The garden isn't always pretty

I admit that I tend to develop a negative outlook on my garden as summer oh so slowly winds down.  Our long dry spell, which usually starts in April and stretches into late October or November, feels interminable.  Mid-day heat becomes tiresome and I long for cooler nighttime temperatures.  The soil is dry, plants look tired (if not dead), and flowers are sparser.  We've been lucky not to have any fires close by this year but our gusty Santa Ana winds are picking up so the risk of wildfires will intensify until our rainy season arrives.

Early morning is the best time of day, partly because shadows hide the less attractive features of the garden.

Last week I featured sunset photos in a post.  These photos of yesterday's sunrise are brought to your courtesy of my cat, Pipig, who was screeching at us while we were still in bed, apparently due to an unexpected sense of urgency about getting her litter box cleaned.

This photo captured a group of clouds in the northeast.  The hedge needs trimming but I put a hold on all heavy pruning until the outdoor watering ban ended, not wanting to stress plants any further than they already were.

Our temporary outdoor watering ban, required to prevent excessive demands on the water system while the Metropolitan Water District repaired 36 miles of pipeline, was lifted at the start of this week, two days early.  As we're still subject to water restrictions that define the days on which we can run our irrigation system, today was the first day we could do that.  However, my preoccupation with water use continues as our meter shows a slow leak.  While not able to pinpoint the leak's precise location without employing a contractor with acoustic leak detection tools, we were able to isolate the problem to a particular section of pipe connected directly to the city's water line.  We've had two prior pin-hole leaks in the same section of pipe within the past year so we contacted a plumber to replace the entire line from the street to the point it connects to the house.  While the plumber was able to suggest a method to limit the impact to my garden somewhat, there's a lot of prep work to be done.

The pipe in question runs under my compost bins so I started by emptying the one I was currently using.

I stopped adding new material to my compost pile when we decided to bite the bullet and replace the pipe.  It was about half full when I started sifting through it to remove rocks, grubs and the giant bird-of-paradise roots infiltrating the bin from my neighbor's property.  The photos show the bin actively in use (left, midway through the process), the screen I used to sift it (middle), and the empty bin (right).

Even though the bin wasn't full at the start, I managed to fill one and a half trashcans with screened compost

I used it up all too fast on this and one other, smaller area in the back garden

My stubborn husband, who is recovering from surgery and still isn't supposed to be lifting much weight, started tackling removal of a large area of gravel.

This is a fraction of the areas he's already cleared of gravel.  I'd estimate he's about half done.

So far, he's filled 16 bags with gravel.  Regrettably, more than half of them are being stored in my cutting garden.

I still have to dig up a section of bromeliads and succulents I planted along our northern property line.

In addition to the succulents and bromeliads I'll need to put into temporary pots, there's a chiminea, a couple of large pots, and rocks that I'll need to move (somewhere)

 

Among the plants to be moved are those in this lovely little vignette I showed off in an August post

We've received the cost estimate for performing the plumbing work but we don't yet have a scheduled date for the three-day job.  Hopefully, it won't be long.  Whatever water we saved by honoring the 13-day outdoor watering ban is being lost every day that the work's on hold.

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Change is in the air

Maybe it's just the sudden shift from scorching temperatures to much cooler afternoons with pleasant breezes but the seasonal change feels palpable at present.  Late September and October can be very hot and in fact forecasters are predicting an uptick in the temperatures as we move toward next weekend but, for now, I'm enjoying the weather conditions we have.  Two of my stubborn dahlias, both 'Fairway Spur', have developed buds so I may have those large orange blooms to look forward to in October as the plants that bloomed earlier in the season continue to wane.

My cutting garden offered only a single bloom of Dahlia 'Summer's End' but it fit my theme so how could I resist?  I added a few orange zinnias and tucked in berries that are in the process of shifting from lime green to orange.

Back view: As temperatures fell, a handful of Gaillardia blooms appeared, along with the first flowers of the Australian fuchsia, Correa 'Ivory Bells'

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Correa 'Ivory Bells', noID Cotoneaster, Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', Dahlia 'Summer's End', Gaillardia aristata 'Spintop Copper Sun', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', and Zinnia elegans 'Queen Lime Orange'

While most of my dahlias are producing only a bloom or two at the moment, Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles' has been more generous.

