Late to the Garden Party

We got rain this weekend! Up through Friday, all I'd heard from the weather forecasters was that we had a chance of rain over the weekend. Even Saturday morning, as it started to drizzle, the prediction was that our area would receive, at most, a quarter of an inch of rain. As it turned out, we received more than an inch and a half over the course of Saturday and Sunday. When I returned home late Sunday afternoon after an outing to celebrate a friend's birthday, I found everything was well soaked. Some flowers fared better than others.

These Narcissus blooms had been hammered

Given the state of the Narcissus by the back door, I decided that I'd best try to use them in this week's arrangement for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme sponsored by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. I chose to pair the Narcissus with the winter "blooms" of Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder,' which, also battered by rain, were leaning into the driveway.

While clipping stems of Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder,' I decided to take some of the yellow blooms of the Aeonium sitting alongside it too

Here's what I came up with:

The vase contains:

Aeonium flowers (no ID)
Erysimum linifolium 'Variegatum'
Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder,' with yellow bracts and cones masquerading as flowers
Narcissus (no ID)
Solenostemon scutellairiodes 'Honey Crisp' (currently on its last legs)

Close-up of Aeonium flowers

Close-up of Leucadendron "flowers"

But there were other flowers in need of saving too. The Calliandra haematocephala, missed by the gardener's hedge trimmers during the holiday period, are sporting more blooms than usual so I clipped a few of those as well. They don't last long in a vase but they don't stay fresh on the shrub long either.

In addition to the Calliandra stems, this vase included:

Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola'
Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'
Solenostemon scutellarioides 'Fire Fingers' (also on its last legs)

Flowers and buds of Calliandra haematocephala (aka Pink Powder Puff)

Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' is just coming into bloom

Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'

Both vases found places where they can receive proper admiration.

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other bloggers have come up with this week.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

If my garden is any indication, January seems to be the month of the daisy. But before I provide the round-up of the daisies currently in bloom, I want to highlight my favorite flower this month, Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream.' I took a ridiculous number of photos of the flowers on this plant at various stages in their development but I'll share just one.

The flower of Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' starts out pale yellow and takes on its peach tones as it matures

A few other Grevillea are also in bloom, two of which are particularly eye-catching, despite their very small flowers.

The flower of G. alpina x rosmarinifolia is much smaller than it appears in this photo but perfect

G. lavandulacea 'Penola' is a large plant (over 6 feet tall) that produces tiny rose-red blooms

Among the daisies, my current favorite is Arctotis 'Pink Sugar,' which is providing the majority of floral color in my front garden right now.

Yes, those Arctotis flowers are bright! But I recently found another plant with blooms that are just as bright, albeit smaller.

Correa pulchella 'Flamingo'

But back to the daisies. As a genus, the Osteospermum are dominant in the daisy category as virtually every one in my garden is blooming (and I have a LOT of Osteospermum).

Shown here, clockwise starting with the larger photo on the left are: Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver,' O. 'Berry White,' O. 'Spoon Pink,' O. 'Serenity Bronze', and O. 'Blue-eyed Beauty'

Yellow daisies of various types also seem to be everywhere, perhaps due to the fact that I love yellow.

Clockwise from the top left are: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Butterfly,' annual Leucanthemum paludosum, Euryops 'Sonnenschein,' and a blooming Aeonium (no ID)

There are also multi-color daisies.

At top is Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach' and on the bottom (left to right) are Gazania hybrid 'Kiss Frosty White Flame' and Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Goblin'

And purple daisies.

Aster x frikartii 'Monch'

Blue and purple blooms of other kinds are also well-represented this January.

Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Horizon'

Anemone coronaria 'Mona Lisa Deep Blue' is much bluer than in looks here in the glare of the sun

Hebe speciosa 'Variegata'

The first grape hyacinth (no ID, possibly Muscari aucheri)

The first blooms of the annual Nemophila menziesii

Primula obconica, recently purchased to fill a temporary hole in the shady section of my new front garden

Solanum xantii, a California native that never shows up as well in pictures as it does in the garden

There are flowers that attract wildlife.

All 5 Arbutus 'Marina' trees are still in full flower and well-loved by bees and hummingbirds

The hummingbirds and bees also love Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink' but apparently do does this sulphur yellow butterfly

Ribes viburnifolium also attracts hummingbirds in flower

Other than Alyssum (Lobularia maritima), white flowering plants are in relatively short supply right now but there are a couple.

Cyclamen (no ID)

Nandina domestica

I even have an orchid blooming in my home office.

Miltassia Shelob 'Tolkein'

What's surprising is that many of the blooms that were present last January haven't yet made an appearance. Some, like the Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree) and the Narcissus got rained out - the Bauhinia was gorgeous last week but this week all the petals lie on the ground. There are no sign of flowers on the Ceanothus hedges, the Erysimum or the hardy Geraniums. With the exception of the Pelargonium peltatum (ivy geraniums), which are blooming but which I didn't photograph this month, none of the Pelargoniums are blooming yet either. Other plants, like Leucanthemum x superbum have produced a flower here and there but they don't seem ready to take off yet. I expect this may be the result of the colder temperatures we had in December.

