One month blends into another and, as is the case for many of us these days, I lose track of time.  I completely forgot my own eighth blog anniversary late last month and only belatedly remembered that it was time for my quarterly wide shots post, which I use to track the general changes in my garden that otherwise can get lost among all the close-up photos.

I'll start as usual in my back garden looking out toward the Los Angeles harbor.

I've cut back a lot of plants, most notably the bush violets (Barleria obtusa) that were threatening to swamp plants adjacent to the fountain, as well as others in the back border.  You can see bulb foliage coming up around the fountain now.

View from the back patio looking north

View from the northeast end of the house looking back toward the main patio

View from the main patio looking south.  Although there are a lot of empty spots in the beds on both sides of the flagstone path, it doesn't look bad from this vantage point.  The Echium handiense on the foreground on the left already has bloom spikes as our weather turns unseasonably warm.  We could reach 80F (26C) before the week's end.

View from the south end of the back garden looking north.  The most obvious change since my October wide shots post is that the mimosa tree (Alibizia julibrissin) is gone.  Its planned replacement, a Ginkgo, isn't available at my local garden center yet.

The south side garden is next up.  The area looks a lot different to me since the removal of the dead native Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) along the property line.  I planted a new tree, Olearia albida (aka tree daisy), just inside the hedge that runs along the perimeter but it's still too small to be seen in a wide shot.

This view of the south side garden looking west is one of my favorite garden views

The loss of the Toyon is most evident in this view from the area outside the "catio" looking southeast.  Hopefully, the tree daisy will someday screen those scruffy trees in the distance and the neighbor's house.

View of the south side garden looking east.  Last week, I cut back the two vines growing up the arbor, a Wisteria on the left and a Clematis on the right.

Next we'll move into the front garden but, instead of continuing along the main level, we'll dip down to the lower level where my lath (shade) house sits.

I cleared the slope on the right in November and replanted it, mostly with small succulent specimens, some cut from elsewhere in my garden and others received by mail order

View of the same area looking east

The area shown above sits next to the road that runs through our neighborhood so we'll take a quick look at the bed running parallel to the street now.

My husband cut back the Agave 'Blue Flame' on the right as it had spilled out into the street.  I cleaned out various dead succulents and planted a couple of things I had in reserve.  I'm thinking of removing some of the iceplant (Delosperma) on the far right in order to plant some of the 'Blue Flame' pups I pulled out of another area.

The barely visible stick in the back is a Mexican sunflower tree (Tithonia diversifolia) I cut back after transplanting.  The specimen grown in the local botanic garden is cut back hard each year but I'm not confident this one will spring back the way larger specimens do.  The blue plant in front is an Agave colorata I dug out of the back garden before we had the dying mimosa tree removed.  I had a larger specimen but it wasn't as symmetrical as this one so I left it in the driveway with a sign as another of my giveaways and, despite its weight and sharp spikes, it was gone in the morning.

Walking back up the street to the driveway, we face the front entrance to the house.

I pruned the shrub roses and cut back the overgrown Cuphea 'Starfire Pink' shrubs in the front beds this week.  The two Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' shrubs on either side of the front walk have been harder to manage than I'd hoped - every time I cut them back, they almost instantly produce a couple feet of new growth.

I still need to cut back the California lavender (Lavandula multifida).  I'll wait another month to cut back the Pennisetum 'Rubrum'.

This is a closer view of the succulent bed that runs from the driveway back to the lath house

View from near the front door looking southwest

View from the south end of the main level of the front garden looking north.  Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' (sited next to Grevillea 'Superb') is flaunting its colorful yellow bracts.

View from the north end of the house looking southwest

A poor photo of the bed on the west side of the garage looking toward house.  After removing an ungainly self-seeded sweet pea bush (Polygala fruticosa), I planted three Verbascum and one Salvia in the area below the ornamental pear tree last month only to have rabbits eat the plants to nubs overnight.  I covered what was left with overturned plastic flats in an effort to save what remained.

I'm planning to renovate this succulent bed next to the garage (again) soon

On the other side of the garage is the cutting garden, which currently doesn't have much to say for itself.

The Anemone corms I planted in early November are well on their way but most of the other bulbs planted and seeds sown later in November have yet to do much.  The plastic flats provide seedlings with protection from critters.

Next up is the north side garden, which I cleaned out in December, leaving a lot of blank spots I'm anxious to fill when it's safe to do a little plant shopping again.

Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite' is just starting to bloom

Continuing down that gravel path shown in the last photo takes us down to the back slope, still largely neglected on my part.

I had plans for the back slope I never implemented last year.  A few run-ins with fire ants significantly reduced the time I spent down there.

As we've had very little rain - just 1.2 inches since the start of our "rain year" on October 1st - I need to get down there and water by hand if I'm going to have much of anything survive

That's a wrap for this quarter's wide shots.  If we're lucky enough to get more rain before our rainy season ends, April's update should be significantly more colorful.

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

This Bloom Day compilation was the result of a scavenger hunt.  While there are still some splashy blooms in my garden, most of what's out there is little bits of this and that.  As I usually gather those in collages organized by color, this month I thought I'd organize the entire post according to color.

I'll start with the reds for no other reason than the fact that Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite' is suddenly covered in tiny red flowers.

The flowers of Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite' always strike me as more rosy-red than scarlet but maybe whomever named the plant was fond of alliteration

As you may know, Leucadendron"flowers" are actually colorful bracts surrounding cones but I wouldn't have much of a January Bloom Day post without Leucadendrons like 'Safari Sunset' shown here

The rest of the red flowers include, clockwise from the upper left: Calliandra haematocephala, Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Metrosideros collina 'Springfire', Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola', and burgundy Pelargonium peltatum

I'll follow with the pink flowers as they're the largest group at present.

The foliage of Argyranthemum frutescens 'Giant Angelic Pink' is literally smothered in blooms

The Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) is loaded with flowers this month too

At a glance, the tiny flowers of Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' may look white but they're actually a very pale pink

I needed two collages to cover the rest of the pink blooms.  Clockwise from the upper left: Arbutus 'Marina', Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', the first bloom of Cistus 'Grayswood Pink', noID Camellia sasanqua, and Camellia x williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection'

The rest of the pinks, top row: noID Alstroemeria and Correa 'Sister Dawn' Middle row: noID Cyclamen, dwarf Grevillea rosmarinifolia, and Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' Bottom row: noID Pericallis (aka florist's cineraria) and Persicaria capitata

Next up are the oranges.

Aloe vanbalenii x ferox (I was alarmed when I noticed what looked like white blotches on the Aloe's foliage but thankfully these were simply effects of sunlight when the photo was taken)

This is another of the small-flowered Grevilleas in my garden, Grevillea alpina x rosmarinifolia.  Like the other small-flowered varieties, it blooms for only a couple of months each year.

In contrast, large-flowered Grevillea 'Superb' blooms continuously year-round

Other plants with orange flowers include, clockwise from the left: Dermatobotrys saundersii, Osteospermum 'Zion Copper Amethyst', Bryophyllum (Kalanchoe) fedtschenkoi, and Cuphea 'Vermillionaire'

Yellow flowers are up next.

Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' also blooms year-round

This Leucadenron salignum 'Chief' is another of those that produces flower-like bracts

but, in my opinion, the winner in the floral imitator category is Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'

Clockwise from the left are: Aeonium arboreum, Leucadendron 'Summer Red', Argyranthemum frutescens 'Beauty Yellow', and a mix of Gazania, most self-sown

The closest thing to a star among my white-flowered plants are these noID paperwhite Narcissi that came with the garden

Clockwise from the upper left, in the also-ran category are: noID Antirrhinum majus, Argyranthemum frutescens (returning to bloom a second year), Dianthus 'Dash White', Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum', and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light'

I have a lot of rosemary in other areas but this variegated Rosmarinus 'Gold Dust' in my back garden is my favorite

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' is another year-round bloomer here

Top row: noID Ceanothus, Felicia aethiopica, and Hebe 'Grace Kelly' (which has lost much of its variegation) Middle row: Osteopsermum '4D Silver', noID Scaevola, and Polygala fruticosa Bottom row: Teucrium fruticans (from a seedling collected from a friend's garden in January 2019), Trichostemma 'Midnight Magic' and noID Viola

Loree Bohl's book, Fearless Gardening: Be Bold, Break the Rules, and Grow What You Love, has generated a lot of interest since its January 5th release.  I offered a review of the book in my post on January 6th and  announced a giveaway, sponsored by Timber Press.  The winner, selected at random, will receive a copy of Loree's book and also The Art of Gardening by R. William Thomas. 

The names of those meeting the eligibility requirements  went into a hat and I had my husband pull out a slip.  I'm pleased to announce that Laura is the winner!  Laura, please email me at kspeterson100@msn.com with your full name and address.  Upon receipt, I'll pass Timber Press my request to mail the books to you.  To everyone else, I hope you'll purchase Loree's book online or in your local bookstore - it deserves a place on your bookshelf!

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

I didn't discover many new flowers during my Bloom Day scavenger hunt but, after a few days of unseasonably warm-hot weather, more flowers made an appearance.  Friday's temperature hit 88F (31C) and Saturday and Sunday were only nominally cooler.  The forecast calls for steadily cooler conditions as the week progresses and there's even a chance of rain next week.  While I remain hopeful, I'm not going to get too invested in the possibility of rain yet as that prospect already appears to be drifting away.

The new floral addition, Senna artemisioides, has wispy foliage and small yellow flowers, which are barely visible here

Back view: I tried copying Amelia, The Shrub Queen, this week by curling Phormium leaves (a trick she performed using bromeliad leaves) but they quickly started uncurling themselves.  Next time, I'll try dampening the leaves and leaving them tightly curled at least overnight.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Phormium 'Ed Carman', Senna artemisioides, Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', and Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset'

The second arrangement has two floral elements that didn't appear in my Bloom Day post.

The new blooms here were provided by Echium handiense and Grevillea sericea.  Both are a couple of weeks ahead of their usual bloom schedules.

Back view: I selected the foliage of Pittosporum 'Silver Magic' as my foliage filler as it has a tinge of pink

Top view

Clockwise from the left: Echium handiense, Grevillea sericea, Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', and Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Magic'

To be truthful, I'm not enamored with either of this week's arrangements but finding new blooms in the garden cheered me up considerably nonetheless.  Fingers are crossed that this week goes well for our nation.

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 spent most of the day working in my garden on Monday, starting in late morning and continuing past sundown, with just an hour break for lunch.  It felt a little like boot camp at times and most of what I accomplished doesn't translate into photographs, pretty or otherwise.  I started with two solid hours on my back slope just cutting back dead growth and watering, wearing boots to stave off any of the fire ants that might still be down there somewhere.  I ended the day literally crawling on my hands and knees beneath my Echium 'Star of Madiera' to cut back several clumps of ornamental grass.  In between, I tackled moving a mid-sized Agave gypsophila located way too close to a path I use regularly.

This is the Agave in question in its original spot off the south side of the house.  The Cistus shrubs on two sides were constantly threatening to envelope it and its lower leaves were already encroaching on the adjacent flagstone path.

In order to move the Agave to the spot I'd selected, I had to move an Aloe striata x maculata pup but before moving the Aloe I had to move a large Aeonium rosette I'd planted in the new spot intended for the Aloe.  When I was done with those moves, I then filled in the spot vacated by the Agave with cuttings of Graptoveria 'Fred Ives'.

This is Agave gypsophila photographed from the path that leads down to my lath house

This is the view from outside the lath house looking up

Close-up of the Agave in its new spot

My mail order haul of tiny succulents, some from Mountain Crest Gardens and the rest from Little Prince of Oregon

I seem to renovate the succulent bed in front of the garage all too often.  When we moved in 10 years ago, the area had a well-established clump of Agave attenuata, a lovely Arbutus 'Marina', grass and weeds.  

This clump has been the source for all the Agave attenuata in my garden save one

We removed the lawn early on and I planted a host of other succulents, mostly small specimens.  I've tweaked and renovated the area before but it has never really pleased me.  Although I supplemented and raised the soil level, it's still not the best medium to grow succulents, or anything else.  It's also a very dry area, even though it receives some irrigation but I've probably been less attentive to my new plants there than I should've been.

This is my "before" shot

I tackled the three things that bothered me most last week.  They were the Furcraea foetida 'Mediopicta'I'd selected in 2019 to provide a focal point and two Crassulas I'd used extensively as fillers. 

This is the sad Furcraea before I dug it up

Both problem Crassulas can be seen here.  The sickly-looking yellow plants in front are Crassula lycopodioides and the spindly plants behind them are Crassula tetragona.

These are all nice plants - in other settings.  I grew a variegated Furcraea in a partially shaded area of my back garden years ago and it did well until I decided it was clearly too large for its spot and had to move.  It didn't take the move well and quickly died.  I think the spot in the garage front succulent bed was both too sunny and too dry for this one.  The same probably could be said for Crassula lycopodioides.  The Crassula tetragona (aka pine tree succulent) simply got too tall and lanky and ended up looking out of proportion with the surrounding plants.

Crassula lycopodioides is much happier here in a shadier area of my garden, mixed in with two species of Aeoniums

I potted a Furcraea offset, which may or may not survive.  I pulled out all of the Crassula lycopodioides and I took a mass of cuttings of the Crassula tetragona, which I've yet to decide what to do with.  On my first pass, I filled in some of the vacancies with a potted plant and cuttings from elsewhere in the garden.

The Agave vilmoriniana 'Stained Glass' (top) was in a pot and it's still very small but, if I'm lucky, it'll grow to become a wonderful focal point.  Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde' (bottom left) has done well everywhere I've planted it so I'm trying it out to replace Crassula lycopodioides as a filler.  I added a handful of my other standby, Aeonium arboreum (bottom right), in a shadier spot.

This was the bed after those changes, not looking all that different.  I stared at it off and on for quite awhile before I figured out what was bothering me.

I had a stockpile of plants in pots and tiny plants obtained by mail order to add to the area but I had a hard time deciding how to proceed.  I finally realized that I needed to pull the under-performing Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi' ('Kiwi Verde's' flashier cousin), which I'd used throughout the bed as another filler.  I've previously described this plant as my "gateway" succulent.  It was the first succulent I ever grew and it was one of the few plants I brought with me from my former garden.  Aeonium 'Kiwi' and Aeonium arborescens are my go-to plants to fill bare spots.  I've used 'Kiwi' extensively to line the edge of beds and, up to this point, I've always been pleased with it.

These photos show two of the areas in which I've used 'Kiwi'

Well, 'Kiwi' didn't come through for me in this spot on the north west side of the house so I yanked the bulk of it.

