Late to the Garden Party

Last week, I featured Arthropodium cirratum, also known as Renga Lily, in a favorite plant post. When gathering information on the plant, I read that the bloom spikes make good cut flowers. Although I've had these plants for years, I've never used the blooms in a cut flower arrangement and, as I currently have a half dozen or so plants in bloom, I thought this week's post for Cathy's meme at Rambling in the Garden was the perfect opportunity to remedy that situation. As usual, the difficulty was in finding the right accent plants.

The small flower buds of the Renga Lily close up at night but the white petals open in daylight to reveal pinkish purple and yellow stamens. I picked the last of my pink Alstroemeria as the primary accent flower, then added a stem of Leucanthemum x superbum and a few stems of Hebe 'Wiri Blush' to echo the colors in the Alstroemeria.

Close-up of Renga Lily flowers in sunlight

Close-up of Alstroemeria, Shasta daisy, and Hebe

The wild card in this case was the foliage I added to support the bouquet. Late Sunday afternoon, I found myself cutting back another favorite plant, Ageratum corymbosum. I added some of the stems of this plant to the bouquet rather than tossing them in the compost bin. The leaves are very attractive, more purple than green, and slightly fuzzy.

Close-up of the leaves of Ageratum corymbosum

Everything went into one of my favorite blown glass vases, picked up at a street fair many, many years ago. The vase picks up the darker notes in the Ageratum foliage.

Please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see her floral composition. If you have a bouquet on hand this Monday, take a photo (or two) and share it by posting a link on her site.

We were hit with blast furnace heat here last week, with temperatures nearing 100F (37.8C). The heat, accompanied by high winds, took a toll on the garden, as well as the gardener. Although I supplemented the twice weekly automated irrigation received by most of my garden during our "warm season" with daily hand-watering of the most fragile plants, it wasn't enough to save them all. Although the losses are discouraging, as those of you in areas affected by the "polar vortex" know all too well, I was surprised by the number of plants that seem to be thrive in the heat. Based on a comparison with last year's photographic record, it appears that that many of my early summer bloomers have a 2-3 week head start this year, including many of my daylilies.

Hemerocallis 'Blythe Belle'

Hemerocallis 'Double Impact'

Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake'

Hemerocallis 'Russian Rhapsody'

Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem'

Other perennials are also producing early blooms.

Achillea 'Moonshine' didn't bloom until late May in 2013

The Agapanthus are now appearing en masse - I stopped counting those in the backyard when the number reached 70 and I didn't even bother checking those in the front yard

Gaura 'Snow Fountain' is taking off

Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snow Lady,' although divided last fall, are also blooming early

Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame' and its companion, Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin,' sailed through the hot, dry weather without any sign they even noticed it.

I am definitely getting more Digiplexis when it becomes available in additional colors

On the other hand, the heat and wind proved to be too much for some plants.

Baptisia australis, planted more than a month ago and doing fine until last week, was just taken off life support

The demise of this Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' is a mystery - those on the back slope that got far less water are doing fine

The sweet peas, Lathyrus odoratus, collapsed virtually overnight

Nepeta 'Pink Cat,' planted more than 6 weeks ago from starts as an experiment, all croaked

In addition to these plants, I lost a large mass of Ajuga 'Catlin's Giant'and one whole strip of plants along the driveway. Other plants are damaged or struggling.

Acer palmatum 'Purple Ghost' looked to be doing fine until I noticed damage to some of the leaves just as the heat wave came to an end

The flowers on Dianthus barbatus 'Heart Attack' took a beating but the plants themselves seem healthy

In addition to the grass in the one section of the front yard, which is most dead, there are patches in the backyard that are looking pretty bad - dethatching, fertilizing, aerating and overseeding are planned

I expect that the lack of winter rain, combined with a pattern of stingy irrigation on my part, are factors in my plant losses and damage. However, as our drought is unlikely to end this year and as mandatory irrigation restrictions are possible (if not likely), I'm treating the lessons of this recent heatwave seriously. I'm considering new, more drought-tolerant options to replace the plants I've lost.

Once again this week, I had a prolonged debate with myself about which plant to feature as my favorite. I flip-flopped on my choice up until the point I sat down to write this post. All my candidates won my respect by sailing through last week's heatwave with nary a tinge of leaf burn. In the end, Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' won out, mainly because it's up front and center - literally - waving at me every time I walk up to my front door. I planted clumps of this daylily in the beds on either side of our front walkway in November 2011.

I didn't have daylilies at our old house and frankly had little interest in them until we moved into our current house over 3 years ago. I inherited 3-4 dozen with the house, all the same dormant variety with red-orange flowers. The vigor of the genus even under the hot, dry conditions here made be look into evergreen and reblooming varieties. 'Spanish Harlem,' advertised as an evergreen rebloomer with flowers that are "soot black underlaid with pink," was one of my earliest purchases.

In this case the camera doesn't lie. The flower color is fairly represented in my photos. The yellow-green inside the flower's throat adds to its appeal. The flowers themselves are large, 5-6 inches (13-15 cm) in size when open.

