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Bloom Day - August 2014
Unlike some areas of the world where mid-summer brings a bounty of flowers, summer here in Southern California is a slower, more somber period in the garden. Although temperatures have been relatively...
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Foliage Follow-up - The Importance of Good Grooming
"The Importance of Good Grooming" sounds like an article for girls in some kind of high-handed teen publication dating back to the 1930s, doesn't it? However, the phrase came to mind this week as I...
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In a Vase on Monday: Floral Accents
There REALLY isn't a lot of floral color in my garden right now. Yes, there are a few - mostly short - flowers here and there but, with the exception of the Coreopsis 'Redshift,' there's nothing much...
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If your bathtub is the ocean...
Then you need a really big rubber duck. The world's largest rubber duck sailed into the Port of Los Angeles this morning. Created by a Dutch artist, he's the mascot and one of the main attractions of...
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My favorite plant of the week: Senecio fulgens
Now that, thanks to Denise at A Growing Obsession, I have a name to attach to the robust succulent planted in a birdbath-style container in my dry garden, I can give it the acclaim it deserves as one...
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In a Vase on Monday: Recent Acquisitions
I've whined about the shortage of flowers in my garden quite a bit of late. Last week, thinking ahead about what I could use to create a vase for the Monday meme sponsored by Cathy at Rambling in the...
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Almost Wordless Wednesday - My New Butterfly Magnet
Old butterfly magnet:My new butterfly magnet - the flowers of Senecio fulgens:Western Tiger Anise Swallowtail (thanks for the correction, Jane!)Gulf FritillaryAll material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson...
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When things come together just right
By mid-summer, most gardeners I know - at least those who garden in hot, dry climates like mine - become discouraged. I'm no exception. Most of my grass is dead. Numerous plants have dropped dead,...
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My favorite plant this week: Pentas lanceolata 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom'
When the garden as a whole is not looking its best, the plants that sail through the pressures that beat most down really shine. At present, one such plant is Pentas lanceolata 'Kaleidoscope...
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In a Vase on Monday: Summer Reruns
Today is Labor Day, officially a date to observe the advances made by workers or, more specifically, the achievements of labor unions on behalf of workers. For most people here in the US, the date is...
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Wide Shots - September 2014
Fall is officially 3 weeks away but, with Labor Day behind us, my fall planting plans are moving into hyper-drive, despite the fact that our daytime temperatures remain in the mid-to-upper 80sF (27+C)...
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My favorite plant this week: Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink'
Asking myself what plant I could feature as my favorite this week, I started wondering whether I was running out of plants to present after 47 favorites posts. However, I could almost hear Loree, the...
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Deep Roots Garden Center
On a recent visit to Deep Roots Garden Center in Manhattan Beach, I was surprised to realize that I'd never written a post about it. When it opened, I lived in one of the nearby beach cities but not...
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In a Vase on Monday: Keeping it Simple
Please pardon the interruption for a brief weather report: We got rain this morning!!! I awoke to the sound of water and immediately thought that something had gone wrong with our irrigation system....
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Planting Bed Facelift #1
In January, I wrote a post about a few projects my husband and I'd undertaken, including the removal of the wood-fired snorkel spa in the backyard. Lacking a clear vision for the area, I filled it...
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Wordless Wednesday: Mutant Grasshopper, Alien Invader, or Locust?
All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
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Bromeliads and Succulents
I've been shopping for more Agave 'Blue Glow' to add to a bed I'm planning to renovate. In addition to the beauty it adds in every setting, I think it may be an effective raccoon deterrent - and I've...
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My favorite plant this week: Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku'
I've always loved Japanese maples. Even in my former, tiny garden, I had two of them. So, although the climate of my current garden is hotter, drier, and far less shady, I had to have some here as...
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Bloom Day - September 2014
Today is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, a monthly event hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens to celebrate the flower power of our gardens. Last September, I complained that finding flowers for my Bloom...
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Foliage Follow-up - Drought Busters
My front lawn has been dug up and our front entry is now surrounded by more than 800 square feet (74 square meters) of bare dirt. Dirt that, left untended, will sprout weeds and grass attempting a...
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