Late to the Garden Party

Two friends and I made a trip to Roger's Gardens last Saturday. Two very different displays caught my attention near the entrance.

The first was the installation of a new succulent display garden. It's another indication of Roger's commitment to a California-friendly plant palette. The bed was too large to photograph in one wide shot (at least in the presence of customer traffic) so I took multiple shots walking around the circular space.

What's your reaction to the layout? Although I generally prefer naturalistic plant arrangements, I liked the circular and paisley patterns in this bed. I also liked the use of rocks of varying size, combined in places with smaller gravel. Although the display is made up of good-sized specimens, I admit that it probably isn't sustainable in the long-term as some of those succulents will get larger still in time but my guess is that it's not meant to remain in place more than 6 months at most.

The other display was a daffodil exhibition. I love daffodils, in part because most come in my favorite color, yellow, but also because they're an emblem of spring. I don't have much of a collection myself and I'm not well-versed in their culture but it was fun to have a look at the range of variation among them.

Some of my favorites, clockwise from the left (assuming that I got the names right): 'Karigal', 'Pacific Rim', 'Falstaff', 'Early Dawn', 'Innovator', 'Butter n' Eggs', and Pima

Surprising myself as much as my friends, I didn't buy much on this trip. Anticipating the pending upheaval associated with taking out a tree in the backyard and cutting back 9 other trees in response to a neighbor's complaint about my garden's obstruction of her view (as previously discussed here), I've felt frozen in place with respect to work in my garden. Hopefully, after the work is complete on March 7th, I'll be able to refocus on my own plans for the garden.

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

This week, perhaps due to our partially cloudy skies, my eyes were drawn to the most vivid colors in the garden. In selecting a plant as my favorite of the week to link to Loree's monthly favorites wrap-up at danger garden, I debated a few possibilities, including Callistemon 'Hot Pink' and Calliandra haematocephala.

Callistemon 'Hot Pink" has only been in my garden about 6 weeks and this is its first flower so I decided it deserves more time to reach its potential

Calliandra haematocephala has already received a lot of attention in this blog so I decided to direct my attention elsewhere for this post

I settled on Bryophyllum manginii, one of the relatively few plants I picked up during a visit to Roger's Gardens with friends last week.

Bryophyllum manginii sitting on my backyard patio

I remember being tempted by this plant last year and, as it was on "special" when I visited Roger's, how could I pass it up? I even stopped by my local garden center last week and purchased a Talavera-style pot to put it in. Although priced well below Talavera norms, the pot still cost more than three times the amount of the plant but so be it. It needed that pot.

The plant was labeled as Kalanchoe manganii 'Bette's Red Bells,' but it appears that it's now classified as Bryophyllum manginii, although Kalanchoe manginii is listed as a synonym on The Plant List. One of its common names is chandelier plant, which is a fitting description of its arching flower stems.

The evergreen succulent foliage isn't particularly distinctive.

However, the salmon-red, bell-shaped flowers are very pretty, reminding me of those borne by Phygelius.

The plant is native to Madagascar and is very tender. On-line sources indicate that its best kept at temperatures above 50 to 55F (10 to 12C), which means that I need to exercise care with it even here. Although the plant was shown in full sun and the tag recommended full to partial sun, other sources reference partial shade. As long as our temperatures remain cool, I'll leave it where it sits on the backyard patio in full sun but, if it becomes stressed or the temperatures jump back up into the mid-80sF, I'll move it to the side yard patio, which gets just morning sun.

This pretty, tender Bryophyllum manginii is my favorite plant this week. You can see last week's favorite, Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach,' in my Bloom Day Postscript. It's still blooming its heart out in one of my backyard borders.

Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach' line the front of this bed along the backyard patio

Visit Loree at danger garden to find her favorite plants wrap-up for February and links to other gardeners favorite plant picks.

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

Rain was predicted for Friday through Monday this weekend but it didn't show up here until last night and it has been light thus far. In anticipation of the rain, I took my wide shot photos yesterday, when the skies just held the portent of rain.

View of clouds over the Los Angeles harbor

The front garden, irrigated by sprinklers once a week and hand-watered as needed during dry spells, continues to fill in nicely.

Inspired by a recent series of photos from Rock Rose, I took a few pictures from inside the house this month. This one, taken from our master bedroom, turned out better than many of my exterior shots.

Closer look of the front garden beds on the north side of the front walkway

Closer view of the area on the south side of the front walkway

View looking toward the driveway near the arbor entrance to the south side yard

Although raccoons still rummage through the south side yard one or two times a week, they seem to be doing less damage. I've used the prickly seed cones that fall from the Magnolia tree and thorny stems from my pruned rose bushes to create rings around the newer and more fragile plants, which, amazingly, seems to put them off a bit even if it hasn't sent them packing.

The usual view through the harbor looking toward the harbor

Another photo taken from inside the house - this one was taken from the living room looking out on the side yard

The usual view looking at the side yard from the backyard

The backyard beds still have holes here and there that need to be filled but I'm holding off any work there until the tree trimming scheduled for next Saturday is completed.

View of the backyard taken from inside our dining room

Exterior view of the backyard, looking south

A longer view looking in the same direction - that "lawn" walkway is little more than a collection of weeds now

View in the other direction, looking north - the tree in the mid-border on the right, at the edge of the frame, is the one we're taking out next week to accommodate a neighbor who claims our trees obstruct her views

The backyard borders north of the main patio, both created last year, are also filling in well.

View of the 2 newest backyard beds, both filled with drought tolerant plants

View of the same beds looking in the opposite direction

Nothing much has been done with the dry garden in the last month.

Photo of the dry garden taken from inside the master bathroom

My husband helped me weed the back slope last weekend. I did a little planting along the lower slope last month, adding 3 small Pelargoniums and two Agave attenuata pups taken from elsewhere in the garden. I continue to hand-water the 3 Pittosporum tenuifolium I planted to create a screen between us and our neighbors but I expect it'll be a good year before we have any kind of real barrier there. Meanwhile, I think the existing lemon, fig and peach trees are benefiting from the increased sunlight.