I think this makes 4 weeks in a row that I've used Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles' in a vase but a second bloom from its near match, Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda', sealed the deal

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', pink and white Cosmos bipinnatus, Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles', and D. 'Mikayla Miranda'

Somehow, despite our recent extended heatwave and the temporary ban on outdoor watering, a few of the dark blue Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus) managed to produce new blooms I couldn't ignore so I've got a third vase to share this week.

I stuck to a simple blue/purple and white color mix

Back view: Wispy sweet autumn clematis and more variegated abelia provided froth

Top view

From the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', Clematis terniflora, Liriope muscari, Duranta erecta 'Sapphire Showers', and Eustoma grandiflorum

For more IAVOM creations, usually spun together with materials from contributors' own gardens, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Hurricane drama

We didn't actually experience a hurricane along coastal Southern California late last week but we did get a taste of the remnants of one.  Hurricane Kay started in the Pacific and hit landfall in Baja California.  It moved north as a tropical weather system, sparking reports of 100mph winds and dropping as much as 5 inches of rain in parts of the San Diego area.  As it moved into my own area of Los Angeles County last Friday afternoon (September 9th) we briefly experienced extreme wind, followed by light rain, which eventually became slow and steady rain in the evening hours, breaking our 10-day heatwave.

In addition to delivering 0.61/inch (15.5mm) of rain here, ongoing storm activity to the east of us set the stage for a pretty sunset on Sunday.  We get better views of the sunrise in my location than we do sunsets.  Our back garden faces east and the western view is largely blocked by hills so what we see of sunsets is displayed in the clouds rather than images of the setting sun.

This was the view to the east, overlooking the Port of Los Angeles, as the sun set in the west

Another view, looking roughly northeast from the back garden

and the view looking northwest, framed by the hills that obstruct the setting sun

 

I visited the local botanic garden Monday morning, hoping to see whatever was left of the floral arrangements created on site over the weekend as part of their Music x Flowers exhibit.  Unfortunately, the floral displays had all been cleaned up and carried away, although I was given a small bouquet of carnations when I checked in at the garden's entrance in commemoration of the event.  I noted that there was a lot of debris strewn about, presumably stirred up by the wind that accompanied the storm.  There wasn't much new to see since my prior visit 6 weeks ago but I strolled the garden for an hour nonetheless.

Then I saw this.  More than simple leaf debris, it appears the storm may have brought down this tree

.

Closeup of the tree's trunk, which had been torn apart

View of the same tree from its other side.  I've no idea what species of tree this was but it appeared to have a twin nearby.  In any case, its removal will leave a sunny spot in an area that was once in shade.

 

Other trees, still intact, were in full flower.

I believe this is a Chitalpa, an intergeneric hybrid of Catalpa (aka cigar tree) and Chilopsis linearis (aka desert willow).  It's a lovely, graceful thing, if too big for most residential gardens.

The garden had advertised that the floss silk trees (Ceiba speciosa, formerly Chorisia speciosa) were in bloom and they were.  The trees are native to South America.  I saw 5 of them on this visit but I recall there are more in parts of the garden I didn't visit on this occasion.  This one is in the garden's upper meadow.

This one near the visitor entrance gives you an idea of how big the trees are.  The tree's trunks are studded with spikes to deter climbing critters.  After, flowering, the hard shells of the seedpods break open to release their seeds, which are surrounded by a fluffy silk-like material.

The temperatures were far lower than the prior week but humidity levels were still high so I couldn't bring myself to walk deeper into the garden on this visit.  Temperatures have cooled even further since the start of the week.  Dare I say, it's feeling a little like fall here?  Best wishes for a pleasant weekend.

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - September 2022

I'm getting a one day jump on Garden Bloggers Bloom Day as Wednesday is a better fit for my schedule this week.  Due to the extended heatwave that concluded just last Friday, there are far fewer flowers to be found in my garden this month.  We're also in the middle of a 15-day outdoor watering ban and I've been running around like a madwoman with watering cans just trying to provide emergency rations to plants where I can.  A random tropical storm, the remnants of Hurricane Kay in the Pacific, provided an assist but any rebound the garden may get from that event isn't evident yet.

I took many of the following photos during the heatwave.  I'm going to start with those that don't usually receive much attention.

My ornamental grasses are getting started.  This Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' looks better than almost anything else in my front garden.

Tulbaghia violacea (aka society garlic) is easily overlooked most of the year but it makes a statement when it's one of the few things in full bloom

Clematis terniflora (aka sweet autumn clematis) is the only member of the genus I've been successful at growing.  I managed to train most of the vine up the arbor but one long stem evaded me and managed to weave itself through a Cistus shrub (photo on the right).