That's it for my Bloom Day summary. Thanks for visiting. Check in with Carol at May Dreams Gardens, the host of the monthly event that is Bloom Day, to see what's happening in her Indiana garden and to find links to other Bloom Day posts from around the world.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

For this Foliage Follow-up, the monthly celebration of foliage sponsored by Pam at Digging, I thought I'd focus on some of own favorite foliage combinations. In time, I hope the foliage in the front garden will top my list but planting in that area is still incomplete and the plants currently in place need time to mature. Planted in the fall of 2013, the garden bed situated along the side yard patio is closer to realizing my original vision for it.

Bed photographed looking east toward the harbor

Bed photographed from the other direction, looking west toward the arbor entrance to the front garden

Plant detail, clockwise from top left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'; Alternanthera tenella mingling with creeping thyme; x Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' and Graptosedum 'California Sunset'; and Aeonium 'Kiwi' with thyme

Other areas where my foliage selections are making a difference include these:

The area across from the side patio bed, dominated here by Arthropodium cirratum and Acanthus mollis, both beautiful even without blooms

The area surrounding the pathway leading down into my "glen," bordered on each side by Pelargonium tomentosum and punctuated by Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey' on the left and Prostanthera ovalifolia and Aeonium (no ID) on the right

The bed running along the lower side of the slope

Some of the plants along the slope include (clockwise from upper left): Agave attenuata mingling with weed-like Geranium incanum and Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid'; Pelargonium 'White Lady' mingling with Euphorbia; a Centranthus ruber seedling implanted in the wall adjoining the steps (with weeds I didn't see when the photo was taken); and moss with ivy

While I was taking these photos, I made a sad discovery.

This Monarch butterfly was alive when I found it near the side patio this morning

Despite a torn wing, I'd hoped the butterfly would recover. It did shift position but, as it hasn't moved since this morning, it appears it isn't going to fly away. Then, after I'd returned to the house, I heard something strike the living room window and found a tiny hummingbird on the ground. Birds occasionally hit those windows but most recover so I left it alone. Happily, in this case, the bird recovered.

Seconds after I snapped this photo, before I could try to get another, this little bird flew off

Visit Pam at Digging to check out her foliage picks this month and to find links to other gardeners' foliage highlights.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Even when I have quite a few flowers in the garden, I struggle with decisions about what to cut for a vase. I don't like to duplicate the prior week's selections or color scheme if I can help it. And some flowers are just poor candidates for life in a vase - either the flowers close up in low light or they don't survive long. This week, the Primula obconica were calling.

They're pretty enough and may have combined well with the deep blue Anemone coronaria in my backyard but my skin reacts to the small hairs on their leaves, resulting in a nasty, itchy rash. This problem has been bred out of some P. obconica but, as I learned after planting these unlabeled varieties, this group isn't rash free.

So I went with Plan B. In my Bloom Day post, I complained that my beautiful Bauhinia x blakeana tree had been loaded with flowers before our last rainstorm but it was in a sorry state when Bloom Day came around, with its pretty petals all over the ground. It has since recovered some so, even though the blooms don't last long in a vase, I decided they deserved a moment in the spotlight.

Front of vase, featuring Bauhinia flowers

Back of vase, featuring Pelargoniums

The vase contains:

Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree)
Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' (aka Breath of Heaven)
Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink'
Pelargonium peltatum (aka ivy geranium), 2 varieties (no IDs)

Close-up of orchid-like Bauhina flowers

Close-up of the small, light pink Coleonema flowers

Close-up of the cigar-shaped flowers of the Cuphea (loved by hummingbirds and bees!)

2 unknown varieties of Pelargonium, one a double form

The arrangement ended up on a glass end table in the living room. (Last week's vase with the Leucadendron stems still occupies the area by the front door, where, with the exception of some of the Narcissus flowers, it looks as fresh as it did last Monday.)

The Bauhinia flowers are likely to drop within a couple of days and the buds left behind are unlikely to open but, assuming they don't, I can turn the arrangement around and position the Pelargonium to face outward. Maybe next week, I'll put on surgical gloves and try doing something with the lavender primrose...

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she's got in a vase this week and to find links to other gardeners' creations.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

While doing some work in our dry garden last Sunday, I suddenly noticed how nice my Leucadendon salignum 'Chief' was looking. It's a good-looking shrub when viewed from a distance.

Photographed looking north toward my neighbor's fence

Photographed looking southeast

But, when I looked at it up close, I was surprised to see that it was blanketed in small yellow and pink "flowers." The flowers are actually colored bracts surrounding a central yellow cone. I don't remember it flowering like this last year.

The tag that came with the plant described the flowers as blonde and pink

It also has beautiful red stems

Like many other Leucadendrons, its winter color is dramatically different from its summer color.

