Foliage Follow-up: Touches of Red

It's Foliage Follow-up Day and I'm joining Pam at Digging to recognize the significant role foliage plays in creating a beautiful garden.  For this month's post, I'm focusing on some of the foliage plants that add touches of red to my garden.

Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' is sporting lots of new growth in an orange-red color.  I have 3 of these peppermint-scented plants in the south-side garden bed adjacent to the patio.

The color of the Agonis' new growth is echoed in the foliage of Phormium 'Amazing Red,' Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey' and various succulents

The same Agonis, photographed from the other direction

Close-up of the wavy stems and curly leaves of Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'

I love the Leptospermum polygalifolium 'Copper Glow' I planted in my front garden in November but it always seems to be either too dark or too sunny to get a good photograph.  The best I could do today was this:

A graceful stem of Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' hangs above Phormium 'Maori Queen'

Another relatively new plant with red touches is Dianella tasmanica 'Tasred,' which I picked up from the Australian Native Plants Nursery in March.

The base of these Dianellas is red 

During that same shopping trip, at Sperling Nursery, I picked up Helleborus 'Anna's Red.'

I presume that Helleborus 'Anna's Red' gets it's name from the color of its flowers but there's also a touch of red in the stems and the base of the leaf cluster

The biggest splash of red color I'll share today comes from an Aeonium I picked up early last year.  It didn't come with a label but my best guess is that it's Aeonium 'Garnet,' reported to be a hybrid of A. arboreum 'Zwartkop' and A. tabuliforme.

Unlike A. 'Zwartkop,' this Aeonium hasn't developed tall stalks

My last foliage pick this month is Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' (aka coral bark maple).  Planted early in 2011, not long after we moved in, it's the most successful Japanese maple in my garden, possibly because it had a chance to get established before I began ratcheting down the irrigation in my garden.  Its placement beside the garage, where it's protected from the wind and receives only morning sun, probably also helps.

Acer Sango Kaku' has almost fully leafed out

Visit Pam at Digging to see her foliage picks this month and find links to other gardeners' foliage picks.


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

Bloom Day - April 2015

It's Bloom Day, when Carol of May Dreams Gardens leads gardeners all over the world in sharing what's blooming in their gardens.  Despite the heatwaves that knocked out some flowering plants prematurely in March, there's a lot going on in my Southern California garden this month.  The star of this month's parade of flowers is the climbing rose 'Joseph's Coat.'

But, in terms of the sheer volume of blooms, there are other key players jockeying for attention as well:

Pink Alstroemeria, inherited with the house

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' continues to play a dominant role in the beds along the front walkway

3 Argyranthemum frutescens 'Butterfly' have merged into a mass of bloom

Centranthus ruber has popped up in all the drier areas of the garden

I've fallen in love with this Gazania hybrid 'Kiss Frosty White Flame' after years of snubbing my nose at the entire genus

Lavendula stoechas occupies prominent positions in both the front and back borders

The humble Limonium perezii is adding color in the drier areas on both ends of the garden

The Phlomis fruticosa shrubs in the backyard have reached their peak of bloom

Some of my favorite combinations of flowering plants right now include the following:

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar,' backed up by Euphorbia characias 'Black Pearl' and Phormium 'Maori Queen' along the front walkway

A mix of white and pink Centranthus is filling in the formerly empty areas along the back slope, mixing with Oenothera speciosa, which is just starting to bloom in the same area

Cynoglossum amabile is shown here mingling with Alstroemeria, Erigeron, and self-seeded Cerinthe major

Felicia aethiopica 'Tight & Tidy' and Gazania 'New Day Yellow'

This bed may have too much going on with Grevillea 'Superb' producing bloom after bloom in the center, accompanied by Convolvulus sabatius 'Moroccan Beauty,' Gallardia grandiflora 'Goblin,' Nandina domestica and Salvia 'Mesa Azure'

Lavandula stoechas again, accompanied by Felicia aethiopica and Gazania 'New Day Yellow'

This may be my favorite combination at the moment: Osteospermum 'Serenity Purple,' Geranium incanum and Leucadendron 'Ebony'

Cistus 'Sunset,' Limonium perezii and trailing Lantana

Hard-to-photograph Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud' mingling with Nierembergia  linarifolia

As this post also serves as my record of what's blooming each month, I'm going to try the reader's patience by adding a few collages of flowers organized by color.

Blue blooms include (clockwise from upper left): Lobelia mingling with blueberries, Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip,' Aquilegia 'Spring Magic,' Convolvulus 'Moroccan Beauty,' Felicia 'Tight & Tidy,' and Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud'

In the purple category (clockwise from upper left): Acanthus mollis 'Summer Beauty,' Iris germanica (no ID), Senecio stellata, Salvia 'Mesa Azure,' Salvia 'Mystic Spires' and Solanum xantii 'Mountain Pride'

Magenta blooms include (from left): Geranium 'Tiny Monster,' Osteospermum 'Serenity Purple,' and Pelargonium 'Oldbury Duet'

The red category includes (clockwise from upper left): Feijoa sellowiana, Fuchsia 'Windchimes Neon & White,' Hippeastrum (no ID), the last blooms of Grevillea lavandulcea 'Penola' (in flower since December), the first ever blooms of Leucadendron 'Ebony' and the first blooms of Leucadendron 'Jester'

Pink blooms include (clockwise from upper left): Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl,' Helleborus 'Phoebe,' Hoya (no ID), Oenothera speciosa, Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom' and Schizanthus  pinnatus

Pink Pelargoniums include, top row: 2 unidentified P. peltatum; bottom row: P. 'Aurelia' and what may be P. 'Katie' 