This photo shows the bed after I'd removed most of the Aeonium 'Kiwi'.  A few pots were laid out as I considered possible placements.

With that change, I felt free to move other plants within this bed and transplant other things I had in the wings in pots and elsewhere in the garden.

Top: Agave 'Cornelius', which mimics the color of Agave 'Stained Glass', and a pup of Agave 'Jaws' Middle: Three Aloes, none of which I can identify. Bottom: Aeonium nobile (the green one rescued from between 2 large Agaves) and Echeveria agavoides

With rain in the forecast, I also decided to get my tiny new mail-order purchases planted and even sow some seeds.

Top: Crassula ovata 'Money Maker' (3), Echeveria amoena (3), and Echeveria rusbyi (3) Middle: Graptopetalum paraguayense (3), Graptosedum 'Vera Higgins' (5), and Mangave 'Barney' (1) Bottom: Sedeveria 'Blue Elf' (5), Senecio cephalophorus (1), and Senecio kleiniformis (3)

I also sowed seeds of Calendula 'Bronze Beauty' in the space between the rocks and the pathway, which may have been a mistake as the soil really isn't good but we'll see

I still have loads of cuttings but I'll wait out the three rainstorms reportedly in the offing before I make decisions about which, if any, should be planted in this area.  Worst case, I'll offer another succulent cutting giveaway to neighbors.

Here are the photos of the bed in its current state I forgot to include when I published the post last night:

Further changes are likely!

Best wishes for a pleasant weekend.

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

When I stepped into the garden on Sunday morning, I really had no idea what I could put in a vase this week that I hadn't already used recently.  I made an entire circuit of my garden ruling out possibilities until I saw the white snapdragons in my cutting garden.  They'd been beaten down by rain on Saturday (one-third of an inch) and their stems were lying on their sides as if to say "save me" so I cut them.  That started me on a roll collecting bits of this and that in white and blue.

Anemone 'Lord Lieutenant', also in my cutting garden, had one small bloom and another bud just opening

Back view: the Osteospermums have responded quickly to the shift back to cooler temperatures and sea lavender (Limonium perezii) is beginning its annual flush

The top view highlights the bloom of a noID tazetta Narcissus that was supposed to be Narcissus 'Geranium'

Top: Anemone coronaria 'Lord Lieutenant', Antirrhinum majus, and noID Ceanothus Middle: Echium handiense (recycled from last week), Lavandula multifida, and Limonium perezii Bottom: noID Narcissus, Osteospermum 'Violet Ice', and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light'

As I was assembling my varied collection for that vase, I suddenly remembered that I'd seen buds on a bearded Iris by my shade house the week before.  I'd planted all blue and white varieties in that area - or so I'd thought.  The Iris in question was indeed blooming but it wasn't blue or white.  I cut it anyway and then did another round of the garden looking for suitable companions for it.  I checked my records, which showed no Iris in a mauve and burgundy color, leading me to conclude that the rhizome I planted had been mislabeled.

I played off the yellow beard of the Iris and the flower's petal colors in selecting the plants to accompany it in a vase

Back view: as usual, Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy' came in handy

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Hebe 'Purple Shamrock', noID Iris germanica (possibly'Prince of Burgundy' or 'Right Already'), Narcissus 'Geranium', and Hebe 'Grace Kelly' (in bud)

Buds are forming throughout my garden.  I could swear that the Freesias next to my backyard fountain covered themselves in buds in response to Saturday's rain.  More rain is expected this week and I hope I'll be tripping over new blooms in the weeks to come.  Spring does come early in coastal Southern California!

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

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

We've been riding a weather roller-coaster of late so I've been taking plenty of wide shot photos of the Los Angeles harbor area visible from our back garden to capture the shifts.  For today's Wednesday Vignette, I'm sharing shots taken over five different days during the latter part of January.

My husband and I trade off on grocery shopping.  I was up well before sunrise on January 11th to get to the market before customer traffic got heavy.  I captured this scene just before sunrise as I headed out the door.

This photo was taken late last Friday afternoon as rain clouds began to move in

This was the scene at sunset Saturday after a day of rain

That same evening, as night fell, clouds were still moving in as shown in this photo pointed in the direction of the mountains to the northeast (barely visible due to the cloud cover).  We received more rain overnight.

Monday, January 25th, we had ferocious wind almost continuously during the day.  At sunset, clouds moved in again, creating this odd ribbon of colors.

On Tuesday, I was once again up early to do the grocery shopping.  I caught this photo just before sunrise.

And, this time, I tarried long enough to actually capture the sun's emergence on the horizon

We're expecting more rain tomorrow night into Friday.  Warnings about possible mudslides are already being sounded.  Hopefully, we'll have none of that here, just lovely rain to fill my remaining collection tank.

For more Wednesday Vignettes, visit Anna at The Creative Flux.

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

One of the many challenges posed by the pandemic, especially during the current surge, is that I don't get out much.  Basically, my only trips since mid-December have involved shopping for groceries every two weeks.  I haven't visited my local botanic garden or my local garden centers.  I also haven't done much planting, even though our cool season is generally the best time for that here.  Bulbs and tiny succulents ordered by mail, and cuttings from my own garden, have been most of what I've had to work with.  That means that material for my blog posts is limited, requiring me to pay closer attention to little developments I might've ignored in the past.  This week, I focused on emerging bulb foliage, buds, and seedlings, the prelude of the burst of color that comes in late winter/early spring here.

I planted several Hippeastrum bulbs in pots this year (one of which appears to be a dud).  They were all slower than usual to develop, perhaps because our temperatures vacillated wildly.  One 'Aphrodite' (left) has produced a bud on a short stalk while 'Lemon-Lime' (right) opened its first blooms this week.  My other Hippeastrums are planted in the ground and won't bloom for months yet (if at all).

Hippeastrum's cousin, Amaryllis belladonna, has put up foliage in multiple locations,  I moved several bulbs to a very dry corner in late December (left) and even they've sprouted.  The largest group (middle) is fighting an artichoke and other plants for space this year, while another bulb (right), planted years ago, has produced foliage for the first time on the front slope I replanted in November.  The flower stalks won'd appear until mid-summer, well after the foliage has died back.

I planted lots of Anemone coronaria corms in my cutting garden in November.  The first to emerge are those of 'Lord Lieutenant'.

The well-established Freesia next to the fountain (left) are covered in buds while those I planted this fall (right) are just a little behind.  Freesia generally blooms February through at least March here.

Ipheion uniflorum and Scilla peruviana come back every year.  The first should produce its tiny star-shaped blooms in February with the Scilla producing its much larger flowers in March.

The foliage of Dutch Iris is ungainly but the flowers are so wonderful I'm able to overlook that.  These Iris usually bloom from March through April here.

Leucospermum 'Goldie' is the first of its genus to bloom in my garden each year.  I hope to see the flowers in March through April.

Narcissi foliage is popping up all over my garden and I've already had a few blooms

I sowed several varieties of seed in the cutting garden, as well as a few spots in the larger garden.  They've progressed more slowly than I'd anticipated but some, like these of Orlaya grandiflora, are looking promising.  I didn't have Orlaya flowers until summer last year.

The Sparaxis bulb foliage is up.  Last year, most of the plants in these 2 areas produced orange flowers.  I added more bulbs this year to see if I can get more variety in the color mix.