I took this photo of Leucophyllum laevigatum (aka Chihuahuan sage) a little before our heatwave swung into full gear.  Responding to an uptick in humidity, it exploded into bloom for a brief period before fading away almost as quickly as it appeared.

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' may have tiny flowers but they're abundant and keep on blooming regardless of weather conditions

I haven't been thrilled by the performance of my dahlias this year.  Even now, in mid-September, there are several that have yet to bloom.  Clockwise from the upper left, here are those that are blooming now with varying levels of vigor: Dahlia 'Calin', D. 'Summer's End', D. 'Southern Belle', D. 'Catching Fire', D. 'Enchantress', D. 'Lavender Ruffles', D. 'Karma Prospero', and D. Mikayla Miranda'.

The performance of my zinnias have also been spotty.  These 3, all grown from seed, have been the most rewarding: Zinnia elegans 'Carmine Rose', Z. 'Benary's Giant Deep Red', and Z. 'Benary's Giant Purple'.  For some reason, those in the 'Queen Lime' series, also grown from seed, have been disappointing this year.

I've crammed everything else into collages organized by color.  This month even old standbys like my large-flowered, ever-blooming Grevilleas are looking a little forlorn.

Clockwise from the upper left: Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) 'Balboa Blue Rim' and a noID blue variety, Geranium 'Tiny Monster', Petunia 'Night Sky', and noID Phalaenopsis

From the upper left: Agastache 'Morello' (still in its temporary pot), Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', Anthurium 'Maine', Cosmos bipinnatus, Eustoma grandiflorum, Hoya carnosa, Osteospermum 'Berry White', and Persicaria capitata

From the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', A. g. 'Kaleidoscope', Amaryllis belladonna 'Alba' (which crashed early into the heatwave), Cosmos bipinnatus, Pandorea jasminoides, Pelargonium peltatum 'White Blizzard', noID Phalaenopsis, and Phyla nodiflora

From the upper left: Grindelia camporum, noID Phalaenopsis, noID Plumeria, Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Superb', Gaillardia aristata 'Spintop Copper Sun', Leonotis leonurus, and Rudbeckia 'Denver Daisy'

From the upper left: Alstromeria 'Inca Lucky', Cosmos bipinnatus (in true red!), Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree), Pelargonium sidioides, and noID Phalaenopsis

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

 

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Battle-weary

Our recent heatwave was one for the history books.  While the temperature in my location topped out at 106F (41C) on the fourth day, the heatwave continued for ten days, which is unusual.  Luckily, the remnants of Hurricane Kay moved up the coast as a tropical storm late last week, reaching us late Friday afternoon.  It initially looked as though it'd burnt itself out in San Diego but by mid-evening we were getting slow and steady rain.  We ended up with 0.60/inch of inch (15.24 mm), which by our standards isn't bad!  The off-season rainstorm was especially appreciated given the 15-day ban on outdoor watering we've been operating under since last Tuesday.  I saved water in my empty rain tanks before the ban took effect but toting watering cans from place to place in the middle of a heatwave with humidity steadily rising isn't fun.  The rain also broke the heat spell, although the combination of temperatures in the mid-80sF (29C) with humidity at 70% and above still isn't pleasant.

While some of my dahlias fried and others stubbornly refuse to bloom, I was surprised that many came through the heatwave battle-weary but mostly intact.  Once again, I cut the majority of blooms that were in passable condition (if not necessarily fresh).

The first bloom of Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda' is front and center here.  It looked better several days ago but, in its faded state, it paired well with the other pinky-lavender dahlia blooms I had on hand.  Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles' is especially bountiful this week.

A single Dahlia 'Enchantress' and 2 Dahlia 'Karma Prospero' dress up the back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: pink and white Cosmos bipinnatus, self-seeded Polygala myrtifolia, Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda', D. 'Enchantress', D. 'Karma Prospero', D. 'Lavender Ruffles', and Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata'

  

Dahlia 'Catching Fire' got a late start but it keeps pumping out at least two pristine blooms a week so I'm serving it up once again.

I added a group of other heatwave survivors to support the 2 dahlia stems

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Pelargonium peltatum 'Blizzard White', Dahlia 'Catching Fire', Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus), Osteosperum 'Berry White', and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Deep Red'

 

Temperatures are expected to trend down slightly over the remainder of the week but it looks as though humidity will remain relatively high.  There's still some thunderstorm activity left in the area but little probability that it'll reach us.  Nine more days left on the outdoor watering ban!

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

 

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party