Wednesday Vignette: The good and the bad

As I suddenly have extra time on my hands, I spent a large part of yesterday in my garden.  I noticed a couple of interesting and unexpected things, one good and one bad.

On the good side, I nearly tripped over a plant that seemingly appeared overnight, Ferraria crispa, otherwise known as the Starfish Iris.

I planted 2 bulbs in 2016 and 2 more in 2019 but thus far only one plant has shown itself

I believe this must be one of the 2 I planted last year as the flower color is much different from the plants that grew from the original bulbs

The bulbs I planted last year came from a chain garden center with a label that said the flowers are a red/brown color, although the flower on the left looks more reddish purple to me.  The flowers that bloomed last year looked like the one on the right.  Hopefully bulb blooms in the lighter color will also make an appearance soon.

So that was a nice surprise.  In the not-nice category was this:

I wanted to believe that this pile of dirt and rock at the base of the stacked stone wall in the front garden was due to decomposition of the stone

My husband pointed out the gap between the stone wall and the mountain of dirt beside it, confirming my worst fear than a gopher has taken up residence.  One of our next door neighbors has battled them for years in her back lawn but I asked her not to send them in my direction in her effort to evict them...

Sadly, we all often have to accept the bad with the good.  We've had rain on and off for over a week now and there's still more in the near-term forecast.  That's good!  Our season-to-date total thus far here is 8.24 inches.  Not great but certainly better than it was at the start of the month.  And all three of my rain barrels are now full!  On the nightmarish, nearly unbelievable side is the novel coronavirus pandemic that has turned nearly everyone's life completely upside down, including my own.  I hope to discover a way to "encourage" Mr. Gopher to leave my garden for an empty lot or a nearby hiking trail, and I hope that our government and world leaders from other countries will find a way to halt the progress of the virus plaguing us.

If you have any suggestions for ridding a garden of gophers, please let me know.

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: My personal challenge

Yesterday I set myself a personal IAVOM challenge to create an arrangement around a flower I couldn't conceive pairing with much of anything.

This is Salvia africana-lutea.  The flower color is a mix of terracotta and reddish-brown.

As it turned out, it wasn't all that difficult.  A spin around my garden and, voila!  I accumulated more plant material than I needed.

Phylica pubescens, aka featherhead, immediately presented itself as a perfect accent plant

and Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' was another natural pairing

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Salvia africana-lutea, Corokia x virgata 'Sunsplash', Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow', Phylica pubescens, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and Narcissus tazetta 'Geranium'

There's no shortage of flowers for use in creating vases at the moment.  Spring may not have officially arrived yet but it's well underway in my garden, although over a week of rain on and off has some flowers looking worse for the wear.  One plant that was within days of blooming got completely plastered.

More than 80% of this Agrostemma 'Ocean Pearls' snapped off its base when it collapsed during our heaviest rain last week

Not that I'm complaining about the rain!  What we've received has been wonderful and most of it hasn't come down too hard or too fast.  We're still well below "normal" here and, even with more rain expected this week, it's doubtful that we'll reach that level before our short rainy season comes to an end.

In any case, there were plenty of flowers available to cut.  Among others, the Dutch Irises I was watching last week came on strong and were a natural choice for a vase this week.

I created yet another blue and yellow mix, this one featuring not only the Iris but also a Leucospermum flower and stems of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', sporting delicate pale yellow flowers for the first time

There are still lots of Freesia blooms even though some have been beaten into the dirt by rain

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Anemone 'Mistral Azzurro', yellow Freesia, Iris hollandica 'Sapphire Beauty', Lavandula multifida, Leucospermum 'Goldie', and Scilla peruviana

There's really no color I don't like but I'm not head-over-heels about pink; however, the mauve-pink Anemones in my cutting garden were begging to be picked before they finish their bloom cycle so they kicked off a third vase, which actually may be my personal favorite this week.

Yes, I tucked too much into this one as well

This vase always looks like it holds more than it does

Top view

Clockwise from upper left: noID Alstroemeria, Anemone 'Mistral Rarity', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Persicaria capitata, Prostanthera ovatifolia 'Variegata', and pink Freesia

With events being cancelled right and left, including the school tours I was scheduled to lead as a docent for our local botanic garden, and officials increasingly encouraging members of the public to minimize the risk of exposure to the pandemic coronavirus, my friends and I are already feeling a little stir crazy but I'm well aware that I'm lucky to have the freedom to stay home.  All those people who are unable to work from home because of the nature of their jobs, the health professionals and care givers doing their best to take care of those who are ill or otherwise need support, and all the delivery people working rigorous schedules to bring goods where they're needed are to be applauded.  And then there are people stuck in quarantine or far away from home without the ability to be home with their families.

Two cruise ships are docked at the Port of Los Angeles while cruises are on an indefinite hold.  Many of those in the crew are presumably marooned here while they wait this out.

I hope you're able to accommodate whatever circumstances you're confronting.  Divert yourself by checking other IAVOM creations.  Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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

Bloom Day - March 2020

It's been raining on and off all week.  While we haven't received as much rain as some areas of Los Angeles County, we've accumulated well over an inch in that period and I've made a major dent in refilling my rain barrels.  With our season-to-date total nearing 8 inches, we're nowhere near "normal" for the season in my location but as chances of rain remain in the forecast through the next 10 days there's a reasonable possibility of more.  Meanwhile, the impact of the novel coronavirus has put a damper of an entirely different sort on things but I'm glad to have work in the garden to fall back on as other activities are postponed or cancelled.

I hope your own garden is contributing to your morale.  Here are the highlights from mine in mid-March.