View of the slope looking down the cement block stairway - you can see the fig tree midway down is already leafing out

The usual view of the slope, looking up

I planted more sugar snap pea seeds to replace the seedlings previously nibbled by critters of some kind but the second round of seedlings disappeared as soon as they broke through the soil as well. However, one of the sweet pea seedlings has already produced a bloom. I'm seriously considering skipping vegetables altogether and using the raised beds to grow flowers for cutting instead.

A single sweet pea bloom can be seen on the plant growing up the yellow tomato cage on the right

I haven't touched the street-side succulent bed or the adjoining area I call the "glen" in the past month so little has changed there.

The succulents have filled in some but the shrub on the far left is clearly dead and will need to be taken out. A neighbor told me that these shrubs, which I think are Auranticarpa rhombifolium, once ran the entire boundary along the street but, when they began dying soon after installation, most were were replaced with Xylosma congestum.

The glen area is enjoying more light since the neighbors trimmed their trees and I just noticed that the pineapple gauva (Feijoa sellowiana) has already begun to bloom. (It's partially concealed in this photo, which shows it backed by other trees in the distance.)

That's it for this month's wide shots post. My continuing thanks go to Heather of Xericstyle for inaugurating this monthly exercise.

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

Rain was forecast for the entire weekend but, for the most part, it missed us until last night. It was dry again for awhile this morning but, it's raining now and we're even getting thunder and lightening. It's an exciting way to start the week in an area that sees relatively little in the way of weather fluctuations. Today's bouquet for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, was put together in something of a hurry.

Front view

Back view

I spent time weeding and cleaning things up at the bottom of the slope over the weekend, where I noticed several Calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) in bloom so they were the natural choice as the focal point for this week's vase. In addition to the Callas, I included:

Coleonema album
Freesia
Narcissus, dwarf (noID)

Common Calla lilies

Coleonema album, which is currently in full bloom

These yellow Freesias differ slightly in color, with the one on the left reading as a clear yellow and the one on the right as gold, although the photos above don't show the difference well

My noID dwarf daffodils began blooming just days ago

The new bouquet took the place of last week's vase at the front entryway. That vase, featuring Grevillea 'Superb,' lasted nearly a week. The vase containing Cymbidium stems, created for my post on February 16th, is still on the dining room table, still looking almost as it did then.

New vase in position near the front door

The photo on the left was taken for the February 16th post; the one in the middle was taken for last week's post; and the one on the right was taken for today's post. I changed the vase water once but haven't replaced any of the flowers. The Leptospermum and Coleonema appear to be drying in situ and the orchids show little sign of decay.

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find her newest creation and links to the contributions of other gardeners. If you have a vase created from materials in your own garden, link up!

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

I pruned my shrub roses in the front garden in late January and, although they've got a lot of healthy bronze foliage, they've yet to produce any flowers. Arctotis hybrid 'Pink Sugar' has been filling the floral vacuum since December. Their bloom has become more prolific in the past month.

The plants, commonly called African daisies (but not to be confused with Osteospermum or Gazania, called by the same common name) are evergreen and perennial in my USDA zone 10b garden where frost is not normally an issue. The foliage did get a bit ratty last year when summer arrived early. Some of my plants waited out the intense heat of last summer from the sidelines in pots but I popped them in the new front garden borders in November, where they've been growing exuberantly ever since. The silvery, slightly fuzzy foliage, is thick and healthy.

They grow well in full to part sun and have low water needs, a big plus in drought-stricken Southern California. In addition to being drought tolerant, they're reported to be deer resistant. My mature plants are about 18 inches (46 cm) tall and almost 2 feet (61 cm) wide.

The flowers are a bright pink with a prominent orange eye but, with their grayish foliage, they blend in well in my Mediterranean plant scheme.

When the sun goes down, the flowers close up

Several of the blooms recently have produced petals in the middle of the central disk

With regular deadheading, the flowers keep on coming. Most sources characterize them as spring to summer bloomers but I've noticed that the bloom here is heaviest during our cool season (winter through spring). Hopefully, irrigation help the plants continue blooming into summer this year.

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' is my favorite plant this week. You can find other gardeners' favorite plant choices on the last Friday of the month when Loree of danger garden presents her favorites wrap up.

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

I noticed buds developing on my Ageratum corymbosum in late December. The buds became larger and more prolific in January. I thought they'd open in time for Bloom Day in February but, as they did last year, they kept me waiting until March. They finally began opening en masse at the end of last week so their inclusion "In a Vase on Monday" didn't require any deliberation whatsoever.

Ageratum corymbosum planted outside our living room window

Front view of completed vase

Back view

In addition to the Ageratum, I included lavender and yellow Freesia and Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly.' The stems of yellow Freesia were a last minute addition, intended to perk up the mix by picking up the subtle yellow color in both the lavender Freesia and the Polygala.

Close-up of Ageratum flower stalk

Lavender Freesia

Polygala fruitcosa

The new vase replaced the one containing Cymbidium stems I created 3 weeks ago on the dining room table. The orchids had faded a bit but they still looked surprisingly good even when I tossed them.

Cymbidium arrangement just before it was chucked

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

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

Every border needs a focal point, doesn't it? My backyard border changed dramatically last weekend with the removal of the Agonis flexuosa that marked its mid-section. The removal came about in response to a complaint lodged by a neighbor concerning what she perceived as the obstruction of her view by our trees. You can read the gory background details here so I won't reiterate them in this post.

Rather than engage in a battle arbitrated by our city's "view conservation commission," my husband and I decided to remove one tree and to thin and reduce the crowns of 9 others in a good faith effort to address the neighbor's objections. Even after receiving notice of our intent, she sought to insert herself into details of the decision process. After I declined her request to tour the property and discuss each tree in turn, she delivered photos, including at least one taken with a telephoto lens, showing the "offending foliage" circled with a yellow highlighter. I haven't asked her opinion of the completed work and I don't intend to. If she's dissatisfied, then we'll let the city commission address the matter - at her expense.

The removal of the Agonis broke my heart a little. It left a large empty spot in the middle of my backyard border.

