First and foremost, I want to recognize Cathy's 9th anniversary of the In a Vase on Monday meme. To keep a meme running and fresh for that period of time is an achievement in itself. To pull people together in a supportive network from different backgrounds, climates, and countries is stellar. Thank you, Cathy! Thanks as well for pulling together the first, and possibly not the last, virtual meeting of IAVOM participants. It was wonderful to put a face and a voice to some of you I've exchanged messages with for years.
Now, for today's vases, I should note that there are no true rosebuds to be found in my post this week. My garden is at low ebb when it comes to flowers at this time of year and it's been a disappointing year in general with respect to roses. However, some Leucadendrons, which have colorful bracts rather than true flowers, provide a facsimile of rosebuds and I made use of them in a starring role in my first arrangement.
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| I added a succulent Aeonium rosette to serve as the focal "flower" in this arrangement |
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| Back view: The velvety burgundy leaves of the coleus, Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Vino', provided color contrast |
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| Top view showing off the "rosebuds" of Leucadendron 'Blush' |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', Correa 'Dusky Bells', variegated Correa 'Wyn's Wonder', and Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Vino' |
I put together the first arrangement on Saturday afternoon to share during Sunday's Zoom call, which was held at 9am Pacific Time. I cut a few other flowers late Sunday morning for a second arrangement (as I'm prone to do).
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| My original Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles' (as opposed to the other one that produced its first and only flowers in late October) is still producing fresh foliage and buds but the flowers are opening very slowly |
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| Back view: The addition of the Persicaria capitata foliage helps to give the arrangement an autumnal flair (at least to my eyes in a part of the world where colorful fall foliage is an anomaly) |
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| Top view: The dark green foliage is Pelargonium graveolens 'Bontrosai'. Both the stems and the leaves are naturally twisted. The foliage has a strong lemon-rose scent. |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles', Hebe 'Grace Kelly, Pelargonium peltatum, Nemesia 'Banana Swirl', Persicaria capitata, Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Pelargonium graveolens 'Bontrosai' |
Cutting flowers has been a ritual for me for many years but prior to my discovery of IAVOM I did that on a haphazard schedule. Now it's something of a Sunday ritual, one that both my husband and my friends respect. It's an opportunity to focus on the beauty of my garden (even when it isn't especially forthcoming with flowers) and to assess what needs work at the same time. Cutting, arranging, and photographing flowers and foliage also provides me a deeper understanding of the plants, which is valuable in itself. Altogether, IAVOM is a win-win.
To find Cathy's own arrangement and those of other contributors, check in with her at Rambling in the Garden.
* "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" is the first line of the poem 'To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time' by the 17th century English poet, Robert Herrick. The entire poem can be found here.
All material © 2012-2022by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party