This fall, I added 4 more Drimia maritima (aka sea squill) bulbs to the one I had on the very dry back slope.  Their foliage is already developing.  All but the original bulb have wire cages over them to prevent the raccoons from pulling them up.  The foliage of the nearby calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) has been slow to emerge, probably due to our low rainfall but a few plants are getting started at last.  I sowed California poppy seeds just before the current round of rain began - they're covered by flats to provide protection against critters.  A mass of alyssum seedlings has already emerged, which I've already thinned once.

This isn't a pretty picture but it reflects a success story of sorts.  I planted a Salvia barrelieria and 3 Verbascum chaixii purchased by mail order in December, only to have the plants eaten down to nubs overnight by a rabbit.  I covered them with upturned flats afterward and they've come back, although they still look sad.  I recovered them immediately after taking this photo.

I'll end with a photo of a very small bulb flower that made an appearance at the edge of my south side garden.

I planted a handful or Muscari armeniacum at the edge of my south side garden in January 2014.  It never thrived but each year I get one or two tiny flowers there.  You can judge how small it is by comparison to the alyssum seedlings looming above it,

That's it from me this week.  I spent several hours between rainstorms yesterday working on my street-side succulent garden.  It's raining again here (yay!) so I'll get photos of that area to share next week.  In the meantime, enjoy your weekend!

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

As pandemic restrictions drag on, I've been spending entirely too much time surfing the internet.  That's led to some purchases I might not have made otherwise.  One of those arrived recently and, after some deliberation, I decided it probably wasn't going to work in the location I had in mind, or even for the purpose I originally had in mind.  For the time being, I decided to use it as a vase.  Or, perhaps instead of saying "it," I should say "them."

Sold as a collection, I'd planned to fill the "Triplet Sculpture Planter" with small succulents and place it in my shade house but the especially strong winds we recently experienced broke a couple of things there and I decided these resin pieces might not survive another such event.  They have drainage holes so they're not intended to be used as vases but I managed to work around that problem.

The planting space is quite small in all three cases.  I was able to insert a tiny bud vase in the middle one but was forced to resort to two shot glasses as water reservoirs in the other two.

I mixed and matched materials to fill the planter cavities, clockwise from the upper left: Calliandra haematocephala, Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', and L. 'Wilson's Wonder'

I had another of my more unusual vases in mind for my second arrangement but in the end decided to use a conventional vase which better fit the contents.

I cut one stem of Hippeastrum 'Lemon-Lime' and prepared it for use in a vase as I did last year, inserting a stick up the hollow stem, stuffing in some cotton, and closing the bottom using a rubber band

Back view: Grevillea and Leucadendron stems provided the primary accents

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Correa 'Wyn's Wonder', Grevilleas 'Peaches & Cream', Hippeastrum 'Lemon-Lime', Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', and noID paperwhite Narcissus

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

The triplets landed on the fireplace mantle

and the Hippeastrum arrangement sits on the dining table

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

Last week I started work cleaning up my street-side succulent bed.  Like many such projects, it started small and grew larger - and even now I suspect I'm not ready to leave it alone.  Let's just call this a progress report.

The only "before" photo I have to offer is one I took in early January when preparing my quarterly wide shots post.

From a distance it's hard to see its flaws

My original intention was to pull out a few dead plants and cut back the ice plant running amok on the south end of the bed (shown in the far right foreground in the photo above) to make room for a few succulent cuttings.  I got carried away, although I'm not sure that's immediately evident in my updated panoramic shot.

I cut back a lot of the ice plant and planted the cuttings I mentioned but it doesn't look all that different from this distance

Nor from this angle

One significant issue remains to be tackled but I'm still unsure how to proceed.

The Chondropetalum tectorum (which is probably actually C. elephantitum) has toppled over the three 'Blue Glow' Agaves in front of it.  Most online sources don't recommend pruning restios but, as the photo on the right shows, it's sticking into the street like a bad comb-over.

Leaving the Chondropetalum aside for further deliberation, I moved on section-by-section.

I only modified this next segment of the bed in minor ways, cutting dried leaves from the base of Agave impressa, moving a small Aloe buried behind the Euphorbia 'Sticks on Fire', and transplanting 2 stems of Aeonium 'Sunburst' after removing a dead clump of Aeonium arboreum

Clockwise from the top left are: Agave impressa, the noID Aloe, Dudleya cymosa, and Puya berteroniana.  I planted the Puya in 2014, only to forget about it when it was covered by the broad leaves of an Agave desmettiana for years.  Since that Agave bloomed out, the Puya finally has a chance to grow up and out.  I'd thought the two Dudleyas were long gone too.  I still need to move them out of the way of Agave impressa.

This photo shows the remaining Agave desmettiana, a pup of one of the 2 Agaves that bloomed out in 2019, and the transplanted Aeonium 'Sunburst'

This next area got a major cleanup.  In addition to removing more dead Aeonium arboreum, I transplanted 2 Aeonium nobile previously buried between other plants.  The blue Agave colorata between Agave attenuata (left) and Agave 'Blue Flame' (right) was transplanted earlier this year.  The most important change was adding the Yucca rostrata 'Sapphire Skies' I've had in a pot for 2 years, now situated behind Agave colorata.  I was told that it needed more root space if it was ever going to grow up and the encircled roots at the bottom of the pot showed evidence of the truth of that.

I pulled more Aeonium arboreum out in this area, sticking a stem of Euphorbia 'Sticks on Fire' in its place.  I also cut back the tall Senecio amaniensis (behind Agave 'Blue Flame') by more than half.  The latter had become extremely gangly.

This is what a better-behaved Senecio amaniensis in another part of my garden looks like.  Apparently, if it gets more water, it tends to develop an erect posture like this rather than decumbent posture it's demonstrated in my street-side bed.

The area beyond the Agave 'Blue Flame' was formerly covered by a thick, tangled mat of ice plant (possibly Drosanthemum floribundum).  I planted pups of Agave 'Blue Flame' and Agave mediopicta 'Alba' here, along with cuttings of 2 varieties of Aeonium.

Another view of the same area

I trimmed back the ice plant climbing underneath the Auranticarpa rhombifolium shrubs that loom over the succulent bed and pulled out a bucket load of grass weeds within it along the property line.  The ice plant could use more trimming, especially as the recent rain is going to prompt another growth spurt.

The street-side bed sits more than 2 feet below the level occupied by my lath (shade) house.  Cleaning up the lower level inevitably led to some tidying up of the area above as well.

I cut back the branches of the Auranticarpa rubbing against the side of the lath house and cleared the area on the ledge next to it of pots and a plant stand that had occupied the area since our home remodel

This is a view of the street-side bed from the lath house.  My hope is that the Yucca rostrata will eventually screen part of the area between our Xylosma hedge (to the right) and the large Auranticarpa shrubs (to the left).

Pots sitting on sections cut from a tree removed years ago partially screen the area now

I expect I'll be back tweaking this bed before the week is out but here's another view of what it looks like now.

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

I don't know about you but I've had a horrible time concentrating on anything of late.  The political situation is calmer, albeit not without tension.  The Coronavirus news is still bleak, although the rate of new infections here finally seems to be falling.  I've spent all too much time online chasing down leads on vaccinations, only to have those searches come to nothing.  And, feeling like every departure from the safety of my home and garden contains more risk with new variants of the virus circulating, I've been foregoing all non-essential trips.  I haven't been to my local garden center since mid-December and, in addition to going stir-crazy, I'm out of even basic supplies like potting and planting mix.

