Bloom Day - November 2024

My garden is less colorful this month but, in coastal Southern California, there's always something to share.  I'll start with some of the plants that make a habit of blooming at this time of the year.

Many of my aloes are getting ready to bloom but Aloe lukeana in ahead of the pack.  It bloomed back in July and I didn't expect another round this year.

Hybrid Aloe 'Safari Sunset' also got an early start

Barleria obtusa was just starting to bloom last month but all 4 of my shrubs are flowering now

The Camellia sasanquas that came with the garden weren't put off schedule by the recent Santa Ana winds but they do seem inclined to bloom facing the house instead of outward

Senna bicapsularis (aka winter cassia) has once again sent its flowers sky high

Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigold) blooms in spring and then again in the fall

As is true in most months, there are some blooms that surprised me.

Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' reliably flowers during late summer but it's only produced a flush of flowers in November once before in 2016

I've previously missed all the flowers of Disocactus anguligar (aka fishbone cactus, syn. Epiphyllum anguliger) but I finally caught one before it withered away

I picked up a Helianthus 'Sunfinity' in late September and it took its time about getting its bloom on.  I'd thought that most sunflowers would have thrown in the towel for the season by November.

Medinilla myriantha (aka Malaysian orchid) always surprises me when it graces me with a flower or 2

While the Protea 'Pick Ice' in another area has already bloomed out, Protea neriifolia 'Claire' is made of stronger stuff (or it just gets more water from the irrigation system)

And then there are the dependable plants that offer color all or most of the year, at least off and on.

Correas (aka Australian fuchsias), left to right: 'Ivory Bells', 'Pink Eyre', and 'Wyn's Wonder'

Cupheas 'Honeybells', 'Starfire Pink', and 'Vermillionaire'

These noID self-seeded Gazanias are coming back with cooler temperatures

Grevilleas 'Moonlight' (left) and 'Peaches & Cream' (right) are more sporadic with their flowers than others in my gardens

Grevillea 'Superb' blooms all year round but it's current flower frenzy has been greatly appreciated by the hummingbirds since the flowers of Arbutus 'Marina' have faded

The Pelargoniums are putting on a decent show too.  Clockwise from the upper left are: P. hortorum 'Dynamo Hot Pink', P. hybrid 'Little Pink Splash', and 3 varieties of P. peltatum.

There are a few recent additions to my garden in bloom too.

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus 'Sonnet Speedy White', Argyranthemum 'Aramis Apricot', Nasturtium 'Alaska', and Primula vulgaris

I'll close as I always do with collages featuring the best of the rest.

Clockwise from the upper left: Felicia aethiopica, Polygala myrtifolia, Salvia 'Mystic Spires', Salvia discolor, and Vitex trifolia

From the upper left: noID Cyclamen, noID Dipladenia, Eriocapitella hupehensis, Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', and noID Impatiens

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Osteospermum '4D Pink', and Persicaria capitata

Faucaria tigrida, Leonotis lonurus, and Pennisetum 'Sky Rocket'

noID Anthurium, Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', and Leucadendron salignum 'Summer Red'

It's been more than six months since we've had anything that could be characterized as real rain.  Ours is characterized as a Mediterranean climate so long stretches without rain aren't unusual but this is getting ridiculous.  The marine layer has made tiny contributions at intervals since then but, since the start of the current "water year" on October 1st, those only amount to 0.03/inch of precipitation.  We're very, very dry.  Forecasters keep teasing us with reports of rain that "might" spill down the state from Northern California but, to date, that hasn't happened.  There's another slight chance in the wee hours of Friday morning but I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, check in with our host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Looking for the positives

I haven't visited South Coast Botanic Garden since early July, which is relatively unusual.  I popped in at last earlier this week.  My mood may have been colored by the the recent election results, the fact that we haven't had any rain in over six months, the fact that the botanic garden hasn't held a proper plant sale for a long time, or a combination of all these factors but I found myself disappointed.  However, it didn't help that the construction project that started in 2022 appears to be stalled, that many areas were still closed to visitors, or that there were a lot of bare beds.

The construction of a new Children's and Family Garden started in December 2022.  The official groundbreaking was held March 15, 2023 and that year I saw a lot of earth moved around.  However, these photos taken through the fence don't show much progress since I was there in July.

My favorite Banyan Grove is still inaccessible except at its furthest end

The original signs posted on the fences surrounding the work area in 2023 stated that the new garden was slated to open in 2024.  The new signs I saw this week just say it's "coming soon."  I checked online and couldn't find a single update on its status.

I don't think I've been able to access the upper meadow on a single one of my visits this year.  It could be a coincidence I suppose...

There were a lot of bare beds like these.  The 2 shown in the bottom row are part of what was the Garden for the Senses.  A friend of mine, also a former volunteer, poured her heart into renovating this area pre-pandemic but there are just remnants to show for her hard work.

The holiday season light show is up and running.  I'm sure there are many people who enjoy it and it no doubt brings in revenue (given that virtually all botanic gardens I'm familiar with seem to have one).  It feels as though it overshadows the garden itself, though.

