In a Vase On Monday: Variations on a Theme

An alternative title for this post might be: Not all Blues Go Together.  My first Freesias, a blue variety, began blooming 2 weeks ago.  I wanted to use them in a vase and, when I discovered last week that the Ceanothus at the bottom of my back slope was also in bloom that sealed the deal on putting together a blue-themed vase.  The trouble was: I didn't like how the Ceanothus and the Freesia looked alongside one another.  So, I've got 2 vases - surprise!  Yes, I know that's not much of a surprise from me but I'd intended to put together a second vase using red flowers in recognition of Valentine's Day.  That plan was scrapped, at least for the time being.

The first vase, featuring Ceanothus and Echium, bears some similarity to the vase I created 2 weeks ago but this one has its own personality.

I kept to blue and white flowers this time around

In addition to white flowers, I used the variegated foliage of a Westringia to lighten up the arrangement

As white flowers are in limited supply in my garden at the moment, I used Dianthus again too

Clockwise from the upper left: Ageratum houstonianum, Dianthus caryophyllus 'Cut Flower White', Globularia x indubia, Osteospermum '4D Silver', Echium handiense, Westringia 'Morning Light', Westringia fruticosa, and, in the middle, Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt'

The Freesia went into a smaller vase, which ended up with a split personality of sorts.

Inclusion of the violet-tinged variegated foliage of a Hebe (now classified as Veronica) shifted the arrangement in a pinker direction

The addition of Moroccan daisies and new Narcissus blooms gave the back view an entirely different look

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Freesia, Veronica 'Neprock' (aka Hebe 'Purple Shamrock'), Limonium perezii, Osteospermum 'Berry White', noID Narcissus, and Pyrethropsis hosmarianse (aka Moroccan daisy)

Last week's vases stood up surprisingly well but I chucked their contents on Sunday anyway.  The new arrangements took over the usual spots.  For more In a Vase on Monday posts, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

The joy that rain brings

Last year was one of the driest in Southern California since records have been kept but this year we're on target to reach or exceed our "old normal" standards.  The rain has come in several bursts over consecutive days.  Our last storm cleared out Tuesday morning.  There's a chance of another this weekend and still another during the middle of next week.  We've been lucky to have a couple of sunny, albeit cold, days in the intervening period, during which I took time to clean up the garden a bit and take some pictures.  It already looks as though were headed in the direction of a nice spring.

I don't usually get much pleasure out of visiting my back slope but on this occasion it offered a few positive surprises.

The lemon tree that dropped every single piece of fruit in early July when our temperature hit 110F has fully recovered

Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt', planted in 2015, is finally taking on the tree-like form I envisioned for it

With the rain, the calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) planted decades ago by another gardener at the bottom of the arid slope have magically reappeared

Centranthus ruber has self-seeded generously in the same area and it looks as though the California poppy plugs I planted in December are thriving too

On the main level of the back garden, I couldn't miss the fact that the Xylosma congestum hedge that surrounds it produced fresh new foliage.

The garden service that maintains our hedges cut the new foliage back the day after I took these photos but, with more rain expected I don't think it'll be long before my "ring of fire" is back

The backyard offered other surprises as well.

I'd entirely forgotten these plants with the tiny white flowers.   I think they smartly went underground last summer.   This is Arabis alpina 'Variegata'.

This is the first flower on Isopogon anemonifolius, an Australian plant I picked up on a whim while plant shopping in November.  It's interesting but it doesn't look like much like it did on the plant tag; however, I'll give it more time to develop before making any decision about whether it stays or goes.

Plants showing flower buds include: Ageratum corymbosum (left) and Leucospermum 'Brandi' (right).  It'll be awhile yet before either will be in full bloom but it's nice to see progress in that direction.

My discoveries weren't limited to the back garden.

Euphorbia rigida is blooming in the succulent garden on the south side of the house

Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike' produced its luminescent flower-like bracts seemingly overnight in the front garden

After looking near death this summer, Aeonium 'Mardi Gras' is blushing again

Moss has appeared on paths, along the stairs leading down my back slope and between paving stones

The first flowers have opened on the tall bloom stalks produced by the 2 Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' planted in my street-side succulent bed.  The foliage of each plant now has a pretty pink blush too.  I don't know if that's a reaction to the cold or simply part of its slow process of dying.

Along with the calla lilies, the first Freesia bulbs are flowering.  I expect my other early spring bulbs aren't far behind.

The blue Freesias are the first to appear this year.  Ferraria crispa (upper right) has also produced fresh foliage.  Leucojum aestivum, Narcissus and Sparaxis are also on their way.

I know it's been a nasty winter for many of you in the Northern Hemisphere but spring is getting closer.  Take heart!


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

Wednesday Vignettes: Horizon Views

I haven't posted a Wednesday Vignette in several weeks so I thought I'd make up for lost time by posting several.  All they share in common is that they capture views of the horizon taken from my backyard over the course of the past week.

Vignette #1, from January 31st:

If you've ever wondered how the smog accumulates so quickly along our horizon, even in the midst of a series of rainstorms, here's a clue.  The State of California and the South Coast Air Quality Management District are currently considering new controls on local oil refineries.

Vignette #2, from February 1st:

This may be the weirdest sunrise I've ever seen.  Another rainstorm was moving in and there was a heavy bank of clouds filling the upper horizon, although the Port of Los Angeles was still visible as the sun came up.  It looked almost as if the storm was lowering a curtain on the sun.

Vignette #3, from February 3rd:

While sitting in my office on Sunday morning, a saw a large flock of birds swooping in to land in the mimosa tree, only to leave as a group shortly thereafter.  The process repeated itself several times until they departed altogether.  Unfortunately, they didn't file a flight plan with me so I can't tell you where they went.

