In a Vase On Monday: Prelude to Spring

With plenty of sunny days and warmer temperatures, my garden is waking up.  Gardens in coastal Southern California never entirely shut down but they take the equivalent of a cat nap.

They appear to be asleep but they're ready to jump into action in response to any change in the environment

Yesterday morning we awoke to a blanket of fog but it quickly cleared out and, walking through the garden, it felt as though we were on the cusp of Spring.  The birds were singing and, if I could carry a tune, I'd have joined them.  Bulbs I planted  in early November and others planted years ago are gradually revealing their blooms.  Those blooms kicked off my search for plant material to fill this week's vases.

I headed down the slope to check the bearded Iris I've been eyeing for the last 2 weeks, intending to make it the centerpiece  of an arrangement of blue and purple flowers; however, it wasn't quite ready to be cut.  I cut 2 stems of Ceanothus while I was down there anyway and substituted the first of the blue Anemones as my focal point.

For a change, I managed to keep this arrangement relatively simple

Top view: Could that Anemone be more perfect?  It's the product of a group of Italian hybrid tubers I planted in early November.

Clockwise from the top: Anemone 'Mistral Azzurro', Ceanothus arboreous 'Clif Schmidt', noID Freesia, and Osteospermum 'Violet Ice'

Another Anemone provided the starting point for my second vase.

I started with very few ideas as to what I could pair with the subtle white, mauve and blue shades in the Anemone's petals.  As usual, I got carried away in adding new elements.

The foxglove stems were recycled from one of last week's vases

Top view: The Anemone in this arrangement was more mature than the one in the prior arrangement.  Interestingly, it turned out to have a 2-headed bloom (shown more clearly in the photo below).

Top row: Anemone 'Mistral Rarity', Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', and Digitalis purpurea
Second row: Grevillea sericea and Hebe 'Purple Shamrock'
Third row: Osteospermum 'Berry White', Pyrethropsis hosmariense, and Helleborus 'Blue Lady'
Bottom row: Nemesia 'Snow Angel', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and Helleborus 'Phoebe'

I'm willing to bet that, if I hike down to the bottom of the slope this afternoon, that Iris I'd originally targeted as the centerpiece of my first vase will be in full bloom.  Usually the first Iris to bloom, it always seems to elude inclusion in a vase.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

Bloom Day - February 2020

Coastal Southern California really only has two seasons - a cool season during which we get rain (if we're lucky) and a warm-to-hot season, which seems to be getting longer with each passing year.  While our nights are still definitely on the chilly side, we're getting more and more days with temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s (Fahrenheit).  I can't say Spring has exploded into being yet but it's slowly creeping in.  More rain might push floral production along more quickly but it's not clear we're going to get much more of that.  In fact, yesterday I heard that California's snowpack is currently sitting at 59% of average with no rain or snow in sight, which doesn't bode well.

Despite the lower than desired rainfall, my usual February blooms appear to be right on schedule.

Ceanothus arboreous 'Cliff Schmidt' on my back slope is putting on its best display yet

Echium handiense 'Pride of Fuerteventura', a native of the Canary Islands and always the first of my Echiums to bloom, is putting on a good show

Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein' (left) and Euryops x virgineus 'Tali' (right) are pumping out blooms in the same color but different sizes

Pyrethropsis hosmariense (aka Moroccan daisy) is pretty in both bud and bloom

Pyrus calleryana (aka ornamental pear) is a messy tree with funky smelling flowers but it stands out at this time of year

The flowers of Ribes viburnifolium 'Catalina Perfume' are tiny but plentiful

My prostrate rosemary have been blooming for some time but the flowers are now too profuse to ignore

Cooler temperatures have given the African daisies their usual seasonal boost.

The photos on the left and the top right are Arctotis 'Opera Pink' and the one on the lower right is my favorite Arctotis 'Pink Sugar'.  I went overboard this fall pulling up scruffy 'Pink Sugar', assuming that I could get more with little problem but, despite the fact that my remaining plants are blooming, I've yet to be able to find more in my local garden centers (even though I've submitted 2 special orders for them).