Summer foliage (photograph taken in early August 2013)

Leucadendron in the salignum species or with salignum parentage seem to fare particularly well in my garden. I planted 'Chief' in January 2013. It's currently about 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide but it may eventually reach 6-8 feet tall and wide. Native to South Africa, it has low water requirements but it needs full sun. It's said to be hardy to 30F (minus 1C).

Still fixated on the "flowers," I compared it to Leucadendron Wilson's Wonder.

Current photo of Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' in my front garden

Although, at maturity, the shrubs should be roughly equivalent in size, their flower size is dramatically different, as you can see here.

A stem of 'Wilson's Wonder' is on the left and 'Chief' is on the right

Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' is my favorite plant this week (even if 'Wilson's Wonder' is one of my favorite plants of all time). This post is offered in connection with Loree's favorites meme at danger garden. Loree presents her monthly favorites wrap-up on the last Friday of the month.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Last week, I featured a Leucadendron as my favorite plant of the week so that plant's flowers came to mind when the time came to prepare this week's vase for the meme sponsored by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. The Leucadendron's flowers, made up of colored bracts surrounding a central cone, are pink and yellow. I wanted some pink to play up the color of the bracts but the color I was looking for needed a coral cast. I remembered seeing some pink blooms on an unidentified Heuchera at the bottom of the slope and, on my trip down there, decided to include several stems of one of the Ribes currently in full bloom there as well. To balance the small flowers of the Leucadendron and the tiny flowers of both the Ribes and the Heuchera, I cut 2 rose stems from a climber I've yet to prune to add a focal point. I ended up with another sunshine-inspired bouquet.

Included in the vase are:

Argyranthemum frutescens 'Butterfly'
Heuchera (no ID, possibly one of the Canyon series)
Leucadendron salignum ' Chief'
Ribes viburnifolium, aka Catalina Perfume, an evergreen form
Rosa 'Joseph's Coat'

The unidentified Heuchera inherited with the house

A fuzzy photo of the Leucadendron blooms (you can see better ones here)

The tiny flowers of Ribes viburnifolium are hard to photograph and close-ups like this one make it appear they have some kind of white fuzz but these flecks are part of the stem's structure

The 'Joseph's Coat' rose, accompanied here by the yellow Argyranthemum, is a deep coral pink at its peak

Earlier stages of bloom - these 2 flowers are on the same stem

I tried the vase in a couple of settings.

Too busy

Much better

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to discover what she's arranged or, as she prefers to put it, "plonked" in a vase this Monday. If you've assembled a vase from materials in your garden, link up!

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

For Christmas, one of my friends gave me this:

She painted the features of a raccoon on a smooth black rock

Last week, another friend gave me this:

She found it during a post-holiday sale and thought of me

The question is: are they talismans or attractants?

This morning, in a brief stroll around the garden, I found this:

There was a lot more but I think the evidence is in. Cute they may be but my raccoon effigies aren't talismans. Pipig wasn't impressed either.

Pipig found the raccoon in "her" spot (where she likes to sit and stare at me while I'm at the computer) so she bit Rachel Raccoon's ear

It's a gray day here in coastal Southern California. On such days, spots of bright color are especially appreciated and, on rounds of the garden with my sister-in-law, here for a brief visit, I found my eye drawn to Solanum xanti 'Mountain Pride.' I picked up 2 containers of this native California selection in October and popped them into a bed we carved out of lawn in the backyard this fall. The low-growing sub-shrubs settled into the space without difficulty and have begun to spread out.

The 2 Solanum shrubs are surrounded by Leucadendron 'Pisa,' Salvia 'Amistad,' and Furcraea foetida, among other plants

My plants are currently just over one foot tall and close to 2 feet wide. If the predictions of the grower are correct, they should reach about 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide at maturity.

The plant's sprawling growth pattern is evident in this photo

A member of the nightshade family, all parts of the plant are reportedly poisonous. The flowers have a pleasing but light fragrance and the plant is attractive to pollinators. I tried - and failed - to catch a photo of a busy bumble bee flitting among the flowers this morning.

Close-up of flowers, which tend to face downward

The leaves and stems are fuzzy as shown in this poorly-focused photo:

The plant has low water needs but will tolerate some irrigation, which makes it a good choice for mixing within my borders. It's said to be tolerant of most soils as long as the area in which it's planted is well-drained. It's also reported to be hardy to 15-20F (-7C to -9C).

It grows in sun or shade, it's drought tolerant, and it's loaded with fragrant purple blooms so there's a lot to love about it. It's semi-deciduous so it may look a bit shabby by late summer but hopefully a good pruning will keep it in shape. Solanum xanti 'Mountain Pride' is my favorite plant of the week and my contribution to Loree's favorite plants monthly wrap-up at danger garden.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

It's February 1st, which means it's time to post wide shots of my garden, as I've done since September 2013 when Heather at Xericstyle kicked off this monthly exercise.

My front garden is filling in, although blank spaces remain here and there. This is due to a lack of design inspiration in some cases and an inability to secure plants on my wish list in other cases. I expect that most of the vacancies will fill up quickly once spring arrives and new plants flood the nurseries.