I had to wonder if the light show was structured around the garden or vice versa

I tried to shake off my disappointment and looked for something I could get excited about.  As it turned out, the area that most impressed me was one that was replanted early this year.  I'm not sure how to refer to it as the garden's map hasn't been updated since 2015.  The lake is gone, the dahlia garden was replaced by a butterfly pavilion, the Mediterranean garden is closed off or gone, and so on.  The replanted area encompasses part of the original Mediterranean garden, part of the upper meadow, and extends to the corner of what I've always referred to as the "promenade," a path that leads from the garden's main entrance to the entrance of the rose garden.

This shot was taken from the far edge of what used to be the Mediterranean garden.  The "new" area features Salvia leucantha, pink and white Muhlenbergia, California natives like Epilobium canum and Cleomella arborea, and succulents like Calandrinia, Opuntia, and Euphorbia rigida.

I think there's some Romneya coulteri (matilja poppy) in the mix too but I couldn't get close enough to be sure

The palm and  whale's tail agaves have been in this corner for awhile longer than the rest of the plants 

The new area, visible in the distance, offers a nice background to the Rose Garden

The other areas worthy of note include the Desert Garden, the Pollination Garden, and parts of the "promenade."

This is a different view of the old section of the Desert Garden than I usually show but it's been tidied up recently

I always believed that the large agaves in the back were Agave shawii because that's what the signage suggested but my phone's plant ID app  suggests that the plant shown on the right is an Agave shawii  and the 2 look very different.  Does anyone want to weigh in on IDs here?

The Pedilanthus bracteatus is looking good

The aloes on the left are mostly Aloe vanbalenii or hybrids of that species.  I didn't get close enough to those on the upper right to ID them.  I believe those on the lower right are Aloe 'David Verity'.

This mix of plants sits on the corner of the promenade across from the palm accompanied by whale's tongue agaves shown earlier.  The yellow-flowered plant is Senna pendula.  The plant behind and to the right of the Senna is a hot pink-flowered Callistemon.

More Agave ovatifolia are scattered along the promenade walkway

A few individual plants also stood out.

Ceiba speciosa (aka silk floss tree, left) is at its peak.  Remarkably, the Jacaranda on the right still has some flowers at the top of its canopy.

Furcraea foetida (left) has an impressive flower stalk.  I thought the plant on the right might be an aloe at first but it seems to be Furcraea macdougallii (aka American aloe).

Lastly, the Tithonia diversifolia (aka Mexican sunflower) surprised me with all its blooms

So my visit was a mixed bag.  I hope to see more I like in the upcoming year. ideally before it comes time to renew my membership.

The bulbs and bedding plants for sale at SCBG's plant kiosk were nothing special, all locally available at garden centers for approximately the same price

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: I had to scrounge a bit

Once summer's flowers are purged from my cutting garden to make way for the bulbs, seeds, and plugs that will thrive in winter and spring, it gets a lot harder to put together floral arrangements.  Luckily, there are a few plants I can usually depend upon to help me out.

My first arrangement contains several stems of Grevillea 'Superb', which blooms year-round, but Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' surprised me with a flush of peachy-pink blooms to support it.  The Callistemon usually blooms during the summer months and I couldn't recall it ever blooming as late as November.  I scanned my own blog to check that recollection and found evidence of one flush in November 2016, when it was still a small plant; however, coming on the heels of a heatwave in September and "extreme" Santa Ana winds last week, I think I'm still justified in describing the flowers as a surprise.  As the shrub is on the list to be pruned by our tree service in just over a week, it was a given that I'd choose to make use of it this week.

The coleus was instrumental in pulling this arrangement together

The back side looks a lot like the front except there are more dangly bits of Cuphea in the back

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', Cuphea 'Honeybells', Grevillea 'Superb', and Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Indian Summer' (aka coleus)

Senna bicapsularis, a tall shrub, usually blooms in October or November and it came through for me this week.  I had to scrounge to find materials to accompany those flowers, though.

Senna bicapsularis (aka winter cassia) is a host plant for cloudless sulphur butterflies (Phoebis sennae)

Back view: As I'm ready to pull Dahlia 'Break Out' from its pot on my back patio, the last of the Zinnia 'Zinfandel Peach' had to go too

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Tanacetum parthenium, Zinnia elegans 'Zinfandel Peach', Helianthus 'Sunfinity', and Senna bicapsularis

Last week's Santa Ana winds sparked three fires in Southern California, all north of us.  Two of the fires were smaller and have been all or mostly contained but the Mountain Fire in Ventura County has been fierce, swallowing over one hundred homes and over 20,000 acres.  It was only twenty-six percent contained when I checked its status yesterday afternoon.  Forecasters are projecting another, more moderate Santa Ana wind event midweek.  There are hints of the possibility of drizzle in the ten-day forecast but I'm not putting any trust in them yet.

On this Veterans' Day, best wishes to all US veterans and their families, past or present.  Thank you for your service and your sacrifices!

To find more IAVOM creations, drop by Cathy's blog at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party