Although you probably can't tell it from my photos, which were taken from inside the house, they were Cedar Waxwings.  On this visit, they didn't bother with the dips in the backyard fountain I captured on video in early January.

Vignette #4, from this morning:

This may be the best photo of the snow-covered mountains to the northeast of us I've captured.  The mountains are well and truly dusted.

This photo was taken about an hour after the previous one.  You might notice that the blue tarp on the roof across the canyon has been removed and roofers are hard at work on repairs.  Blue tarps are a common scene on rooftops here when we get heavy rain.  There are a lot of them in the neighborhood at present!

That's a wrap on my horizon views.  For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.


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

In a Vase on Monday: Rain sodden blooms

It's been raining off and on here since Thursday.  The first storm delivered high drama with lightning and thunder so severe that local beaches were evacuated.  Friday night through Saturday delivered heavier rain as part of what the weather forecasters call an "atmospheric river," which caused flooding and mudslides.  My own area was relatively unaffected, although falling trees are an ongoing concern following heavy rains here and the rain still hasn't stopped.  More rain is expected through Tuesday.

It was coming down hard enough on Sunday morning to dampen my interest in collecting material for "In a Vase on Monday" (pun intended).  If I'd had any sense, I would have cut flowers late Sunday afternoon when there was a break in the rain.  I didn't but I had noted some prospects for cutting so I zipped through my garden grabbing up what I'd identified earlier and made do with that.  And I still have two vases this week!

The first one features two early blooming calla lilies.

The calla lilies came with the garden and most grow on my horrid back slope.  The plants die back in late spring but return with the rain each winter.  Last year, few bloomed but I'm hoping for a better turnout this year.

I used Fatsia leaves to anchor the lilies

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Zantedeschia aethiopica, berries of Duranta erecta 'Gold Mound', Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein', Fatsia japonica 'Camouflage', and Senna artemisioides

The second vase was composed around the blooms of a begonia I picked up in the course of a visit to Ventura the weekend before last.

The hybrid Rieger begonias have always done better for me here than most tuberous begonias

Although I have quite a bit of red and pink flowers in the garden, most didn't mix well with the coral pink of the begonia so I relied  on foliage and Leucadendron bracts to accent the flowers

Top view

Clockwise from the top: Begonia x hiemalis 'Borias', Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', Leucadendron 'Blush', and L. salignum 'Chief'

Once again, I had leftover stems that I popped into a tiny vase.  The flower here is also Begonia x hiemalis but this one is a solid coral color.

Sans its original Camellia blooms, the blue and white arrangement I created using Echium and Dianthus last week still sits in the front entryway, while the new vases took up other positions.

The tiny vase of leftovers sits just out of sight on the other side of the vase on the right

I'd hoped to create a vase using the first Freesias to flower but, with rain coming down in bursts, I shelved that idea.  Maybe the Freesia stems currently in bloom will still be in shape to use next week, or prompted by the rain, maybe others will be flowering by then.  While I know many gardeners in the Northern Hemisphere are shivering from the cold, the rain here has delivered the promise of spring.  I'm checking the garden every day for new arrivals.

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other IAVOM participants have found to fill vases this week.


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

Madrona Marsh: Refreshed by rain

Earlier this week, I paid my second visit to Madrona Marsh, a 43-acre natural wetlands sandwiched between stores, business offices, gas stations, and condos in Torrance, California, about 9 miles from my home. 

This map is provided near the entrance to guide visitors

When I last visited just shy of one year ago, it was so dry the vernal pools (shown in pink in the map above) were empty despite the fact that it was the middle of our rainy season. 

This time, instead of dried mud, I saw this pool as I walked in.  It's depth measured just over a foot and a half.

Last year was the driest I can remember.  We recorded just 3.88 inches of rain here between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018.*  This year's rain total is already 276% of last year's total, albeit still short of our annual average.

I could hear birdsong from the moment I stepped inside the gate.  And frogs!  I haven't heard frogs croaking in years.  I didn't have binoculars so I didn't do any proper birding but ducks, geese and herons were readily visible throughout the preserve.

A path my husband and I walked last year was submerged and impassable.

A friend of mine had visited the marsh several days before I did to take photos as inspiration for future paintings.  Wild and unmanicured, I could see what impressed her about the landscape.  The color contrasts and the reflections in the water created picturesque scenes.

Tule, or wetland sedge, is visible throughout the areas with deeper water

 

Sometimes it was hard to tell what was solid and what was a reflection

I did my best to crop out neighboring buildings from my photographs but trust me: they ring the preserve on all sides.  Nonetheless, within the preserve you can almost forget that you're surrounded by traffic and all the usual vestiges of life in an urban environment.

After leaving the preserve, I made a brief spin through the Nature Center's native garden across the street.  There wasn't a lot in bloom - even landscapes in Southern California are muted during the winter months - but there was some floral color.

Once again, signs weren't helpful in identifying species by their botanical names

Clockwise from the upper left, my best guess on plant IDs are Calliandra eriophylla (aka fairy duster), Ceanothus, Eriogonum (aka buckwheat), Encelia californica, Verbena lilacina, and I haven't a clue

Along with Encelia californica, Peritoma arborea (aka bladderpod, shown here) was the most common flowering plant in the preserve

We got another three-quarters of an inch of rain yesterday and there are two more storms lined up to pelt us over the next few days.  Spring at the marsh may be very lively this year.  I hope to check it out again in April or May.  According to Wikipedia, after the rain stops, the water level in the marsh drops about one-quarter of an inch (6mm) a day, drying it out entirely by the end of August until the rains return the following winter.

Have a wonderful weekend!


*"Rain years" in California are calculated from October 1st through September 30th of the following calendar year.  Rain in SoCal is almost exclusively a winter/early spring phenomenon.


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