearance when open.

Some leaf drop accompanies the bloom period, although the tree never loses all of its leaves.  Drought conditions can also cause leaf drop.  Inserting a folded leaf inside a book is said to support academic achievement.

Bauhinia x blakeana is usually sterile, seldom producing the seedpods that are characteristic of its parents, B. variegata and B. purpurea.   It grows 12-20 feet tall and 15-20 feet wide.  It's adapted to USDA zones 9b-11 (Sunset zones 13, 19, 21, 23, 24 and H1-H2).  It prefers full sun and can tolerate heat but it needs at least moderate water.

The Hong Kong Orchid Tree is my contribution this week to the favorite plants corralled by Loree at danger garden.  See her post here for her personal favorite of the week, as well as other gardeners' contributions.

Wordless Wednesday

I broke a promise to myself (again)

Every year, I tell myself that I'm not going to plant anything new from July through September.  These are usually our hottest, driest months and, no matter how attentive I am to my watering regimens, plants put in during these months have a reduced chance of survival.  I've learned my lesson in this regard over and over again.  It's rather like throwing money away.  Yet, year after year, I rationalize my way through summer purchases.  And I've done it again this year.

My husband and I have been working at tearing out a large section of lawn in our side yard and building an extension of our flagstone pathway.  While I don't intend to plant most of the area until October, I wasn't able to stop myself from fiddling with plantings along the pathway area.

It started with the addition of a Geranium 'Tiny Monster.'  I've been very pleased with this plant, even featuring it as my "favorite of the week" a few weeks back (as you can see here).  Well, I stopped by a local garden center/florist just to see if they had anything interesting and I found 'Tiny Monster' in stock at a very good price.  I put one in near the new pathway at the start of our current heat wave and it handled the heat without difficulty.  

So, I went back and picked up 2 more 'Tiny Monsters.'  Then I relocated 3 Briza media, a low-growing ornamental grass, from what was the front of my old (now expanded) border to fill in along the pathway.  The Pelargonium tomentosum (aka peppermint geranium) I'd introduced in the adjacent bed was doing well and I'd rooted some cuttings so I added some of that to replace a mostly dead Heuchera 'Melting Fire.'  You can see how this kind of thing takes hold, can't you?  Soon, I had this.

So, one side of the pathway was coming to life, while the other side was loose dirt.  It wasn't balanced.  Then, Annie's Annuals & Perennials announced a sale.  As that's where I originally got the Briza media, I thought it would be smart to order more for the empty side of the path while it was still in stock.  That's just prudent, isn't it?  While I waited for my mail order delivery, I decided that some Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima) would look nice in the corner and I happened to find some in 4 inch pots at a nearby nursery.  That same nursery had a a nice, healthy flat of thyme, which I'd already been planning to use between the flagstones so I picked that up too.  Somewhere along the line I also found some 6-packs of Ajuga 'Mint Chip," which seemed perfect to fill in around stones .

Here's the result.  (I still need another flat of thyme.)

Now, if I can just keep it all alive...