Fall Stop at South Coast Botanic Garden

I stopped by South Coast Botanic Garden again two weeks ago.  Actually, "stopped by" is a misnomer as advance reservations are still required, along with masks and social distancing.  

This sign is positioned to be viewed as soon as you enter the garden after checking in (from a distance)

My main purpose was to check on the Dahlia Garden but I took a general look around to see what's been going on since my visit in late July.  What follows are the highlights of my one hour tour.

The Japanese Garden was looking neat and tidy

There were lots of blooms in the Fuchsia Garden, leading me to wonder once again what I need to do to get these plants to bloom in my garden.  While they want shade, I think they need more light than they're getting in my shade house, especially when the extra sunscreens are up during the summer months.

This area had been cleared just before our March lockdown.  It's being designed to offer a bright spot for visitors this coming spring.

The Dahlia Garden sits directly to the right of the area under construction shown above.  The area surrounding it has changed dramatically since my last visit.

The photo on the left, taken in June, shows the Dahlia Garden as an intimate enclosed space (even if the storage shed to the rear didn't offer the best backdrop).  I took the photo on the right on October 9th.   

This area to the left of the Dahlia Garden once housed storage sheds, a greenhouse and SCBG's tram buses.  It's been cleared to make way for an exhibition area scheduled to open next year.

Exposed on three sides and now open to the two new areas under construction, the Dahlia Garden struck me as small and almost out of place

Additional dahlias had been planted to fill areas of the raised beds that had been empty on prior visits.  Unfortunately, many of the older plants were well on the road to decline.  I photographed the best of what the Dahlia Garden still had to offer at the time of my visit.

The new plants were enclosed in cages, presumably to protect them from critters

Blooming, top row were: Dahlias 'American Beauty', 'Bahama Mama' and 'Cafe au Lait'
Middle row: 'Emory Paul', 'Kelvin Floodlight' and 'Lisa Lisa'
Bottom row: 'Penhill Dark Monarch', 'Thomas Edison' and a variety I can't identify based on my records

Exiting the Dahlia Garden, I continued my rounds, starting with the Volunteer Garden. The volunteers themselves are still on hiatus, awaiting guidelines to cover their recall.

The Japanese anemones (Anemone hupehensis) were blooming en masse in a few areas

My own bush violets (Barleria obtusa) came from a fall sale at the botanic garden years ago.  If I'd seen how big it can get before I planted it, I might have been more careful about spreading it throughout my garden.

I've never grown Justicia carnea (aka flamingo flower) in my garden but whenever I see it in bloom I always wonder why.  (The short answer is that it needs more water than I give most plants outside my cutting garden.)

However, I did hunt down Tithonia diversifolia (aka Mexican sunflower tree) for my garden, although I haven't planted it out yet.  I'm almost afraid to as it obviously gets very big at maturity.

These photos are from the Vegetable Garden.  The seating area on the left is planted with herbs.  I discovered Helianthus maximilliani (right) growing in one of the raised vegetable beds.

The succulent and fern-planted Living Wall is well-maintained and always looks good

This blue potato bush (Lycianthes rantonnetii) occupies a bed on the edge of the garden's lower meadow across from the Vegetable Garden

Before the pandemic, people could often be found painting in the garden but this is the first time since March I've seen any doing that

The Desert Garden has been well-weeded since my July visit

The Rose Garden was still in serious need of deadheading but I managed a few presentable shots.  From left to right are: Rosa 'Gemini', 'Grauss an Aachen' and 'Sparkle & Shine'.

The plants in the Lavender Field had been trimmed back but the area looked good.  The desert willows (xChitalpa tashkentensis 'Morning Cloud') were still flowering.

The Mediterranean Garden wasn't looking its best but then that's normal for this time of year.  In my opinion, it could use some Australian and South African plants to give it more year-round interest.  I liked the Salvia x jamensis 'Golden Girl' growing there, though.

I only covered the front third of the garden before I ran out of time and headed back in the direction of the exit, snapping a few more photos on my way.

The silk floss trees (Ceiba speciosa) are in bloom throughout the garden right now and I'd be remiss not to show at least one.  The one shown in the top two photos (from two directions) stands along the path between the Rose Garden and the entrance area.  The photos in the bottom row show a closeup of the tree's flowers, as well as the closeups of the Dahlia 'Mystic Spirit' and Salvia leucantha that sit adjacent to the tree.

My last shot was taken in the parking lot as I walked to my car.

I believe this is also a silk floss tree.  I wish my own garden were large enough to support a tree this size.