Yesterday, I tackled a couple of small projects I thought I could handle with materials I had on hand.  I found a package of moss a friend had given me so I decided it was time to do something about the sad cat topiary the same friend gave me years ago.

The cat was decorated with a dozen or so succulents when my friend gave it to me and I'd added a few more but keeping the moss damp proved challenging and the succulents didn't last.  This is what it looked like after years standing unattended in one of my garden beds.

I took the wire frame apart, pulled out the old moss, and stuffed it as tightly as I could with new moss, thoroughly soaked, before rewiring the frame together

I thought stuffing the frame was the hard part but affixing succulent cuttings proved more difficult.  I used Aeonium 'Kiwi' and 'Kiwi Verde' cuttings I've saved when cleaning up my succulent beds.  I didn't have sufficient cuttings - or patience - to do more than you can see here.  My husband rolled his eyes when he saw my "finished" product.

After running out of patience with the topiary project, I turned to an easier project, replanting the hanging basket affixed to the screen on my south side patio.  I'd emptied the basket of its sad contents several weeks ago but I couldn't think what to plant there.  It occurred to me that the Mangave 'Bad Hair Day' I'd removed from the succulent bed in front of the garage might be happy there.  I have two other, healthier specimens of the same Mangave and this variety is definitely happier in a pot than in the ground.

The Mangave had experienced a infestation of woolly aphids when planted in the ground and hadn't received the water it wanted in its original spot.  I'm hoping it'll be happier here.  Without any potting soil, I refreshed what I already had in this basket with homemade compost.  I filled in with succulent cuttings while the Mangave (hopefully) fleshes out.

I cruised the garden this morning to check what's happening, toting my camera along and clicking photos between dead-heading and watering seedlings and other things that looked thirsty.  My irrigation system is off but, with very sandy soil, some plants need a liquid infusion even just ten days after a decent rainstorm.  In any case, here are the highlights of my ramble through the garden.

These Aeonium arboreum cuttings were green when I placed them here before the last rain.  Many Aeoniums develop a reddish color when stressed but I was surprised to see these turn first a pinkish lavender, a color I've never seen in an Aeonium, and then this burgundy red.

In my cutting garden, the Anemone coronaria 'The Bride' corms I planted in late November are finally coming up, bearing blooms with almost no stems.  I read that Anemones can take time to develop longer stems but I've never seen anything this extreme and, as cutting garden material, it's disappointing at present.

In contrast, Anemone coronaria 'Lord Lieutenant', purchased from the same company but shipped and planted weeks earlier, are much more satisfying

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' already thinks its spring

For some reason, hellebores seem to bloom later here than they do in the UK or the Pacific Northwest - or perhaps it's just an aspect of the varieties that grow well here - but the first flowers have made an appearance at last.  This is Helleborus 'Red Lady'.

A couple of daylilies have made appearances as well.  This is Hemerocallis 'Russian Rhapsody'.

The Osteospermums have flourished since the return of cooler temperatures and a little rain.  This Osteospermum '4D Silver' stood out in part because of the way that the inner petals cast shadows on the outer petals.

The ornamental pear (Pyrus calleryana) never dropped all its leaves and is still dropping its annoying fruit but it's now covered in flowers that looked particularly pretty against our clear blue skies

There's no rain in sight and the weekend is expected to sunny, warm and dry, conditions I expect will make gardeners in much of the Northern Hemisphere envious.  While acknowledging my luck in the weather department, I still wish we had some rain in the forecast.  Our seasonal total (counting from October 1st) is just 2.74 inches, which is pitiful.  On the bright side, though, today I nabbed COVID-19 vaccine appointments for my husband and me for late next week!  Maybe that'll improve my focus and my outlook moving forward.

The rain brought out the moss that covers this dirt path every year.  How long it'll last will depend on how much more rain, if any, we get.

Whatever your weather, enjoy the weekend!

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

There seems to be a little more color in my garden with each passing week, a sure sign that spring is in the wings.  The blue Anemones in my cutting garden are producing more flowers every day so they were the most obvious candidates for "In a Vase on Monday" this week.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find many white flowers to accent the blue ones.  Mysteriously, my white Anemones are flowering on stems shorter than one-inch so they weren't candidates.

Back view: I tucked in a few stems of Argyranthemum to brighten things up

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Lord Lieutenant', Argyranthemum frutescens (returning for a second year), noID Ceanothus, Osteospermum 'Violet Ice', and Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' (aka mint bush)

Initially, I wasn't sure I had enough of anything for a second vase but then I spotted new blooms on one of my potted Alstroemerias, which gave me a springboard for a second arrangement in shades of pink.  The vase I chose gave it the extra pizazz it needed.

The pinks play off the painted fingernails of the hands clasped to form the vase

Back view: The bloom of the noID snapdragon is almost an exact match for those colorful fingernails

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', noID Antirrhinum majus, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Jasminum polyanthum (spilling over the fence from my neighbor's garden), and Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'.  (More Prostanthera was included in this arrangement but it isn't shown in closeup here.)

Last week's arrangement featuring Hippeastrum 'Lemon-Lime' still looks presentable, even though the Grevilleas had fallen apart.  I pared down that arrangement and relocated it the bedroom mantle.

The new arrangements got the usual spots in the front entry and the dining room table.

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 was back at work on my street-side succulent bed on Monday.  In the process, I gave the Xylosma congestum shrubs we added back in May 2016 to extend the existing hedge a light trim and made a surprising discovery: berries I'd never seen before on these shrubs.

There are a LOT of these shrubs here.  They make up hedges that run not only along the front of our property but also one side and the entire stretch of the backyard border so I found it peculiar that I'd never seen the berries before.

These photos, taken last February show the Xylosma hedge that runs in front of the house along the street.  The shrubs shown in the photo on the right behind the succulents are those we added in 2016.  They haven't yet grown large enough to merge with the original shrubs.

I saw flowers on the shrubs for the first time last November.  Most online sources I checked don't even mention that they flower.  One source simply stated that flowers are rare.  The fact that we got so much rain in winter through spring last year may have been a factor in producing both the flowers and the berries.

Oddly, I found only the one shrub that had berries.  The hedges are sheared 3 to 4 times a year but the 3 shrubs added in 2016 are still playing catch-up so they're rarely touched, which may explain why I didn't find the berries anywhere else.  I think they're pretty and I may find a way to use them in a floral arrangement before they're gone.

While the berries on the Xylosma are attractive, I can't make that claim with respect to the mutant lemons I discovered on the lemon tree at the bottom of our back slope.

I consulted online sources once again and found that the fruit has probably been affected by bud mites.  In most circumstances, predatory mites keep these in check but water stress and dust on trees can tip the balance.  Since my run-ins with fire ants last year, I've seriously neglected the hand-watering I usually do on the back slope so I accept responsibility for this problem.

Luckily, only a small portion of the fruit has been affected thus far.  The sources I consulted also indicate that that the taste and quality of the fruit isn't impaired by the mites.

Both discoveries provided useful information.  I can use stems of the Xylosma to provide interest in flower arrangements but I also need to be more mindful about watching out for seedlings around any shrubs that produce berries.  The mutant fruit on the lemon tree is a reminder to keep the tree well watered during periods of drought and hose down the foliage periodically to keep it clean.

