My two arrangements this week have little in common.  They're far apart on the color wheel but not actually complementary.  One's small and the other's considerably larger.  Other than that they both feature some daisy-like flowers, the only quality I could think of that they share is a degree of buoyancy often lacking in my compositions.

The first was constructed around leggy Osteospermums I felt compelled to cut back to the ground yesterday morning.  I saved every half-decent bloom and used almost all of them.  However, the arrangement's energy was provided by my bubbly favorite, Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy'.

I don't use most of my Osteospermums in arrangements because the flowers close in low light but plants in the '3D' and '4D' series like the 'Berry White' shown here have densely petaled centers that allow them to remain fully open day and night

Back view, much like the front

Top view, showing off the Gomphrena's tiny flowers on almost invisible stems

Clockwise from the top: Osteospermum 'Berry White', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', and Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'

My second arrangement was inspired by the bright orange leaves of one of my persimmons (Diospyros kaki 'Fuyu'), which I suspect may be gone by next week.  I initially thought I'd pair the colorful foliage with flowers of Grevillea 'Superb' but, with the nearby Copper Canyon Daisy (Tagetes lemmonii) currently in full bloom, I shifted my palette. 

The long stems of the Copper Canyon Daisies float above the heavier elements below.  Their scent bothers some people, including my husband, but thus far he hasn't said a word about them, although I wouldn't be entirely surprised to find the vase moved outdoors at some point

The back view shows off the grass plumes and grass-like Restio stems that add an airiness to the arrangement

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Tagetes lemmonii, berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolia, foliage of Diospyros kaki 'Fuyu' (aka 'Fuyu' persimmon), Chondropetalum elephantinum, Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' flowers and seed heads, and Pennisetum 'Fireworks'

As I'd already cut two stems of Grevillea 'Superb', I popped those into a small, narrow-necked vase rather than tossing them out.

The Grevillea blooms do look good with the persimmon foliage.  They just didn't play well with the Copper Canyon Daisies.

One of my biggest concerns about taking down the dying mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) was that its removal would impact the bird activity in my back garden.  The mimosa was bare for a good portion of the year but it was nonetheless the favorite perch for every avian visitor.  Situated in between the feeders and the fountain, it provided a handy way-station.  I shifted the backyard feeders a few feet after the mimosa came out, hoping that the small birds would seek cover in either the nearby strawberry tree (Arbutus 'Marina') or the tree-like Leucadendron 'Pisa' just outside my home office window.  As it turned out, bird activity is, if anything, greater than it was before.  The small birds appear perfectly happy to use both the strawberry tree and the Leucadendron to provide safe perches.

Leucadendron 'Pisa' is on the left and Arbutus 'Marina' is on the right, several feet behind the feeders.  There's a second, larger Arbutus behind the first tree.

Last week we had white-crowned sparrows too but this week it's mainly house finches and lesser goldfinches.  In less than a week, they manage to empty all three of these feeders and most of the three feeders in the front garden.

The mimosa's removal hasn't seemed to have affected the birds' use of the fountain for baths either.

Again, the visitors this week were mainly finches

The seashells in the fountain's top tier give them a place to perch as they splash about

The raccoons rearrange the shells every few days during their nightly visits

The tree removal may have impacted the larger birds like the scrub jays and hawks somewhat more than the small birds.  The jays still visit the feeders occasionally, scattering the smaller birds when they arrive, but their visits have been less frequent since the mimosa's removal.  I've yet to see jays, crows or hawks perching in the smaller Arbutus or Leucadendron as they formerly did in the mimosa either.  The hawks haven't entirely disappeared, however.

The hawks that regularly visited the mimosa tree now must content themselves with the tall pine tree in the neighbor's garden behind us

Last week I saw one hawk swoop through our garden just over the roof line but generally they're sticking to the pine tree

I caught this one taking flight after scanning the horizon for a good 15 minutes

I can't state definitively whether this is a Cooper's hawk or a sharp-shinned hawk but the rounded tail shape visible in this photo suggests the former

It's been a very tough year on a lot of fronts and there are more challenges on the horizon before this dreadful year comes to a close.  However, on the cusp of our unusual Thanksgiving holiday this year, I can still say I'm thankful for things both big and small, like the company of birds in my garden.  I hope you have things to be thankful for as well.  Have a happy - and safe - Thanksgiving.

For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Finding flowers to fill a vase (much less my usual two or three vases) has become more of a challenge with each passing week.  Only a handful of flower species are currently available in a bountiful supply but of course I try not to repeat myself.  As my Correa 'Pink Eyre' (aka Australian fuchsia) is dripping in blooms, I knew I wanted to use it again but I'd no idea what to pair with it until I tripped over two stems of pink Alstroemeria blooming off-season while doing some pruning.  Unfortunately, one of those stems was no longer vase-worthy when I went to pick them yesterday morning and the second one started to collapse as I began putting my arrangement together so some shuffling was required.

Stems of Camellia sasanqua and a noID orchid I've had for more than 25 years took over as the vase's focal points.  The orchid was given to me by one of my husband's former bosses, whose mother reportedly brought it with her from China.  My best guess is that it's a Cattleya of some kind.

The diminished noID Alstroemeria was tucked into the back of the arrangement

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Alstroemeria, noID Camellia sasanqua, Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre', the noID orchid that might be a Cattleya, Pentas lanceolata, and Prostanthera ovatifolia 'Variegata' foliage

After cutting one orchid, I decided why not cut another one while I was at it, especially as the orchid in question fit the color mix I'd already selected. 

Both orchids were in my lath (shade) house.  This noID miniature Phalaenopsis has been blooming for two months and was starting to fade so I justified cutting it on that basis.

I dressed up the back of the arrangement with a stem of white Dianthus

The most unusual element is Pelargonium 'Colocho', shown in this view jutting out at roughly the two and eight o'clock positions when viewed from overhead.  It's growth habit is very interesting but this arrangement doesn't show off its shape to its best advantage.  You can find better photos here.

