In a Vase on Monday: The same but different

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The options for filling a vase are still limited.  I've used two of the primary ingredients included in today's arrangement earlier this month but not in combination so, while the colors and elements may be familiar, it doesn't actually replicate prior arrangements.

Hippeastrum 'Apricot Parfait' offered its first bloom in early December.  This is its second bloom and I was surprised to see that the bulb is producing yet another bloom stalk.

Back view: Although I tucked in stems of the Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' I used in last week's arrangement, I've drawn on foliage fillers I haven't used in awhile

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey, Cuphea 'Honeybells', Alstroemeria 'Claire', A. 'Indian Summer', Hippeastrum 'Apricot Parfait', and Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset'

May your holiday celebrations bring peace to your heart, comfort, and joy.

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas!

I kept my holiday preparations simple this year but at least I now have all my boxes ticked off.

I bought a pre-made pine wreath and embellished it with a bow, Magnolia leaves and berries from the garden, and a couple of ornaments, an angel and a climbing elf

Christmas gifts have been delivered or are in transit and the tree has been decorated.  Pipig likes the tree, although she still spends most of her time on her heating pad in my office.

Pipig's still eating well but last week's x-ray wasn't entirely clear so we have another appointment next week to determine whether more antibiotics are required 

There are a few other ornaments scattered about the living room and front entry, some of which are shown here

I also got my wish: a wet Christmas.

All 3 of my rain collection tanks are either full or very close to it, giving me a total of 475 gallons of rainwater.  Meanwhile, even heavier rain is expected through Friday morning.

I hope all your holiday wishes come true!

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

I bought a few Christmas presents for myself

Shopping for Christmas presents can lead one astray.  When considering gift prospects for a friend, I decided to visit Flora Grubb Gardens in Marina Del Rey following a pre-Christmas lunch with other friends at a nearby restaurant.  I initially focused on a Protea, as my friend was impressed by one we saw in bloom during our trip to Seaside Gardens in late October.  However, when making my selection, I started to worry about whether it would be a good fit as she hasn't grown anything in the Protea family and the conditions in her garden, nearly fifty miles north of mine, are very different.  I decided to buy one Protea and one tropical Rhododendron and offer her a choice, as I've considered getting both plants for myself and wouldn't mind keeping whichever one she rejected.  She chose the Protea and took it home last weekend.  Meanwhile, I'd convinced myself I had just the right spot for another Protea, so I decided to make another trip to Marina Del Rey this week to pick one up for myself.

Flora Grubb Gardens is about a fifty mile round trip for me so of course I had to make another round of the nursery once I arrived.  By comparison to the other local garden centers I frequent, the plants at this one are always exuberantly healthy.  In all three trips I've made there, I've yet to see a plant that wasn't in pristine condition.

Assorted Leucadendrons and what looks like Agave vilmoriniana (I didn't check)

Cordylines, Grevilleas, and Opuntias

These sculptures reminded me of Dustin Gimbel's creations but I didn't see a label

Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' looks its best at this time of year but I'll never need to buy any as I have an endless supply

Various other displays, including one featuring Proteas currently in bloom (upper left)

I was briefly entranced with this Stenocarpus sinuatus (aka firewheel tree).  It was tempting but it could get bigger than the space I have available for another tree.  The one I've seen at South Coast Botanic Garden always looks a little sickly but this one looked exceptionally healthy.

Even after checking other options, I decided to stick with with the same Protea I gave my friend.

Here's my own Protea 'Claire', slated to be planted in a bed at the front of the house.  I have another Protea, P. neriifolia 'Pink Ice', planted in a sunny spot in my north side garden.  It's yet to bloom but it's getting closer.

This is a Vireya Rhododendron, labeled 'Mitch Mitchell', which is the name of a prominent breeder of the tropical varieties.   I can't grow the Rhododendrons common in the Pacific Northwest but long ago another blogger suggested that I might be able to grow the Vireya types.  This will be an experiment and I plan to plant it in a large terracotta container. 

I made a couple other unexpected purchases for myself this week as well when I discovered that a very ambitious gopher has moved into my garden.  I had a gopher problem several years ago but it moved on after a little encouragement.  These critters are rampant in my area so it was just a matter of time before they returned.  My husband read that they're mostly solitary creatures, occupying territories of approximately one acre but, given the amount of movement this one has made recently, it's hard to believe he doesn't have an entire platoon accompanying him.

