Bloom Day - July 2015

July usually marks a decided shift for my southern California garden.  The heat begins in earnest and many plants stop blooming, waiting for the return of cooler temperatures.  However, while we experienced some tropical heat in late June and early July, the temperatures haven't soared anywhere near as high as we'd expect at this time of year (yet).  Nonetheless, the water restrictions instituted in response to California's severe drought conditions are having an effect.  In my garden, while you can find flowers here and there throughout, there aren't a lot of areas with masses of bloom, although there are a few exceptions to that rule.

The most floriferous bed in my garden is this one adjacent to the backyard patio

The flower power in this bed is supplied by Anigozanthos 'Yellow Gem', Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach', Salvia 'Amistad', and Solanum xanti

The other bed that stops traffic is this one along the house in the front yard, which is dominated by masses of Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Arizona Sun' and 'Goblin' (backed up by Grevillea 'Superb')

Two genera doing their best to make an impact elsewhere in the garden are Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) and Grevillea.

I'm growing 4 colors of Eustoma grandiflorum this year: 'Borealis Blue', 'Borealis Yellow', 'Echo White' and 'Mariachi Pink'

The 3 Grevilleas making the biggest splash at the moment are G. alpina x rosmarinifolia, G. 'Superb' and G. lavandulacea 'Penola', the last sporting new blooms way ahead of schedule ('Ned Kelly' was camera-shy this month and 'Peaches & Cream' is still getting ready for her next close-up)

Blooms that have only recently made an appearance include these:

Top row: Achillea 'Moonshine', Anigozanthos (no ID), and Helianthus annus
Middle row: Lilium (no ID), Oscularia deltoides, and Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy'
Bottom row: Trachelium caeruleum, Zauschneria 'Orange Carpet', and Zinnia elegans

In addition, some plants that bloomed earlier in the year then took a rest have made a reappearance in small numbers.

Top row: Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin', Aster frikartii 'Monch', and Cistus 'Sunset'
Middle row: Globularia x indubia, Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', and Limonium perezii
Bottom row: Osteospermum 'Blue-eyed Beauty', Phlomis fruticosa, and Tanacetum parthenium

The new arrivals are backed up by plants that are almost perpetually in bloom, as well as others that have especially long bloom cycles.

Plants almost perpetually in bloom include (clockwise from left): Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' with Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Abelia x grandiflora, Gazania 'White Flame', Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterflies' and Hebe 'Patty's Purple' (shown with more Cuphea 'Starfire Pink')

Other stalwarts include, top row: Bignonia capreolata, Duranta (no ID - blooming continuously on graywater!), and Gaura
Middle row: Jacobaeus maritima, Lavender (no ID), and Osteospermum 'Sweet Kardinal'
Bottom row: Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom', Salvia 'Wendy's Wish', and Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud'

Some summer bloomers are already exiting the stage.

Clockwise from left: Agapanthus (no ID), Albezia julibrissin, Cymbidium (no ID), Hemerocallis 'Sammy Russell Red', and Leucanthemum x superbum

I'll end this month's bloom report with the biggest surprises to make an appearance.

These 2 may have been prompted to bloom by the earlier tropical weather: Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree) and Tibouchina  urvilleana

You can find bloom reports from all over the world by checking in with Carol, the mistress of ceremonies for the event known as Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, at May Dreams Gardens.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Darkness & Light

I gave up on vegetables this year and planted sunflowers and zinnias in my raised beds.  Although I bought my sunflower seeds early, I was late in getting them planted.  My resident raccoons also set back my flower crop by digging in my raised planters but I was pleased to find that at least some of my seeds formed healthy stalks and produced flower buds.  The first of my sunflowers, part of a mix labeled "Drop Dead Red," bloomed last week.  I expected something that looked like one of the pretty pictures on the seed packet.

What I got didn't look like any of these.  Nonetheless, I decided to try to make something of it for this week's "In a Vase on Monday", the meme hosted by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden.  The best thing I can say about the completed vase is that it's different.