Gazanias are popping up all over, although the progeny of many of the self-seeded plants haven't replicated their parental stock

Osteospermums definitely prefer temperatures on the cooler side

I was particularly delighted by the appearance of a couple of early blooms.

Anemones don't do well here, seldom surviving more than one season, and I don't plant them every year but this year I ordered some special tubers and planted them in my cutting garden in early November.  This is Anemone 'Mistral Rarity', the first to bloom.  

I often complain that hellebores are slow to bloom here.  This year Helleborus 'Blue Lady (left) and 'Phoebe' (right) are a month or so ahead of schedule.  'Phoebe's' foliage also seems to have taken on some variegation.

Certain plants can always be depended on to show up.

Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree) has been blooming for months

Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' produced its first blooms before Bloom Day last month, peaked in late January, and is now on the decline

Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' has also been blooming for months but the flowers blanket the shrubs now 

Gomphreana decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' has recovered from the hard pruning it received in November

The large-flowered Grevilleas bloom year-round.  Clockwise from the left: Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' in a wide shot and a close-up, 'Ned Kelly', and 'Superb'

The small-flowered  Grevilleas join in at this time of year to produce a profusion of blooms.  Clockwise from the upper left: Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', G. lavandulacea 'Penola', G. alpina x rosmarinifolious, G. sericea, and G. rosmarinifolious.

Leucadendrons (aka conebush) don't have flowers in the conventional sense but their bracts take on the appearance of flowers this time of year.  Clockwise from the upper left: Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike' in a wide shot and close-up, 'Wilson's Wonder', 'Blush', and 'Safari Sunset'.

I picked up a couple of new flowering plants this month.

In pots by the front door: Boronia crenulata 'Sharks Bay' (left) and hybrid Pericallis 'Magic Salmon' (right)

I've organized the best of the rest of the blooming plants by color for the record.

Top row: Brachyscome angustifolia 'Brasco Violet', Campanula poscharskyana, Felicia aethiopica, and Freesia
Middle row: Iris germanica in bud, Lepechinia bella, noID Muscari, and noID Violas
Bottom row: trailing Lantana and Polygala fruticosa

Clockwise from the upper left: Cyclamen, Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink', Eustoma grandiflorum, Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', and Lotus jacobaeus

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum fruticosa 'Everest', Cymbidium Sussex Court 'Not Peace', Hippeastrum 'Moon Scene', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White', and Westringia 'Morning Light'

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Euphorbia rigida, Phylica pubescens, noID Narcissus, and Rudbeckia hirta 'Denver Daisy'

Succulent blooms, top row: Aeonium arbroeum, Aloe 'Johnson's Hybrid', and A. 'Safari Rose'
Bottom row: Crassula multicava 'Red', C. orbicularis var rosularis, and C. rupestris 'Springtime'

That's a wrap until next month.  To see what's blooming in other parts of the US and elsewhere in the world, visit the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.


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

Wednesday Vignette: A Magical Combination

Some of you may be getting tired of seeing photos of the succulents in the bed on the south side of my garden but a sunny morning following a rainy day left my 'Blue Glow' Agaves and the plants surrounding them, yes, glowing and a couldn't resist sharing my photos.

Last year, I planted 2 small pots of Aeonium atropurpurea 'Zwartkop' behind the 3 Agaves for the express purpose of picking up that red edge along their leaves

The spiky plant behind the Aeonium is Dasylirion longissimum.  The purple-leafed plant to its left is Vitex trifolia 'Purpurea' (aka Arabian lilac).

View looking in the opposite direction

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: Rainy Day Hustle

Rain was predicted for Sunday, expected to interfere with red carpet activity at the Oscars, but it arrived earlier here than anticipated and exited earlier than I'd hoped.  Thinking I'd get out early to cut flowers for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, as it turned out I was out scrambling to do that during what proved to be our heaviest downpour (not that we got much rain in total).  Suffice it to say, I didn't make my usual leisurely Sunday stroll around the garden to select plant material but simply grabbed what I could and headed back to the house to dry out.

As we celebrate Valentine's Day this week, I immediately fixated on the Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite' now dominating my garden on the northeast side; however, I ran into a bit of a challenge finding suitable companions for it.