The mounds provide solid evidence of the sandy condition of my soil

I bought more solar-powered sonic gopher repellents.  I've tried the ones with replaceable batteries but they don't seem to last any longer than those with batteries that can't be replaced.  I bought 2 new sets, all of which have on-off buttons so, if and when they do their jobs, I can turn them off and store them away to be brought out as needed.  Hopefully, that'll give them a longer life span and reduce my use of disposable plastic items.

In addition to the 12 new sonic stakes, I've got 3 remaining stakes with replaceable batteries for a total of 15 in my back garden.  Three of the new stakes are shown here.  The 4th location shown above (lower left) is a new mound discovered the day after I installed the stakes, demonstrating that sonic irritation by itself won't immediately get rid of the annoying creature.

To further bolster my effort, I also bought a bag of a granular gopher deterrent, scattering it throughout the back garden beds.  The granules must be watered into the soil to have an effect.  I was counting on rain to hasten the gopher's departure but we didn't receive any measurable precipitation until last night and even that was light.  The forecasters are now projecting that first of two "real" rainstorms will arrive late Wednesday or early Thursday.  I'm dreaming of a wet Christmas.

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: As good as flowers

Bountiful blooms haven't suddenly appeared in the past week.  I initially focused on my ever-dependable Grevillea 'Superb' to fill this week's vase.  When I noticed that the bracts of the Leucadendon 'Safari Sunset' in the front garden were more coral and pink than red like those in the back garden, I decided to add them to the mix.  They complemented the Grevillea flowers well, ending up in a co-starring role.

Like poinsettias, the bracts of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' are modified leaves surrounding the plant's true flowers, which are much less flashy  

The back view was dressed up with stems of Cotoneaster berries

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Cotoneaster, Grevillea 'Superb', Leucadendron laxum, and L. 'Safari Sunset'

Is the arrangement suitably Christmas-y?  It'll have to do regardless.  The rain that was predicted to arrive on Sunday night has been pushed further into the week. Some light rain may arrive late Monday/early Tuesday but a solid rainstorm isn't expected until Wednesday and Thursday.  I'm looking forward to it, although I'm not yet ready to count my chickens.

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

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - December 2023

I checked last December's Bloom Day post before starting this one.  There were more flowers in December 2022 than there are this December but then we got over four and a half inches of rain between October 1st and December 31st in 2022.  Thus far, we've received less than half an inch in total between October 1st and today so the difference in the volume of flowers isn't all that surprising.  On the good news side, there's currently a significant chance of rain next week.  Maybe the tide is turning at last.

In November, Barleria obtusa (aka bush violet), Camellia sasanqua, and Tagetes lemmonii (aka Mexican marigolds) were the stars of my garden.  The bush violets and marigolds are now all but gone but other plants have stepped up to fill the vacuum.

Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' usually puts on its best display in the spring but it's doing pretty well this December, even if the bright orange leaves of the persimmon tree behind it are competing for attention

At some point during the last year, this Leucadendron 'Summer Red' exploded in size, at least when viewed from the back.  The colorful bracts aren't true flowers but they deserve the same kind of acclaim.

Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' hasn't reached maturity yet but it provides a nice backdrop for the Leucadendron in the prior photo

I took these photos of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' as night was falling.  Like 'Summer Red' this plant is also looking more dramatic viewed from the back.

The Camellia sasanqua shrubs are even more floriferous than they were last month.  Both varieties came with the garden and I don't have IDs for either.  I've always considered them similar in color but these photos show their differences in color and flower shape.

Many of the usual workhorses of my garden are present as well, even if not putting on a boisterous show.

The Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) sprang back after it was pruned in October; however, all the flowers are so far above my head I had to use a telephoto lens to capture them.  Wind and low humidity has also taken its toll on the flowers.

The Cupheas all need a hard pruning but I've been waiting for the onset of serious rainfall to do that.  From left to right are 'Honeybells', 'Starfire Pink', and 'Vermillionaire'.

Gomphreana decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' is back with a vengeance now.  What the flowers lack in size, they make up for in volume.

Even Grevillea 'Superb' (left and upper right) is a little light on flowers at this time of year.  A couple of months ago, I'd feared that Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' (lower right) was failing but an irrigation repair and eviction of some gophers has helped the shrub recover.

The Osteospermums are returning slowly - and I've yet to find any of the double-petaled varieties I prefer to fill empty spots where I'd like more.  All shown here except the yellow variety, '4D Sunburst', have been in my garden for one or more years.

This Pelargonium peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard' (aka ivy geranium) is happier than any others in my garden at present

Pentas lanceolata has been doing particularly well in this barrel container, which gets more water than my borders

There were a few surprises in terms of plants that have held on longer than I expected.