Best wishes for a colorful weekend!  We have a slight chance of light rain in the forecast at intervals through Monday but it's nothing to bank on at this point (although that doesn't mean my hopes haven't been raised).

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Wednesday Vignette: Sharing joy

For some reason, now that our temperatures are slowly cooling, the house and lesser gold finches have been throwing one pool party after another in our backyard fountain.  The finches are here year-round, although they've been less actively present since I stopped filling the bird feeders in the interest of discouraging visits by the peacocks that discovered my garden earlier this year.  I still haven't filled the feeders as I plan to take them down, clean and move them once the dead trees near them are cut down next week.  So, why the finches are paying regular visits en masse to the fountain is perplexing but I'm not complaining.  They've been having a great time and I've enjoyed watching them.  Here, with just a few comments, are some of the shots I captured from my bird blind (i.e. inside the house alongside the fireplace between the dining and living rooms).

This photo was taken without a telephoto lens but the rest were taken using one

I love the splash shots

Hey, where'd everybody go?

Beak down, wings up!

Thanks for sharing the bath but I'm out of here!

I hope you find joy on wings or otherwise during the course of the week.  For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Going crazy

The title of this post has less to do with my mental state than the fact that, at long last, Dahlia 'Gitts Crazy' has bloomed, earning it the starring role in my first arrangement.  The dahlia was planted during the latter part of April, late based on my usual practice, but not as late as others that bloomed much earlier.  I'd nearly given up on it when it finally budded out.

I sacrificed several nascent buds to cut the first blooming stem of 'Gitts Crazy' but, as its season is going to be relatively short, that seemed a better approach than sacrificing the bloom while waiting for those buds to mature

I filled the arrangement out with stems of Dahlia 'Labyrinth', which has continued to be generous with its blooms.  The 'Labyrinth' and 'Gitts Crazy' tubers were planted on the same date.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlias 'Gitts Crazy' and 'Labyrinth', Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Auranticarpa rhombifolium, Calliandra haematocephala, Correa 'Sister Dawn', and Zinnia elegans 'Queen Lime Blush'

My usual fall bloomers have recently shown up too, chief among them the bush violet (Barleria obtusa).  Since it made its first appearance with a few stray blooms last week, it's moved into high gear.  Each stem bears literally dozens of buds.  No single bloom lasts long but even those still in bud open gradually after the stem is cut, extending the show.

Barleria obtusa was the inspiration for this arrangement but Dahlia 'Iceberg' is nudging everything else into supporting roles

Back view: I used variegated mint bush (Prostanthera ovalifolia)  to lighten up the darker foliage of the bush violet.  Mint bush produces beautiful purple blooms in the spring but I grow it for its wonderful foliage.

Top view

Clockwise from the left: Barleria obtusa, Dahlia 'Iceberg', Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus)

For more arrangements created by contributors from materials on hand in their gardens, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - October 2020

Last month on Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day we'd just put our worst heatwave of the season behind us but California and a good part of the Pacific Northwest were dealing with catastrophic wildfires and truly terrible air quality.  We've had more heatwaves since, including this week, and our air quality has been up and down but at least things are better than in mid-September.  We enjoyed a brief flirtation with fall last week and I'm hoping that, when the current heatwave passes, cooler temperatures will stick around for the long haul.

This month I'll start my bloom review with the newest arrivals.

These Anemone hupehensis (Japanese anemones) came with the garden but it still startles me when they return despite our generally dry conditions.  The pink variety in the front garden has yet to appear but I'm not about to count them out.

I invested in a flower-less one gallon container of Barleria obtusa (bush violet) at the local botanic garden's fall plant sale in 2014 and the plant now occupies several areas in my garden.  If I hadn't been vigilant, it probably would've taken over by now.  It certainly keeps trying but I can forgive a lot for those blue blooms.

The Australian fuchsias (Correa) are off to their usual slow, measured start.  From left to right are: Correa 'Ivory Bells', 'Sister Dawn', and 'Wyn's Wonder'.  Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre' is covered in buds but appears to be waiting out the heatwave before it flowers.

This Hibiscus trionum (flower-of-an-hour) is a recent gift from a friend.  I grew it previously but it died out, while she's blessed with more seedlings than she can use.  Like daylilies, the blooms don't last long.

Plumbago auriculata 'Imperial Blue' is a virtual weed in this climate and I've never planted it in the ground but I have two plants in pots that take off at this time of year.  I love the color of the flowers if not their stickiness.

Zauschneria californica (California fuchsia) is making a big splash this year, although it's battling for space with a Grevillea I'd forgotten was planted just behind it

I planted rain lilies (Zephyranthes candida) here in 2014 but never remember they're there until they appear each fall, rain or not

While the new blooms have added flashes of color here and there, the old summer stalwarts still dominate the stage.

