In a Vase on Monday: From Spicy Hot to Serenely Cool

As we begin to pack up half the house in preparation for our upcoming remodel, I already feel as though I'm surrounded by chaos.  Preparing flower arrangements for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by clever Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, provided me with a sense of normality, if only temporarily.

As we approach mid-May, our temperatures remain on the cool side but summer flowers are nonetheless advancing onto the scene.  My first arrangement is channeling summer's heat.

I kicked off this arrangement with 3 stems of Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' but the large flowers of Gaillardia 'Amber Wheels' may have stolen the starring role

I used Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' as a filler in the back

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana',  Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', Gaillardia aristata 'Amber Wheels', Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', and Rosmarinus 'Gold Dust'

On the other hand, my second arrangement embraced the cooler colors of Spring in coastal Southern California.

Of the dozen plugs of Digitalis purpurea I planted in the fall, only one plant produced flowers in a color other than white.  I created this vase to play off its purple color.

The pretty flowers of the lavender ivy geranium and Centaurea 'Silver Feather' are almost lost in the rear view

Both of this week's vases were so tall that I had to stand on a chair to photograph them from above

Clockwise from the upper left: Centaurea 'Silver Feather', Digitalis purpurea, Orlaya grandiflora, Pelargonium peltatum (aka ivy geranium), Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly', Prunus ilicifolia (which I've previously misidentified as another species), and a noID rose that came with the garden

As my own stress level is building, Princess Pipig remains oblivious to the changes afoot in our household.  When she's not napping, she's enjoying checking out the boxes littering our dining and living rooms.

"Why did you wake me up?"

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

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

Scoping out neighborhood slopes

I'm used to gardening on flat plots of land.  Until we moved to our current property almost eight and a half years ago, I'd never dealt with uneven terrain.  While the level changes associated with our newly acquired property gave it character, it also presented challenges I hadn't envisioned.  I've managed to transform the moderate front slope without extreme difficulty but the steeper back slope remains an issue, which isn't to say that I've ignored it.  When we moved in, it consisted of a dirt path and weeds, featuring a couple of fruit trees and a very large Yucca.  We started working on it during the first quarter of 2012 but the earliest wide shot of the space I have was taken in February 2013.

My husband built the stairway out of concrete blocks purchased from a big-box store, working around embedded stone left over from the days this land was part of a rock quarry.  I used wood tree rings left behind by the property's former owner to stabilize the lower slope (below the stairway), added some amendments to the soil, and started planting.  Some of the plants have changed over time and the wood tree ring strings have mostly disintegrated.

Over the years, I continued to focus on the more manageable lower section of the slope, ignoring the ivy and honeysuckle covered area above the stairway. 

The photo on the left was taken in November 2013.  The photo on the right was taken this morning.

Once the giant Yucca elephantipes (visible in the distance in the left-hand photo shown above) was removed in December 2014, creating a flat area on the other side of the lemon tree, I did some work there too. 

Actually, the Yucca came out in stages.  The photo on the left shows the area after the main part of the Yucca's expanse was cut down in December 2014.  The crew that did that work left behind stumps that averaged 3 feet tall.  We had to bring in a second crew in January 2015 to grind down those massive trunks (middle photo).  The photo on the right shows the area today, after the addition of Pittosporum 'Silver Magic', Ceanothus arboreus, Romneya couteri, and various smaller plants.

Until last year, I left the steep upper section of the slope entirely alone.  A few months after last July's horrendous heatwave I began slowly chipping away at the dead sections of ivy and honeysuckle incinerated in that event.  The uppermost area remained green and, since I couldn't reach further than three to four feet above the concrete stairway anyway, I didn't take my effort any further.  I'd only exposed about 30 square feet before the ivy and honeysuckle responded to our substantial winter rain by stretching their vines in an effort to cover the area I'd cleared but the experience was enough to have me pondering what more I could do with the area if I eliminated all or part of those vines for good.  This week, I walked my neighborhood, looking for inspiration in what neighbors with front yard slopes have done.

Some approaches were anything but inspiring.

Artificial turf can be used effectively in some settings but this isn't one of them

In contrast, the entrance to our neighborhood, largely created using succulent cuttings donated by residents over the course of years, is looking better and better.

Calandrinia and Echium covers the flat area along the main road outside our neighborhood but ice plant, a scattering of Pelargoniums, and Centranthus add spring color to the east-facing slope while blooming Aloes provide winter color

The natural area along the street leading from the entrance also offers some ideas, at least if you ignore the mass of weeds.

I can't identify all the plants arrayed along this area but Yucca and Sumac (native Lemonade Berry, Rhus integrifolia) make up a part of the mix

Here's a look at the most impressive homeowner efforts.