Clockwise from the upper left: noID miniature Phalaenopsis, Polygala fruticosa (aka sweet pea shrub), Pelargonium 'Colocho', Dianthus barbatus 'Dash White', Salvia canariensis var candissima, and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light'

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who leads this weekly parade.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

I got up very early (for me) on Monday in an effort to get to the supermarket soon after opening time to avoid any crowds.  COVID-19 is surging again in Los Angeles County, as it is in most of California and much of the country.  The ICUs in our local hospitals are reportedly already at capacity even without the influx expected to follow the Thanksgiving holiday, making me even more cautious about public venues.  But the pantry was bare and the online grocery shopping I did during our earlier lockdown was frustrating to say the least so I didn't feel I had a good alternative.  However, my reward for being up and dressed before dawn was a brilliant sunrise.

A slightly wider shot

Did you notice all the boats sitting outside the harbor?  Traffic was low for a time earlier this year but now cargo ships are backed up off-shore waiting for berths in the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports so they can unload their cargo.  

On Saturday, I counted 25 ships anchored between the Port of Los Angeles (shown here) and the Long Beach port beyond.  Seventeen are visible in this shot.

It's not clear that the shipping backlog will be resolved any time soon.  Labor and equipment shortages, as well as complications stemming from the pandemic, are elements of the problem. The delays may be  something to factor into any holiday shopping you're doing online.

For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

2020 keeps on giving in the worst possible sense of that expression.  A new round of high winds hit Southern California this week, setting off yet another series of wildfires, three at last count.  The largest, the Bond Fire in Orange County, has prompted another round of evacuations.  My own area isn't directly impacted but heavy smoke blew our way early Thursday morning and it's still with us.  The smoke was thick and the air quality shifted in to the unhealthy category yesterday so all work in the garden was off the table.

I took this photo mid-morning yesterday.  The boats off-shore mentioned in my prior post are still there but they're invisible in this photo.

Even though I've temporarily suspended work in the garden, I got some small jobs done earlier in the week, starting with replanting the metal wok I use as a succulent container in the south side patio area.

This is the "before" photo.  I planted this wok more than a year ago and it looked fine until summer arrived.  It got too much sun in this spot and I watered it too infrequently.

Mangave 'Tooth Fairy' was transplanted into a pot of its own in the hope that it'll begin to bulk up with better treatment

I picked up three new Echeveria to replace the Mangave as the focal point and filled in with cuttings taken from elsewhere in the garden.  I also moved it a few feet to give it more shade during the hottest part of the day.

In addition to the Echeveria hookeri I picked up at my local garden center last week, I included cuttings of Crassula pubescens, Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', Oscularia deltoides, and two other succulents I can't identify off the top of my head

I also tweaked the planting scheme on the front slope in the area adjacent to my lath (shade) house).

I think I'm done with this area for the time being, although I may move the Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' at the base of the short stone wall

This is a view of the same area looking down with the lath house in the background

The changes I've made since my November 20th post aren't monumental but I'm hoping the additions will help fill the empty spaces more quickly.  A tray of mail-order succulents from Mountain Crest Gardens got me started.

I ordered a mixed tray of 20 2-inch blue-green rosettes plus a few other plants.  The rosettes weren't labeled so I can only offer my best guess on their identities.  Clockwise from the upper left are: Crassula rubricaulis 'Candy Cane', Echeverias 'Abalone' and 'Blue Atoll', Mangave 'Pineapple Express', Sedeveria 'Fanfare', and Echeveria 'Raindrops'.

I thought the addition of a second mid-sized Aloe striata in the upper tier of the slope might help balance things out but, rather than transplanting one of these from elsewhere in my garden, I made do with a pup from a hybrid Aloe.

These pups come from an Aloe striata x maculata currently planted on the same slope.  I planted the larger pup on the slope and popped the smaller one into a pot to bulk up.

The Aloe striata I already had is shown on the left; its cousin, Aloe striata x maculata, is in the middle; and the pup of the latter is shown on the right.

I added a few other plants on spec, including a cutting of Echium handiense I managed to root from a cutting and a few rooted cuttings of Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard'.  The latter used to weave itself through Aeoniums on this slope and I'd liked the effect.

Other than some general dead-heading and garden clean-up, my other task was collecting fallen leaves and shredding them to start a batch of leaf mulch.

From my own garden, I collected fallen persimmon, Japanese maple and redbud tree leaves.  I discovered that the hedge and blow gardeners we employ had dumped masses of our neighbor's maple, gingko, and other leaf debris into our green bins (not unusual as they service several neighbors on the same day) so I scooped those up and shredded them too using the 'Leaf Hog' shown here.  It's basically a vacuum with a bag.

I've collected more leaves since this batch, which half-filled this compost bin

Our very dry and windy conditions are expected to continue well into next week.  Fingers are crossed that the fire fighters are able to extinguish the fires already burning and that no more crop up.  Rain would be a blessing as we've had just a twentieth of an inch thus far for the season starting October 1st but there's none of that on the horizon.  Unfortunately, we're facing a La Niña year, which in Southern California means persistently warm, dry conditions.

Best wishes for a pleasant weekend whatever your weather.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

My nephew lost the center of his world, his fiancée Sofia, to cancer on Saturday.  Despite assertive efforts to save her life, she was lost to us little more than a month after she received her preliminary diagnosis.  Just 29 years old, she had a lot of life left to live and she and Alessio were already linked in pursuit of their life plans.  My heart hurts for him, her family and her friends.  I've thought of little else since I heard she was losing her battle so of course today's floral arrangement was created with Sofia, Alessio and the love they shared in mind. 

Front view

Back view

Top view

The vase contains: Top row - Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Caladium 'Debutante', and Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre' Middle row - Grevilleas 'Peaches & Cream' and 'Superb' Bottom row - Cuphea micropetala, Mahonia x media 'Charity', and Osteospermum 'Double Moonglow'

If you'd like a better sense of Sofia and Alessio, you can learn more here.  For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

I'd like to be done with 2020.  Each day seem to bring something new to worry about.  Yesterday morning, during the exceptionally dry period that appears neverending, I smelled smoke while in the garden and looked up to see this:

This wasn't exactly next door but it was too close for comfort

Luckily, 60 firefighters descended on the blaze, which turned out to be a brush fire in a canyon area.  The area was reportedly difficult to access but they managed to extinguish it in less than an hour even so.  Meanwhile, I'm beginning to think I need to find myself a bunker somewhere.