The dahlias went crazy during the last heatwave.  I photographed these last weekend before the current heatwave set in.  The blooms are steadily decreasing in size and their foliage is getting grungy so I suspect this is their last Bloom Day appearance of the year.
Top row: Dahlias 'Belle of Barmera', 'Labyrinth', and 'Candlelight'
Middle row: 'Enchantress', 'Iceberg', and 'Sellwood Glory'
Bottom row: 'Loverboy', 'Mr Optimist', and 'Rip City'

This is one of 15 buds on Dahlia 'Gitts Crazy'.  I planted it in late April and it sprouted less than three weeks later.  As all the other dahlias are finishing up, it's only just now preparing to bloom.

The large-flowered Grevillea bloom all year but they're really floriferous right now.  The closeups in the top row are, left to right: Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', 'Peaches & Cream', and 'Superb'.  Photos of the last two shrubs are shown below.  When grooming the shrubs, I'm surrounded by a constant buzz of bees, none of which have ever stung me.

These Lantana are blooming especially well this year.  The orange and yellow varieties (left), planted in a half barrel container three years ago, may have gotten a boost from the fertilizer I've been adding to get another dahlia, planted late in the season, to bloom, but the variegated Lantana 'Samantha' (right) never received any fertilizer and it's going strong after being cut to the ground last winter.

I can always count on Pennisetum to put on a show starting in late summer.  On the left is Pennisetum 'Fireworks' and on the right is P. advena 'Rubrum'.

Salvia leucantha is also having a good year

This is probably the last hurrah for the Zinnia elegans this year too.  The foliage is developing a bad case of mildew due to the mixed influence of our damp morning marine layer and the continuing high temperatures.

The Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) that had burned out earlier this summer also staged a recovery, or two varieties did anyway.

I'm always happy to have them back

There were several other surprises as well.

A friend gave me this Iris germanica 'Autumn Circus' in late May.  I didn't expect any blooms until next year but I got this one earlier this month.  Another bud followed but it was incinerated by the last heatwave.

I planted Lessingia filaginifolia 'Silver Carpet' (carpet beach aster), a groundcover, in 2015.  It's persisted but I seldom notice it until it flowers, partly because Helichrysum petiolare 'Petite Licorice', a weed here, is constantly seeking to overwhelm it, as shown.

Stapelia grandiflora made another appearance.  Its bud, shown on the left, opened a couple of days after I discovered it.  I took the photo on the right before its characteristic odor began attracting flies.

This isn't quite a bloom yet but it's the first time I've ever seen a bloom stalk on Vriesea ospinae cv gruberi (now classified as Goudaea ospinae)

This Yucca 'Bright Star' bloomed earlier this year but it unexpectedly developed a side bloom I only just noticed last week

That brings me to the the usual color collages I end my Bloom Day posts with, featuring the best of the rest.

Clockwise from the upper left: Trichostemma 'Midnight Magic', Brachyscome 'Brasco Violet', Lavandula multifida, Plectranthus neochilus, Polygala myrtifolia, Oxalis triangularis, and Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud'

Clockwise from the upper left: Cuphea 'Honeybells', Rosa 'Pink Meidiland', Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Pentas lanceolata, noID rose, noID Phalaeonopsis, and Bauhinia x blakeana

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Sundance', Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', A. 'Kaleidoscope', Euryops chrysanthemoides, Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake', Oncostele 'Wildcat', noID self-seeded Osteospermum, and noID Phalaeonopsis

Clockwise from top left: Rosa 'Medallion', Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', noID Amaranthus, Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', Pelargonium peltatum, Penstemon mexicali, and Rosa 'Joseph's Coat'

For more on what's blooming in other parts of the country and around the world, visit our bloom-fest host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Wednesday Vignette: A pleasing combination

Mindful that Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is just a day away, I'm limiting this post to a single image, collected as I was taking photos of my flowering plants for tomorrow's post.  

The yellow-flowered Lantana, while no longer at its peak, picks up the similarly-colored edging of Agave multicolor next to it.  I'd like to say that was planned but it wasn't.  It was simply a lucky coincidence.

I'm feeling calmer this week.  I scaled back my news consumption; completed my ballot and mailed it (with ballot tracking turned on to follow its delivery to the Los Angeles Registrar of Voters, which confirmed receipt); and even took care of my large backlog of ironing.  Before the newest heatwave settled in, I also got started on one one of my fall garden projects.  Addressing what's within my control while turning off the noise relating to what I can't control was the ticket.

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

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party