I know that some people don't like the maintenance daylilies require but I don't mind snapping off their fading blooms. Even with a dozen new flowers blooming each day, it only takes a minute on one of my many trips out the front door to clean the plant up. However, I do have to be a bit careful with this particular daylily as sap dripped by the flowers can stain both hands and clothes. In fact, I suspect the inky purplish substance could be used as a dye.

Sap from snapped flowers stained the foliage below here

Despite the plant's apparent happiness in the mostly sun borders at the front of the house I may move it eventually. The grower I bought them from, as well as most of those offering the plant on-line, projected a height of 26 inches (66 cm). Mine have reached 40 inches (1 meter) in height, putting them out of proportion with the surrounding plants in the front borders, at least at this time of year. The Gaura lindheimeri planted in front of them will eventually reach nearly that height but, by the time it does, the daylilies will be finishing up their spring-summer bloom cycle. This is a reliable rebloomer. The heaviest bloom occurs in late spring to early summer but it blooms here again in November into early December.

Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' is my contribution to Loree's favorite plant meme at danger garden. Please visit her to see her spiky favorite this week. If you have a favorite you'd like to share, you can post a link to your photos and commentary on her site.

After one week of cooler weather, temperatures are climbing once again in southern California and the Santa Ana winds are blowing. The winds, called "devil winds" during California's Spanish colonial period, are the source of as many problems as the heat, increasing the danger of wildfires and drying up soil, plants, and the gardener's skin. The Santa Anas have a place in popular mythology too. They featured prominently in Raymond Chandler's 1938 story, "Red Wind," in which Chandler described the hot, dry winds as those "that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch."

This is a long-winded (no pun intended) way to explain how I chose the centerpiece for the bouquet I put together in connection with Cathy's weekly meme at Rambling in the Garden. I don't have many hybrid tea or floribunda roses so I use them sparingly as cut flowers, if at all. But, when the Santa Anas blow, these flowers can shrivel or blow to pieces overnight so, facing that prospect, I cut 2 stems of my lavender rose, consisting of 2 full-blown blooms and 4 buds, for today's vase.

This was my first pass at constructing my bouquet.

Vase, sitting in my kitchen window with a cookie jar pig I use as a tea caddy

I'm uncertain as to the name of the rose, which came with the house. The best guess is 'Angel Face,' although the blooms are much bigger than those of the 'Angel Face' I grew in my former garden. However, like that rose, the flowers are extremely fragrant.

I accented the roses with Pentas, ornamental oregano, Gaura, and stems from one of my favorite variegated foliage plants.

Pentas lanceolata 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossum'

Origanum 'Monterey Bay'

Gaura lindheimeri 'Snow Fountain'

Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-Star'

The arrangement was fine but I thought it needed something else with volume to fill the space between the roses and the wispy Gaura. I went hunting in my garden for the white form of Centranthus ruber which, along with the pink varieties, is a virtual weed here. Unfortunately, the big white blooms had been wiped out by the last heatwave. I found only smaller sprays of white Centranthus. Even the pink varieties, on their second bloom cycle, were relatively small. I added some of both to the bouquet anyway. Here's the "after" photo:

Vase after the addition of Centranthus ruber

The addition of the Centranthus did help fill out the arrangement from the back.

Although all my photos were once again taken in the kitchen, the bouquet sits in my home office, where I can enjoy the fragrance. (Taking a good picture in my home office appears to be impossible.)

This is my contribution to Cathy's meme. Please visit her at Rambling in the Garden to see what she's cooked up this week and to find links to the creations of other participating gardeners.

May is usually one of the very best months in the garden here. This year, we're sitting through our second major heatwave. The Santa Ana winds are blowing and the risk of wildfire is high. These are conditions we generally face in September and October, not in spring. The heat, dry air, and lack of rain has had impact on the garden. Plants that were in full bloom last year at this time, like the Alstroemeria and the Argyranthemum, have already bloomed out. Others, like the Iris germanica and Digitalis purpurea, have produced only sporadic bloom thus far. I've lost a few plants and expect to lose more. However, some plants are thriving, most notably the Agapanthus.

On May 20th last year, I posted about the arrival of masses of Agapanthus buds. But, on this Bloom Day, the Agapanthus are already in full bloom throughout the garden.

Clumps of Agapanthus below the mimosa tree

More clumps below the California pepper trees

Clumps in the front yard

Other standouts in the backyard include:

Achillea 'Moonshine' and Salvia 'Mystic Spires'

Erysimum linifolium 'Variegatum'

Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow'

Hebe 'Patty's Purple'

Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snow Lady'

Some smaller plants showing their resilience in the backyard include:

Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin' - flowers close until the sun shines on them

Bulbine frutescens has been blooming continuously since it was planted in early March

Cotula lineariloba 'Big Yellow Moon' forms a mat from which petal-less, disk-shaped flowers spring

Hibiscus trionum, aka flower of an hour, is an annual that produces flowers that survive only a few hours

I love Nigella damascena 'African Bride' but find it hard to place because the white petals can look dingy next to bright whites

The flowers of Scorzonera hispanica smell like chocolate!