When the first match I'd thought of for Grevillea fell flat, I picked one of the next plants I saw that I thought might work, the foxgloves in my cutting garden.  The foxgloves and the other 2 plants I selected ended up eclipsing the Grevillea stems, at least in this front view.

'Scarlet Sprite'  shows up better in the back view but, in hindsight, I should have cut taller stems to give the plant more prominence in this vase

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Alstroemeria, Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', and Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White'

I'd initially thought I'd cut a stem of hellebore or two to pair with the Grevillea in the first vase but, not only was the hellebore significantly shorter than the Grevillea, the color was off.  Whereas the Grevillea leans toward rosy-pink, the hellebore's flowers had a definite blue bent.  As I got wetter, I quickly regrouped.

I used Helleborus 'Blue Lady' in this vase. pairing it with flowers that were blue or leaned in that direction

Back view: I used the blue Echium handiense with pink buds again this week

Top view: This turned out to be my own favorite vase this week.  The daisy blooms of hybrid Pericallis 'Magic Salmon' I picked up for a pot by our front door turned out to be the perfect complement for the hellebore.  I was perplexed by the name of the Pericallis when I bought it but the centers of the blue flowers shifted after it'd been in place a few days, offering an explanation for its odd cultivar name.

Clockwise from the upper left: Pericallis 'Magic Salmon', Echium handiense 'Pride of Fuerteventura', Helleborus 'Blue Lady', Grevillea sericea, and Lavandula multifida

Last week's vases were still in good shape so I gave them fresh water and a few minor touch-ups and found new spots for them.

The "sunshine" vase, less sunny now, landed on the kitchen island.  A simplified version of the blue and pink vase landed on the mantle my husband built for our living room fireplace, which we installed last week, finally bringing our remodel to a formal conclusion.

Meanwhile, the new vases assumed the vacated spots.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Have a happy Valentine's Day!


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

Empty pots no more

I recently emptied two large pots sitting in our front entry area and relocated their contents.  Those pots stood empty for more than three weeks, which surprises even me.  While I think an empty pot can add mystery or perhaps an artistic touch in a well-placed spot in a garden, I'm not capable of leaving mine unplanted for long.  It's arguable that the front entry isn't the right place for empty pots anyway.

This week, on a trip to the local garden center to pick up compost and planting mix (my usual excuse for such trips), I discovered several plants that I thought would do to fill those empty pots.  My choices are a little iffy as one of my key plants has shown itself to be short-lived and I've killed another at least twice but I plunged ahead anyway.  Those empty pots were starting to bug me.

The empty pots in question, photographed in January

The plants I chose to fill the two blue pots were these:

This is Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' (aka mint bush).  It produces lovely purple blooms but the scented foliage alone is worth its inclusion in the garden.  They never survive more than a couple of years in my garden yet I still love them.

This is Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', the plant I've killed twice

I filled in with Nemesia '7th Heaven Mix', white Violas, and Lobularia maritima (sweet alyssum)

The effect is muted but pleasing.  Both the Prostanthera and the Boronia are Australian natives that can get by with partial shade.  I expect the mint bush could grow to 4x3 feet and the Boronia to roughly half that size in their pots.  It's an experiment - and I've been known to swap out potted plants seasonally in any case.

One of 2 identical pots

But I didn't leave things there.  You see, there was this Pericallis hybrid I'd been eyeing for some time and the garden center finally got a supply of smaller plants in stock.  I couldn't pass it up.  One came home with me and I popped it into an empty pot I had stored behind the garage.

This is Pericallis 'Senetti Magic Salmon'.  Isn't that flower color fabulous?

I couldn't get a great after shot of the front door area as it's still shady.

My conclusion is that I could use a few more pots here.  I'll get to that at some point.

Today and tomorrow are supposed to be warmer, with a chance of rain late Sunday and Monday.  Perfect for planting.  Luckily, reinforcements arrived right on time.

I used the gift card a friend gave me for Christmas

My haul includes (clockwise from the upper left): Lobelia fistulosa, Echium wildpretii, Lupinus propinquus, Erysimum x allionii (2), and Clarkia unguiculata (3)

I hope you enjoy the weekend, whatever your weather.


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