The sunflower does have a tinge of red, best seen when viewed up close.  It's so dark that it seems to suck light in.  I tried to brighten it up with warmer reds and fiery yellows but I can't say accomplished much.  In the universe of flowers, this sunflower seems to be the black hole of blooms.

Here's a closer look at the vase's individual elements:

Clockwise from upper left: Helianthus with Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy', which is blooming again after a lengthy hiatus; Anigozanthos 'Yellow Gem'; Coprosma 'Plum Hussey'; flowers of Crassula radicans with Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'; Jacobaeus maritima; and Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'

In this case, the best looking element of the arrangement may be the vase itself, which I don't think I've used in any of my prior posts.  I've had it for many years.  I don't recall when or where I got it but it's made of polished stone, onyx I think.  I don't use it for arrangements requiring water because it sweats, creating a damp spot at the base wherever it sits.  However, I placed it on a glass-topped table in the living room where it's damp bottom won't damage anything.

As a counterpoint to the dark tones of the first vase, I created another one that is its polar opposite, light and bright.  It features the pale yellow Eustoma grandiflorum, which has finally bloomed in my backyard border.

It contains:

Clockwise from the left: Eustoma 'Borealis Yellow', Coprosma 'Evening Glow' (placed at the back of the vase), Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', Leucadendron 'Pisa', and Pelargonium 'Mrs Pollock' with Crassula flowers (also included but not highlighted: Jacobaeus maritima)

This cheerier creation sits on the dining room table.

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other participants in this weekly challenge have come up with.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Farewell to Sperling Nursery

Retail businesses come and go but no store closure ever bothers me as much as the loss of a good independent plant nursery.  I still mourn the closure of the Begonia Farms Nursery in 1997 every time I drive by the spot it occupied.  Now the closure of Sperling Nursery in Calabasas, long one of my favorite nurseries and the subject of several posts since I started this blog in December 2012, is imminent.  The nursery hasn't publicly announced its closure date.  Rumor had it that it would be open until September or October but, after announcing a 20% off sale in June, it already looks like this (photos taken by a friend on July 4th):

The nursery elected not to refresh its stock during its final months

Purchases are now 30% off but there's not a lot left

It was a vibrant place to visit whether on a busy weekend or a quiet weekday afternoon.  I spent a lot of time in the area from late 2010 until early 2013 attending to the needs of my stepfather and, subsequently, my mother.  After really bad days I'd often drop by Sperling before getting on the freeway for the long slog home through commuter traffic.  Those visits helped me put things in perspective.

It's hard to see the place as it now looks in my friend's photos.  I like to remember it like this:

Photo taken in March 2014

Photo taken in March of this year

For the number of times I've been there, I've remarkably few photos.  Upon arrival, my focus on plant selection was generally so intense I rarely wasted time with picture-taking.  However, I'm not sure I ever left the place without plants in hand.  Here, in collage format, are a few of the photos I managed to take between 2013 and my last visit in March of this year:

Sperling had a wonderful selection of plants, ranging from drought tolerant Australian natives, to roses, to succulents

While the nursery didn't have demonstration gardens, they arranged pots of seasonal selections near the front entrance to give buyers ideas of what they could do in their own gardens

They always had a wide selection of garden ornaments

And a nice assortment of pots

And lots and lots of succulents

When Sperling closes, the 11-acre space will be occupied by a car dealership, making Calabasas a much less attractive place to visit in my opinion.  Erin of Hope Gardens wrote a more eloquent homage to the nursery (with better photos), which you can find here.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Wednesday Vignette: Serendipity

For the last two months, the bright yellow of Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake' has drawn my eye every time I passed by or through the dry garden on the northwest side of our property.  However, since I cut the last bloom scape about a week ago, a more subtle vignette has grabbed both my attention and that of recent visitors to my garden.