I wish I'd bought more of this cherry skullcap (Scutellaria suffrutescens)

The southeast side garden has taken a beating. In addition to repeated onslaughts by raccoons, there are signs that a gopher is tunneling about there. The sun and wind also poses challenges in that area. Still, some plants are holding up well.

Both Acanthus mollis 'Summer Beauty' and Arthropodium cirratum would prefer a less sunny setting but they're troupers

While I was disappointed by the dwarf yellow Anigozanthos, I can't fault this red variety, which has bloomed non-stop since January

Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver' doesn't care for the heat but the Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Horizon' planted from 6-packs only weeks prior to the 1st heatwave are taking the temperatures in stride

Cuphea micropetala 'Candy Corn' is supposed to grow 1-3 feet tall and 1-2 feet wide but this plant is nearly prostrate and is spreading far further than expected

Self-seeded Gaillardia (probably 'Goblin')

Tagetes lemmonii 'Compacta' doesn't mind the heat

In the front yard, the 'Joseph's Coat' rose which was covered with flowers last May, has already produced 2 flushes of bloom and has little to show for itself this May. The 'Pink Meidiland' shrub roses are blooming, although not as heavily as they did last year.

Other plants are undaunted by the weather conditions.

The indefatigable Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink' may swamp the roses in the front beds

Gaura lindheimeri 'Snow Fountain' has produced its first flush of blooms

Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' continues to pump out new blooms each day

Pelargonium x domesticum 'Georgia Peach' is a reliable bloomer

I caught the final blooms on the pineapple guava in the bed bordering the street.

Feijoa sellowiana grows just inside of the hedge

The vines covering the arbor between the vegetable garden and the dry garden are in full bloom.

Distictis laxiflora interwoven with Trachelospermum jasminoides

The biggest floral splashes in the dry garden are provided by the daylilies.

Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake' surrounded by the "weed" Geranium incanum

But a few other plants add subtle interest.

Bright pink Cistus x pulverulentus 'Sunset'

Dorycinium hirsutum, aka Hairy Canary Clover

Globularia x indubia

Groundcovers Thymus praecox 'Pink Chintz' and Teucrium chamaedrys

Finally, there's the slope, which has held up surprisingly well despite limited irrigation.

Centranthus ruber, Oenothera speciosa and Euphorbia 'Dean'Hybrid'

Those are the highlights for this exceptionally hot May Bloom Day in Southern California. Please visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens, the host of the monthly Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, to see what's blooming in her garden and to find links to the posts of more than a hundred other contributors.

As I've mentioned (ad nauseum), we're in the middle of yet another spring heatwave. The heat reached a ridiculous level for awhile yesterday - not that any temperature above 80F (27C) in May isn't ridiculous.

Nearly 105F (40.5C) outside at 2pm

The effects on the flowering plants have been obvious but the weather has impacted my foliage plants as well. There are clear winners, plants that continue to thrive under heat and drought conditions, and losers, plants that are struggling, so I thought I'd use this month's Foliage Follow-up, the meme sponsored by Pam at Digging, to highlight some of each.

In the popular plants category, Yucca 'Bright Star' is doing so well that I kept myself awake recently wondering where I could put more. My 3, planted in January in the backyard border, are still small but they get prettier with each passing month.

In contrast, Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt,' another popular newcomer reputed to be drought tolerant, has had more difficulty adapting to the abrupt increases in temperature. Prior to the first heatwave, I'd have said the Acacia in the large pot near to the house was the best-looking of its brethren; however, despite receiving only morning sun and regular watering, it lost a lot of its leaves and now has a visibly thinner appearance. To be fair, the 4 plants in the ground experienced less leaf loss than the one in the pot even though they get more sun and less attention.

Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' has receding foliage

Leaf debris dropped by 'Cousin Itt'

In the Japanese maple category, 'Sango Kaku,' growing in a partial shade location next to the garage, and 'Mikawa Yatsubusa,' which gets mid-afternoon shade in the backyard, are both looking good despite exposure to heat and wind.

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' hasn't shown any ill effects to the heat thus far

Acer palmatum 'Mikawa Yatsubusa' has only the slightest leaf tip burn

This is not the case with Acer palmatum 'Purple Ghost' despite extra water the other 2 didn't receive. 'Purple Ghost' stands on the southeast side of the house and, although it gets some shade from nearby trees, it probably gets more sun overall that the other 2. The wind that whips through that area as it moves around the house may be an even more significant issue. And, of course, the visits by raccoons and a gopher can't help things. I'm afraid that 'Purple Ghost' may have to be moved in the fall (if it lives that long).

My sad 'Purple Ghost'

All my Phormium are doing well. They don't appear to notice the heat at all.

Phormium 'Amazing Red'

That's not true of Cordyline 'Renegade,' despite similarities in appearance and place of origin. Perhaps, as in the case of the Acacia cognata described above, part of the problem is that my Cordyline are in pots.

'Renegade's' growth is stunted and the foliage has lost some of its intense color while the Pelargonium planted with it enjoys its sunny setting

In the decorative shrub category, Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' is performing very well in full sun conditions in the windy southeast side yard.

Justicia brandegeeana,' on the other hand, doesn't seem happy. Although it seemed fine before the temperatures soared this week, it clearly needs more shade under current conditions. I'll have to find another spot for it.