As I've pruned the shrub roses and Cuphea in the front borders, you can now see the newly planted area beyond from the street

The climbing rose to the far left of the front entry is the only one left to prune

Rounding the house clockwise from the front yard leads us to the vegetable garden, where I did finally plant up one of the 3 raised planters.

The sugar snap peas I planted from seed came up but were quickly nibbled to nubs by something, along with the lettuce I planted from 6-packs - only the Cilantro and sweet peas were left alone

The main draw in the vegetable garden are the citrus trees anyway. Although the squirrels and raccoons have been picking oranges from the lower branches, there are still plenty left up higher.

The Grevilleas, Leptospermums, Leucadendron, and Osteospermums are all blooming in the dry garden, as is one out-of-sync daylily.

Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' is blanketed in flowers and Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake' thinks spring has arrived

The path through the dry garden takes you down to our back slope. My husband and I spent a LOT of time there in January after the tree service was done grinding the stumps of the Yucca elephantipes that stood at the border between our property and that of the neighbor below us. Our efforts aren't readily apparent in my photos and it remains to be seen how successful our attempt at remediation will be.

View from the top of the stairs down the slope, looking into the neighbor's property

Our neighbors agreed to my proposal to create a new screen between our properties using 3 Pittosporum tenuifolium but getting these planted proved difficult for reasons it would take an entire post to explain. Although I added topsoil and compost, I remain concerned about how these 3 plants will fare sitting in an area filled with decomposing Yucca debris.

The view looking back up the slope's stairway

The beds created to the north of the back patio are filling in nicely.

View walking from the dry garden on the northwest side of the house toward the main backyard patio

However, there are gaps throughout the back garden. The return of the daylilies will fill some of these but I think I also need to swap out some of my perennials for shrubs to provide more structure.

View looking toward the harbor, partially obscured by fog

View looking back toward the northwest

While taking this series of photos, I realized that there was more light coming from the southeast than normal. Scanning the horizon, I discovered that the neighbor 2 mailboxes down had given his trees a severe haircut (the first in the 4 years we've lived in this house), leaving us a view of the street instead of trees.

I preferred the former view of the trees to watching pre-teens skateboard down our road

The overall appearance of the southeast side garden hasn't changed much.

After working on the back slope, my husband and I had little time or energy to give to the "glen" facing the street but seedlings are popping up along the slope to that area so nature is doing some work for me.

There's more light in this area since the trees next door and 2 doors over were trimmed

I removed a half-dead Ceanothus from the slope and pruned the roses, opening this view up a bit

From left to right: Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis,' inherited with the house; my new succulent cutting bed; Limonium transplants with volunteer seedlings of what I believe are probably Osteospermum

Lastly, here are this month's photos of the street-side succulent bed that lies just outside the glen.

The Pittosporum on the left is targeted for removal but the fate of the others is still undecided

So this week I got out a pair of surgical gloves and cut some of the Primula obconica that gave me a rash when I planted it. It has very pretty flowers, if also short stems, which necessitated use of my relatively short cut glass vase.

Side A

Side B

The way this vase is arranged, there is no obvious front or back so, like the vinyl records of old, I've labeled one Side A and the other Side B. Which would you select to face visitors entering the front door?

Here's what's included in the vase:

Anemone coronaria 'Mona Lisa Deep Blue' (visible on both sides)
Erysimum linifolium 'Variegatum' (visible on both sides)
Hebe 'Patty's Purple' (visible mainly on Side B)
Primula obconica - lavender and purple varieties (lavender visible on Side A, purple on Side B)
Salvia clevelandii 'Allen Chickering' (visible mainly on Side B)
Solanum xanti 'Mountain Pride' (visible only on Side A)

The beautiful blue Anemone coronaria

Erysimum linifolium, just coming into bloom

Hebe 'Patty's Purple,' with its first blooms of the new year

The lavender and white form of Primula obconica with Solanum xanti peeking overhead

The purple form of Primula obconica with Salvia clevelandii on the right

So what do you say? The vase is currently sitting in the entry way with Side A facing out. Should I turn it around?

A few additional flowers went into a still smaller "experimental" vase (as Julie at gardeningjules has called my arrangements of leftover flowers). The colors and flower shapes didn't quite fit in with the main vase.

This vase contains:

Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Horizon'
Cyclamen (unidentified white variety)
Globularia x indubia

The Globularia is an acquired taste - at least it was for me. I bought it for the foliage and wasn't at all sure I liked the flowers when the plant first bloomed. They start out looking rather like blue eyeballs, but I've grown to appreciate them.

Globularia x indubia, aka Globe Daisy

This vase ended up in the guest bathroom.

And, last but not least, this week I have a third vase, courtesy of my sister-in-law, who brought me a dozen beautiful roses in my favorite color when she stayed with us at the end of last week. They didn't come from my own garden but they certainly deserve notice. Thanks P!