Photos snapped from inside the house as the tree service crew brought down the Agonis and ground the stump to dust

The photo on the left shows the 2 Agonis trees in the backyard border before the one in the foreground came down; the photo on the right shows the remaining tree, with its crown reduced and its foliage laced out

I dug up a large number of plants in advance to clear room for the tree crew to work. After the work was done, my husband and I swept up the sawdust left behind when the tree's stump was ground down, then dug in supplemental topsoil, raising the soil level a bit to improve drainage. I've replanted some things but I'm taking this opportunity to reconfigure the border before putting all the plants I removed back. I expect it'll take me another week or so to finish that up.

Area cleared in preparation for the tree service crew

Area as it looks now, cleaned up and partially replanted

What to do with the blank space left by the tree's removal is my current conundrum. It's a very long border and I think it needs something taller than 3 or 4 feet to give the area between the 2 remaining trees, an Albizia julibrissin on the left and the remaining Agonis flexuosa on the right, definition. To avoid future conflict with the complaining neighbor, I'd like to keep the height to a maximum of 12 feet as that's our rough estimate of the height of our roofline (although my husband proposed keeping it lower still). In addition, I'd like to leave the remaining Agapanthus where they are so I want something that will coexist peacefully with those plants. Finally, as our drought conditions continue to represent a serious problem, anything I put in should be relatively drought tolerant.

I've been driving myself crazy trying to identify the right focal point. Some of the options I'm seriously considering include:

Drimys lanceolata - it has attractive red stems and produces flowers and berries but it's slow-growing and needs regular water
Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' - it's a beautiful drought-tolerant plant with both winter and summer interest and well under my height limit but I already have 2
Metrosideros collinia 'Springfire' - it's drought tolerant and has beautiful orange-red flowers that attract birds and butterflies but, if not kept pruned, can grow well above my 12 foot limit and it appears to have a dense canopy
Persimmon - although these trees are deciduous, I love their leaves and beautiful orange fruit but can I find a dwarf variety and will it attract more raccoons to my back border?
Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Ivory Sheen' - it's attractive and has a naturally lacy appearance but it seems more of a background plant than a focal point

Clockwise from top left: Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' with its summer foliage; nursery containers of Metrosideros 'Springfire'; containers of Drimys lanceolata; and a Pittosporum 'Ivory Sheen'

Do you have any thoughts or additional suggestions to offer? I hope to add more Grevillea and other mid-sized plants to the border as well but I'd like to make a decision on the taller focal point first.

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

On Sunday, I received a visit from another blogger, Denise of A Growing Obsession. I've admired Denise's blog since long before I started one of my own - she grows an intriguing variety of plants and her posts always offer an interesting point of view on all things gardening related. On the day she dropped by I was still reeling from the changes resulting from removal of a mature tree and pruning of 9 others (described here). Denise gave me an opportunity to vent, endured a lengthy tour of my garden, and she brought plants!

Denise's delivery of seedlings and divisions included Pelargonium peltatum 'Crocodile,' an infant Agave 'Joe Hoak,' a succulent I can't identify, 3 Ballota pseudodictamus, 2 Papaver setigerum, and 3 Orlaya grandiflora

I've coveted Pelargonium peltatum 'Crocodile' since I spotted it during a local garden tour in 2013.

In a garden filled with beautiful and unusual plants, 'Crocodile' garnered a lot of attention

Although I've grown other varieties of Pelargonium peltatum, commonly known as ivy geranium, I'd never come across this cultivar with ivory veining before 2013 and I've failed to find it on any of my many nursery treks. Denise remembered my interest in the plant and put aside a cutting for me, which I planted in my front garden earlier this week.

Newly planted 'Crocodile'

'Crocodile' sits in one of my new beds in the front garden among other recent introductions, including Agave 'Jaws,' Cotyledon orbiculata, Cuphea ignea 'Strybing Sunset,' Festuca 'Patrick's Point,' Pelargonium 'Mrs. Pollock,' and Abelia 'Kaleiodscope'

It's small now but it should grow to 2 feet tall and perhaps 3 feet wide in time. It's suited to a range of conditions, from full sun to partial shade. It's a tender perennial that can't tolerate frost but that isn't a problem in my zone 10b garden. Like other ivy geraniums, it flowers, but it's grown primarily for its mottled foliage.

While 'Crocodile' is my favorite plant this week, all the plants Denise gave me have found homes in my garden.

I mistook the small Agave 'Joe Hoak,' shown here in a blue pot, for Furcraea foetida mediopicta, like this one in my backyard - they do look a lot alike at this stage, don't they?

The Ballota seedlings went into the side yard, while the Orlaya and Papaver went into the backyard border, where they'll get more water (The unidentified succulent landed in my street-side succulent border)

Hopefully, despite temperatures that have recently jumped into the stratosphere, all my new plants will survive and thrive. Thanks again Denise!

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

Last May, Southern California was slapped with 2 major heatwaves, breaking records and signaling an early demise for many spring blooms, while setting back some summer-blooming plants as well. We hoped that was an anomaly but now find ourselves in the midst of a record-breaking March heatwave.

Yesterday afternoon's temperature reached 94F (34C) with near zero humidity (and my garden sits along the coast!)

I've been giving the garden extra water since the temperatures started to soar on Thursday but the plants are struggling nonetheless. Some early spring flowers, like the Anemone coronaria, are withering in bud. The heat is expected to hang on until mid-week. The damage of this extraordinarily early heatwave won't be entirely evident for a few weeks but it's reasonable to expect some plant losses as even extra water can't offset the impact of the combination of unseasonable heat and Santa Ana winds.

There are a few stars in my garden this Bloom Day. The one making the biggest splash at the moment is the perennial Ageratum corymbosum, which is far flashier than its cousin, Ageratum houstonianum.

Ageratum corymbosum produces large blooms and has interesting foliage

Ageratum houstonianum, a short-lived perennial here, does get points for a long bloom period

Two of my Grevillea are also putting on strong showings.

This Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' was purchased in a one gallon container almost a year ago and this its first bloom cycle (the larger G. 'Peaches & Cream' in the front garden has only buds right now but its been blooming off and on)

Grevillea 'Superb' is loaded with blooms and buds, which unfortunately don't show up well in my photo

From the left, Grevillea 'Superb,' G. Peaches & Cream,' and the fading blooms of G. lavandulacea 'Penola'

Many of the genera I featured in last month's Bloom Day post are still going strong.