For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

I've largely ignored the garden on the north side of the house for the last couple of years, letting it get by on benign neglect.  This week, without any kind of plan in mind, I decided it was time for some tidying up.  The prostrate rosemary I planted years ago was completely out of control.  Perennial shrubs had been allowed to sprawl.  Weeds and rampant self-seeders were swamping other plants.  Fallen leaves were piled ankle deep in spots.

As usual, I failed to take any "before" photos so photos taken earlier this year will have to do.

This photo, taken at the end of October, hides a lot

This photo of my two largest agaves, taken in July, gives some sense of how crowded they were

Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' (left) was a pup I planted years ago.  Agave 'Cornelius' (aka 'Quasimoto', right) had been overrun by Hairy Canary Clover.

Two of my largest succulents, Agaves vilmoriana and ovatifolia, gained a little breathing space.

Although you can see that the Aloe vera is still in danger of being swallowed up by ivy

The "after" photos  may not reflect all the work that went into the process but I can testify that my back and shoulder muscles feel the impact.

There's more bare space but the Erigeron will certainly be back to fill in by spring if I don't find something else to plant before then

View from another angle

There's now a line of sight from the back of the north side garden looking south toward the backyard patio

Other odd jobs done this week included replanting some pots.

From left to right: I planted a half-barrel with snapdragons and primrose; a terracotta pot got a trio of Pericallis (aka florist's cineraria); and I spruced up two of the large pots by the front door with an underplanting of Bacopa (Sutera cordata) and pansies

I guess it's time to tackle Christmas decorations.  That's my weekend project.  What's yours?  Best wishes however you're spending your time.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

The flowers available for cutting are in shorter supply now and the blooms I do have generally don't have long vase-lives.  In recognition of the season, the first arrangement is a mix of red and green with a few splashes of white.  I emphasized a variety of foliage so that it may retain some interest even when the flowers collapse.  

Grevillea 'Ned Kelly' wasn't meant to be the floral focus of this arrangement but I couldn't resist.  'Ned' is far less generous with its blooms than my other large-flowered Grevilleas, 'Superb' and 'Peaches & Cream'so I don't use it often in arrangements.

My original inspiration for the arrangement, the flowers of pink powder-puff (Calliandra haematocephala), ended up in what I've designated the back of the arrangement, although it can be viewed from all angles where it sits.  The powder puffs only last a couple of days at most and I doubt the brownish-red buds will open on cut stems but they offer their own kind of interest.

Top view

The vase contains: Top row - Calliandra haematocephala, Coloenema pulchella 'Sunset Gold', and Dianthus 'Dash White' Middle row - Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', and L. 'Winter Red' Bottom row - Penstemon mexicali 'Mini Red Bells' and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light'

The second, smaller arrangement made use of the current abundance of Camellia sasanqua.  As our humidity levels have been low more often than not recently, the Camellia blooms wither quickly, even in their protected spot under the roof eave on the north side of the house.  There are lots of flowers but finding a few in pristine condition with stems of a decent length was a little bit of a challenge.

At best, these Camillia flowers will last 2-3 days

The uninteresting back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum 'Angelic Giant Pink', two unidentified forms of Camellia sasanqua, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey'

For more IAVOM, most created in colder areas than mine, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

It's been ridiculously dry here in coastal Southern California.  Other than one light rainstorm in mid-November, which delivered just a twentieth of an inch of rain in this location, we've had no rain and, without much in the way of a marine layer, humidity levels have been very low on average.  Plants that usually bounce back in the fall are lagging, even though I'm still running our irrigation system.  The long-term forecast isn't very promising either.  The latest update I read suggests that dry conditions in Southern California may continue through January.

It's cool here but we don't normally get freezes so there are still plenty of flowers, if not as many as I'd like to see.  At this time of year, I truly appreciate the plants that bloom year-round so I'll start off with those those this month.

I don't think I've ever given Gomphrena decembens 'Itsy Bitsy' the starring role in a Bloom Day post so that's long overdue.  The flowers might be small but they're certainly plentiful.

I can always count on the large-flowered Grevilleas when everything else is in decline. Top row - Grevilleas 'Moonlight' and 'Ned Kelly' Middle row - two views of Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' Bottom row - two views of the well-named Grevillea 'Superb'

A close-up of hybrid Cuphea 'Starfire Pink'.  I have 10 of these shrubs in my garden.  They need to be pruned back hard at least once a year but I never cut them all back at the same time as I fear the bees and hummingbirds wouldn't forgive me.

Many of the plants that were blooming last month are continuing to put on a good show.

Correas 'Ivory Bells', 'Pink Eyre', and 'Sister Dawn'

Most of the Gazanias in my garden are now self-sown offspring of those I introduced years ago

Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' makes the most of the light in the fall garden

Tagetes lemmonii (aka copper Canyon Daisy) is starting to get lanky but I'll give it a bit more time before I cut it back

Some of the usual cool-season bloomers are making a splash right on schedule despite our dry conditions.

Two of the Aloes that have developed bloom spikes are 'Safari Sunrise' (left) and hybrid vanbalenii x ferox (right)

Blooms are back on the Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana), although most are way above my head

Calliandra haematocephala (aka pink powder puff) was used as a foundation plant in several spots by a prior owner of our property.  All are regularly sheared within an inch of their lives but one or two manage to produce some blooms every year at this time.

Two varieties of Camellia sasanqua in similar colors were planted by a prior owner under the roof eave on the north side of the house.  This is one of these.

This, lower-growing form, is the other.  I've no names for either cultivar.

I've had Cyclamen in my shade house for years but I admit that I refreshed the plants in this pot this year and moved the older specimens to a shady border

I introduced Mahonia x media 'Charity' in 2016 and it's finally gained some substance

I'm incapable to resisting the allure of Violas and always end up buying plugs at some point even though they're thirstier than most of my plants

I planted several Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light' in 2016 for their foliage but they do produce tiny white flowers in the fall

The biggest surprise this December was a very late-blooming milkweed I'd thought was long gone.