This Justicia brandegeeana is frying - the other one, in partial afternoon shade, is faring better

Some groundcovers are doing better than others as well. The St. Johnswort is slow growing but seemingly impervious to heat. The red hook sedge gets a touch of shade during the first half of the day but takes the sun's full blast from mid-day with no ill effects thus far. But my experiment in stretching my zone to include Nepeta 'Pink Cat' was short-lived.

Hypericum x moserianum 'Tricolor'

Uncinia uncinata 'Rubra' in the midst of our 2nd heatwave

Nepeta 'Pink Cat' was dead after the 1st heatwave

The ugliest parts of my garden right now are the remaining areas of lawn, most of which are quickly turning straw yellow even though I've delivered far more water during the current heatwave than I did during the first one. I've been reading about drought tolerant grasses, grass substitutes, and even fake grass. Although we've eliminated various sections of grass since we moved in 3 years ago and I'd already slated other sections to go, I hadn't originally planned to take it all out but it may come to that. Looking at this, in mid-May, is depressing:

This patch of lawn in the backyard was mostly green just a week ago

This, in contrast, is not depressing.

Lomandra 'Breeze'

Stipa tenuissima

If current conditions represent the "new normal," then I need plants that are better at adapting to sudden temperature fluctuations, more intense heat, and less water. At present, my plants aren't the only ones having trouble adapting. Heat and low humidity (plus dying plants) has made me cranky. In contrast, at least one of my household companions takes the heat in stride.

Pipig has no problem with the heat despite being covered by fur

Please visit Pam at Digging to read her Foliage Follow-up post and to find links to other gardeners' flaunting their foliage.

My favorite plant this week, Dorycinium hirsutum, isn't flashy like last week's selection but as it performs exceptionally well under hot, dry conditions, it's one I value highly. I acquired my first plant early in 2011 because I liked the soft gray, fuzzy foliage and, based on the label, I thought it might do well in my dry garden. It grew, spread, and flowered with little attention and sparse irrigation. I was so impressed that I picked up 2 more this past January.

One of the newer acquisitions, not yet in bloom

My oldest Dorycinium hirsutum, currently in bloom

It's said to grow 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) tall and 2-3 (60 cm-1 meter) wide. My 3 year-old plant is somewhat shorter, yet nearly the projected breadth. It's currently covered in flowers, which the bees love. It's common name, Hairy Canary Clover, can be attributed to the clover-like white and pink flowers it produces.

Here's a closer look at the flowers

It's native to Portugal and other areas within the Northern Mediterranean region. Despite its name it isn't indigenous to the Canary Islands, although apparently other varieties of Dorycinium hail from those islands. Reports of its hardiness vary. San Marcos Growers contends that it's cold hardy to 15-20F (-9 to -6.7C). As my plants haven't been exposed to temperatures anywhere near those levels, I can't offer any personal testimonials as to its cold hardiness; however, I can tell you that the plant sailed through 2 heatwaves just this month, as well as extreme heat spells in 2011, 2012 and 2013 without any noticeable ill effects. All 3 of my plants are in an area with no automated irrigation. I provide water somewhat haphazardly, approximately every 4-6 weeks in the absence of rain (of which we've had very little this year).

After flowering, the plant produces a multitude of brown seedpods, which are easy to harvest. I tried sowing some last fall in the dry garden with no luck; however, in researching the plant for this post, I discovered that the seeds can take up to one year to germinate so maybe I'll get a plant out of them yet.

This heat and drought tolerant plant is my contribution this week to Loree's favorite plant meme at danger garden. Please visit her there to see her favorite this week.

Blooming Agapanthus dominate my garden at the moment, both in sheer numbers and in the perfection of their flowers. These plants came through our two May heatwaves completely unscathed, which cannot be said for the majority of plants in my garden. They were the obvious selection to go "In a Vase on Monday" as my contribution to the weekly meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

I inherited dozens of clumps of Agapanthus (presumably A. praecox orientalis) with the house. The majority are a medium blue but some are light blue and there are a few white ones. I picked 2 stalks of the medium blue variety and one pale blue. I accented these with a few stems of Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga Lily), which I used in my bouquet 2 weeks ago. A good many of these flowers dried up in the heat and wind last week so I thought I'd best use them while I can. Other accents included 2 varieties of Leucanthemum x superbum (aka Shasta Daisy), Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum' (aka golden feverfew), and Phlomis fruticosa (aka Jerusalem Sage).

The blooms of the Phlomis peaked in mid-April. There are only a few of these Dr. Seuss-like blooms left in the garden now. I wanted a punch of yellow to complement the blue and white of the other flowers but I wasn't sure these fuzzy flowers would fit the bill; however, I liked the whimsy they added to the arrangement.

The Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snow Lady' shown with the Phlomis in the picture above have relatively short stems but I liked the way they complemented the Jerusalem Sage better than the taller, ruffled variety of Shasta Daisy I cut first. The ruffled variety was relegated to the back of the arrangement with the golden feverfew.

The arrangement sits on the dining room table, where I enjoyed it while eating breakfast.