NoID yellow Argyranthemum frutescens, A. 'Butterfly,' and A. 'Madeira Red'

Freesia in assorted colors

Gazania hybrids 'White flame' and 'New Day Yellow'

Osteospermum, clockwise from top left: trailing O. (noID) and O. hybrids 'Blue-eyed Beauty,''Peach Magic,''Zion Copper Amethyst,''Serenity Purple,''Pink Spoon,''Berry White,' and '3D Silver'

Pelargonium : Top - P. hybrid 'White Lady'; Bottom, from left - P. ionidiflorum 'Pink Fairy Cascade' and 3 NoID P. peltatum

The biggest surprise was the appearance of flowers on a hedge I'd never seen bloom before but there were a few other surprises as well.

Prunus caroliniana, inherited with the house, bloomed for the first time

Plants just beginning to bloom this month include: Top row, from left - Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin' (last year's plants, blooming again), Anigozanthos hybrid 'JoeJoe Red' and self-seeded Euphorbia' Dean's Hybrid'; Middle row - self-seeded Cerinthe major, Cynoglossum amabile and Felicia aethiopica 'Tight & Tidy'; Bottom row - Helleborus orientalis 'Phoebe' and 2 Schizanthus pinnatus from 'Star Parade' series

As a change this month, I also put together photo collages by garden area. (This is what happens when one has to take refuge in the house to escape the heat rather than spend the weekend working in the garden.)

Flowers blooming in the front garden: Top row - Arctotis 'Pink Sugar,' Gazania 'White Flame,' and Coleonema album; Middle row - Grevillea 'Superb,' Calliandra haematocephala and Polygala fruticosa; Bottow row - Gaillardia 'Goblin,' Argyranthemum 'Butterfly' and noID Westringia

Flowers blooming in the dry garden, clockwise from upper left: Limonium perezii, Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl,' Gomphrena decumbens, and Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink'

Flowers blooming on the slope, clockwise from the upper left left: Geranium incanum, Pelargonium 'White Lady,' P. Pink Fairy Cascade,' Zantedeschia aethiopica, and NoID Heuchera

Flowers blooming at the northern end of the backyard, clockwise from upper left: Arbutus 'Marina,' Gaillardia 'Gallo Peach,' Solanum xanti, Ceanothus (noID hedge), Hibiscus trionum, and Calliandra hybrid 'Hot Pink'

On the back patio: Bryophyllum manginii and noID Sedum

Flowers blooming in main backyard border: Top row - Alstroemeria (noID), Hebe 'Wiri Blush,' and Cynoglossum amabile; Middle row - Osteospermum '3D Silver,' O. 'Pink Spoon,' and Cerinthe major; Bottow row - Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream,' O, 'Blue-eyed Beauty' and Ipheion uniflorum

In the fountain border, clockwise from left: Dutch Iris (an early casualty of the heat), Erysimum linifolium 'Variegatum,' noID Narcissus, Anagallis, and Gazania

Blooming in the bed outside the living room: Top - Ageratum corymbosum; Bottom - yellow and white Freesia and Helleborus 'Phoebe'

In bloom in the side garden: Top row - Phlomis fruticosa, Bulbine frutescens and Osteospermum 'Peach Magic'; Middle row - O. fruticosum, O. '3D Silver' and limonium perezii; Bottow row - Cistus x skanbergii, noID Hoya and Aloe 'Johnson's Hybrid'

That's it for this month's Bloom Day wrap-up, sponsored by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Visit Carol to see if her Indiana garden has thawed out and to find links for the Bloom Day posts of other gardeners from all over the world.

Despite our current unseasonable heat (or maybe because of it), there's a lot in bloom in my garden at the moment. But heat makes me cranky and, this week, I didn't want to spend a lot of time futzing with my creation for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. On the theory that the beautiful blooms of 'Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream' wouldn't last long with dry Santa Ana winds blowing and temperatures above 90F (32C), I cut one of those blooms for my vase, the first time I've ever done so. As there were a lot of blooms on G. 'Superb', I cut one of those too. Then I grabbed stems of a few other plants and, plopping them in a vase, called it done.

I could have added Narcissus perhaps, or yellow Freesia or orange Bulbine or peach Gaillardia but I stood pat with the following plants, collected during a 5-minute spin outside (in the miserable heat):

Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin'
Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Goblin' (or maybe 'Arizona Sun' - they look the same to me)
Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream'
Grevillea 'Superb'
Phlomis fruticosa
Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata'

Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin', planted last spring is perennial here

Gaillardia 'Goblin' is a trifle bedraggled but the stem has a few buds I hope will open to follow this one

The mature bloom of Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' is on the left and the less mature bloom of G. 'Superb' is on the right

Phlomis fruticosa, a very Seussian flower, is just coming into bloom throughout the garden

Prostanthera ovalifolia was the first foliage plant to catch my eye

I didn't spend time fussing with the arrangement and I didn't create any secondary arrangements with cast-off stems because there weren't any. A sunny creation, sent by my subconscious to put me in a less cranky mood perhaps, it sits on the dining room table as my breakfast companion.

Please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she's put together this week. Link up and share your vase if you've put together something with makings from your own garden.

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

I had no idea what to focus on this month for my foliage follow-up post, the meme hosted by Pam at Digging to celebrate the important role foliage plays in the garden. Or, to be more accurate, I had several ideas but couldn't get excited about any of them when I went out into my garden to take photos. Then I noticed how well the creeping thyme surrounding the flagstones in my garden was doing and, instantly, I had my focus.

A number of people have commented on how nice the thyme looks in my southeast side garden. Frankly, I'm surprised at how well it has filled in since I planted the area close to 18 months ago.

Photo of pathway through my southeast side garden taken earlier this month

Photo of the same path facing the opposite direction, taken yesterday

The thyme I used in this area was Thymus serphyllum 'Minus' (aka wooly thyme), a very low-growing form that spreads widely. I bought flats and planted small clumps approximately 2 inches in diameter roughly 12 to 18 inches apart around the flagstones. I watered a few times a week after my initial planting but cut back to twice a week within a month or so. The area now gets watered once a week during our cool season and twice a week during our warm season.