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

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

As the title of this post indicates, I do love alliteration.  But before spring formally arrives and flowers dominate the scene, February is a good time to take stock of the foliage plants that add so much to my garden.  This won't be a comprehensive review as I've skipped some of the major players that are at risk of overexposure after repeated inclusion in my posts, like Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt'.  I should also note that many of the plants I've included here flower at some point during the year; however, I want to emphasize that these are plants that won a place in my garden in large part because of their foliage.

I'll start with those that shine in different shades of green.

Acanthus mollis was a major player in my former shady garden.  In contrast, the plants have struggled here, although I have at least three clumps like this one that appear in response to rain every year.  They usually fade away as the soil gets drier and our temperatures rise.  I only occasionally get flowers but I value those large leaves, which are relatively unusual in my climate.

I introduced Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga Lily), a New Zealand native, to my garden in 2011 and it's proliferated, mostly through divisions of my original plants.  I've found it to be an excellent plant for use in dry shade.  The graceful foliage is evergreen and the flowers that appear in May are a plus.

I expect most people grow Echium webbii principally for its brilliant blue flowers but I'd grow this plant even if it didn't flower.  It has a beautiful shape (at least until it gets old and woody) and the foliage gives off a silvery-blue glint in the sun.

Next up are the standouts in shades of silver.

Centaurea 'Silver Feather' is another plant I'd grow even if it didn't flower.  I planted an excess of these in my back garden, underestimating their mature size but, positioned at appropriate distance from one another, they make a stunning statement in the garden.  One of my plants in the front garden died back but I rooted a cutting to fill the empty spot.

I wish these Helichrysum thianschanicum 'Icicles' didn't bloom.  After bloom, they looked misshapen.  I cut them back hard in late summer, not sure they'd survive, but I'm happy with how they look now.

Salvia canariensis var candidissima has fuzzy silvery-white foliage.  It produces interesting flowers in summer.

Variegated plants and those with unusual foliage color also play important roles.

I determined that, in my garden, Cordyline 'Can Can' is happier in a pot than in the ground.  The smaller plant is Cordyline terminalis 'Chocolate Queen', a recent mail order purchase from Little Prince of Oregon.

Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira' has great presence in my front garden in bloom and out.  It does get woody over time and in another year or so I expect I'll have to replace it.  I'll try taking cuttings this spring to get a replacement queued up.

Hebe 'Purple Shamrock' is a dwarf evergreen shrub.  It needs a regular trim to keep its shape (something I don't always handle on a timely basis) but it's otherwise a carefree plant.  It produces small purple flowers in summer but, with foliage like that, who cares?

Yucca 'Blue Boy' has wonderful purple foliage.  It's supposed to grow 4-6 feet tall by 3-5 feet wide but mine have stayed smaller (or are just biding their time).

When we acquired this garden just over ten years ago, the only succulent plant in the garden was a single clump of Agave attenuata in the front garden.  In every year since, they've gained a larger foothold.  If I were to venture a guess, I'd say succulents now account for roughly one quarter of the plants in my garden.  Many of these, like the larger agaves, regularly crop up in my posts so I've included just a few of the more demure specimens in this one.

These two 'Joe Hoak' Agaves have been in place since 2015, slowly growing in size.  One came to me as a pup from blogger friend Denise of A Growing Obsession.

I showed this Crassula Senecio amaniensis in a recent post but here it is again.  I love its shape.  The one in my street-side bed develops long decumbent branches, which is apparently a response to receiving less water.

Years ago, I stuck a tiny cutting of Crassula ovata 'Gollum' below the Xylosma hedge running along the street.  It's become a nice accent with its orange-red tips and I've now used other cuttings as fillers among succulents elsewhere.

Graptoveria 'Fred Ives', shown here in front of three Hesperaloes, remains one of my favorite succulents.  It's tough as well as pretty.

Mangave 'Jaguar', a birthday gift from my husband the year before last, has proven to be a very attractive plant.  I need to surround it with more succulents that'll pick up the copper and burgundy tones in its foliage.

Mangave 'Spotty Dotty' has been happier since I relocated it to this sunnier spot.  Its coloring is unusual, even for a Mangave.

I took numerous photos of Aeoniums in preparing this post but I decided they deserve their own separate post, which I'll share sometime later this month.

That's it from me this week.  I had my first Covid-19 vaccine shot yesterday and I'm starting the weekend with a positive outlook as a result.  I hope you find something to put a positive spin on your weekend too.

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

Two of my favorite memes, In a Vase on Monday and Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, intersect once again this month.  This means a longer than usual post, especially as the floral parade is already getting started in my area of coastal Southern California.  The good news is that I'll limit the commentary that usually accompanies my photos.

I'll start with this week's floral arrangements for In a Vase on Monday, hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

The Anemone that provides the focal point here wasn't the bulb I ordered but at least it was appropriate for a Valentine's Day arrangement.  Front, top and back views are shown.  The contents include: Anemone coronaria 'Bicolore', noID Antirrhinum majus, Calliandra haematocephala, Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl.

The second arrangement took advantage of the first of the Freesias to bloom.  The contents include: Agryranthemum frutescens, white and yellow Freesias, noID Narcissus, Senna artemisioides, and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light'.

Moving on to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens, I'll start with the plants that are putting on the best floral show this month.  Unlike much of the US, we haven't faced freezes or snow.  We also have had woefully little rain but that's a whole other issue.

Anemone coronaria grown from corms planted in November.  Clockwise from the upper left: 'Mistral Azzurro', 'The Bride', 'Mistral Bicolore', and 'Lord Lieutenant'.

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar'

Calliandra haematocephala (aka pink powder puff)

Coleonema puchellum 'Sunset Gold'

Echium handiense 'Pride of Fuerteventura'

The smaller-flowered Grevillea have taken off this month.  Clockwise from the upper left: G. alpina x rosmarinifolia, G. 'Poorinda Leane', G. sericea, G. lavandulacea 'Penola', a close-up of G. 'Scarlet Spite', and a wider view of the same plant in the landscape

The large-flowered Grevillea never stop.  Left to right: 'Ned Kelly', 'Peaches & Cream', and 'Superb'.

Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'

It'll be time to cut back the "flowering"Leucadendrons soon.  Top row: Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset'.  Bottom row: Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' and L. 'Summer Red', which shifted from blonde to red this month.

Osteospermums prefer cool temperatures.  Clockwise from the top left: '4D Silver', two views of 'Violet Ice, 'Berry White', 'Zion Copper Amethyst', a self-seeded mix, and a self-seeded pink variety.

Pyrus calleryana (aka ornamental pear)

Rosmarinus officinalis 'Gold Dust'

Isopogon anemonifolius, planted in 2018, has bloomed only once before but it appears to be preparing to do so again

At last xMangave 'Silver Fox' is blooming.  It's bloom spike first appeared in August!  Whether it'll emulate its Agave parent (and die after blooming) or its Manfreda parent (and live on) has yet to be determined.