If you have a bouquet from your garden you're enjoying this Monday, post a picture on your blog and link in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. You can find her composition here, along with links to other contributing gardeners.

My favorite plant this week is another one that came through our recent heatwaves unscathed, Hebe 'Wiri Blush.' This is not classified as a drought tolerant plant but it is considered heat tolerant. Specifically, it's suited to AHS heat zones 7-12, which means it can tolerate conditions in which it's exposed to heat of 86F (30C) or greater for more than 210 days per year.* When our temperature exceeded 104F (40C) last week, the plant didn't wilt, the flowers didn't shrivel, and the leaves didn't burn or drop. The plant looked as good this week as it did at the end of April - better, perhaps, in that the heat seems to have prompted blooms that are normally associated with summer.

Hebe 'Wiri Blush' sits in my backyard border in front of one Phormium 'Dark Delight' and alongside 2 others

This is another plant I bought principally for its foliage. The narrow leaves are a glossy green, edged in magenta. The undersides of new leaves and the plant's stems have the same magenta color. The plant is evergreen and grows 3-4 feet (90-120 cm) tall by 4 feet (120 cm) wide. It seems to be a relatively fast grower - mine, planted in January 2013 from a 1 gallon pot, has already reached its mature size. Its compact form is easily maintained with a little light pruning.

This foliage close-up shows the magenta undersides of the stems and the new growth

It grows in full to partial sun and normally blooms in summer through fall. The flowers are a bright pink color. They're also attractive to bees.

The flower spikes are about 3 inches long and hold up surprisingly well in cut flower arrangements

This New Zealand native requires good drainage and regular water. Dry summer heat is said to shorten its life span. As that's what it receives in my garden, we'll have to see how it does in the long haul but I'm very pleased with it thus far. So pleased in fact, that I recently picked up another one for placement in my "red bed." For those of you in cooler climates, this Hebe is said to handle low temperatures in the range of 0 to 10F (-18 to 12C).

Hebe 'Wiri Blush' is my contribution this week to the favorite plants meme hosted by Loree at danger garden. Click here to see Loree's favorite of the week and to find links to other gardeners' selections.

*On a separate but related topic, looking at the heat tolerance of this plant led me to a closer examination of the American Horticultural Society's Heat Zone Map. Unlike the USDA cold hardiness zones, I wasn't able to find a tool that linked heat zone directly to postal zip code. I was left to deduce my zone based on my own possibly questionable reading of the AHS color-coded state map. My reading of the 1997 map suggests that I reside in heat zone 6 or below, although average temperature data for downtown Los Angeles, which normally tracks our local temperature fairly closely, suggests that a zone 7 classification may be more accurate. However, I have to wonder whether either estimate reflects the warming trend. I'm also unsure whether this heat index helps me in assessing a plant's resilience in handling abrupt temperature fluctuations, such as those we've been experiencing. Have you made use of the AHS heat tolerance index? Do you find it of value in making plant selections?

We had a surprise visit from an attractive but unwelcome visitor late yesterday afternoon.

Yes, that's a peacock. He was quite large but, as his tail feathers were relatively short, I suspect he may be a juvenile, although I can't say I have much experience with peafowl. Apparently, male peacocks don't develop a full train of feathers until they're about 6 years of age. They also shed their tail feathers each summer but it seems early for completion of the molting process; however, I can't claim any personal knowledge of that process either.

My husband returned home and found the bird seated on our roof at the front of the house. He alerted me and I grabbed my camera and went looking for our visitor. I heard him squawk before I saw him. Peacocks can produce a blood-curdling screech but this one produced a sound more like a goose's honk.

I found him pacing nervously about the vegetable garden.

He didn't at all like being followed around so he flew up out of my way onto our garage roof, where he paced about some more before flying over the fence into my neighbor's yard..

Hopefully, he'll head back to his colony. He's very handsome and I certainly bear him no ill will but I'd prefer that he reside elsewhere. In addition to their capacity for ear-splitting shrieks, they've been known to wreak havoc in gardens. The peacocks, which are native to India, were brought into this area as a gift to a wealthy landowner in the 1920s. Their numbers increased and the surrounding community became quite divided about their presence. There are clear pro- and anti-peacock factions in the community.

Although I've seen them on the road a few miles from here, I've never before seen them in our neighborhood. Our community has an ordinance prohibiting residents from feeding them and offers a laundry list of recommendations to deter them from moving in and settling down. Dogs are the primary deterrent but our neighborhood coyotes are unlikely to permit long-time residence either. A city website offers a helpful list of plants disliked by peacocks, which one is encouraged to use, and plants that the peacocks particularly like, which one is warned to avoid. Luckily, I have a lot of plants on the "dislike" list but the "like" list contains a general reference to "tender young plants," which is problematic.

As of this morning, there's no sign of our visitor. I hope he left of his own volition and not as dinner for one of the neighborhood coyotes.

The flowers on 3 of my Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame' were past their prime. The bulk of the lower petals had dropped off, leaving just the tops of the tall bloom stalks intact. They needed to be cut back but the flower tips were still pretty so into a vase they went. The color of the flowers is relatively unusual so I had to scour the garden for the right accents.