I planted three Asclepias cancellata years ago and thought all were gone until this one bloomed when the butterflies have moved along.  The bees seem to like the plant, though.  (Aphids too.)

Another surprise was a bloom spike on my xMangave 'Silver Fox'.

Over the last several years, I've accumulated more Mangaves (intergeneric hybrids of Manfreda and various Agaves) than I can count off-hand, most purchased as small specimens. 'Silver Fox' is the first to produce a bloom spike but it's taking its time to flower.  Agaves are monocarpic but Manfredas aren't.  It remains to be seen which parent 'Silver Fox' will emulate.

And to conclude this post, here are my usual scavenger hunt finds, organized into color collages.

Top row - Eustoma grandiflorum (still producing blooms now and then!), Felicia aethiopica, and Lavandula multifida Middle row - Limonium perezii (early or late?), Osteospermum 'Violet Ice', and Polygala fruticosa Bottom row - Primula x polyantha, noID Scaevola, and Trichostemma 'Midnight Magic'

Top row - Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', Argyranthemum 'Angelic Giant Pink', and Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' Middle row - Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' and Osteospermums 'Berry White' and noID pink Bottom row - Pelargonium peltatum 'Flamingo', Pentas lanceolata, and Persicaria capitata

Dianthus 'Dash White', Lantana 'Lucky White', and self-seeded Osteospermum

Burgundy Pelargonium peltatum and Penstemon mexicali 'Mini Red Bells'

Top row - Argyranthemum 'Yellow Beauty', Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein', and Osteospermum 'Double Moonglow' Middle row - Primula x polyantha, Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', and Leonotis leonurus Bottom row - Osteospermum 'Zion Copper Amethyst' and Zauschneria californica

Thanks, as always, to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for organizing this monthly bloomfest.  For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, visit her here.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In this most awful of years, it was hard to work up the energy to decorate for Christmas.  As the new stay-at-home order in Los Angeles loomed close, I briefly considered giving up on a tree this year, something I've done only once before, ten years ago when we were in process of moving into our current house.  Then, as dusk was falling just hours before the new order took effect, I dragged my husband out to grab a tree at our local garden center.  The tree subsequently sat on our backyard patio for several days before we finally hauled it into the house, where it sat for several more days before I finally decided to get my act together and hauled out the Christmas decorations.

So, starting with the outside front entry, here we go.

I purchased a basic wreath from the garden center and embellished it with Nandina berries and Pittosporum from my garden, along with a bow I've had for years and a few ornaments

Two of the ornaments, a Santa-like angel and a ladybug, fit the garden theme.  The rappelling gnome is the only one left from a group of four I bought decades ago.

The gnome on the left was pulled out of the garage where he spends the majority of the year.  Like the gnome, the dog-like gargoyle on the right got magnolia seedpods and berries to guard.

Stepping inside, the small front foyer has its own faux tree.

I put every bird ornament I have on this faux tree and placed my favorite bicycling Santa at its base

The natural tree sits in an open area between the dining area and the living room as we didn't want to disturb the cat by taking over the back corner of the living room where she spends her afternoons.

This placement avoided moving any furniture, or the cat.  The ornaments are an eclectic mix collected over all the years my husband and I have been together.

My husband and I made the three ornaments in the top row of photos above and the first one in the second row, as well as others constructed with sequins and beads.  The other two in the second row were made by my stepfather decades ago.  The red one bears an unfortunate likeness to the COVID-19 virus molecule but, with few of my stepfather's ornaments left, I couldn't bring myself to omit it.  The butterfly and bee ornaments, each part of groups of three, were purchased but they're also made of beads.

I have a lot of ornaments that can only be described as whimsical, some I purchased and others given to me by a friend who often includes one with her holiday gifts.  The raccoon ornament in the middle was her nod to my ongoing struggles with the troublesome beasts.

I have a lot of ornaments that reflect light.  The most special is the heirloom ornament on the top left, which I dates back to the earliest Christmases I remember before my father died when I was six.

The cat was left (mostly) undisturbed.

Big yawn from Pipig (Swedish for "Squeaky") to emphasize that I woke her up taking this photo

Look of annoyance that I interrupted her long afternoon nap

While the tree is the main attraction in the living room (besides Pipig of course), I threw decorations in a few other places.

I've collected a few snowglobes over the years, displayed this year on the mantle my husband built following last year's home remodel

Another Santa with a friendly gnome/elf helper

On the fly, I also put together my first wreath using garden cuttings this year.  It's far from perfect but I learned a lot in the process of making of it.  My husband hung it on a narrow wall dividing the entry foyer from the kitchen.  I'll share more details regarding it in my Monday post.

After all was said and done, I can't really claim this is "Christmas-lite" but the decorations are a little sparer than usual.  No garlands, fewer ornaments on a smaller tree.  Very few presents under the tree as I direct-shipped most gifts to their recipients.  I look forward to more festive celebrations next year, when it should be possible to gather together again without risking harm to anyone.

I hope you find ways to enjoy the holidays even under the current circumstances.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

A friend of mine stopped by on Saturday with gifts, including peonies!  The same market that offers peonies in late spring/early summer now has "winter peonies" so of course I had to use them in a vase this Monday.  She brought two sleeves of peonies in different colors but, as one group opened far more quickly than the other, I ended up displaying them in separate vases.

I partnered the peony blooms with Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy' and foliage from my garden.  According to legend, peonies are the queen of flowers (or king or empress, depending upon the source).

Back view: I cut so many of the spindly 'Itsy Bitsy' stems, they repeatedly got tangled with the peonies and themselves, hence the title of this post

Top view

From left to right: Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', noID peonies, and Prunus caroliniana

The peonies in the second vase were still stubbornly curled in tight balls on Sunday afternoon but I'm expecting they'll open overnight.