This is my contribution to Cathy's weekly meme at Rambling in the Garden. If you have a vase to share, join the fun and post a link on Cathy's blog.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Photo taken by ericnp on January 30, 2015 (http://theoddsock-ericnp.blogspot.com/)

Tuesday was Groundhog Day, a day on which a large rodent is dragged from its burrow to predict the beginning of spring. If the groundhog sees his shadow, winter is supposed to extend its run another 6 weeks but, if the day is cloudy and there's no shadow, an early spring is expected. Why this assessment based on the presence or absence of shadows requires a groundhog has never been clear to me. The event and the festivities that accompany it date back to the 18th century in the United States and has roots in European traditions dating back much further.

The groundhog's range doesn't extend to California and, if it wasn't for the television coverage of the observances in the Northeast and the 1993 movie, I doubt it would even register here. The groundhogs consulted for their annual predictions, like weather forecasters and news analysts, aren't particularly reliable. According to Wikipedia, of the 34 groundhogs consulted in 2015, 17 predicted an early spring but 16 predicted 6 more weeks of winter. The prediction of the last one, Jimmy of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, was contested when he bit the mayor's ear during the critical phase of the shadow assessment.

In my own garden, the harbinger of spring is the flowering of my Pyrus calleryana (aka ornamental pear). It has been dropping leaves since November but, last week, I looked up and noticed that buds had suddenly appeared all along its branches. I didn't get out to take a photo of it until January 31st, when the first few buds were already opening.

By Wednesday, as I drove up the street toward our driveway, I noticed this:

The tree was suddenly and completely in full bloom:

There are many methods for identifying the start of spring, groundhog predictions being just one. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, spring is the "the season between winter and summer during which temperatures gradually rise." Our temperatures jerk up and down like a yo-yo throughout our "cool season" so changes there aren't helpful. I don't put store in the predictions of rodents or temperature fluctuations but my tree is a credible source and it tells me that spring is just around the corner in my area of Southern California.

Standing under the tree, you hear the buzzing of hundreds of bees

As soon as the ornamental pears begin their bloom cycle, I look at my garden more closely and I inevitably see signs that the garden is readying itself to explode into bloom.

Clockwise from top left: Bulbine and Papaver nudicaule, Ageratum corymbosum in bud, tiny Muscari blooms, early blooms on Ceanothus hedge, the first Calla lily, a Freesia about to bloom

Why should our definition of spring be linked to numbers on a calendar or a rodent's shadow? Our gardens are the real prognosticators. Bulbs breaking through soil, hatchlings in nests, the first flowers in a border - all signal the beginning of spring. We just need to look for the signs. What signals spring's arrival in your garden?

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

The seasons are already shifting here - I can feel it. Although winter in coastal Southern California is little more than an abstract concept, there are changes I've come to recognize as signifying the onset of spring. One of these, as I described in my last post, is the explosion of blooms on our ornamental pear tree, Pyrus calleryana, which seems to occur overnight. At the same time, I notice that the hummingbirds are getting feistier and other birds show signs of nest-building, while spring bulbs produce their first blooms.

In preparing this week's vase for the meme sponsored by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, I was juggling the winter and spring blooms in my garden. I thought I'd pair some of the new blooms of my pink Alstroemeria with wintry stems of Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' which has been blooming for a good 2 months now. But the 2 just didn't seem to belong together. So, yet again, I ended up with 2 vases, one geared to spring and the other to winter.

The spring blooms went into a cut glass vase with a heart-shaped throat, as appropriate for the week heading into Valentine's Day. I don't often use this vase as its tapered opening has proven awkward to work with.

The finished vase shown from different angles

The spring-like elements I included are:

Alstroemeria (no ID)
Bulbine frutescens
Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey' (foliage)
Freesia
Jasminium polyanthemum
Pelargonium tomentosum (foliage)
Zantedeschia aethiopica (common Calla Lily)

This short-stemmed Alstroemeria is traditionally one of the first spring flowers to bloom in this garden each year

The Freesia, loved for its scent as much as its flowers' shape, is appearing on roughly the same schedule it did last year but earlier than it did in 2013

The Jasmine doesn't actually belong to me - it spills over the fence from my neighbor's garden

This Zantedeschia, shown here with the snake-like blooms of Bulbine, grows along the stairway leading down our back slope

In addition to the Alstroemeria, I tried pairing the Grevillea lavandulacea with the Calla Lily and the Jasmine but neither seemed right with the strong gray color of the Grevillea. So, I cut some of the blue-gray foliage of Senecio cineraria (syn. Jacobaea maritima, commonly called Dusty Miller in the US) and popped it and the Grevillea into one of my favorite mugs and left it at that.

The rose-red blooms say Valentine's Day to me

Blooms like these cover literally every stem of the 6-foot tall Grevillea

The glass vase landed in the entry way, where it can be viewed from a couple of angles.

And the wintry mug landed on the fireplace mantle in the master bedroom.

To get a look at vases put together by other gardeners from materials on hand in their gardens, please visit Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In our area, many people value sky-line views over the trees and other foliage that surround their homes. This wasn't something I understood when my husband and I moved here 4 years ago. We learned it the hard way not along afterwards, however, and I'm getting another lesson on the subject now.