The first Freesia and Helleborus 'Red Lady'

Clockwise from the upper left: Felicia aethiopica, Lavandula dentata (I think), L. multifida, Limonium perezii, Polygala fruticosa, and Trichostemma 'Midnight Magic'

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum frutescens, Coleonema album, Crassula multicava 'Red', Gazania 'White Flame'', Trifolium (aka common clover), and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light'

Clockwise from upper left: Aeonium arboreum, noID Cymbidium, Euphorbia rigida, Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein', noID Gazania, Lomanda 'Breeze', and Senna artemisioides

Clockwise from the top left: Aloe deltoideodonta, A. striata, Alstroemeria 'Indian Sunset', Bignonia capreolata, Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi, and noID Kalanchoe

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus, self-seeded Gazania, Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Lobelia laxiflora, Metrosideros collina 'Springfire', and Ribes viburnifolium (aka Catalina perfume currant)

Top row: Arctostaphylos bakeri 'Louis Edmunds', Argyranthemum frutescens, and Bauhina x blakeana Middle row: last noID Camellia sasanqua, C. williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection', and Centranthus ruber Bottom row: noID Cyclamen, Hemerocallis 'Russian Rhapsody', and Jasminum polyanthum

A few years ago, another garden blogger asked readers what they'd call their garden if they were to assign it a name.  As I recall, I blithely responded "Lizardville" or possibly "Aeoniumville" but actually, while lizards are present year-round, they're most invisible during the cooler months, while succulent Aeoniums are always readily evident.  When collecting photos for my recent February foliage post, I found myself snapping a lot of photos of Aeoniums.  I decided they deserved their own post so here it is.

I've often described Aeonium 'Kiwi' as my "gateway succulent" and indeed it was the only succulent I grew in my former tiny garden but I'm going to start off this post with Aeonium arboreum, a larger and more varied group introduced to my current garden soon after we moved here in December 2010.  A good friend brought me a few, as cuttings if I recall correctly.  I wasn't immediately sure what to do with them so those first specimens went into what I now call my Aeonium nursery.  From a few rosettes planted beneath three citrus trees, they grew into large clumps.

I recall thinking that they all looked alike, with large solid green rosettes, but they currently show some minor variation, which may be due to nothing more than the degree of sun exposure.  I call this my Aeonium nursery as I cut rosettes from these plants regularly, both for my own garden and to give away to others.

As my husband and I pulled out lawn and later dying shrubs, creating new beds, Aeonium arboreum cuttings gradually migrated into one spot after another.  In fact, they became my go-to plant to fill blank spots for which I didn't have more specific plans.

This stem, with a rosette larger than my head standing outside my office window, explains its species name.  It develops tall stems with many branches.

The plants flower too, although I can't say I like them much.  The rosette from which a flower springs dies back, although the other rosettes in the clump live on.

Aeonium arboreum can be found throughout my garden but my front slope is home to the largest mass of them.  They're well suited to the partially shaded conditions and dry soil there.  Aeoniums go dormant in summer here but, in partial shade with a little irrigation, they don't dry up into balls as they do under harsher conditions.

This area along our driveway shows the impact of harsher growing conditions.  The plants here survive mainly on rain and, even though this is currently our "rainy season," we've had less than 3 inches thus far and the Aeoniums here haven't entirely recovered from their long period of dormancy.

I've even stuck rosettes into pots.  These cement shoes have very small cavities to contain soil but, as you can see, they survived and even branched.

I've also mixed Aeonium arboreum with other Aeonium species, as well as other succulents.

This vignette across from my shade house contains Aeonium arboreum, A. 'Kiwi', and Crassula lycopodioides

Aeonium arboreum and 'Kiwi' flourish on the moderate slope here.  I lot of the Aeonium rosettes were stuck directly into the dry stack wall.

One blogger told me that it looked like the Aeoniums were climbing up the side of a low wall here alongside our back patio but actually they've simply formed tall clumps

Close up of 'Kiwi'

If 'Kiwi' doesn't get much sun, it doesn't develop red edges

It works particularly well planted along the edges of beds as shown here in the dry garden on the northeast side of the house

A few years ago, I picked up a handful of Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde' in 4-inch pots and discovered that it's even more vigorous than its 'Kiwi' cousin.

It develops a red edge like 'Kiwi' but it's otherwise green in color

It forms large clumps very fast!

Its vigor and speed of growth led me to pepper small cuttings of 'Kiwi Verde' in this newly planted area of the front slope.  The cuttings weren't rooted but just stuck straight into the ground.  Most experts recommend allowing the cut stem ends to callous over before planting but I don't even do that.

As I have a ready supply of 'Kiwi' and 'Kiwi Verde' to provide cuttings, I used these when I planted this cat topiary

As much as I love the color green, splashes of other colors are always welcome.  If you like red, there are lots of red-toned Aeoniums, many of which are hybrids of Aeonium arboreum. 

This is Aeonium 'Zwartkop', perhaps the most popular and readily available dark-colored Aeonium

I think this one is Aeonium 'Cyclops'

Aeonium 'Garnet' in a pot by our front door

I believe this one is Aeonium 'Silk Pinwheel', purchased by mail order in 2019 in a 2-inch pot

Aeonium 'Velour' is mostly green at present because it's in a shady spot

Aeonium 'Cabernet' develops red edges later in the season when it gets more sun

I bought this Aeonium 'Jack Catlin' by mail order 2 years ago but it's so well shaded between large Agaves and a Metrosideros it hasn't developed 'Jack Catlin's' characteristic color so I'm going to take cuttings to place in a sunnier setting

The conditions in which Aeoniums are grown often have a significant impact on their color.  This seems particularly true in the case of those with large rosettes - or at least that's been my experience.

I believed that the Aeonium arboreum cuttings I used here when I replanted the succulent bed in front of the garage were a plain solid green variety and I was startled when I found them changing color soon after I put them in

Aeoniums also come in variegated forms.

Aeonium 'Sunburst' is one of the most dramatic of the variegated forms

Aeonium 'Mardi Gras' may be the flashiest one I've seen.  Unfortunately, it's very slow to produce offset rosettes.

My Aeonium 'Fiesta' lost its characteristic variegation in the shade of a tree stump so I probably need to move it

There are a few other Aeoniums in my garden that are harder to find.

I believe this one is Aeonium canariensis, sometimes referred to as a "tea cup" variety.  The rosettes are very large and slightly fuzzy.

These are Aeonium nobile, which develops a rusty orange color and large, thick-leaved rosettes.  I recently rescued these from areas in which they'd been squeezed and shaded by other succulents.  It develops an interesting flower but, as it's monocarpic, I'm in no hurry to see it.

This is Aeonium leucoblepharum, which I found at a succulent society sale years ago.  It's in a small pot so it hasn't gotten very big.

In the front here is Aeonium 'Lily Pad', a relatively small specimen with flatter rosettes

That's my collection.  I may have missed one or two varieties but this is as complete a run-down as I can provide.  If you've found an Aeonium you love, let me know!

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

Although I've complained aplenty about the lack of rain this year, I know we're far luckier in the weather department than people in a good percentage of the United States at present.  We haven't been buried under snow or ice; we haven't lost power or had frozen pipes; we're not struggling to keep warm or heating snow to have water.  We're starting off the week with sunny skies and unseasonably warm temperatures.  We could reach a high temperature of 80F (26C) today.  Hopefully, some of that warmth will blow eastward.

It definitely feels like spring even if that transition is still officially a month away so I chose flowers that reflect that vibe.

The second stem of Hippeastrum 'Lemon-Lime' bloomed last week so I cut it, knowing that it wouldn't hold up well against the warm Santa Ana winds we're expecting

I added little bits of this and that to complement its soft yellow color

Top view

Top row: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Coleonema 'Album' (aka Breath of Heaven), and Euphorbia rigida Middle row: Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein', Hippeastrum 'Lemon-Lime', and Isopogon anemonifolius Bottom row: two noID Narcissi and Pyrethropsis hosmariensis (aka Moroccan Daisy)

The arrival of the blue-flowered Freesias last week and the abundance of blue Anemones in my cutting garden prompted the second arrangement.

