Our ninth storm in a row arrived late yesterday afternoon. The breaks between them have been brief and sometimes all but nonexistent. That may be something many of you are used to but it's unusual here. While there are blooms in my garden, many of them are looking sad. The ground, already saturated last Monday, is wetter still now. Out rain total for the season (counted from October 1, 2022) passed 10 inches last night.
Foliage was a particularly important component in my first arrangement. In my view, it has more impact than the flowers.
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| The 'Neon' Hippeastrum (commonly called Amaryllis) was a last minute addition. The flowers were pummeled by rain before I tucked them under cover over a week ago and they look less than impressive. |
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| This is another occasion in which I like the back side of the arrangement, showing off a 'Red Grandaisy' Argyranthmum, better the the front view with the Hippeastrum |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky', Argyranthemum frutescens 'Red Grandaisy', Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', Hebe 'Purple Shamrock', Hippeastrum 'Neon', and Prunus ilicifolia |
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| The vase is a new one, a post-christmas present to myself. It was purchased as a pair, identical except in size. This is the larger of the 2. It has a crystalline glaze (described on the right) like a vase I loved and lost years ago. |
The second arrangement wasn't something I planned. I'd had Leucadendrons in mind but that changed when I cut a forlorn Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) bud. I thought it was white but a tinge of blue led me in a different direction. I cut several stems of Teucrium fruticans 'Azureum', which is pretty in the garden but perhaps not a good choice for flower arrangements. I can't say I'm happy with the results of those selections but so it goes.
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| The soggy Lisianthus bud looks worse now than it did in the garden. Its petals are already turning brown and I'm not sure it's going to open at all. |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Eustoma grandiflorum (now looking more green and brown than white and blue), Prunus ilicifolia, Salvia leucophylla x clevelandii 'Pozo Blue', Osteospermum '4D Violet Ice', and Teucrium fruticans 'Azureum' |
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| I belatedly realized that this little blue vase I've had for years also appears to have a crystalline-like glaze. It cost me a fraction of what the new vase duo did. |
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
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For the record, it looks like we'll have an extended break once the current rainstorm comes to an end later today. There's a slim chance of more rain later in the week but, even if that materializes, there doesn't seem to be much more on the horizon. January's rain could be the biggest splash of our relatively short rainy season, which generally comes to an end in late March or early April. Given the depth of our drought, January's rain isn't considered a drought-buster. It's boosted the water levels in many of our reservoirs but most are still expected to be below optimal levels even when the rainy season comes to an end. The snow pack in the Sierra Mountains is good at the moment but warmer temperatures now melt that faster and earlier so it's no longer the reliable a source of water it once was. And our groundwater, severely depleted over the years, will take years of heavy rainstorms to restore without a substantial change in the state's water management practices.
All material © 2012-2023by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