One of our neighbors caught me on the fly last weekend as I was finishing up a long afternoon of work in our front garden. She told me that our trees were interfering with her view and that we needed to do something to correct that. In 2012, this same neighbor raised objections to our 60+ foot Eucalyptus tree, which we ultimately agreed to take out early in 2013 in the interest of neighborly goodwill.

The area occupied by the Eucalyptus before (left) and immediately after its removal

After the Eucalyptus was removed, the neighbor gave me before and after photos of her view and expressed happiness with the change. I thought all was well so her new complaint came as a surprise. Worse yet, standing in our driveway, she raised issues about virtually every tree in sight, even the small Bauhinia x blakeana next to the house.

The Bauhinia rises just slightly above our roof-line

Taken off-guard by the exchange, I responded that I was reluctant to cut back trees this year due to the drought and my desire to provide the plants below them as much shade as possible. She pushed harder, suggesting that many of our trees should either come out or be severely cropped. She pointed to what the neighbor across the street did to his Cotinus as an example of "neighborly" behavior.

Once these trees leaf out, they'll look a lot better but not all trees respond well to this kind of treatment

I got my back up at this point and said I'd look into getting my trees trimmed but I balked at taking out any trees or cutting them in the manner shown in the photo above. In response, she declared that she didn't want to take the matter to the city's View Restoration Commission but was prepared to do so if we couldn't resolve her concerns.

Our city has what has been described as the most rigorous view preservation ordinance in the US. After talking to my neighbor, I read through the 30-page document describing the procedure for implementing the ordinance, which addresses foliage taller than 16 feet (or the foliage owner's roof-line, whichever is less), if such foliage significantly interferes with the 1989 view from the complainant's property. I talked to my husband, a few of our other neighbors, and some friends. I did not invite the complaining neighbor to walk the property with me so she could point out every tree she wanted removed or cut back. However, my husband and I did pull out the photographs she'd provided to us in 2013 and checked these against photos we took from the public trail that runs near her house.

These photos, taken by the complaining neighbor before and after our Eucalyptus tree was removed give us some indication of what her view may have looked like in 1989 and provide clues as to steps to "restore" that view (the marks in the photo on the right are her own, showing the space that was formerly occupied by the Eucalyptus)

After shedding some tears, I've told my husband I'm willing to remove one of the 2 Agonis flexuosa in the backyard border. The second Agonis in that border, the healthier of the 2, sat behind the former Eucalyptus so I believe it's protected under the terms of the ordinance as that same area was obstructed when the Eucalyptus was in place.

Under the current plan, the tree on the left will go but the one on the right will be retained

In addition, we're going to thin our other 6 Agonis and reduce the crowns, but only so far as the reductions cause no material damage to the health and integrity of the trees. We'll also cut back 2 Arbutus 'Marina' and our Magnolia.

This morning, I walked through the garden with representatives of 2 different tree services to obtain bids on the work. I want to get it scheduled as soon as possible as winter, such as it is here, is clearly
coming to an end. With the Santa Ana winds blowing, our temperatures are expected to soar to 90F (32C) this week. I'll need to dig up the plants surrounding the tree slated for removal to minimize collateral damage and I expect a lot of additional work will be required to restore the surrounding area after-the fact, as was the case when the Eucalyptus was removed.

I haven't said anything to the complaining neighbor yet. I'll let her know our plans when the work is scheduled. If she isn't satisfied, then we'll deal with the View Restoration Commission if and when the time comes - and let the neighbor pay the cost of any further foliage removal and site restoration of our property, as provided by the ordinance.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

The last week was unseasonably hot and very, very dry. With the Santa Ana winds blowing, some flowers withered and, in one case, simply blew away.

Just over a week ago, our Pyrus calleryana (ornamental pear tree) sprang into bloom. Three days ago, when the Santa Ana winds began, the tree was still covered in flowers as shown here, but, as of today, the blooms have been stripped clean of the branches - the petals literally looked like falling snow as the winds blew.

Under these conditions, the hardiest plants show what they're made of. The two genera making the biggest splash this Bloom Day are the Osteospermums and the Grevilleas. Last month, the Osteospermums made the biggest impact but, in February, the Grevilleas are coming into their own.

Clockwise from the left: Osteospermum ecklonis 'Blue-eyed Beauty,' O. '3D Silver,' O. 'Spoon Pink,' O. 'Serenity Bronze,' and O. fruticosum

Clockwise from top left: Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' in full bloom, close up of 'Penola' flowers, G. 'Scarlet Sprite,' G. 'Peaches & Cream,' G. alpina x rosmarinifolia, and G. juniperina 'Molonglo'

The bulbs are also starting to make a show. No daffodils have bloomed yet but other bulbs accustomed to warmer climates have.

On the left: Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake' is finishing up a cycle of sporadic blooms that started in late December; Top right: yellow and lavender Freesias; Bottom right: Sparaxis tricolor and Hippeastrum 'La Paz'

Pink and red blooms are the most prevalent.

