Happy New Year

Argyranthemum frutescens

Happy New Year!

From the Valley of the Sun...

Argyranthemum frutescens

Argyranthemum frutescens

...a few fireworks...

Leonotis leonurus

...and lots of confetti!

Violas

Violas

Violas

Wishing all of you a wonderful new year, full of things that make you smile!

Viola

Gaura in December

 The lovely pink Gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri, sadly, noID) continues to bloom in the Central Bed, where its long, wiry stems throw the remaining blossoms about among all the neighboring plants.  The individual flowers are delicately beautiful against the pink glow created by the deep wine-coloured stems...

...or against the December sky. 

Weather Diary: Sunny, and the cold weather is finally beginning to break; High: 57 F (14 C)/Low: 37 F (3 C)

Monday Vase: Ruffles

Today's vase was made principally from cyclamen flowers in pink and white.  These have been blooming on the patio - blooming more or less continuously for weeks.  We are keeping them in pots since there is little chance of their surviving summer in the open garden, but at least a reasonable one for keeping them going indoors through the difficult months.

They are certainly in their glory now!

As you can see, some Dianthus also slipped into the mix.

One little red "Daniela" rosebud did as well...

...along with a stem of Russelia equisetiformis "Big Red".

This made for a slender arrangement in a little pot that I originally used to test a new glaze recipe.  I used the wrong firing cycle for the test, however, resulting in an unusally blistered glaze - and little helpful information!  At any rate, the size and shape were right for today's material so it was pressed into service.

Thanks, as always, to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, the home of the Monday Vase meme.

Happy Monday!

Weather Diary; Sunny and cold! High: 56 F (13 C)/Low: 32 F (0 C)

Christmas Sunrise

Happy Christmas!

Garden Foliage: Purple

It's roughly time for the monthly look at foliage in the garden; and despite being in the midst of final preparations for Christmas, I wanted to share some leaves today.  I have been admiring the assortment of purple-foliaged plants that increase the colour range even when out of bloom.

With some, this seems to be a response to cooler weather.  Penstemon parryi has turned a luscious metallic purple.

Some leaves are greener than others, but the whole effect is striking and makes this single plant fairly spectacular during the cooler months.

The nearby Eremophila maculata "Valentine" is more purple than it was, though the myriad of tiny red flowerbuds may be creating much of the colour change.  Still, its leaves run to smoky purple during winter and make an excellent foil to those little buds, which grow much larger before they burst into brilliant bloom.  This is one of the Australian shrubs which has proven its value here in the Sonoran desert, taking well to the soil and minimal water, and not flinching in the overpowering sun and heat of summer.

Mine has grown a good deal since it was planted late last year, and it now forms a respectable shrub, seen here with Penstemon parryi in the background.

Pennisetum rubrum is named for its maroon-purple leaves, now very strongly coloured.

On other plants, the purple and red leaves are new growth, the brightly coloured bursts of young foliage.

On Caesalpinia pulcherrima (Pride of Barbados, among many other names), the hue is blended with copper tones.

 On the just-planted Calliandra californica "Baja Red", a young Baja Fairy Duster bush, the colour is quite strong (see also the picture at top of post)...

...but still not so bright as the one flower this young plant is sporting!

And of course, there is the classic red new growth of roses, best supplied at the moment by miniature rose "Daniela".

Aside from the question of whether the plant still qualifies as miniature (it has grown robustly over the last few months), this is a highly successful bush.  Red new growth and bright red blooms...

...and the foliage colours form a quiet blending with the bracts on nearby Salvia greggii "Autumn Moon"...

...with its delicate twin flowers.

Purple, reddish, smoky hues help create a softer mood in this climate where high contrast is produced automatically by the strong sunlight (not quite so strong over the last few days, but that is a different matter!)

Weather Diary: Partly cloudy; High: 64 F (18 C)/Low: 52 F (11 C)

Monday Vase: A Merry Christmas

As this will be the last Monday Vase before Christmas Day, I am enjoying some seasonal exuberance today.  I would have loved to have made a wreath, but in the absence of either know-how or time, I've made a vase with a plentiful helping of foliage - foliage that I would have used for a wreath, if only...!  Plus a splash of red.

And a second splash.

Foliage includes rosemary...

...and Artemisia "Powis Castle".
There are also sprigs of Eremophila "Valentine"...

...which is just budding out.  Its tiny round buds play somewhat the role that berries might play, shown here next to a single stem of Lavender "Goodwin's Creek Gray".

The first splash of red comes from Geranium "Precision" (seriously!), which has wonderful deep crimson blooms.

And I begged the perfect red rose from my sister's container garden.  (Thank you, Sarah!)  This is hybrid tea "Olympiad".

So, a Christmas vase, rose on one side...

...geraniums on the other.

There was so much material available that I was able to use one of my larger pots, one with a wide mouth and plenty of room.  It's wonderful to have enough stems from the garden to bulk up!

No poinsettias or amaryllis so far (my one amaryllis is still very much in bud), but nevertheless a Christmas vase with which to join Cathy's Monday Vase meme.  Do check the other wonderful vases to be seen there this week!

Hopefully this will not be the last post until Christmas (I am looking forward to posting on the development of the South Border), but just in case, I will wish you all a Merry Christmas now!

Weather Diary: Fair; High: 62 F (17 C)/Low: 39 F (4 C)

From the Lemon Tree

Weather Diary: Fair; High: 56 F (12 C)/Low: 32 F (0 C)