We got 0.72/inch (18mm) of rain last Monday, which wasn't bad by current standards. Some people in the surrounding area got significantly more but, as two of my rain barrels are now full and the largest is three-quarters full, I was satisfied. At present, it seems fairly certain that was the end of our rainy season. Although cool temperatures held on into the weekend and we had more gray skies than blue, we didn't see any more rain. By the middle of this week we're expecting another reversion to warmer-than-normal temperatures. Even though I can see the ocean from our back garden, we typically don't get cool ocean breezes on our side of the peninsula. Our temperatures tend to track more closely with temperatures in downtown Los Angeles, which next week could reach into the 90sF (32C).
Based on the expected temperature shift, I cut things I otherwise might have let sit awhile, starting with the pink Alstroemeria stems that appeared en masse following last week's rain.
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| As usual, I got carried away cutting flowers. As a result the arrangement ended up a lot busier than I'd intended it to be. |
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| The back view is somewhat less congested |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: noID Alstroemeria, Centranthus ruber, C. 'Albus', noID Antirrhinum majus, noID Ixia, Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', and Pelargonium 'Lady Plymouth' |
As the pink arrangement was very busy, I decided not to include the stems of two other flowers I'd originally cut for that vase, choosing instead to use them to replace the former contents of the small vase that sits atop our kitchen island.
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| This simple arrangement of just Abelia 'Chiapas' and Anemone coronaria 'Admiral' may be my personal favorite this week. The Abelia's scent is strong but not cloying. I took several cuttings of the Mexican Abelia last week in the hope of getting more of these plants, which I haven't seen anywhere since I purchased mine online in early 2012. |
For my second arrangement, I recycled the two peach-colored foxglove stems I cut last week. They still look good and this time I was able to pair them with the roses I'd originally hoped to use last week. I didn't want to count on the slim possibility that the roses will hold up to a sudden shift to summer-like temperatures.
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| The 'Medallion' rose buds remained firmly closed last week but opened following Monday's rain. This rose, like most in my small rose collection, came with the garden. |
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| Back view: In addition to the foxglove stems, I was able to reuse some of last week's Heuchera maxima stems. Most Heuchera with flashy foliage color don't hold up well in my garden but this California native with plain green foliage is tougher than the others by far. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach', Cuphea 'Honeybells', Heuchera maxima, Argyranthemum frutescens 'White Butterfly', Ranunculus 'Salmon', Tulipa clusiana 'Cynthia', and Rosa 'Medallion' |
In addition to the Digitalis and Heuchera flowers, I recycled a few other flowers from last week's "challenge" arrangement for a simplified fourth arrangement.
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| Stems of Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Argyranthemum 'White Butterfly', and Leucospermum 'Goldie' occupy a vase in my home office |
For more IAVOM posts, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. I start jury duty this morning so I may be delayed in following up with other IAVOM contributors this week but I'll get to that when I can.
All material © 2012-2022by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party