Osteospermum 'Summertime Sweet Kardinal' and Leucadendron 'Ebony'

When I planted Leucadendron 'Ebony' in the dry garden in 2013, I was more concerned with getting the soil, water and sun conditions right than with color combinations.  I situated it near Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' because they have similar needs.  Geranium incanum, a weed here, planted itself nearby but the deep purple Osteospermum 'Summertime Sweet Kardinal' shown in the photo above was added in January.  At the time, my purpose was to embellish the existing clumps of O. 'Serenity Purple' - the way 'Summertime Sweet Kardinal' played off of 'Ebony' was pure serendipity.  The newer Osteospermum is more vivid than 'Serenity Purple' and has a plum-red cast that I think looks beautiful next to the burgundy-black of 'Ebony'.

Mid-range photo of the same area

A broader view

  

This is my contribution to Anna's Wednesday Vignette at Flutter & Hum.  Visit her to see what images she's conjured up to capture your imagination this week.  You'll also find links to images that grabbed the attention of other gardeners.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Fireworks & More

I got an early start on this week's vase, or I should say vases.  I had guests coming over to watch the Independence Day fireworks on Saturday night so I put 3 vases together as decoration early that day.  The first vase, for the front entryway, is the most vibrant.

I started with the last Digiplexis stem in bloom in the backyard border and selected other flowers that played off the colors in that stem.

Clockwise from top left: Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame'; Gaillardia x grandiflora with Zauschneria garettii; Grevillea 'Superb' with G. 'Ned Kelly'; and Zinnia 'Cut & Come Again' (Not highlighted: foliage accents Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' and Abelia 'Kaleidoscope')

The completed vase sat opposite the front door, waiting to greet our guests

The second arrangement was intended for the dining table and the flowers were selected to play off the table runner and the dark tones of the glass vase.

This vase was purchased for a song during my undergraduate days from local glassblowers who sold their wares at student craft fairs

Clockwise from top left, the vase contains: Agapanthus and Jacobeaus maritima; Solanum xanti; Salvia 'Amistad'; and Eustoma grandiflorum 'Echo Blue' (Not highlighted: Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', used as a foliage accent)

In retrospect, I think white accents would have been preferable to the yellow flowers of the Jacobaeus

The third vase was intended to dress up the dessert and drink table on the back patio.  There's very little in the way of true red color in my garden so my holiday centerpiece was pink, white and blue rather than red, white and blue.  I started with the pink lily, grown from a gift received with a bulb order several years ago.  As it's undistinguished in form and has no scent, I had no compunction whatsoever about cutting it.

Clockwise from left, the vase contains: Eustoma 'Borealis Blue'; Eustoma 'Mariachi Pink'; the no ID pink lily; Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink'; and Trachelium caeruleum (Not highlighted: foliage accents Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' and Abelia 'Confetti', a carryover from one of last week's vases)

After weeks of hot, sticky weather, July 4th suddenly turned cool and windy.  We moved inside for dessert and drinks before heading outside later for a closer view of the fireworks, donning jackets.  "Cool" by southern California standards meant 61F (16C), which may make some of you laugh but we don't consider that shorts and t-shirts weather.

The side-lined pink, white and blue vase was relegated to my home office the next day, where it attracted the attention of the furry household resident.

The vase in backed by a quilted hanging made for me by a friend as a birthday present a few years ago

Despite local restrictions banning fireworks in residential areas due to the heightened risk of fires under our current drought conditions, LOTS of firework displays could be seen from our backyard.  As well as the authorized public park displays, many people risked fines and fires by setting fireworks off in their backyards.  As in prior years, dozens of displays were visible, some as far away as Long Beach, Fountain Valley, and eastern Los Angeles County.  Unfortunately, I have neither the camera equipment nor the photographic skill to effectively capture these, although I managed a few shots that may at least be recognizable as fireworks.

For more floral displays, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she's put in a vase this week and to find links to the contributions of other participating gardeners.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Wide Shots - July 2015

After an unusually cool and pleasant May complete with unexpected rain, the "June gloom" characteristic of coastal southern California gave way in mid-June to more tropical conditions, characterized by high temperatures and high humidity.  It's become uncomfortable to work in the garden except in early morning and late afternoon.  Mosquitoes moved in and I was covered with bites until I belatedly took preventive measures.  In response to California's new water regulations, I kept a lid on our irrigation usage and began toting graywater from the house to the garden on a daily basis.  I also drew on the rainwater stored in my collection tanks to water plants that hadn't yet developed the root systems required to achieve drought tolerance.  While I pushed the envelope and put some new plants in the ground, in general my garden activities shifted from plant installation to plant maintenance.