Last year, this neighbor's garden crew pulled out a lot of the ivy and weeds from the lower section of this massive slope. adding bright spots of color with a mix of Pelargoniums, Euryops, and Cordyline.  The large Bougainvillea at the top of the slope and the Agapanthus along the street edge were already in place.

This neighbor's slope is moderate near the driveway and steeper as one moves along the road.  There's a wide range of plants here, including Phormiums, roses, and succulents.  It's principal difference from my back slope is that the area can be worked from both the upper and lower areas.  The massive hedge at the top of my back slope doesn't allow access from the upper area.

The entire front area of this neighbor's garden is terraced.  It's most prominent feature is a gigantic red-orange flowered Leucospermum, currently in full flower.  The area is wide enough to support not only a variety of paths but also fruit trees and a range of ornamental plants, including roses.  I adore this garden and in fact briefly argued that, since the property is once more for sale, maybe my husband and I should move there rather than remodel our house.  (That proposal didn't fly.)

Here's a gratuitous close-up of that beautiful Leucospermum.  It's funny but until I took these photos, my brain hadn't fully processed the fact that there's also a lot of ivy here.

This front slope also has a lot of ivy but the lower section has been cleared since the last time I walked this way so maybe some replanting is planned for the area adjacent to the street.  I admired the tall Cordyline midway between the 2 palms.

Closer to home, our next door neighbor's driveway slope is looking good right now.

That's my lath house in the background on the left.  The area above the stone wall is mine while the area above the smooth concrete wall belongs to the neighbors.  When the neighbors removed their sickly oleanders along the driveway, they planted Pittosporum 'Silver Sheen' and lots of ice plant (Delosperma).  The ice plant matches that in my own street side succulent bed (visible on the left).

And my more moderate front slope isn't looking too shabby either.

The roses (Rosa 'Mutabilis) and the Pineapple Guava tree (Feijoa sellowaina) came with the garden but I introduced everything else (other than the self-planted Cotoneaster).  The mainstays here are Aeoniums, Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard', Osteospermum, and Limonium perezii.

While I continue chipping away at the ivy and honeysuckle along my back slope's concrete stairway, I'll consider my options for transforming the upper section of my back slope.  The easiest thing to do would be to let those vines reclaim the area, at least until the next summer heatwave burns them to a crisp again, but that's not a particularly satisfying solution.   Ideally, I'd like to remove at least half the vines; create a flat path through the mid-section of the slope to allow me work from above the concrete stairway as well as below; and plant the area in-between with a mix of succulents, Pelargoniums, and a shade-tolerant ornamental grass like Sesleria.  That's my dream anyway.

Happy dreams to you this weekend!


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

Wednesday Vignette: Magical Moments

There are no underlying messages in my Wednesday Vignette this week.  I'm just sharing a few moments of peace, beauty and tranquility I captured on camera recently.

This shot and the next two were taken near sundown after a day of drizzle and low clouds

The sun peeked through the clouds as it was setting, lighting my garden in sepia tones

The effect never lasts long and I jumped up to take these photos just as we'd sat down to dinner

The hummingbirds are all over my garden but they're almost never near when I have my camera in hand

This one let me capture his appreciation of the Echium 'Star of Madeira' in my front garden

Enjoy those moments where you find them.  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: Pick me, pick me!

I could never have been a high school drama teacher.  Not only do I have none of the acting or directing skills probably required for the job but I'd also find it impossible to ignore all those eager faces hoping to be chosen for roles in the school play.  I'd be adding bit parts the play didn't call for until the play ran twice as long as was intended or the stage itself broke under the weight of the players.  At this time of year I have a similar problem when I walk into the garden to pick flowers for "In a Vase on Monday," the popular meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Unlike late summer when searching for suitable plant material is akin to a scavenger hunt, there's no shortage of prospects in Spring, when one flower after another waves in the wind beckoning me closer.

I initially focused on two of my more unusual flowering plants, Salvia lanceolata and Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', both of which produce flowers in rust-toned shades.  The Salvia is a South African native and the Aeonium is a succulent that's produced an unexpectedly large crop of flowers this year.  Before I was done, they were joined by some unlikely companions.

Fading stems of Helleborus 'Phoebe, ' and the delicate blooms of Alstroemeria 'Claire' grabbed center stage from the Salvia and Aeonium

Aeonium 'Kiwi Verde' took over the rear of the arrangement.  Unlike the variegated Aeonium 'Kiwi' which generally produces only a flower here and there, a third or more of the 'Kiwi Verde' I planted over the past 2 years are blooming this Spring.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Helleborus 'Phoebe', Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Claire' noID self-planted Cotoneaster, and Salvia lanceolata

The pleated vase I used for the first arrangement has a relatively small throat that couldn't swallow all the stems I'd cut so I popped some of the Aeonium's slenderer stems into a small vase.