I selected 3 stems of Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' as the foliage accent and several stems of Argyranthemum frutescens 'Madeira Red' as a floral accent. While the colors blended well, the combination of all those the red tones made the arrangement feel heavy, almost leaden. So, I moved the Argyranthemum to the back of the arrangement and tucked in Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin' and Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum' up front to brighten things a bit.

Close up showing Argyranthemum 'Madeira Red' and the stems of Leucadendron salignum 'Chief'

Close up of Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin' and golden feverfew

There's been something of a Digiplexis backlash here. Declared the "it" plant last year, within months it went from being hard to find to everywhere you look. Despite its overexposure, I have to say I like it a lot. The orange and pink of the flowers is undeniably pretty and it has proven heat-hardy in my garden thus far. Even when our temperatures hit record highs here, both flowers and foliage remained in great condition. I think I probably should have cut the central flower spikes back sooner to promote earlier side growth but that's a lesson I can act on next year.

Close up photo of Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame'

While I like the color combinations in this bouquet, the heavy stems of the Leucadendron created a lopsided display. In retrospect, I think a more delicate foliage accent, like Abelia, would have been a better choice. I futzed with it for a while, then decided to let it be. This asymmetrical arrangement is my contribution to Cathy's meme at Rambling in the Garden, which celebrates flowers cut from materials on hand in one's own backyard (or front yard, as the case may be). Click here to see Cathy's floral concoction this week and to find links to other gardeners' floral creations.

For the last month or more, every time I sit on the living room couch and look out the window, I've seen a mass of bright yellow in the backyard border. Much of this comes from Achillea 'Moonshine' but recently Cotula 'Tiffendell Gold' has added an echo at the edge of the border.

Cotula 'Tiffendell Gold' is in the foreground

Attracted by the foliage, I put in 3 of these plants, also called "Martian Moondrops," last summer. Rhizomes spread 12 inches (30 cm) or more to form an evergreen, gray-green ground covering mat less than 3 inches (7.6 cm) tall. Pretty as the foliage is, the yellow button flowers that sit atop wiry stems averaging 5 inches (12.7 cm) tall add a nice quirky element to the mix. Regular dead-heading extends the bloom period.

While the flowers of 'Tiffendell Gold' are about half and inch (1.27 cm) in diameter, I have another variety, Cotula lineariloba 'Big Yellow Moon,' that produces flowers an inch (2.54 cm) in size. The foliage of this plant is similar but its spread is said to be far greater. Reportedly, it can grow up to 3 feet (.91 m) wide. Mine spread rapidly since it was planted early this year, although it has developed a hole at its center along the way.

Cotula lineariloba 'Big Yellow Moon' has larger flowers and a broader spread but requires more water

Both plants will grow in full sun to partial shade but on-line sources suggest that 'Tiffendell Gold' is more cold hardy, tolerating temperatures as low as -20F (-28.8C), as well as drought tolerant. Cotula 'Tiffendell Gold' is my favorite plant this week and my contribution to the meme sponsored by Loree at danger garden. You can see Loree's favorite and find links to other gardeners' selection by clicking here.

I've been running around a bit the last few days, which left me relatively little time during daylight hours to photograph my garden, much less the opportunity to pick times when the light shows it to its best advantage. Still, these monthly wide shots, undertaken in connection with the meme sponsored by Heather at Xericstyle, have proven to be a useful exercise to track the evolution of my garden over the course of the year so I'm posting the pictures available to me, starting, as usual, with the backyard.

The border created early this year as an extension of the small bed that originally encircled the fountain is filling in nicely. The unidentified red-orange daylilies I inherited with the house are blooming in earnest now throughout the backyard, as are the Agapanthus.

View from back door

View from backyard patio looking southeast

View from the flagstone path in the side yard, looking back toward the backyard patio

The borders on the southeast side of the house took our May heatwaves particularly hard. I've added lots of mulch to protect the beds during the coming summer onslaught. I've also cut back or taken out most of the plants that died or were fried beyond recognition. Although the beginning of summer is certainly not the best time to plant anything here, I've purchased a few heat and drought resistant replacements to fill the holes but I've yet to get them in the ground. The Zinnia seeds I planted in April have germinated but the seedlings are still too small to register in these photos.

View through the side yard arbor, looking toward the smoggy harbor view

View of the southeast side garden from the small patio on that side of the house

View of the side yard from the back lawn, looking back toward the arbor

The front borders also took a battering from the heat. The lawn has turned to straw, which generally doesn't happen until late summer. It may come back when (if?) the rains return this fall but I'm sufficiently demoralized by its current appearance to be seriously considering pulling it out altogether.

The sunflower and corn seeds I planted a month or so ago are coming along in the vegetable garden. After pulling out the sweet peas that fried in the early May heat, I recently planted the empty raised planter with more corn seeds, as well as pole bean seeds and some basil.

Despite the heat and limited irrigation, the dry garden is holding its own.

View of the dry garden from the start of the gravel path leading to the back slope

That's it for my wide shots this month. Please visit Heather's site to see her post this month and to find links to the posts of other participating gardeners.