This Alstroemeria (no ID) is always one of the first spring blooms in my garden

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' is blooming its heart out in my front garden

With rain a distant memory, the Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) is once again covered in vivid blooms

This Bilbergia nutans is looking a little sad but, after waiting 2 months for its bloom, I couldn't leave it out

The flowers of Calliandra haematocephala (aka Pink Powder Puff) don't last long but they keep on coming

Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' blooms most of the year but it puts on a big show in spring

One of the pots of Cymbidiums I virtually ignore has produced 2 floriferous bloom spikes

The delicate pinkish-white blooms of Geranium x cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' have made an appearance

Hebe 'Wiri Blush' is back in bloom

This Jasminum polyanthum hangs over the fence from my neighbor's yard (shown here enveloping her Brugmansia)

A poor photograph of the beautiful Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl, which has been blooming for months

The pink and red blooms are fairly well balanced by those in shades of blue and purple.

Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Horizon' is still going strong

This Alyogyne huegelii (aka blue Hibiscus) is new to my garden

Although the Anemone coronaria belonged with the bulbs, I thought it warranted a full-size photo of its own

The Ceanothus hedges (no ID) have begun to bloom

Reliable Erysimum linifolium 'Variegatum'

The bees love Globularia x indubia even if I haven't entirely warmed up to it

Newly planted Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' (called 'Little Grapes' elsewhere)

Trailing Lantana (no ID) has begun mingling with its neighbors

Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly' is another shrub that blooms virtually year-round here but the flowers are most prolific in the spring

Solanum xanti 'Mountain Pride' is a gorgeous California native

There are some orange, yellow and white blooms too (beyond those already featured among the Osteospermums, Grevilleas and bulbs).

Aloe deltoidonto has 3 blooms spikes

Argyrantemum frutescens 'Butterfly' is growing fast and blooming well

Bulbine frutescens is once again in full bloom after a couple of months of quiet

I think this is Cotyledon undulata but I'm not certain - whatever it is, it's in bloom in various areas of the garden

After innumerable attempts to photograph this California native, Isomeria arborea, this was the best I could do

Nandina domestica is usually grown for its foliage and berries but the flowers are pretty too

Last but not least, there are a few multi-colored blooms I wasn't sure how to categorize.

Abutilon metapotamicum is new to my garden - after months of admiring it on other gardeners' blogs, I finally found one

Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Goblin' is once again producing sporadic blooms

Gazania hybrid 'Kiss Me Frosty White Flame' continues to bloom

That's it for my Bloom Day round-up. While the eastern US is covered in snow from one storm after another, spring is definitely making its presence known in coastal Southern California. To see what's happening in other parts of the world, stop by and visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, the gracious host of the monthly Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day event.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In preparing my Bloom Day post, I discovered that the Cymbidium I'd been watching had finally bloomed, producing 4 flower spikes. In the past, I've moved pots of blooming orchids from the veritable wasteland near the street where they're kept up near the house but this time I decided to cut some of the spikes for the vase prepared in connection with the weekly exercise hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. I clipped 3 spikes before I could think better of this plan, which I may have done as the question that almost immediately presented itself was: what can hold its own with orchids? Most of the flowers I considered, including yellow Freesias, succulent Bulbine, and fragrant Jasminum polyanthum, were immediately dismissed on the argument that they'd compete with, rather than support, the orchid flowers. I ended up with a very simple arrangement using just 3 elements.

In addition to the Cymbidium spikes (no ID), I used Coleonema album and Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl.'

Close-up of Cymbidium flowers - there are a total of 12 flowers on the 3 spikes

Unlike the pink-flowered Coleonema pulchellum I frequently use, which blooms most of the year, C. album blooms only in spring

The pink petals and burgundy centers of the Leptospermum flowers echo the colors of the orchid

The orchid had belonged to my mother-in-law, although her plant was originally a division of one of mine, now long gone. The vase I used was a gift from my own mother, purchased on her one and only trip to Finland, her parents' homeland. The arrangement sits on our dining room table, where I can appreciate the contributions of both women, both now also gone.

For more vases assembled from materials collected close to home, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Last week our temperatures veered into the mid-80sF (29C), making it feel not only that winter was over but that we were skipping over spring into summer. However, the morning marine layer returned on Monday and the daytime temperatures have drifted back down into the 70sF, comfortable and definitely spring-like. With flowers popping up everywhere, it's easy to overlook the surrounding foliage but not all of the foliage in my garden has willingly accepted an understudy role. In scanning my garden, my eye was repeatedly drawn to bronze tones.

The Xylosma congestum hedges are a case in point. Trimmed back a few weeks ago, they're now wearing shiny new foliage in a delicious bronze shade.

Xylosma hedge shown against a backdrop of a neighbor's pine trees in the distance

The bronze foliage is even more evident when viewed next to the deep bluish-green of the Ceanothus hedge planted alongside it

My normally green Aeonium have also turned a beautiful shade of bronze.

