Cheered by my relative success in growing a mix of snapdragon plugs this year without a touch of rust, I ordered three more plants in February from my favorite mail order nursery. Unfortunately, as our weather has warmed, I can already see signs that my snapdragons may not hold on for much longer so I cut the first flowering stems of the new plants for an arrangement this week. There are already touches of rust showing on the new snapdragon plants. I've removed the affected leaves and sprayed with neem oil but it remains to be seen whether that's enough.
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| In November 2019, I sowed seeds of Digitalis 'Dalmatian Peach' but the plants that emerged last year were small and didn't bloom. This year, I've got my first bloom spike, which I used as a centerpiece here but it's been upstaged by the snapdragons and Grevilleas. |
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| Back view: I added one stem of the still rust-free bronze snapdragon that was part of the mix I planted earlier. The individual blooms of the new 'Chantilly Bronze' and 'Chantilly Peach' snapdragons are markedly larger. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', noID bronze Antirrhinum majus, A. 'Chantilly Bronze', A. 'Chantilly Peach', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Superb', Ranunculus californicus and, in the middle, my favorite spring prop, a mouse gliding along on the back of a butterfly |
I'd planned to go with purple and lavender flowers for a second arrangement but the bearded Iris I'd targeted as my centerpiece was already past its prime so I shifted my color scheme to pink.
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| The Centranthus ruber growing on my back slope are blooming a little later than usual but they're rapidly picking up speed. I guessed correctly that they'd mesh well with the pink Scabiosa growing in my front garden. |
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| Back view: White snapdragons freshened the mix. As filler material, I cut stems of self-seeded Coriandrum sativum (aka cilantro/coriander) that's already bolted, only to have it wilt dramatically. I seared the stem ends in hot water and I trusted past experience that they'd perk up after several hours in water, which they did. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: noID Alstroemeria, white Antirrhinum majus, Centranthus ruber, Coriandrum sativum, Pelargonium 'Lemona', and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink' |
All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