The Dutch Irises made their first appearance on Monday and more blooms open each day.  I planted more bulbs this year but the first to bloom are those that have been in the garden the longest.

Planted adjacent to the Iris, Felicia aethiopica is off to a great start

As is Scilla peruviana

Aristea inaequalis is a South African relative of the Iris.  Situated behind the fading Echium, it nearly always catches me by surprise when it blooms.

The tree-sized Ceanothus at the bottom of my back slope is mostly done blooming but the noID Ceanothus hedge in my back garden border is just getting started

All kinds of lavenders are blooming.  From left to right are: Lavandula 'Goodwin Creek', L. multifida, and L. stoechas.

Gazania, Narcissus and Freesias are blooming throughout the garden.  This photo captures them rubbing elbows.

Most of the Narcissus currently in bloom are a noID variety I planted years ago from bags picked up at my local garden center (left) but others like 'White Lion' (right) are popping up here and there

Freesias in a variety of colors are blooming all over.  They tend to flop and the persistent rain has worsened that problem.

Osteospermums, one of several plant genera referred to as African daisies, are also in bloom throughout the garden

The pink-flowered Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' have been blooming for months in the front garden but all those shrubs are blanketed in flowers now.  The white form just started its bloom cycle.

This month, the pale pink flowers of Pyrethropsis hosmariense 'Marrakech' (left) have joined the ongoing display created by the white-flowered variety (right)

Although we're a few days short of the Spring equinox, it feels like Spring here.  New blooms are surprising me almost daily.

Tulipa clusiana 'Cynthia' followed cousin 'Lady Jane' (featured in a late February post) this month.  It remains to be seen whether the bulbs will survive to bloom another year in my climate.

The biggest surprise this month was these tiny pale yellow flowers on Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt'.  Grown principally as a foliage plant, these are the first flowers I've ever seen on the plants, which have been growing in my garden since 2012.

Another genus of African daisies, Arctotis, is blooming in earnest this month.  The top 2 photos show Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' and the bottom 2 show Arctotis 'Opera Pink'.

The Western redbud (Cercis occidentalis) got a late start this year.  I inherited 2 of these trees with the garden.  They sucker terribly and, buffeted by winds on my moderate front slope, they don't stand up straight but they're pretty for a brief period when in bloom.

This rockroses are starting to bloom.  This one is Cistus 'Grayswood Pink'.

The pink powder puff bushes  (Calliandra haematocephala) were also slow to flower this year.  I couldn't choose between these 2 photos so I included both.

The first flowers of Leucospermum 'Goldie' are opening oh so slowly 

I've gradually removed many of the Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa) I inherited with the garden as they grew woody and unshapely but this one is still putting on a nice show

Salvia africana-lutea is one of the more unusual specimens I've added to my garden over the years

The calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethopica) disappear when the weather turns warm but return to bloom anew each Spring, prompted by rain

I stuffed the remainder of the photos I took in preparation for Bloom Day into a series of color-themed collages for my own record.

Top row: Anemone 'Mistral Azzurro', Brachyscome 'Brasco Violet' (with Eriophyllum lanatum), Geranium 'Tiny Monster' and Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy'
Middle row: Ipheion uniflorum, Limonium perezii, Pericallis 'Senetti Blue' and P. 'Magic Salmon'
Bottom row: Polygala myrtifolia, Salvia 'Mystic Spires', and Viola

Top row: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Aeonium arboreum, noID Crassula, and noID Echeveria
Second row: Euphorbia rigida, self-seeded Gazania, Grevillea alpina x rosmarinifolia, and G. 'Peaches & Cream'
Third row: Grevillea 'Superb', Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake', Justicia rizzinii, and Lantana 'Lucky Yellow'
Bottom row: Oncostele 'Wildcat', Russelia 'Flamingo Park', and Sparaxis tricolor

Top row: Anemone 'Mistral Rarity', 2 noID Alstroemerias, and Bauhinia x blakeana
Second row: Boronia crenulata, Crassula multicava, Daphne odora, and Gazania 'White Flame'
Third row: Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', G. lavandulacea 'Penola', G. 'Scarlet Sprite', and Helleborus 'Phoebe'
Bottom row: Nemesia '7th Heaven Mix', Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard', and noID Pericallis

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest', Cymbidium 'Sussex Court No Peace', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White', Auranticarpa rhombifolium, Jasminium polyanthum, and Leucojum aestivum

I'll close with this symbol of resilience under tough conditions.  Best wishes with any challenges you face in the coming week!

Viola self-planted between paving cracks

For a look at what other gardeners have blooming in their gardens, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, our Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day host.


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

Wednesday Vignette: Drip, drip, drip

We were promised rain this week.  One article in the Los Angeles Times mentioned the possibility of one to four inches of the wet stuff.  I didn't expect anything on the upper end of that range but I was hoping for a good soak.  Thus far, it hasn't amounted to much.  In my part of the county, we spent yesterday enfolded in a cloud.  It was damp but, during the course of the day, we picked up just 0.12/inch of rain.

The photo on the left shows the view from my back garden on Sunday.  The view on the right from the same vantage point was taken yesterday and the scene this morning is very much the same.

The front garden

This photo of the garden on the north side showed off the leaves forming on the persimmon tree in the background

The garden still holds surprises, though.

For the first time ever, one of my Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' shrubs has flowers!  I'd read that they flower but I'd literally never seen them in a photo, much less in person until now.  I've got seven of these shrubs.  The first of these were planted in 2012.  The one that's flowering now was planted in 2014.

I see this as proof that Mother Nature is capable of surprises.  The local weather forecast still holds out the prospect of rain in drips and drabs into early next week.  We'll see what happens.

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


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