My most significant new venture involved the addition of 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of rock to my street-side succulent bed.

Most of the new rock was added through the mid-section of the bed in an irregular pattern

I used the rock to give the succulent bed more interest; to allow me to raise the soil level in sections, improving drainage; and to help hide the drip irrigation hose.  I dug up and rearranged some succulents in the process.

A closer look at selected segments of the bed

I've debated using gravel mulch around the succulents.  Heat already reflects off the street and I'm concerned that rock gravel may increase the reflected heat and also raise soil temperatures.  In addition, after digging mountains of rocks out of my garden, I'm hesitant to add rock that will gradually sift down into the soil below.  In the short term, I'm planning to add an organic mulch and rely more on groundcover succulents to fill in between plants.

The only areas of my garden getting virtually no attention are the back slope and the area I call the glen, which sits behind the street-side succulent bed.  The slope isn't getting the water it needs and it looks awful.  As to the glen, my husband and I have plans to haul in stone to extend the half-finished dry-stack wall but that project may be on hold until cooler weather returns.

  

The back garden still has some holes but it's looking fuller than it did earlier in the year.

The clumps of Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima) in the fountain bed got bad haircuts in June but the daylilies are at their peak

The grass path between the borders is gradually dying and is slated for removal in late September

The mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) is the star of the backyard garden right now, although its litter is already dropping everywhere

The raccoons have returned to plague the side garden, no longer put off by the prickly magnolia flower cones I put down to thwart their digging.  

I spend time most mornings filling in the holes dug by the raccoons and skunks and replacing the plants they uprooted overnight

The Grevillea 'Bonfire' in the bed in the background on the right is dying, probably because I haven't given it enough water to get established in the dry soil in that area

This photo was taken as a tropical system passed through late Tuesday afternoon, producing thunder and lightening but just a few droplets of rain

The front garden also still has some bare spots, although the area on the south side is filling in rapidly.

The Magnolia is continuing to bloom and the Albizia can be seen poking above the roofline - the tropical weather conditions even prompted the Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana, on the left) to produce some flowers on mostly bare branches

The Agapanthus are fading throughout the garden - although you can still see some here and in the back garden, I cut down more than 120 scruffy stalks earlier this week

It's hard to believe this area was bare dirt just 9 months ago!

The lawn in this area, behind the hedge bordering the street and the driveway, is slated for removal in late September, along with the remaining lawn in the backyard.  We're planning to lay flagstone paths through both areas, surrounded by low groundcovers.  In the meantime, we're making no effort to keep the grass alive.

The green patches here are some kind of weed with tiny yellow flowers

The dry garden is looking pretty good, although the critters have pilfered about half the grapes and persimmons are dropping unripened from the tree, probably also due to inadequate water.

The guava trees also seem to be slow to set fruit this year

The raised planters in the vegetable garden are filled with sunflower seedlings and dozen zinnia plants.  

I was late in getting the sunflower seeds planted and the raccoons have dug around in the raised planters too but I'm still hopeful I'll get a few sunflowers before summer's over

That's it for this month's wide shots and monthly recap.  Hopefully, summer will be kind to us and I'll have more than dried up plant husks to show in August.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Wednesday Vignette: Unstable Weather Conditions

Our recent weather has had a distinctly tropical feel.  Temperatures have soared into the 90s (32+ Celsius) with higher than normal humidity.  Rain has skulked about us but, although the desert and mountain areas have received some measurable rain, the sky has done nothing more than spit at us.  Sunday was one such day, characterized by low clouds.  Then, in early evening, the sun broke through the clouds and briefly turned the Los Angeles harbor to gold.

Close-up of the Vincent-Thomas Bridge, which links San Pedro and Terminal Island

Gold gave way to pink as the sun set.

Photo taken from our backyard

For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party