I didn't expect the blooms of Hibiscus acetosella 'Haight Ashbury' to continue once our nighttime temperature fell but they have.  Although the flowers last only a single day, I also discovered that flower buds on a cut stem do open in a vase.

I showed this Ruscus hypoglossum in a November post on foliage plants.  It's now covered in its peculiar tiny flowers, which remind me of alien insects (see closeup on the upper right).

Salvia discolor is still producing its delicate, almost black, sweetly scented blooms

Several Aloes and a few other succulents are just getting started.

Clockwise from the upper left are: Aeonium arboreum, Aloe lukiana, A. 'Moonglow', A. vanbalenii x ferox', A. 'Safari Rose', and Crassula orbiculata var rosularis

I've tied photos of the best of the rest together in color-coordinated collages.

Clockwise from the upper left: Barleria obtusa, Calibrachoa 'Mini Double Blue', Duranta repens 'Sapphire Showers', Lavandula multifida, Nemesia 'Sun Glow Bicolor', Polygala myrtifolia, and Vitex trifolia

Top row: noID Alstroemeria, noID Angelonia, and Argyranthemum 'Grandaisy Dark Pink'
Middle: Boronia crenula 'Shark Bay', Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre', and Pelargonium hortorum 'Dynamo Hot Pink'
Bottom: Persicaria capitata, Ptilotus exultatus, and Ruschia lineolata 'Nana'

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Claire', noID Angelonia, Dipladenia 'Sundenia White', and Fuchsia 'Wind Chimes White'

Top row: Arbutus 'Marina', Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', and Leonotis leonurus
Middle: Calibrachoa 'Supercal Cherry', Gazania 'Gold Flame', and noID Gazania
Bottom: Euryops chrysanthemoides, Rudbeckia 'Cherokee Sunset', and Tagetes lemmonii

For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Here one day, gone the next

The holidays sneaked up on me this year.  There was a time when I routinely completed most of my Christmas shopping by Halloween, leaving a lot of time for decorating, baking, letter writing, and just enjoying the holidays in December.  I had to plan well in advance during my workaholic days as I'd never have managed to get everything done by Christmas otherwise.  Once I retired, I lost all sense of urgency - and I also gave up baking, began sending holiday cards electronically, and started doing the vast majority of my gift shopping online when sales peaked.  This year I suddenly realized that the holidays were just around the corner and I hadn't done anything.  So gardening activity abruptly stopped while I played catch up but, earlier this week, I decided I could surely fit in a small project.

In November's foliage post, I commented on the need to remedy some overcrowding in my garden.  One problem in particular stood out for me, which I thought I could remedy relatively quickly.

I'd underestimated the mature size of both the hybrid Aloe vanbalenii x ferox on the left and the Agave attenuata 'Raea's Gold' on the right.  As a result, they were bumping elbows to the detriment of both.  I was less enamored with the Agave in this instance and also knew it was a prolific pupper, which was going to complicate matters further.  I targeted the Agave for removal/relocation.

Is any garden project ever quick?  This one took a couple of hours and involved some destruction in the process but I got it done.

This photo shows the Aloe once the Agave had been removed (along with a lot of weeds).  I had to cut out the Agave's pups as they were still tightly attached to the mother plant.  I also discovered that I had to saw down the trunk of the mother plant in order to remove it without harming the Aloe.  The base of the Agave still needs to be dug out.

This is a wide shot of the area after the Aloe was removed.  There's now an adequate amount of room for the Aloe to spread out (I hope).

Several of the Agave pups were too small or damaged to save but 5 of them are suitable for transplanting.  I removed several broken and scarred leaves at the base of the mother plant (shown here sitting in an empty pot to keep it propped up).  Although it's still quite large I think it'll root in a pot with free-draining soil given 3-6 months.  Assuming it does, I can either give it away or transplant it somewhere else if I can find a suitable spot.

As I was working on this post, Pipig decided to offer her assistance so I thought it was a good time to provide an update on her.

The vet recommended a second week of oral antibiotics as last week's chest x-ray still wasn't completely clear.  She wouldn't rule out cancer but the oral antibiotic (Veraflox) had obviously made an impact after the original antibiotic injection had little effect.   

Most importantly, her gagging behavior stopped entirely.  She also started eating more and her weight increased to 7 pounds (still low but it's a start).  She's also been more active, as jumping on my desk and interfering with my computer activity shows.

She's actively seeking attention on a regular basis again too

Pipig and I will be making yet another trip to the vet this morning for a follow-up-ray to assess her progress.  Hopefully, it'll be the last trip, at least for this year.  Now that she's feeling better, she's much more vocal on her forty minute trips to and from the vet's office.

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party