In a Vase On Monday: Prelude to rain

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.