These peonies were also paired with 'Itsy Bitsy' and the same foliage

Contrary to expectations, my garden produced yet another Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) bloom so, to celebrate its persistence, I constructed another arrangement around it.

I collected a range of blue and purple blooms to accent the dark blue Lisianthus

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Ceanothus, Eustoma grandiflorum, Lavandula multifida, Osteospermum 'Violet Ice', Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Trichostemma 'Midnight Magic'

I showed a single photo of a wreath I constructed from scratch (my first ever!) in my Friday post but, thinking that members of the IAVOM community were perhaps most likely to appreciate the process, I saved the details for this post.

From left to right, the main ingredients were cuttings of Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', berries of Nandina domestica paired with stems of Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', and Leucadendron 'Winter Red'.  I tied the cuttings tightly together using fishing line.  In retrospect, I should have made more and smaller bundles of each material to create a denser wreath.

I used a wire frame I'd saved from a store-bought wreath purchased last year.  When I started, I hadn't planned to add the red berries or chartreuse Coleonema.  I placed two Leucadendron 'Chief' bundles for each 'Winter Sun' bundle, wrapping the wire around each bundle hree times before overlapping it with the next one.  I didn't cut the wire until I'd covered the entire frame.

I was fairly pleased with it when I reached this phase but I decided I needed some bright spots of red, which is when I assembled the berry bundles.  I wired these in separately but it would have been better to have wired in everything at the same time, as well as using smaller bundles of materials to create a denser wreath.

Luckily, I had some chartreuse ribbon on hand.  I watched an online video about making a bow with multiple loops.  Stiffer ribbon would have worked better in this instance.

This is the finished wreath.  Knowing what I do now, next time I'll: create smaller bundles of materials (about 4 inches long), alternate bundles facing in and out, and wire all materials as part of one continuous process.  As this wreath has dried out rapidly indoors, I think I'll also place it outdoors if possible.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

When I moved the bird feeders in my garden after two dead trees were taken down, it took only a short while before the birds became comfortable with the new location and came back.  It took only slightly longer for the squirrels to return.

The seeds are so close, yet so far

That feeder looks just a smidge closer

He makes a grab for it but his weight on the side supports pulls the seed prtals closed

Pulling it closer doesn't help

Defeated, he gave up - for awhile

Since that first sighting from my office window earlier this month, Mr Squirrel has perfected his seed-stealing technique once again and now hangs upside down from the upper portion of the two side feeders without applying any weight or pressure on the supports used by the birds, which would close the seed portals.  He feeds comfortably, at least until he gets dizzy or loses his grip.  He hasn't figured out how to get into the large feeder in the center, though, at least that I've seen.

There's no beating a persistent, hungry squirrel.  Speaking of persistence, my husband finally acquiesced to my "suggestion" that we buy a Ginkgko tree to plant in the area formerly occupied by the dead mimosa tree.  We don't have it yet as the local garden center won't get these deciduous trees in again until they begin to leaf out but I plan to place my order sometime in January.  Meanwhile, I have to content myself by imagining my new tree.

It helps that the neighbor directly across the street has a few of them

I hope you're being persistent with your safety precautions through this holiday season.  Best wishes for a pleasant, if subdued, Christmas.

For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Expecting our first real rain of the season, I cut flowers with little chance of holding up well for today's arrangements, not that I had an extensive list of prospects to begin with.  The focal point of the first arrangement are flowers of the Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana), which are currently prolific but which don't stand up well to either wind or rain.

I threw in more of my never-ending supply of Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', as well as several stems of Leptospermum 'Pink Pearl'

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Bauhinia x blakeana, Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', and Pelargonium 'Lady Plymouth'

I picked more flowers of the pink powder puff shrub (Calliandra haematocephala) for the second arrangement.  As you can imagine, powder puffs don't hold up well against rain either.  The stems of the frequently sheared shrubs are also annoyingly short and the flowers don't last long in a vase but I admit I'm fond of them anyway.

I used the vase featuring clasped hands with well-manicured fingernails but, as arranged, those are largely hidden by the flowers

I planted snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) plugs several weeks ago and added a few stems of their first blooms.  Snapdragons are rust magnets in my climate so I could end up pulling the plants out before they have time to make much of a splash.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus in burgundy, pink, and white; Calliandra haematocephala, Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', and foliage of Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'

I'd cut a few stems of paperwhite Narcissus too but I decided they didn't work well with either of the previous arrangements so the the leftovers went into a small vase to sit in my office.

I've noID for the Narcissus, which came with the garden

If we don't get measurable rain, I'll be mightily disappointed.  I consulted two forecasting agencies online Sunday afternoon, one projecting a 95% chance of rain and the other a 72% chance but it wouldn't be the first time that high expectations crashed due to an unmovable ridge of high pressure air.  Fingers crossed!

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

After weeks of unseasonably warm, dry weather, we had a sudden shift this week with our first real rainstorm of our all-too-short rainy season.  I heard the forecasts for days before the event but chose not to put a lot of stock in the possibility as such chances of rain frequently fail to materialize.  But this storm system gained strength and, just after midnight on Monday, we heard the first deep rumble of thunder, followed shortly thereafter by pounding rain.  Rain continued at intervals, off and on, until Monday night.  In my location, we collected an inch of rain in total.

Every time the rain stopped and splashes of blue sky appeared, I feared that was it.  Late Monday morning, as the skies appeared to clear, I took my camera outside to catch the raindrops sparkling in the sunlight.

Regrettably, my photos don't capture the shimmering light my eyes saw in the Callistemon or the Leucadendrons in my back garden

Even if you can't see the sunlit raindrops, I expect you can tell just how clean the foliage was

The south-end succulent garden also looked clean and fresh

and a few plants, like the Agave 'Blue Glow' and Hymenolepsis parviflora shown here, did glisten

However, the oddest visual effect was the steam rising from the cold, wet surface of this patio chair as the warm sunlight caused the water to evaporate

Within perhaps half an hour of my jaunt through the garden with my camera, the clouds were back, followed by pounding hail, an unusual event here.