Orange and peach blooms include (clockwise from upper left): Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream,' Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin,' Bignonia capreolata, Hemerocallis 'Elizabeth Salter,' Pelargonium x domesticum 'Georgia Peach, and Rosa 'Medallion'

Yellow blooms include (clockwise from upper left): Cotula lineariloba, Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid,' Gazania 'New Day Yellow,' Leucadendron 'Pisa,' Osteospermum 'Blue-eyed Beauty' and Narcissus 'White Lion'

White blooms include (clockwise from upper left): Carpenteria californica, Coleonema album, Nandina domestica and Trachelospermum jasminoides

Even my flowering weeds are at their peak:

Although they are virtually weeds here, I give Centranthus ruber, Erigeron karviniskianus and Geranium incanum some freedom to spread about

Okay, this post exhausted even me so, reader, if you got this far, bravo!  For even more blooming plants, please visit Carol, the host of May Dreams Gardens.


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

In a Vase on Monday: Chameleons

As mentioned in last week's "In a Vase on Monday" post, I have a hard time ignoring roses when they're in bloom.  As my 'Joseph's Coat' climbing rose is approaching the peak of its bloom period, its flowers were a natural choice for this week's vase, difficult as they are to work with.  They're very thorny and even cutting the stems is a prickly business.  In addition, the flowers tend to become frowsy as they age, losing their shape.  Also, because each bloom changes color over the course of time, mixing them with other colors can be difficult.

Photo of my 'Joseph's Coat'' rose taken last week - there are three times as many flowers now but you can see the color variation among the flowers even in this photo

Frankly, I wasn't very successful in dealing with the challenges the rose posed but, lacking time to futz this week, the vase I created will have to do.

Here's what went into this week's messy composition:

• Aeonium haworthii (flower)
• Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'
• Alstroemeria (no ID)
• Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin'
• Grevillea 'Ned Kelly'
• Grevillea 'Superb'
• Heuchera sanguinea
• Rose 'Joseph's Coat'

The Aeonium's flower stem is the same coral color as the rose to the right

The wavy foliage of Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' is my favorite element in this week's vase - it smells mildly of peppermint too

The flowers of Grevillea 'Superb' start out an orange-ish coral, becoming pinker as they mature

2 shots showing the mix of colors among the roses.  At the end of the cycle, the flowers turn a deep pinkish rose.

Two of the Grevillea stems, the flowers of which also change color as the blooms mature, are virtually hidden behind the Aeonium stem.  The pink Alstroemeria clashes a bit with the roses, although the color difference will diminish as the rose flowers age.  Not my best effort but c'est la vie!

Please visit the host of the "In a Vase" meme, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, to see what she's put together this week and find links to other gardeners' creations.  With spring charging into full gear, there are more and more contributors each week.


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

De una casa a otra

I received a FedEx delivery yesterday.  It wasn't really a surprise but, as I've been preoccupied with worries about California's new water restrictions and plans to minimize the negative impacts on my garden, the delivery had slipped my mind.  The package, a shipment of bulbs from fellow blogger, Tammy of Casa Mariposa, was just what I needed to put me in a more positive frame of mind.

The bulbs were packaged well and all arrived in perfect condition.

They're a mix of pink and white cultivars of Amaryllis belladonna, popularly known as naked ladies because the blooms arrive on tall stalks after all the foliage dies back.  They didn't like Tammy's Virginia climate but they're well-suited to mine in Southern California as they survive on winter rain and like warm, dry summers.

I had some of the pink variety in my former garden and they did well, returning year after year with little attention.  I've never seen the white form (which you can view a picture of here).

The bulbs have been planted in my backyard border, where they'll get the sun and the drainage they need.  I've placed them where their bare bottoms will be covered behind other plants.

The bulbs have been spread out behind and around the 3 Phormium 'Dark Delight' and between the Cuphea 'Starfire Pink' and the Stipa tenuissima to the right of the Phormium

It remains to be seen as to whether they'll bloom this year.  According to my local garden guide, they can sulk when planted at this time of year.  However, I have no doubt they'll show their pretty faces eventually.

My thanks again to Tammy for brightening my day!


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

Local Wildlife

Early this morning, out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of something in the backyard that I don't expect to see during daylight hours.  I ran to get my camera and saw it rounding the corner, heading for the front yard.

I headed out the front door and caught a glimpse of my target - can you see him?

Maybe this helps?

He turned to face me when he reached the driveway

And he chose to stand his ground and stare me down as I got closer

It's unusual to see a raccoon foraging after daybreak.  Juveniles are more likely to break the daytime curfew but this appeared to be an adult.  His gait also seemed a bit unsteady.  After our stare-down in the driveway and my retreat, he rambled away, walking down the street.  Perhaps last night's rain delayed his foraging.  Or perhaps, he was intrigued by the water I'd collected off the roof during 2 brief downpours.  Raccoons love water.

I filled a bucket and a small trash bin with water sheeting off the roof - we got only 1/10th of an inch (0.254 cm) of rain in total but an amazing amount of rain comes off the roof when the rain comes down hard

Other recent wildlife sightings include:

Sparrows of some kind (possibly Zonotricia atricapilla, the golden-crowned sparrow), enjoying the backyard fountain

A roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)!  Sighted in San Clemente when we had dinner with family on Sunday

Felis catus - this one answers to the name of Pipig and enjoys long naps in well-padded surroundings

That's it for my local wildlife report.  Although there are literally zillions of Western Fence Lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) about, they move faster than I do so I have no good photos to offer.  What's flitting, running, or rummaging about in your garden at present?


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