This photo shows just how densely the thyme grows

"Weeds" such as Erigeron karvinskianus (Santa Barbara Daisy) and Lobularia maritima (Sweet Alyssum) occasionally gain a foothold but they're easily pulled if they try to take over

When we tore out the lawn in our front yard last year and installed flagstone paths throughout that area as well, it was natural to select the same thyme to fill in between and around the stones. Upon inspection, I was pleased to find that it's filling in nicely too even though it was just planted in December.

Despite our limited rain and my stingy irrigation, the pretty green carpet is steadily filling in - perfect for both foliage follow-up and St. Patrick's Day!

This area to the left of the front door was planted in late December and somewhat more sparsely than the area on the other side of the doorway but, despite this and the fact that the soil in this area is poorer, the thyme is filling in, albeit a bit more slowly

Although the thyme flowers too, I love mainly it for the dense blanket of evergreen foliage it provides year-round, for its drought tolerance, and for the way it sets off both stone and other plants.

For other foliage highlights, please visit Pam at Digging.

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

To celebrate the official start of spring, I took a stroll of the neighborhood. I used to walk the area early most every morning but, when my knee started acting up, the orthopedist recommended I substitute a stationary bike for walking. I still miss those daily walks and as I've also lost track of what's going on in the neighborhood, I decided to turn a deaf ear to the orthopedist and celebrate spring by taking a stroll with my camera this morning.

The trees across the street have leafed out - fortunately, they're just out of the line-of-sight of my foliage-averse neighbor (whose house can be shown just above another neighbor's Nerium oleander on the right)

The neighbors across the street are partially hidden behind Alyogyne huegelii (Blue Hibiscus) and what I think is Iris sibirica 'Butter & Sugar'

The next house is almost completely hidden by hedges but this wonderful Leucospermum makes an appearance every spring

I've killed 2 of these but think I have to try growing it again

The owners of the house on the other side of the street have replaced some of their shrubs with succulents. I'm in love with that variegated Aloe (Aloe arborescens 'Variegata'?)

I don't recall noticing the large coral tree (Erythrina) just up the street before - how can that be? Perhaps it's because I always focus on the even larger pine tree next to it.

It's impossible to miss the vibrant pink Bougainvillea surrounding this house. I like the Bougainvillea best when it tumbles down the slope, as shown on right.

Rather than continue along the neighborhood road, I hiked up to the entrance to our neighborhood, which has been undergoing a mini-renovation since the city removed several trees along the main road as part of a 4-month project to repave that road and improve safety. The left turn into our neighborhood used to be a bit scary as we faced a blind curve and drivers tend to come along from the other direction at speeds well above the posted limits (despite regular speed traps set by the sheriff's department).

The area sloping down from the main road has been cleaned up, leaving mostly succulent plants. That huge white building on the other side of the main road is a house (even if it looks as though it could pass for city hall).

The area along the main road was recently replanted with Bougainvillea, Limonium, Cistanthe grandiflora (formerly known as Calandrinia) and Hesperaloe - all very drought tolerant selections

Walking back the way I came, I noticed things I haven't seen when driving the same route.

The California pepper trees (Schinus molle) are loaded with berries

This street-side planting of an ornamental banana tree and Agave attenuata looks great despite being irrigated by nothing more than run-off from the house above

One house on my route is surrounded by remarkably healthy Hibiscus shrubs (two years ago they were infested with white fly so I was impressed by their current condition)

Moving back along the neighborhood road from the point I'd veered off, I was confronted by the weed-strewn property that was once framed with roses and Pelargoniums.

This house makes me sad as it had a vibrant garden before it was sold. I have no doubt the new owners plan extensive renovations but did they have to clear the property of life a year in advance of the beginning of work?

Although this is a poor photo, I think this is Aesculus californica, a California native buckeye

The house across the street has planted a Jacaranda - I look forward to those beautiful (if messy) blooms

All the boulders surrounding the next house look like this - there was no attempt to give them a more natural look by burying their bases

The renovation of this house, which started about the time we moved in, is finally complete. It's far larger than this photo suggests, a split-level home, sitting on close to 2 acres that slopes into a canyon

Cistanthe (Calandrinia) is already in bloom in this front garden

Opuntia pads were planted in front of this house (to create a barrier?). The parent plant stands behind an electrified gate in front of a Spanish-style house.

Just beyond this point, there's a road that used to connect to other neighborhoods. Many years before we moved here, it was closed following a community vote. This has contributed immeasurably to the relative peace of our neighborhood by eliminating commuter traffic.

Ugly yellow concrete pylons prevent cars from entering our neighborhood but it's possible to walk through to the neighborhood beyond

Echium lines both side of the former street. I briefly wondered if I could get away with digging up the Echium seedling on the lower left.

On the other side of the closed road is an empty lot. The house that once occupied this double lot reportedly burned down many years ago and the land has been for sale ever since. I'd thought to walk the space to see what kind of view it has but stopped as the weeds are currently waist-high in spots.

There are tall plants of what I beleive must be some kind of Borage all over the property, as well as lupine sprouting up through what must have been a driveway

Slightly further down the road, I noticed that a "for sale" sign was up in front of the house of one of the most active gardeners in our neighborhood. We'd received notice that she and her husband planned to move but I was sad to see the sign anyway. Her garden is beautiful and I really hope another gardener buys the property.

The gardener terraced her frontyard after she moved in 14-15 years ago

A few of the plants occupying her front garden

The 2 most magnificent garden specimens are on display here

In addition to a 100-year old pine, she's got the largest Leucospermum I've ever seen

The street level rises again from this point, as I headed back home.

This slope is covered by ivy and fronted with palms, Agapanthus, Hemerocallis, Phormium and Strelitzia

This is one of 2 "spur roads" that stem off from our neighborhood road

I think these shrubs are Cassia didmobotrya (said to smell like popcorn)

My neighbor's driveway with our trees shown in the background

I hope spring is in the air wherever you are, even if there's still snow on the ground. We're having a span of pleasant spring-like weather here, although forecasters are predicting yet another warm-up in the 90F (32C) range for the middle of next week. However you're spending the weekend, enjoy it!