The conservation mantra is "reduce, reuse, recycle." I didn't plan to invoke that mantra, or a version of it, when I began preparing this week's floral bouquet. I'd been admiring a lovely foxglove, Digitalis x mertonensis, in my garden for the last 2 weeks and decided to make it the centerpiece of my next floral construction. What didn't factor into my plan was that my pretty Digitalis blooms would come covered in aphids. I spent more than 20 minutes rinsing the 2 foxglove stems I'd cut. Those nasty bugs were in every nook and cranny but I just couldn't bring myself to toss the stems out as the flowers themselves appeared unaffected by the unwelcome encampment.

I'd already cut a lily and feverfew to accompany the Digitalis in the vase. But, having spent so much time carefully rinsing each tubular flower of the foxglove, I ran out of time for additional fussing. As the stems of Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' I used in last week's composition were still in perfect condition, I decided to recycle those by using them as this week's foliage accent too. I think they actually look better this week than they did when I photographed last week's bouquet - the stems opened up some during the course of last week. Do you ever recycle materials cut for one arrangement for use in another?

I also reused last week's glass vase as its yellow color fit the mix better than the other vases in my collection. The vase contains:

Digitalis x mertonensis 'Polka Dot Pippa'
Lily, an unscented, unknown variety received as a gift with purchase
Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum'
Leucadendron salignum 'Chief'

This bouquet is my contribution to the collection assembled by our host, Cathy, at Rambling in the Garden. Click here to see her creation and to find links to bouquets constructed by other gardeners this week.

I celebrated my birthday last week. Two of my friends, who know my vices well, each took me plant shopping to celebrate. And another friend gave me a gift card to help with the damages.

The first outing took me to OC Succulents with a brief side trip to Roger's Gardens. I've written about both nurseries before (most extensively here and here) but I took very few pictures on this occasion as I was too busy making selections. However, I did take a couple of shots of the back of my friend's SUV as the two of us struggled to fit the last of our purchases into her trunk before heading home. Please note that only about 30% of the contents were mine!

The bright green Agave impressa and the burgundy Aeoniums - and a "few" other things - are mine

I'd only just begun to plant my first set of purchases when, 2 days later, my other friend took me to Laguna Nursery in the heart of Laguna Beach, an artist community located in Orange County. This nursery is less than 10 miles south of Roger's Garden but neither my friend nor I had ever been there. We were both surprised by what we found. It's a difficult place to characterize. The words eccentric, eclectic, funky, imaginative, and even claustrophobic come to mind. Perhaps you can provide your own description upon viewing the photos I took, although I don't know if these even begin to capture the feel of the place.

Here's some of what greeted us when we pulled into the parking lot.

In the back of an adjacent parking lot for the Surf & Sand Resort, we found bedding plants, garden furniture and more garden sculptures.

We entered the main portion of the nursery from the alleyway.

The inside premises were jam-packed with fanciful items arranged without any logical pattern that I could discern. The eye was torn from one thing to another. The aisles were narrow and there was little space between objects, all of which vied for attention.

While the rooms felt somewhat claustrophobic to me, the feel of the place was lightened by bird song. Birds occupied cages throughout the interior space. I stopped counting them after a while but there must have been more than a dozen large cages occupied by varies types of birds, including Lovebirds, Budgies, Cockatiels and Parakeets.

These 2 were named Mork & Mindy

Notices like this, containing the birds's names and descriptions, were placed alongside each cage

The four lovebirds, Peachy & Moe and Sammy & Elberta

The interior was organized around a central stairway, which stepped down to align with the street fronting the coastal highway.

Stairway from the top level, looking down

Stairway viewed from the opposite direction

Gargoyles sitting atop one of the exits

I chose a more friendly exit than the one shown above to enter the outdoor garden area facing the highway. Outside, I found more sculpture and lots of fountains of different types.

This sculpture was inspired by the lady featured in Seurat's painting, "Sunday in the Park on the Island of LeGrand Jatte"

One of the most impressive (and expensive) fountains

A bubbling bathtub fountain

Narrow path through a selection of perennial plants

Another fountain, this one surrounded by succulents

This side path leads back to what I believe is the nursery's office area

There were plants scattered throughout the grounds, inside and outside, but I found it difficult to focus on them when so much else sought to catch one's eye.

Further proof that Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame' can be found in every nursery in Southern California

Small pots of succulents

Is this an Acalypha? In retrospect, this is one plant I wish I'd taken home

Going back inside, my friend and I explored the various rooms off the main stairway. My favorite was what I thought of as the "forest room," although it defies any precise description.

On the other side of the central walkway was a room with an eastern feel.

There were fountains and sculptures of different types throughout the interior space as well, all of which were expensive. My favorite sculpture was one of 3 intertwined young women, along the lines of the 3 graces.

I didn't even bother looking for a pricetag

There were also items that defied classification, like this one.

A restored ferris wheel seat (available for $9400)

We even took a peek at a design studio sitting next to the parking lot, which may or may not have been directly associated with the nursery.

The studio had a nice landscape of massed succulents

I loved this table

In the end, my friend and I left with our cameras full of pictures but out pocketbooks intact. I think we were too overwhelmed by the experience to purchase anything. We had a leisurely lunch and then headed to Roger's Garden. There, my friend bought one plant and I, true to form, bought more than a dozen. I'll feature some of my recent purchases in a future post but I expect you, my dear reader, have had enough of my birthday shopping expeditions at this point.