The "blue"Freesias read more lavender/purple to my eye but the paper-like flowers of Limonium perezii (aka Sea Lavender) did a good job of linking them to the Anemones

Back view: I noticed that the Auranticarpa rhombifolia shrubs (aka Queensland Pittosporum) had begun to bloom when I wasn't looking and, after cutting off the leaves to expose the flowers, I added a couple of those stems to lighten up the arrangement

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Lord Lieutenant', Argyranthemum frutescens with lavender/blue Freesia, Auranticarpa rhombifolia, white Freesia, Limonium perezii, and Xylosma congestum (sporting blue/black berries)

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

There are a lot of projects in the garden that I never seem to get to, even these days when there's arguably more time available to focus on such tasks.  Recently, I launched two such projects without any forethought about what I was getting myself into, and my husband initiated another one.  Once again, I didn't take "before" photos, although I scoured my digital files to come up with what I could.

The first project involved clearing an area that was infested with asparagus ferns and their nasty bulbous roots.  I inherited this problem with the garden and had previously only chipped away at the ever-expanding ferns.  Some prior owner apparently decided that asparagus ferns were a good way to cover a lot of ground fast - and added dozens of the plants throughout this garden.  Admittedly, they're evergreen, produce berries for the birds, and can tolerate dry conditions that even succulents can't handle.  However, the berries are toxic to cats and dogs, and birds spread the plants everywhere.  They also produce masses of bulbous roots, which mingle with the roots of more desirous plants, making them difficult to remove.  I previously removed large masses of them in front of our mimosa tree to make room for other plants, a process that took days.  (It felt like weeks.)  I personally feel that real estate sales should be required to list asparagus ferns as hazardous substances.

This is the best "before" photo I can offer.  There were tree separate masses of asparagus fern here (one behind the blue trug).  What you see above ground belies the extent of the roots below ground.  The roots were also mingled with ivy that's crept up from the back slope (another species planted en masse by a prior owner) as well as the roots of other surrounding plants (probably including that strawberry tree).

Removal is a long, slow process.  Experts recommend removing all bulbous roots, as well as any berries.

Here's the cleared area.  I planted a variegated Lycianthes rantonnettii (blue potato bush) purchased by mail order, as well as transplanting Agapanthus bulbs obtained in the process of another project.  I'll have to remain vigilant about pulling asparagus fern seedlings as there's no way I got all of them.

While I was working on that project, my husband started one of his own, into which I got sucked.  You may recall that, after years watching it decline, we removed our mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) late last year.  After negotiation, my husband agreed to replacing the mimosa with a Ginkgo tree but, with the mimosa's massive trunk still in place, we needed to clear a spot for it.

The tree service cut the mimosa tree's stump as close to flush with the surface of the soil as they could manage without damaging the hedge behind it or destabilizing the slope that plummets down just beyond that hedge

My husband decided to cut back the remaining trunk further so we could relocate a nearby mass of Agapanthus to clear a space for the new tree.

He dug out soil surrounding the stump and used a chainsaw to slice it up

After repairing the chainsaw mid-way through the process, this was what the area looked like when he finished cutting back the stump

His next step was to remove the boards originally placed on diagonals around the mimosa tree, replacing them with new boards to level that area for planting.

When that was done, he added 9 cubic feet of top soil purchased from a big box store

Then he proceeded to remove the large clumps of Agapanthus you can see on the left in the previous photo.  That's when I got involved.

Having previously done this myself, I know there's no way to dig up well-established Agapanthus clumps without damaging a lot of the bulbs.  Many of these went straight into the green bins but I put aside a lot of them to see what I could save.

Like asparagus fern, Agapanthus produces huge masses of roots.  In addition, this area had asparagus fern roots mingling with the Agapanthus roots.  I pulled out the screening system we used when we cleared our property of lawn and used it to separate roots from soil.

It works well but it's still time-consuming

One of many trugs filled with roots

When I'd removed what I could, my husband added three more cubic feet of top soil and yesterday I dug in planting mix and compost, removing more asparagus fern roots as I went.  Our native soil is very sandy so I'm hoping that the additives, well mixed, will provide a good foundation for the new tree.

This is what the area currently looks like.  I replanted some of the Agapanthus bulbs I'd cleaned up here and in the area I showed earlier.

I've got eight or nine more bulbs but, unless I find a spot for them somewhere else in the garden today, I'm going to put them on the street as another of my giveaways

Until the Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold' (ordered yesterday!) arrives, further action is on hold on this project.  Yet, still in garden clean-up mode, on the fly I decided to tear out an overgrown mass of peppermint geranium (Pelargonium tomentosum) I'd managed to ignore for a long time.

This photo from April 2020 is the best "before" picture I could find.  The peppermint geranium was planted below and around the pineapple guava (Acca sellowiana) in the background on the right.

This photo shows the area after the Pelargonium was removed.  I also cut back a large clump of asparagus fern here but I still need to get in there with a trowel to see how much of the fern's roots I can remove without damaging the tree.  (Can you hear my sigh?)

I took sixteen small cuttings of the Pelargonium to root should I be unable to find anything more interesting to plant below the pineapple guava

Now, the main issue is finding plants to fill the vacant spots.  I made my first trip in over two months to my local garden center yesterday, mainly to pick up planting mix but I took a spin to see what plants are available.  There were a lot of the usual early spring options but I didn't get excited about much other than a Banksia spinulosa.  In another month I should be immunized and expect I'll feel better about wandering further afield in search of plants.

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

Yesterday, I paid my first visit to South Coast Botanic Garden after an absence of four months.  They've been advertising a "superbloom" event but it's not a superbloom in the conventional sense of the term, which describes a broad-scale wildflower display in desert areas following an unusually wet rainy season.  Our rainy season has been anything but wet this year and this particular bloom fest focused not on wildflowers but on flowering bulbs planted en masse last fall to provide visitors a welcome jolt of color as spring approaches.

The unusual bed arrangement shown here featuring tulips was designed to mirror the shape of the metal sculpture in the background on the left, which is known as Soller 1

Tulip beds viewed from the other direction

The red tulips are the most prominent

but the mix contains flowers in shades of purplish-pink, pink, and orange

While I couldn't miss the tulips upon entering the garden, I wandered a bit before I found the daffodils (Narcissi).

This was my first view of them, visible in the distance

These two beds consisted mainly of daffodils with a few tulips mixed in

The lawn adjacent to the garden's amphitheater also offered a mix of flowering bulbs but I failed to get a closeup photo of the area

Top row: Arctotis, Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi, and Crocosmia Second row: Eschscholzia (California poppy), Osteospermum, and Salvia lutea bottom row: noID Salvia, Strelizia nicolai, and noID flowering succulent

There were a variety of trees in flower too, including Erythrina caffra (coral tree), Handroanthus heptaphyllus (pink trumpet tree), and Magnolia x Randy

The garden is in the process of constructing a new event space that will feature a butterfly pavilion, scheduled to open in April, so a large area was cordoned off.

I had time to visit only the front half of the garden on this occasion.  Weather and circumstances permitting, I hope to wander further afield on my next visit.

Best wishes for a colorful weekend.

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