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

Despite last week's heatwave, there's a lot blooming in my garden at present. While a few things, like the daffodils, perished in the heat, new blooms are steadily appearing - apparently spring is not going to allow summer to take over the garden quite yet. I noticed that more Hippeastrum had bloomed in my street-side bed last week and I'd targeted one of those for this week's "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, but it was already past its prime when I went to cut it. Nonetheless, there were a lot of other flowers to choose from and, because another heatwave is on its way, I cut more than I usually would and ended up with 3 vases. A florapalooza!

The 3 finished vases

Most of my Alstroemeria are blooming. They provided the focus of my first vase.

This vase contains:

Alstroemeria in varying pink shades (no ID)
Argyrantemum frutescens 'Butterfly'
Coleonema album
Leucanthemum x superbum, ruffled variety

While some of the pink Alstroemeria, like this one, have blue undertones, others are closer to coral pink, but as all had touches of white and yellow, I used those colors in an effort to harmonize the collection

This is the first of my Leucanthemum to bloom

My Eustoma grandiflorum 'Blue Borealis' is blooming for its second season and, since I'd already lost a few to the last heatwave, I decided to cut this one as the centerpiece of a purple-hued bouquet. It turned out a bit too heavy on the purple and I think the Eustoma got lost in the mix.

I should have substituted more white Coleonema for some of the purple Limonium

In addition to the Eustoma, I used:

Anemone coronaria (it didn't respond well to the heat either and the bloom included here is a pale imitation of the earlier flowers
Argyranthemum frutescens, pale yellow variety (no ID)
Cerinthe major
Coleonema album
Ixia (aka African corn lilies), yellow and magenta varieties
Lavandula multifida (aka fernleaf lavender)
Limonium perezii (aka Statice)

The blue Eustoma isn't as large as the blooms the plants produced last year but it still provides a good facsimile of a blue rose

Coleonema album, shown here with fernleaf lavender, is available in profusion this time of year

I always forget about the Ixia in my garden until they bloom - I pulled them out of the first vase because they got lost but they don't really work in this one either

The paper-like flowers of Limonium perezii are often used in dried flower arrangements

The last vase, just 3 inches tall, contains leftover tidbits of Coleonema, Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard' and dwarf Fuchsia 'Windchimes Neon & White.'

The last vase ended up in the guest bathroom. The first one landed on the dining room table and the purple vase is sitting in the front entryway.

Unfortunately, the fragrance of the Coleonema (aka Breath of Heaven) doesn't quite mask the musty scent of the Leucanthemum but perhaps that will fade

The Eustoma shows up a bit better here

I thought the purple arrangement looked better in the photo taken in the bright light of the entryway than it did in the photo taken in the kitchen. Pipig, however, wasn't impressed.

Or perhaps she was just affronted by the attention the flowers were getting when she knows the focus should be on her

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she's found for her vase this week. Link up if you have a vase to share!

Summer is already muscling in on Spring in Southern California with a second heatwave due to arrive tomorrow. But Spring still wants to have its moment. In evidence, I present the following photos.

The first of these were taken at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge by a friend of mine (who wishes to remain anonymous) last Tuesday as our first heatwave came to a conclusion.

The same friend and I swept through 3 nurseries on Saturday - Seaside Gardens in Carpenteria, Australian Native Plants Nursery in Casitas Springs, and Sperling Nursery in Calabasas. The coming heatwave be damned, I came home with record booty. (Details to come.)

As mentioned in my last post, I did some serious plant shopping last weekend. Although I visited more nurseries and garden centers in a single day on another occasion, I haven't bought as many plants - or spent as much money - in a single day as I did on this trip. I left the house before 8am and didn't get home until after 6:30pm. I was spurred on in part by my desire to find plants to fill the space left by the recent removal of a tree in the backyard border and in part by my ongoing search to find plants to fill the remaining blank spots created when we removed our front lawn. I was also driven by a sense of urgency to get my spring planting done as soon as possible in light of the high temperatures we've already experienced this March. The only things that kept my spending in check were time constraints and my friend's admonition that her car had only so much room.

Our first stop was Seaside Gardens in Carpinteria. In addition to offering a great selection of California-friendly plants, it has wonderful demonstration gardens. The first thing we saw when we got out of the car was a hummingbird flitting among the flowers of Grevillea 'Ned Kelly.'

The hummingbird was not at all intimidated by the fact that 2 women were standing 2 feet away aiming cameras in his direction

A busload of ladies from the Red Hat Society arrived shortly after my friend and I so I didn't get many pictures of the demonstration gardens during this visit but you can find photos of my November visit to Seaside here.

Views from Seaside's various demonstration gardens

It looked to me as though our earlier heatwave may have already taken a toll on the California poppies' show

As we visited on the second day of spring, Seaside was especially well stocked.

There were some gorgeous plants up front that made my heart flutter but one look at their price tags nearly made my heart stop. None of these plants came home with me.

Clockwise from upper left, all costing over $100 in nursery pots: large specimens of Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream,' Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike,' Leucospermum cordifolium, and ~~a plant I didn't get the name of~~ Leucospermum reflexum (thanks for the ID, Evan!)

I left with 9 plants but there were several others I've had some misgivings about leaving behind.

Clockwise from upper left: Veltheimia bracteata 'Yellow Comet,' Halimium lasianthum, Petrea volubilis, Lonicera japonica 'Mint Crisp,' Boronia megastigma, and Leucadendron 'Jester'

After lunch, we headed back south, getting off the freeway and turning east upon reaching Ventura. About 15 minutes later in the town of Casita Springs, we found our next target: Australian Native Plants Nursery. This nursery is generally open only by appointment but my friend had made arrangements for the stop earlier and the gate was open when we arrived.

My friend was immediately entranced by the beautiful purple-flowered shrub next to the entrance, which I recognized as a Prostanthera.

I initially thought this must be Prostanthera linearis but, after checking ANP's website, my guess is that it's the non-variegated form of P. ovalifolia

Meanwhile, I was attracted by a large Acacia on the other side of the gate, as an Acacia was on my list of prospects for my back border.

I didn't ask which Acacia this was as it was too tall for my needs

As this is a true nursery, there weren't many flashy plant displays but there were plants stacked on tables, plants lined up in rows, and plants in hoop houses, some of which were open to visitors and others which were not.