I've got the blues coming on - the blue-flowered plants in my garden, that is. Agapanthus dominate my borders at the moment but some of the smaller specimens of blue-flowering plants are also commanding attention. I was torn between two prospects this morning, unable to decide which to feature in today's post in connection with the favorite plants meme hosted by Loree of danger garden. I took photos of both and decided to make a decision based on which of the two took better pictures. Hey, I live in the shadow of Hollywood - that's how decisions are made here!

The winner is Eustoma grandiflorum, commonly called Lisianthus, specifically a variety called 'Borealis Blue.' I usually end up planting one or more colors of Lisianthus somewhere in my garden each year. I find myself unable to pass them by when they arrive in the nurseries. I bought the first of mine this year in late April, just before our first heatwave. Three of the 6 I bought perished in their pots before I could get them planted but those I got in the ground are flourishing.

Eustoma grandiflorum 'Borealis Blue' in the backyard border alongside Achillea 'Moonshine'

I found the plants in the 'Borealis' series, which grow 18-24 inches (46-61 cm) tall, in 4-inch pots but I've since found another double-flowered variety, 'Mariachi Blue,' in 6-packs so I've recently added more to my backyard border. The smooth, gray-green, slightly succulent foliage is nice but it's the flowers that make this plant. The largest flowers of the 'Borealis Blue' are 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide. The stems bear 3-5 flowers. These flowers come closest to what I imagine a blue rose would look like if such a thing actually existed.

Eustoma grandiflorum is native to the warm regions of the southern US, as well as Mexico, the Carribean and the northern regions of South America. It's suited to USDA zones 8-10.

Lisianthus come in a variety to colors in addition to blue, including pink, purple, white and, occasionally, pale yellow, carmine and bi-colors. Last year, I put in some in a pale pink variety. Although I pulled most of these last winter, I left one in the back border, where it's also in bloom now.

Eustoma grandiflorum 'Echo Pink'

I'm thinking of looking for some white or yellow Lisianthus for my weather-worn front borders; however, the double-flowered blue varieties remain my favorites.

Eustoma grandiflorum 'Borealis Blue' is my favorite plant this week. Please visit Loree at danger garden to see her favorite. You'll also find links to other gardeners' selections.

Unlike Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, the gracious host of the weekly meme entitled "In a Vase on Monday," my floral compositions don't usually bring music to mind. However, when searching for a descriptive title for today's bouquet, "Moody Blues" popped into my head. I can't say that I've thought of that British rock band in many, many years but they were among my favorites when I was a kid. Despite that fact, my choice of the title relates to the colors of my floral and foliage materials rather than any song written by the band.

I picked a stem of the beautiful Eustoma grandiflorum 'Borealis Blue' (aka Lisianthus) I featured as my favorite plant of the week last Thursday. One stem, consisting of 3 flowers, was all I could bear to cut. While it looks quite blue in the garden, it reads more purple than blue inside the house in a vase but some of the petals show a blue tinge. There's also a tiny touch of white in the central blossom.

I cut 3 stems of a wild lupine to accent the Eustoma. I have a bush lupine growing in my garden but this is the first year a wild lupine has made an appearance. I think the seed must have hitchhiked here in a load of topsoil I ordered when we built our newest border in the backyard. Although it doesn't match the color scheme I was going for in that particular area, I'm going to let it be in the hope that it will establish itself in my garden.

I also added a few stems of a frilly form of Leucanthemum x superbum (aka Shasta daisy), Trachelium caeruleum (possibly 'Hamer Pandora'), which is just now coming into bloom here, and Verbena bonariensis. The Verbena doesn't appear to make a particularly good cut flower as it continuously drops tiny petals but the amethyst color picks up the pinkish purple tones in the lupine so it remains in the vase for now. The foliage accent is a stem of the "ever-purple"Ageratum corymbosum I've used before - it definitely adds a moody touch to the arrangement.

Please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see her composition this week and to find links to the creations of other contributors. To give the Moody Blues their due, here's a link to one of their compositions, titled "Blue World."

In a Vase on Monday: Odds & Ends

Is Summer Here Already?

My favorite plant this week: Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem'

In a Vase on Monday: Before and After

Wordless Wednesday: A Bird's Eye View of the Garden

Bloom Day - May 2014

Foliage Follow-up - May 2014 Heatwave Edition

My favorite plant this week: Dorycinium hirsutum

In a Vase on Monday: Agapanthus takes the lead

Wordless Wednesday: Supersized Blooms

My favorite plant this week: Hebe 'Wiri Blush'

A Visit from a Flashy Dresser

In a Vase on Monday: A Lopsided Arrangement

Wordless Wednesday: Purple Perfection

My favorite plant this week: Cotula 'Tiffendell Gold'

Wide Shots - June 2014

In a Vase on Monday: Rinse, Recycle & Reuse

Birthday Shopping

My favorite plant this week: Eustoma grandiflorum

In a Vase on Monday: Moody Blues