I took this photo through kitchen window when I realized that it was hail, not rain, pummeling the roof and the patio furniture outside

The hailstorm lasted maybe three minutes but the ice left behind hung on for considerably longer, even when the sun came out again

The hail wasn't limited to the patio.  I found it all over the garden.

Only one of my three rain tanks, the 50-gallon one, is completely full but the 160-gallon tank is almost 75% full.  In addition to what flowed into the tank from the roof surface on the north side of the house, I collected rain from a chain hung on the east side of the roof in plastic trugs, which I then transferred to that tank.  The largest, 265-gallon tank, is harder to calibrate and is fed off the smallest roof space, our garage, but I'd estimate it's 25% full.  All three tanks were empty when this storm moved in.

If you buy yourself a rain tank, I recommend getting one less translucent than this one.  It had accumulated some algae at the bottom so I added a little bleach to it.  I plan to let the rainwater sit a week or so before using it in the garden.

Yesterday was cold (in terms of how we evaluate "cold" in coastal southern California) and I only did a bit of garden cleanup.  But, to celebrate the clean air, I took a couple of photos, starting with the sunrise.

The clouds on the horizon made this sunrise look almost like a volcanic eruption

I ended the day, with this shot of the mountains to the east, covered in snow, and the last full moon of 2020 rising as the sun set.

The title of this post was inspired by a song that sprang to mind as the result of our weather roller-coaster ride this week, Changes in the Weather by Barefoot Truth.

For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.

All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

How do you review a year like 2020?  It's truly the most horrible year in my memory.  As if the political scene wasn't bad enough already, it got worse as elected leaders failed to lead and divisions within the country intensified, encompassing even public health and safety issues.  A pandemic that other countries managed well (relatively speaking) spun utterly out of control in the US due in large part to inconsistent messaging and controls leading to a death count of 344,000.  Restrictions both self- and government-imposed kept us from traveling and seeing friends and family in person.  Even basic chores, like grocery shopping, became fraught with complications.  While stocks somehow managed to soar, many parts of our economy tanked as smaller business were crippled and many closed, perhaps permanently.  Millions of people lost jobs and our homeless and food insecurity problems worsened.  Unemployment agencies and food banks struggled to get help to those who needed it and government assistance was sporadic and, in some cases, riddled with fraud.  On top of all that, natural disasters plagued the country, including California, which lost more acres to wildfire than ever before.

For many people, myself included, their gardens became even more significant as we spent more time at home.  Plant shopping, one of my favorite activities, was dramatically curtailed this year, limited almost entirely to my local garden center and mail orders.  Visits to public and private gardens were also severely curtailed.  But my garden was still my main refuge so I've pulled some of my favorites photos of it to share with you, as well as a few photos taken in nearby locations.

JANUARY

Aloe vanbalenii, photographed at South Coast Botanic Garden

The Sun Garden at Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar, photographed during a visit with a group of South Coast Botanic Garden docents

FEBRUARY

Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt' in full bloom on my back slope

My north-side dry garden

The succulent area of Seaside Gardens, photographed on the one and only trip I took to this nursery in Carpinteria this year

MARCH

The Port of Los Angeles after cruise ships were forced to halt operations (viewed from my backyard).  Ships were anchored off-shore for an extended period and still appear in port occasionally to pick up supplies.  Many crew members from foreign nations were not allowed to disembark, leaving them in limbo.

Ferraria crispa bloom, always a welcome sight

View of my south-side garden looking toward the house

APRIL

My lath (shade) house photographed from the upper level of the front garden as one of several "Coronavirus Tourism" posts

View from the back door, featuring the Dutch Iris in bloom

The back slope looking up from the bottom, another area featured as part of a "Coronavirus Tourism" post

MAY

A nice vignette featuring Leucadendrons, Agaves and Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer'

One of several visits peacocks made to my garden this year.  I stopped filling my bird feeders for an extended period to discourage them from visiting but I suspect the coyotes may have had greater influence.

When a friend stopped by on my birthday, we walked my neighborhood (masked and socially distant of course) to check out the gardens visible from the street.  This one was the most spectacular.

JUNE

I met this coyote as I was headed out the back door at 9am, startling both of us.  This event ended the short, supervised outdoor excursions I'd previously allowed my cat to take each morning.

I visited nearby South Coast Botanic Garden for the first time since the docents were furloughed in March.  The lavender field looked great even if he absence of volunteer help had a larger impact on other areas.

Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', surrounded by Acacia 'Cousin Itt' and Nassella tenuissima, viewed from the dirt path between the back border and the hedge that runs the entire length of the upper level of the back garden

JULY

One section of the front garden backed by Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' and Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike'.  The path adjacent to the hedge leads to the lath house.

This colorful cloud formation, called a "fire rainbow", is a naturally occurring phenomenon unrelated to fire

This vignette featuring Aeonium 'Mardi Gras', Coprosma 'Fire Burst', and Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy' pleases me every time I look at it

I moved this Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' from our former house in a pot.  It became a giant once planted in the ground.  The red foliage is prominent in July, while it flaunts yellow flower-like bracts in January.

AUGUST

View of the front garden looking north from its southern end

This view of the south-side succulent bed highlights the unnaturally red foliage of our giant native evergreen Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia).  The tree-like shrub had been killed off, probably by the pathogen that causes "sudden oak death" to which its also susceptible.  It and the dying mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) in the back garden were cut down in October.

This overhead view of one of my Monday flower arrangements is my nod to my garden's summer bounty

My husband and I paid a late-August visit to Sherman Gardens to see the Sculptura Botanica exhibit created by ceramic sculptor and landscape designer Dustin Gimbel

SEPTEMBER

Agave americana medio-picta 'Alba' surrounded by larger Agaves ('Blue Glow' and 'Blue Flame')

This was one of the numerous giveaways I offered to neighbors during the course of 2020.  I gave away succulents, flowers, strawberry plants, and a variety of citrus fruits.  This one may have been the most popular - the first car pulled up even before I finished putting out the plants.

