It rained on Sunday morning. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know I get very excited about rain. We get a lot less of it than many of you do, and rain in summer is particularly surprising. I saw the forecast that said we had a 30% chance of precipitation but, unless I see predictions of 80% or higher, I don't put much stock in them so I was delighted. Our rooftop weather system registered 0.07/inch, not a lot by any means but enough to fill my empty 50-gallon rain tank. It drizzled as I rounded the garden picking flowers. It was wonderful! It provided a much nicer start to the day than walking out the back door straight into
the path of a coyote as I did last Tuesday.
This week I had in mind exactly what I wanted to cut for today's vases and I actually stuck to my plan, more or less. The flower-like bracts of the
Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' in my back garden was the inspiration for my first vase.
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| There are actually two Leucadendron here. The cones and bracts of 'Safari Sunset' on the right are larger than those of 'Devil's Blush' on the left but about the same color. |
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| I was happier with this mix of plants when they were in the jar I used while collecting the stems than I am with the finished product shown here. Do you ever have that experience? |
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| Back view: I cut the glossy green foliage of the cherry laurels (Prunis ilicifolia) grown as a hedge along one property line as I felt I needed a sharp contrast with the deep red of the Leucadendron. The cherry laurels are in the process of developing their fruit but it's still green. Stems with red fruit would've made a nice color echo. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Ammi majus 'Dara', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', shaggy Leucanthemum x superbum, Prunus ilicifolia, and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink' |
My blue Lisianthus (
Eustoma grandiflorum) are full of flowers at the moment but I was challenged to find something different to pair with them until I decided to cut stems of
Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink'. I'm not sure I've cut any of the latter this year even though I have ten of these shrubs in full bloom at the moment. Hummingbirds and bees adore these shrubs.
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| It's hard to compete with Lisianthus but Monarda 'Peter's Purple' is giving it a good try. This Monarda is the only one I've ever managed to grow in my garden. |
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| Back view: The white Pandorea jasminoides (aka bower vine) was a last minute addition. I had the stems arranged at the front of the vase at first but they didn't complement the Lisanthus as well as they do the Cuphea so I moved them to the back, where they look a little like the flounce on a skirt. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Eustoma grandiflorum, Pandorea jasminoides, Monarda 'Peter's Purple', Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink', and Salvia leucophylla x clevelandii 'Pozo Blue' |
As I had leftover stems, I threw together a third vase, which may be my personal favorite this week. It's not as fussy as the other two arrangements, which makes it perfect for the kitchen island.
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| I used the extra stems of Abelia, Ammi majus, and Scabiosa here and tucked a few stems on Origanum 'Monterey Bay' in the back |
The other arrangements took their places on the dining and front entry tables respectively.
For more arrangements created from floral and foliage materials found in the creators' own gardens,
visit our IAVOM host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