A number of plants caught my eye but were ultimately left behind, at least this time.

Left to right: Hakea petiolaris, Leucadendron discolor, and Grevillea rivularis

Jo, the owner, located all the plants I asked for. As I was checking out with 5 plants, my friend and I heard a frog croaking at our feet. We never did see the frog but we did see this:

Grevillea 'Pink Midget,' not currently available

After we squeezed this round of purchases into my friend's car, we were off again, headed to one of my favorite nurseries, Sperling, in Calabasas. To my knowledge, the property is still for sale but on this early spring day, it was well-stocked and crowded with visitors. As we'd gotten caught up in a hideous traffic jam on our way south and it was already late afternoon, I didn't linger to take more than a few photos before filling my cart with 21 more plants.

Metal goats appear to be popular!

The succulent in the photo on the far right is Euphorbia xantii (aka Cherry Blossom Euphorbia)

Here's a different view of my purchases. I managed to get almost all of these in the ground before the current heatwave struck.

The photo on the left shows the entire collection of 35 plants. The photo on the top right shows Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid,' Helleborus 'Anna's Red, and Leucospermum cordifolium (yellow form); the middle photo shows Ceanothus arboreus, Correa 'Wyn's Wonder,' Dianella tasmanica 'Tasred,' Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame,' Heuchera maxima, Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' and Phomium 'Ed Carmen' (which seems more yellow than the photos I see on-line, possibly due to its youth); and the bottom photo shows Argyranthemum frutescens, Centaurea 'Silver Feather' (which may require more water than the tag led me to believe), Gazania 'New Day Yellow,' Lagurus ovatus (Hare's Tail grass), and Osteosperum 'Zion Copper Amethyst.' Somewhere in the collection is also a one-gallon container of Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' but even I can't pick it out in my photos (behind the Callistemon maybe).

Hopefully, if the heatwave passes within 2 days as expected, all will survive. I'll show photos of the plants in the garden when I get a chance.

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

I'm a little late with this post but there's been a lot to do in the garden this month and blog posts must be squeezed in. Despite the unseasonable heat we've experienced this month, new plants and flowers keep making an appearance, which has also made choosing a favorite plant more difficult. This week I've given preferential treatment to the Ixia hybrids growing in my backyard borders, in part because I don't think they'll hold up as long as some of the other contenders.

Ixia photographed in my backyard border

Ixia, also known as corn lilies and wand flowers, are native to South Africa and grow from corms. They do especially well in hot, dry climates like mine but they can grow in colder climates if they're pulled up and stored during the winter months. Some growers recommend pulling them up in areas that receive summer rain as well; however, with good drainage, mine don't seem to have a problem with the irrigation they receive in summer.

They have upright grass-like foliage and look best grown in groups.

In a warm, dry climates they may remain in place until they become so crowded that flowering diminishes

Flowers may be cream, yellow, red, orange or pink and they often have center splotches that contrast with the petals. All those I've seen in garden centers have been offered in mixed assortments. Interestingly, all those I planted in 2013 have bloomed in shades of cream and yellow while all those I planted last year, also labeled as a mixture, have bloomed with magenta petals.

I haven't seen any orange or red blooms yet!

The Ixia hybrids are my favorite plants this week. I'm joining Loree at danger garden in flaunting this month's favorites. You can see her March favorites here. Earlier this month, I featured 2 other favorites, Arctotis hybrid 'Pink Sugar' and Pelargonium peltatum 'Crocodile.'

You can read my March 6th post about Arctotis 'Pink Sugar'here

And my March 13th post about Pelargonium peltatum 'Crocodile' can be found here

Another Hippeastrum bloomed recently so I got my chance to pick that as the centerpiece of this week's arrangement for "In a Vase on Monday," the weekly meme hosted by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden. I knew that it might be a challenge to find appropriate companions for the pale yellowish green of the Hippeastrum's petals but I had some ideas in mind. Unfortunately, most of the yellows in my garden were too bright so I focused on picking up the red tones in the petals' stripes.

The vibrant hues of some of the companion plants were strong enough to compete with the Hippeastrum. Viewed from different angles, you could argue that other elements made a bigger splash.

Which flower would you say is the star of the arrangement?

Here's what I included:

Hippeastrum cybister 'Emerald'
Bignonia capreolata
Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'
Erysimum linifolium 'Varigatum'
Grevillea 'Ned Kelly'
Grevillea 'Superb'
Heuchera (noID)

Hippeastrum cybister 'Emerald' is a South American Amaryllis. In my climate, Amaryllis can be grown outside - I planted 2 'Emerald' and 2 'La Paz' bulbs in my street-side border in 2013 in the hope that they'll naturalize.

I inherited this Bignonia capreolata vine with the house. It sits at the bottom of the slope adjacent to 2 neighbor properties. Although it produces beautiful flowers, I wouldn't have planted it as it gets very, very big and is nearly impossible to control.

Grevillea 'Ned Kelly' (aka 'Mason's Hybrid') has been in my garden less than one year but is already blooming prolifically. Its flowers are similar to those of G. 'Superb,' only less robust and somewhat deeper in color.

This Grevillea 'Superb' flower has yet to reach its peak.

The arrangement ended up on the dining room table, replacing last week's arrangement, which was starting to fade.

I also had a few remaining flowers for another, smaller vase, which I placed in the guest bathroom.

This vase features Carpenteria californica and Argyranthemum frutescens 'Butterfly'

Carpenteria is a California native that gets by with limited water on my back slope

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she's cooked up this week.

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

My garden is sunnier in this month's wide shots. No, this isn't due to the weather - in fact, we've had fog every morning this week. Removal of one tree (discussed here), trimming of other trees and foliage, and the sudden demise of a section of hedge in the front garden is letting in more sun.

The change is most pronounced in the backyard border, where a tall Agonis flexuosa was removed in mid-March.

The photo on the left shows the back border on March 1st and the one on the right shows the same area on April 1st

View of the backyard looking south toward the remaining Agonis

Photos of the backyard, looking north toward the mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin), which is just beginning to leaf out

2 views of the backyard from the north, looking south

The mid-section of the back border has been replanted, although I haven't decided if I'm satisfied with it yet. After great suggestions from commentators, much deliberation, and a round of several nurseries and garden centers, I selected Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' to fill the vacancy left by the tree. The Callistemon, only 3 feet tall now, will reach 10 feet at maturity, not tall enough to become a source of any future complaints on the part of my neighbor about her view of the harbor. However, it'll be a few years before the area fills in and additional tweaking is likely.