This clump of Aeonium is just touched with bronze at the edges

This clump, only a few feet away and part of the same bunch gifted to me by a friend when we moved into the house, has turned a deeper bronze

And, these 2, planted along the driveway where they get very little water, are bronzer still

And, finally, these sitting on the backyard patio table exposed to sun all day, are moving from bronze to burgundy

And the Calliandra haematocephala is sporting bronze foliage as fancy as its powder-puff red flowers.

This shrub outside the living room window has been allowed to leaf out more than usual

It will have to be cut back soon as it's reaching out into the pathway

I'd love to use its stems in a vase but the leaves close up in the dimmer light of the house

Pretty as any flowers, wouldn't you say? These bronze beauties are my contribution to the monthly foliage follow-up meme sponsored by Pam at Digging. Visit Pam to find her foliage highlights and links to other foliage-centric posts.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

It never fails that, as soon as I publish my Bloom Day post, I find flowers I somehow missed. Or, just as frequently, flowers bloom a day or two after the middle of the month. The number of "misses" is particularly high this month. The flowers seem to be virtually knocking down the garden gate. Perhaps this is a response to the spate of unseasonably warm weather we had in the days leading up to Bloom Day - our cool season flowers want their time in the limelight before hot weather gains a foothold here and they have to creep back under cover to prevent themselves from frying.

Here's a taste of what has popped up since I prepared my Bloom Day post:

Okay, maybe I just missed this Argyranthemum frutescens 'Madeira Red' in a pot at the bottom of the slope

But how could I have missed Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection'? I've been waiting since late December for its blooms to open.

Just a couple of days ago, in a comment on another blog, I said I'd seen no sign of flowers or leaves on our Cercis occidentalis, then I walk thorough the garden the next morning and see this

Perhaps I can be excused for missing the small pale flowers opening on this Cistus x skanbergii

And these equally pale, small-sized noID daffodils, nearly hidden beside Stipa tenuissima

I didn't include Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach' in my Bloom Day post because there were only one or 2 flowers showing then but now there are dozens of blooms and buds. This Gaillardia, which has shown itself to be much more vibrant than G. 'Mesa Peach' is my favorite plant this week.

Yes, I featured Gazania 'New Day Yellow' in January's post but it deserves another showing. This particular bloom is more than 4 inches in diameter - it's screaming for attention!

Even Graptopetalum paraguayense is blooming

I'd noticed buds on Grevillea 'Superb' when I was taking my Bloom Day photos but the first of these has now opened

Hebe 'Patty's Purple' isn't flashy and I guess I just missed the fact that it had started blooming again

The tiny flowers of Ipheion uniflorum are easily missed

Limonium perezii never gets the respect it deserves

But how did I miss the blooms on this Phalaeonopsis that sits on my own desk?

To be honest, I took several pictures of this Philotheca myoporoides 'Profusion', a relatively new acquisition, for the Bloom Day post - the plant wasn't nearly as photogenic in full sun as it is under the cover of a marine layer

Phlomis fruticosa has just produced its first tentative blooms

There are a LOT of buds as well. Two more Grevillea, 'Ned Kelly' and 'Bonfire', are developing buds, as is my new 'Hot Pink' Callistemon. There are even buds on my sweet peas. However, my guess is that the next plant to burst into bloom will be the Ageratum corymbosum - it's close, I think.

The buds on this Ageratum began forming in early January

I think spring is here.

(My apologies - and sympathy - to those experiencing dreadful weather elsewhere. I hope you understand that spring needs to be celebrated when it makes its appearance. That happens on a different schedule for all of us. Your time will come!)

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

If you've read my last Bloom Day posts, you may realize that I've become obsessed with Grevilleas. As Grevillea 'Superb' recently bloomed, it seemed a good choice as the centerpiece of this week's vase, prepared in connection with the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. (I still can't bring myself to cut the flowers of G. 'Peaches and Cream' but 'Superb' is tucked further out of sight so a vase is a good way to increase my viewing opportunities.) 'Superb's'blooms are very bright and I picked equally bright companions, setting up an unanticipated struggle for dominance as the vase's focal point.

Front view

Back view

Here's what's included:

Alstroemeria, pink (noID)
Freesia, yellow
Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach'
Grevillea 'Superb'
Pelargonium x hortorum 'Mrs. Pollock'
Xylosma congestum

The deep yellow Freesia are blooming like gangbusters and sweetly scent the room when included in a vase

The Gaillardia would probably outshine the competition if their stems were longer (and the Freesia hadn't partially hidden them)

Even if the Grevillea isn't quite as bright as some of the other blooms, the bloom has a more complex and interesting form

The Pelargonium's foliage is attractive on its own

But the Pelargonium also produces an almost florescent orange flower (I usually remove the flowers but I couldn't bring myself to do so this time)

New Xylosma foliage, cut from the hedge that surrounds our home, is the most demure element in today's vase

Which flower do you think steals the show in today's vase? The vase landed in the front entry. Last week's orchid vase still sits on the dining room table, looking little different than it did last week.

The Leptospermum and Coleonema in last week's vase have deteriorated somewhat but not the Cymbidiums!

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she's put in a vase this week and to find links to the creations of other participating gardeners.

All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

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