It's not all about the flowers

My May Bloom Day post was a little over the top, even for me.  I took my camera outside to seek out foliage stars that could compete with all the flowers currently dominating my garden.  While it was difficult to snap photos without flowers photo-bombing the shots, I captured a number of foliage shots worthy of recognition.

Acacia 'Cousin Itt' frequently features in my foliage focused posts but on this occasion it's the contrast between its feathery texture and the smooth leaves of succulents I want to highlight.

Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' mingles here with Aeonium arboreum and Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi'

'Cousin Itt' is cozying up to Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie' here

Japanese maples aren't easy to grow in my windy location with its searing hot summer temperatures but I've got three specimens in protected locations that are doing relatively well, at least so far.

Acer palmatum 'Mikawa Yatsubusa', a dwarf variety, still small although I've had it for more than 5 years

Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum', acquired earlier this year, is showing why it's called the Golden Full Moon Maple

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku', my oldest specimen, purchased as a small stick 8 years ago

Some of my best foliage shots are anchored by succulents.

These 3 Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' were planted several years ago as pups of one of the 2 plants currently in flower in my street-side succulent bed

Mangave 'Kaleidoscope' with more Aeoniums, as well as Crassula pubescens, which is preparing to bloom

Some foliage is showing off with red new growth.

Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'

Calliandra haematocephala, which I appreciate more for its foliage than the powder puff red flowers it's know for

Grasses and grass-like plants are also prominent features of my garden.

I've used grass-like Lomandra longifolia 'Breeze' in areas throughout my garden.  Here it's accented by the variegated foliage of Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope' (and, yes, some photo-bombing flowers).

 

I've used Seslaria 'Greenlee's Hybrid' as an edging material here and elsewhere in my garden

Stipa tenuissima (aka Mexican feather grass) is another grass I've used extensively.  It gets very fluffy when it's full of seed heads.  I'm in the process of combing them out before the seedlings take over but I haven't gotten to these plants yet.

Those are some of the foliage highlights in my garden this May.  They're not as flashy as the flowers perhaps but they're just as important.

Best wishes for a pleasant weekend.  We've got a good chance of rain on Sunday here, which is utterly remarkable, especially as we also had rain earlier this week.  Fingers are crossed that you get whatever weather you're hoping for too.


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

Bloom Day - May 2019

This month, to provide a different perspective, I decided to match up wide shots of my garden with close-ups of selected flowers.  I thought it might also help me trim down the sheer number of photos in my monthly Bloom Day round-up but I can't claim success there.  Hey, it's May - a profusion of flowers is to be expected, isn't it?

I'll start with my back garden.

This is the view from my back door looking roughly southeast toward the entrance to the Los Angeles harbor

Achillea 'Moonshine' has a jump on summer

This will be the second year for Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' in my garden and it's off to a good start

Echium webbii, possibly my favorite Echium, although I did a poor job pruning it last year

Ozothamnus diosmifolius, aka rice flower

Top row: Alstroemeria 'Claire', Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', and Cotula lineariloba
Middle row: Erigeron glaucus, Euphorbia characias 'Black Pearl', and Felicia aethiopica
Bottom row: Gazania 'Gold Flame', Pelargonium cuccullatum 'Flore Pleno', and Santolina virens (with Helichrysum 'Icicles')

This section of the back garden sits on the north side of the backyard patio

The luminescent bracts of Leucadendron 'Pisa' do a good job of imitating flowers

Leucospermum 'Brandi' may be the most exciting plant flowering in my garden at the moment.  The flowers are long-lasting both on the shrub and in a vase.

Lobelia laxiflora, a bit of a weed

Clockwise from the upper left: Hunnemannia fumariifolia (aka Mexican tulip poppy), Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake', H. 'Elizabeth Salter', Nierembergia 'Purple Robe', Aquilegia 'Orgami Blue', and a noID blue Penstemon.  The last 2 are recent purchases to fill in holes in one bed.

Moving to the north end of the house brings us here:

This is the first year I've been really happy with this area, even if it's pinker than I intended

Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', which is fading fast as the month progresses

Centranthus ruber is another weed here, albeit a pretty one.  I've been actively encouraging the white form to spread.  The groundcover plant in the foreground is Dorycnium hirsutum, another rampant self-seeder (aka hairy Canary clover).