OCTOBER

Agave 'Multicolor'  accented by yellow-flowered Lantana and Graptoveria 'Fred Ives'

The Dahlias in my cutting garden peaked in October, later than usual as I was late in planting the tubers this year

Splashing birds, mostly finches, enjoyed bathing in the backyard fountain

NOVEMBER

I enjoyed a little fall color in the form of this Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' and a persimmon tree

I "fluffed" several succulent pots in November but this one required little upkeep.  The centerpiece is xMangave 'Red Wing', which is perhaps my favorite of the intergeneric hybrids commonly available at present

I'd been concerned that moving my bird feeders after the removal of two large trees might put off some birds.  The smaller birds returned quickly but the hawks, like this one, no longer have a great place to perch and eye their prey.  The closest this one got was the neighbor's pine tree.

DECEMBER

We experienced a second round of wildfires in Southern California in early December.  We weren't in any direct danger but the air was smoky for more than a week.  It created interesting light effects but mostly kept me out of the garden.

This is a new photo showing the biggest of my fall garden projects.  I cleared the area of overgrown Aeoniums and other succulents; repaired damage by a gopher that built a den under a section of the short stacked stone wall; laid additional stone saved from last year's home remodel to partially level the slope; added soil amendments; and replanted, mostly with small succulent plugs and cuttings.  Nothing's died but it has a long way to go before it's filled in.

That's my haphazard recap of 2020.  I hope that 2021 brings better things for all of us.  Best wishes!

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Pickings in my garden are slim at the moment so, when I looked out my bedroom window Sunday morning and saw yellow blooms glowing in the distance, I immediately knew I was going to cut stems of Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' for In a Vase on Monday, the popular meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  The Leucadendron's"flowers", which are actually colorful bracts, are a mainstay of my winter garden.

The "coneflowers" are more chartreuse than yellow right now but the color will fade to a butter yellow color with red edges over the next month

Back view: Since last week's rain, the Lotus berthelotii I use as a groundcover started climbing all over everything around it so I decided to pop what I cut back into my arrangement

Top view

Clockwise the upper left: Aeonium 'Sunburst', Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', Corokia x virgata 'Sunsplash', two varieties of noID paperwhite Narcissi that came with the garden, and Lotus berthelotii.  The Aeonium rosette will be planted in the garden when I toss the rest of the arrangement.

There's quite a bit of pink happening in my garden so I picked some of that too and, although I hadn't planned on it, I ended up including more Leucadendron stems in that arrangement as well.

The centerpiece is Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection', which if off to a slow start this year.  During our late fall stretch of warm, dry weather, the shrub lost most of the buds that developed earlier that season so I suspect it'll be light on blooms this year.

Back view: I love the daisy flowers of the pink Argyranthemum but the the stems are very short for the purposes of flower arranging

Top view: The bracts of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' and 'Chief' have a bit of pink in them, although they look redder in these photos

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum 'Angelic Giant Pink', Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection', Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' and L. salignum 'Chief', Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', and Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'

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

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

I expect that many of you are familiar with Loree Bohl of danger garden fame.  Loree's blog was one of the first I started following, even before I started blogging myself.  I've gotten to know her both virtually, through her blog and her Instagram posts, and in person.  I've prodded her at intervals over the years to write a book to share her garden aesthetic and philosophy and now she's done just that!  Her book, Fearless Gardening: Be Bold, Break the Rules, and Grow What You Love, was released yesterday.  I happily signed on to support a virtual launch party.  In addition to offering input on the book, I get to conduct a drawing for a free copy of her book and one other also published by Timber Press so keep reading.

This and the other photos in this post were provided courtesy of Timber Press

You may be familiar with Loree's love of spiky plants and other growing things that "could poke an eye out."  You might assume that her reference to "fearless gardening" stems from her willingness to garden using such plants in Portland, Oregon, which has a climate that wouldn't seem to support many of her favorites.  Denying the constraints of one's climate could certainly be regarded as "fearless" - and possibly foolish.  But Loree is anything but a foolish or reckless gardener.  Yes, she loves agaves and other succulents that grow happily in dry climates like mine but she's learned how to work within the constraints imposed by her climate to grow what she loves where she lives, and her book shares her approach with you.  I'm not going to try to explain her approach in a few sentences (I couldn't - you need to read her book!) but, among other things, she addresses the importance of developing a thorough understanding of each plant's unique requirements in terms of light, moisture, and drainage as well as an appreciation of the various microclimates in your own garden.  Choosing plants solely on the basis of USDA hardiness zones places arbitrary limits on plant selections.  Two gardens with the same hardiness designation may present entirely different challenges and opportunities.  In my own zone 11a garden, cold hardiness is of far less concern than heat tolerance and water requirements while in Loree's case, both winter freezes and heavy rain are serious considerations.  All gardeners can learn a lot by reading her book and thinking through how to work around the limitations of their environment.

These look like plants that can thrive in my climate (and they do) but this is the view outside Loree's front door in Portland

Loree shares many of the creative ways she's found to grow what she likes by working around specific challenges.  For example, she uses a lot of containers that can be moved or protected when temperatures drop too low or persistent winter rain threatens to drown their contents.  The variety, placement, and even the colors of the containers she uses are all informed by her design aesthetic and together look like a curated collection.  Her summer shade pavilion turned winter greenhouse also must be seen to be believed.  (The same can be said for her basement's winter plant sanctuary, which is mentioned but not shown in her book.)

Loree's fabulous dish planters, containers that can be swapped out when the weather changes

Loree's shade pavilion converted for its winter use as a greenhouse, stylish in both incarnations

The ideas and advice in Fearless Gardening have general application to gardeners in all climates - I can apply much of it to my own circumstances despite the fact that, in coastal Southern California, I live in what's regarded as a Mediterranean climate where summer heat and persistent drought are big factors and winter cold is barely a consideration.  The only chapter I found somewhat inapplicable to my own circumstances was the one focused on hardy plant look-alikes for desert and tropical plants; however, even there, Loree's discussion of her approach to locating alternatives to create the vision she wished to achieve was helpful.  As she says in the introduction to that chapter, she knows people in Southern California that would like to grow tulips and peonies (guilty!) and, like her, I've gradually discovered ways to replace something that will grow here for the plants that stubbornly refuse to.

