If weather reports are accurate, Southern California and a large portion of the US Southwest are going to get toasted this week. Up to this point our usual June Gloom along the coast has prevented midday temperatures from soaring but it sounds as though we're not going to get a lot of help there this week. Over the past few days, I've given selected sections of my garden a deep soak in an effort to sidestep any serious repercussions but the severity of heatwaves is never predictable. I briefly considered cutting everything in sight for "In a Vase on Monday" but I reined myself in before I went crazy.
My first arrangement was inspired by the wild carrot that took me by surprise in late April. I'd completely forgotten that I'd sown seeds of Daucus carota 'Dara' late last year and, when the seedlings first appeared, I didn't recognize them. Now, the largest plant is nearly as tall as I am.
![]() |
| I felt I needed a flower that played off the burgundy color of the umbellifer to serve as a focal point but, when my first choice didn't do the job, I decided to cut one of the daylilies that has been blooming with abandon, recognizing that it won't have a long vase life. I'll either cut another daylily tomorrow, or simply let the wild carrot flowers stand on their own. |
![]() |
| The flowers of the burgundy ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltatum) I'd originally eyed as a focal point were relegated to the back of the vase as they're already beginning to shatter |
![]() |
| Top view |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Daucus carota 'Dara', Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown', Pandorea jasminoides, and Pelargonium peltatum |
The second arrangement was driven by a desire to save some blooms before the heat pushes them over the edge. When I unceremoniously yanked all my sweet pea vines last week, the three foxglove plants they'd shielded from the sun in my cutting garden began to droop rather sadly.
![]() |
| The stems of Coriandrum sativum (aka cilantro/coriander) I used as a filler were wilted a bit when I took these photos but they've since rebounded, as they always do. I didn't sow any seeds of cilantro this year but, as it's popping up nearly everywhere I spread my homemade compost, I clearly didn't need to. |
![]() |
| Back view |
![]() |
| Top view |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the upper left are Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Arthropodium cirratum, Coriandrum sativum, Digitalis purpurea, Nigella 'African Bride', and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink'. (Included, but not shown in close up, is a lavender Pelargonium peltatum) |
Hopefully, there will still be plenty of flowers to cut next week! For more IAVOM creations this week, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