Two-thirds of the plants in the mid-border were in the area before or were moved from nearby sections of the back border. New plants include the Callistemon (shown in close-up on the lower right), 3 Digiplexis and 2 Salvia 'Wendy's Wish.'

The area on the south side of the house experienced relatively few changes, although it too is getting a bit more light due to the thinning of trees at the front of the property.

The usual view of the south side garden, looking through the arbor toward the harbor

Other views of the south side garden

The area I call the "glen," which sits below the south side garden and next to the street, is a lot sunnier. Two of the neighbors south of us cut back their foliage and we, too, trimmed hedges to eliminate obstructions to the views of the neighbors directly across the street.

From left to right: path from side yard down into the glen; the area looking to the upper level; and the recently pruned hedge material

I've filled in more of the blanks in the front garden area. Everything is filling in nicely. I've lost only one of the plants I put in after the front lawn was removed. However, as mentioned, a large section of hedge died off suddenly this month, leaving a gap on the upper level. As I'd already lost one of the shrubs along the street, this has left what was a relatively private area of the garden exposed to the street.

The usual view from the driveway looking at the front door

On the left: a view of the bed on the left (north) side of the front walk; on the right: the 'Joseph's Coat' rose that grows up the chimney just outside the frame of the photo on the left

Photos of the garden beds on the right (south) side of the front walkway, viewed from 2 directions

These photos show the gaps left behind by the loss of a large section of Ceanothus hedge on the upper level and removal of the dead Auranticarpa rhombifolium along the street. I'm currently leaning toward filling the gap along the street with another Xylosma shrub, expanding the existing Xylosma hedge (visible on the left in the photo on the far right).

Circling around the house to the north, I still haven't done much with the vegetable garden. My Coriandrum (cilantro) and lettuce are bolting in response to the intense heat we had in March.

Like the south side garden, the dry garden on the north end of the house hasn't changed much, except that the grapevine and deciduous trees have leafed out.

More plants are blooming every day along the slope. Carpenteria californica surprised me by blooming this year. Centranthus ruber and Oenothera speciosa are flowering but are weeks away from reaching peak bloom.

From left: the view of slope looking down from the stairway behind the dry garden; the view of the area looking up from the bottom level; and a view of the boundary between our property and that of our neighbor, showing the 3 Pittosporum tenuifolium I planted in February

That's it for this month's wide shots update. My thanks again to Heather of Xericstyle for getting me started with this exercise. In the future, I'll be moving to a quarterly overview of the entire garden, while perhaps featuring reviews of specific sections of the garden in between.

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

Even I'm a little amazed that I picked Gazanias as my favorite plants this week. Sometimes confused with another "African daisy,"Osteospermum, Gazanias don't get a lot of respect in local horticultural circles. However, I'm constantly on the look out for drought and heat tolerant plants these days and I picked up Gazania rigens 'New Day Yellow' last August to fill in around edges of the fountain bed in the backyard. The flowers came in an inexpensive 6-pack and I figured they'd do as a filler for the balance of the summer season. The flowers turned out to be huge and they also held up under repeated assaults by my resident raccoons. They've also hung on since last summer and kept on blooming. What's not to love?

The white and yellow variety on the right, also labeled 'New Day Yellow,' is a recent addition to the backyard border

Heat doesn't bother them and get by with a moderate amount of water. They have a neat mounded form, growing 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) tall and wide. The flowers close when the sun disappears but, with regular deadheading, they continue to produce new blooms. And they mix easily with other plants.

The Gazania used as filler and edging plants in the fountain border

After G. 'New Day Yellow' broke down my reservations about Gazanias, I fell prey to another cultivar, G. 'White Flame,' part of the 'Kiss' series.

Officially called 'Kiss Frosty White Flame' they have rose or burgundy stripes on a cream or pale yellow background

I picked these up, also in a 6-pack, back in mid-December when I was looking for plants to fill in the blank spaces in my front garden after we removed the lawn. The colors mixed well with the Coprosma and Phormium I'd selected for the area on the north side of the front walkway.

It was hard to believe I found something that could hold its own with Coprosma 'Inferno'

as well as Phormium 'Maori Queen'

I've been trying to find more of these plants since, hoping to fill in blank spaces in the front beds adjoining the driveway to knit the areas together. I haven't been very successful. However, last weekend, I found six-packs of a G. 'Kiss Flame Mix.' The mix includes vivid orange, yellow and gold tones, some of which would look ghastly in the front border so I'm going to wait until they bloom to distribute them in my garden - I have a couple of areas in mind for the orange-flowered variety. In the meantime, I'm using my raised vegetable beds as a nursery for the baby plants. Wherever the new plants end up, I trust they'll handle what's likely to be a hot, dry summer, made more so by our new water restrictions.

These Gazania rigens hybrids are my favorite plants this week. They're perennial in USDA zones 9-11 but can be over-wintered indoors elsewhere. The only criticism I found of them on-line was that rabbits like them. For other gardeners' favorites, check in with Loree at danger garden on the last Friday of each month for her favorites wrap-up.

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

Succulents & Daffodils

My favorite plant this week: Bryophyllum manginii

Wide Shots - March 2015

In a Vase on Monday: Callas in Charge!

Wordless Wednesday: What view?

My favorite plant this week: Arctotis 'Pink Sugar'

In a Vase on Monday: Ageratum corymbosum blooms at last!

What should I do now?

My favorite plant this week: Pelargonium peltatum 'Crocodile'

Bloom Day - March 2015

In a Vase on Monday: No Fuss Bouquet

Foliage Follow-up: In Praise of Thyme

Spring Stroll

In a Vase on Monday: Florapalooza

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Spring Fights a Hostile Takeover

Plant Shopping Extravaganza

Favorite Plants this March

In a Vase on Monday: Who's the Star?

Wide Shots - April 2015

My Favorite Plant This Week: Gazania rigens hybrids