Pittosporum matudae has a tropical look but handles the colder winter conditions in Portland

As a final comment before I get to the giveaway, I found Loree's book a pleasant read.  She has a straightforward yet friendly way of approaching each topic.  She weaves useful information in without ever coming off as teachery.  Her attention-grabbing plant vignettes, used to knit together areas of her garden, are inspiring in themselves.  She's done an excellent job illustrating her points with photos (mostly her own) from her garden, as well as other gardens.  She challenges all of us to think beyond the boundaries defined by common practice to find inventive solutions to create the gardens living in our mind's-eye.

A glorious combination of Leonotis leonurus and Ensete ventricosum

Okay, if you'd like to participate in the giveaway and you have a valid US mailing address, please leave a comment below by January 16th.  I'll put all names in a hat and ask my husband to pull one out at random.  I'll request the winner's address and provide this to Timber Press, which will mail that person a copy of Fearless Gardening, as well as The Art of Gardening: Design Inspiration & Innovative Planting Techniques of Chanticleer by R. Thomas Williams, one of the books specifically mentioned in Loree's book.  Good luck!

All photos used in this post are copyrighted © 2021 by Loree Bohl and/or other copyright holders.  All rights reserved.

All other material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

When I sat down to write this post, I started with a rant about what happened in the US Capitol on Wednesday.  Disillusioned and disgusted as I've been with the current occupant of the White House for a long time, I was nonetheless shocked that a sitting President would actively incite violence as he did on Wednesday.  However, rather than repeating what you can find in news reports, I'll just share a song from John Fogerty.  A friend shared it with me just before the violent attack by terrorists on the US Capitol intent on asserting the President's will over the will of the people.  Fogerty had been distressed that his song, Fortunate Son, had been used on Trump's campaign trail over his personal objections.  This new song, Weeping in the Promised Land, is his own reflection on the damage Trump has wrought during his 4-year tenure.

As to the foliage standouts in my winter garden,  I'll start with the succulents on the south side of our house.  I took the first photos in late December.

There's a problem that stands out to me like a sore thumb here - do you see it?

Some of the leaves of Agave 'Blue Flame' were badly damaged by summer heat

The burned and tattered edges of the 'Blue Flame' Agave had bothered me for some time.  On Wednesday afternoon, needing to engage in physical activity to work out my anger and frustration with the day's events, I took a knife to the damaged leaves of the agave.  Here are the after shots:

I cut out many of the damaged leaves using a serrated knife.  In a few cases, I simply cut away the damaged leaf tips.

They're almost magazine pretty now

However, if you look closely, there's some pitting to the outside leaves, apparently the result of the brief hailstorm we experienced after Christmas.  I'd thought I've avoided any damage from the hail until I noticed this.

While cutting out selected leaves, I also removed seven 'Blue Flame' pups.  Only one of these had any roots hopefully the others can be encouraged to develop some.

In addition to the 'Blue Flame', 'Blue Glow', and mediopicta 'Alba' Agaves shown in the preceding photos, this area is home to several others, most notably the following:

I planted this Agave gypsophila from a 4-inch pot in 2016, not really considering the wisdom of placing it so close to the flagstone path.  I'm thinking about moving it to the recently replanted front slope nearby.

This Agave 'Mr Ripley', also originally planted from a 4-inch pot, was placed in another questionable spot along the dirt path used when trimming the hedge just a few feet away

Agave ovatifolia 'Vanzie' is several feet away from 'Mr Ripley' along the same path.  I think it'll be okay there but the Kniphofia in front of it may have to move.

Prominent as succulents are in my garden, my eye was drawn to other foliage as well.

The peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa) trees that partially screen the garden from the street do a nice job imitating lace curtains this time of year

Although it's not as flashy as variegated Echium 'Star of Madiera', Echium webii is my favorite in this genus

I cut Melianthus major back to the ground in September, much earlier than usual, and I was worried that maybe I'd killed it but it's sprung back

I like how this Phormium 'Maori Queen'  echoes the color of the neighbors' maple tree leaves across the street, which you see in a peek-a-boo view through the foliage

I'll close with two new succulents I received as recent gifts from friends.

Mangave 'Barney' is on the left and Mangave 'Silver Fox' is on the right.  I'm still debating the placement of both.

Getting back to the subject matter at the top of my post, if you're sickened by the lies that lead to events like that we saw on Wednesday, you might consider signing the Pro-truth Pledge and, better yet, ask the officials who seek your vote to take the pledge too.  You can find more about it here.

May your weekend be calm and peaceful.

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

For the first time in many months, I could only work up the energy for one arrangement this week.  Although buds are appearing here and there, there are few "new" blooms but, when I noticed that one of my small-flowered Grevillea was slowly covering itself in tiny flowers, I decided I could use it as a springboard (pun intended) for an arrangement featuring some of my old standbys.  However, the title of this post stemmed from my discovery that Metrosideros 'Springfire' had produced a few blooms too.  As it bloomed in winter last year as well, maybe it shouldn't have come as a surprise, especially as we've got another stretch of unseasonably warm weather starting here.  Meanwhile, we remain extraordinarily dry with no rain expected in the foreseeable future.  Winter means rain here and there's reason to wonder if our one and only rainy season, which has seen just a single decent storm thus far, is already over.  Northern California, which provides most of Southern Californa's water, is getting less rain than "normal" but at least the faucet seemingly isn't broken there as it is here.

The small flowers of the Grevillea that set my color scheme aren't readily visible in this view but the three stems of Metrosideros 'Springfire' are front and center

Large-flowered Grevillea 'Superb' tends to steal the show, especially in this back view

Top view

Top row: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Aloe 'Safari Rose', and noID Antirrhinum majus Second row: Inspiration pieces Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' and Grevillea alpina x rosmarinifolia Bottom row: noID paperwhite Narcissus, Leucadendron salignum 'Summer Red', and Grevillea 'Superb'

So that's it from me this week.  Friday is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, which means I need to get started on a scavenger hunt.  We'll see if I turn up anything suitable for next week's In a Vase on Monday post during that process.

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

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party