The waxy succulent flowers seem to fit this cactus-shaped vase

Frothy pink blooms currently fill two areas in my garden so I felt the time was right to use some of those before our temperatures rise and put an end to them.  We've enjoyed an amazingly cool and comfortable Spring thus far but prior experience suggests that we could get hit with a blast of hot weather at any time.  However, weather pundits are currently suggesting that we may continue to benefit from the "Great Puny El Niño of 2018-19" throughout the summer and possibly into the fall.  We actually got drizzle last Monday and little more last night.  That's remarkable for May here.

While Leptospermum 'Pink Pearl' grounds the arrangement, Centranthus ruber in 3 colors plays the starring role

The 2 large shrubs of  Leptospermum in my garden peaked a week or 2 ago and are already beginning to fade, although I can usually expect a second flush of bloom in the fall

The pink variety of Centranthus is by far the most common in my garden but I usually get some red blooms too.  I've been actively encouraging the spread of the white form for a few years now.

Clockwise from the upper left: pink, white and red Centranthus ruber, Dorycnium hirsutum (aka hairy Canary clover), Orlaya grandiflora (aka Minoan lace), variegated Pelargonium hybrid 'Lady Plymouth' and, in the center, Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'

And who can ignore sweet peas?  Even though the plants in one raised planter are still stubbornly refusing to bloom, those I sowed in a half-barrel in the cutting garden are pumping out blooms faster than I can cut them.

Most of the flowers in this Lathyrus odoratus 'Pastel Sunset' mix are shades of pink but there are some cream and lavender-blue blooms too.  According to the seller's on-line information, the mix contains seeds of 'Sylvia More', 'Jilly' and 'Chatsworth'.

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to discover what she and other IAVOM contributors have picked this week.

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

The garden show in a mall

While Southern California supports numerous Spring garden tours, we don't have much in the way of garden shows.  We have "home and garden" shows but their focus is most definitely on homes rather than gardens.  There used to be a few real garden shows here but most have disappeared.  The South Coast Plaza Spring Garden Show celebrated its 30-year anniversary in late April.  Held in an upscale mall in Orange County, it features a range of small display gardens and attracts a variety of vendors with plants and garden-related merchandise.  Sadly, in recent years the displays have been more about outdoor furniture (and furniture purporting to be of use outside), usually sold by one of the home goods stores occupying the mall.  I still go, mainly to check out the vendors' stalls, but I always check out the display gardens too.

Mall lighting makes it difficult to take photographs and many of the displays didn't warrant close examination anyway but I'll share a handful, as well as the central display created by a firm that constructs floats for our New Year's Day Tournament of Roses Parade each year.

The Under the Sea display was created by Fiesta Parade Floats

This was my favorite display, called 'Green Attitude'.  It was envisioned as a home office with a view into an adjacent garden.

This one was called 'The Secret Garden'

This one, featuring an outdoor bar, was called 'Taste of spring'

I liked the rustic succulent planter in this display called 'Meandering Time'

This one, featuring bar seating directly next to a humongous grill, was called 'Gather Round'.  I liked the variegated Furcraea, the lines of which were softened by Acacia 'Cousin Itt' and ornamental grasses.

There was also a display created with visitors in search of selfie opportunities in mind.

I don't do selfies

As I'd scheduled a lunch date with a friend and former co-worker several miles away, I had less time to shop the vendor stalls than I'd have liked.

Garden decor

Lots of plants

Mark Muradian's pottery: I own a few of his pots and was sorely tempted to buy another on this visit

At least the time limit kept my spending under control.

I passed on the pots on this occasion but picked up Begonia 'Little Darling', an unidentified variegated Hoya, and these nutshells strung together to support Tillandsias

I had a nice lunch catching up with my friend and then, since I was less than a mile from Roger's Gardens, I stopped there for a brief spin before heading to the freeway.

Cool (if expensive) hanging planter near the entrance

This vertical garden area is updated regularly.  Buddha holds court this Spring.

Views of 3 sides of the entry area demonstration garden, updated seasonally

This waterwise garden area was also updated since my last visit.  I loved this iteration.

Russell hybrid lupines - so tempting but so short-lived in my climate

Two planted chairs, one featuring herbs and the other featuring succulents

Although I spent no more than an hour at Roger's, I still managed to make a few purchases.

My takeaways: Solanum crispum 'Glasnevin', Achillea ptarmica 'Peter Cottontail', Aeonium 'Fiesta', and Zinnia and Helianthus seeds

For the record, I didn't buy any plants this week!  After all, I still have several that still need planting.

Enjoy your weekend!


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