Clockwise from the upper left: noID lavender (possibly Lavandula 'Goodwin Creek'), Cistus 'Victor Reiter', Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', scented Pelargonium hybrids 'Plymouth Lady' and 'Orange Fizz', Limonium perezii, and Oenothera speciosa (aka pink evening primrose, another weed)

Next, we take a walk down the gravel path and turn right at the fence to descend a steep set of concrete stairs.

This is the view from the lower, flat area of the back slope looking back up to the top of the concrete stairway

Three colors of Centranthus ruber have been allowed to spread here

Clockwise from the upper left: Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid', Eschscholzia californica (aka California poppy), noID heirloom Iris germanica, Pelargonium 'White Lady', Ligustrum japonicum, and more pink evening primrose

If we go back up the stairs and walk toward the house to pass through a gate on the right, we're in my cutting garden.

This used to be a vegetable garden but who am I kidding - I'm a flower freak

The sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus 'Pastel Sunset Mix') did well in the half-barrel, although I did a poor job of training the vines to grow over the tomato cage I stuck there.  The vines in the third raised planter haven't done nearly as well.

Orlaya grandiflora (aka Minoan lace), grown from seed, has done very well this year - the rabbits never found it!

Clockwise from the upper left: Calendula officianalis 'Zeolights', seed-sown larkspur (Consolida ambigua), Coriandrum sativum, Digitalis purpurea, Nigella papillosa 'Starry Night Mix', and Pelargonium peltatum

Continuing our counterclockwise walk around the house brings us to the front garden.

Front view of the house from the driveway

Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira' was just starting to bloom in mid-April but, as we come up on mid-May, it's mostly done.  This photo was taken 10 days ago when it was still in good shape.

I originally planted Gazania 'White Flame' in beds approaching the front door but self-seeded plants are producing a range of flowers in various colors

This is Grevillea 'Superb' with Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' to the right

Six Rosa 'Pink Meidiland' shrubs came with the garden.  They've responded well to our winter rain.

Clockwise from the upper left: Gaillardia aristata 'Amber Wheels', Salvia lanceolata, Gaura lindheimeri, Mimulus 'Jelly Bean Buttercream', Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', G. 'Peaches & Cream', Tagetes lemonnii, Sphaeralcea ambigua (aka desert mallow) and, in the middle, Iris germanica 'Apricot Silk'

Clockwise from upper left: Convolvulus sabatius 'Compacta', Erigeron karvinsianus (aka Santa Barbara daisy, another weed), Helleborus 'Anna's Red', Mimulus naiandinus 'Mega', Trifolium (common clover, yet another weed), Helleborus 'Blue Lady' and, in the middle, Plectranthus neochilus

The other side of the driveway contains a more low-profile garden space

The most dominant element in this area at the moment is Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly' (aka sweet pea shrub)

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa (aka peppermint willow), Fuchsia magellanica 'Hawkshead', Lavandula stoechas, and 2 noID roses

Walking south through the front garden brings us to a fork in the path.  A trip down a mulch-covered path brings us into the section of my garden occupied by my lath (shade) house.

A moderate slope leads to a flat area at the southwest corner of our property, on which sits my lath house.  This view is looking east, back toward the entrance to the Los Angeles harbor.

Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschien' and Nemesia 'Little Banana'

Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard' backed by Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis', which came with the garden

Clockwise from the upper left: More Limonium perezii (with self-seeded trailing Osteospermums), Argyranthemum frutescens 'Mega White', Corydalis flexuosa 'Porcelain Blue', noID self-seeded Cotoneaster, Persicaria capitata, Prunus ilicifolia, Rosa 'Golden Celebration', and Scaevola 'Surdiva White'

Walking back the way we came to the main level of the garden brings us to the last stop on our tour, the garden on the south side of our house.

A lot of this area is covered in succulents but there are flowers here too

Succulent Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde' surprised me by blooming much more profusely than its variegated sibling

Cistus pulverulentus 'Sunset', one of the splashiest rockroses

Hymenolepis parviflora

Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud' spread more than I expected but I forgive it because its blue

Clockwise from the upper left: Delosperma 'Violet Wonder', Cistus 'Grayswood Pink', self-seeded Lagurus ovatus (aka bunny tail grass), Leucospermum 'Goldie', and Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset'

Okay, that's it!  Well, not really. I did leave some plants out but I figured I couldn't test your patience or interest any further.  Last month's Bloom Day review had been the longest one ever but I'm afraid I exceeded the photo count still further with this one.  Maybe including the wide shots wasn't such a good idea...

For more flower-filled posts, visit our Garden Bloggers' bloom Day host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

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