At present, everywhere I turn there are tree aeoniums (Aeonium arboreum) coming into bloom. The flowers aren't at all subtle. They're large and an almost florescent shade of yellow. As the flowers develop, the rosettes that produced them die back, giving the plants a shabby look. However, as the flowers are in plentiful supply, choosing them to fill a vase was the logical choice this week.
![]() |
| I cut stems of the humongous Leucadendron 'Chief' with its yellow and red flower-like bracts to accompany those florescent yellow Aeonium blooms. The Leucadenron is easily 10 feet tall and covered in "flowers" right now. |
![]() |
| Back view: I relied on the bright green foliage of Acacia 'Cousin Itt' as a filler |
![]() |
| Top view |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the left: Aeonium arboreum, Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', and Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' |
The arrangement I created two weeks ago in one of the new vases I bought myself lasted two weeks but, after finally tossing the remaining contents on Sunday, I had a vacant space in the front entry to fill. The mauve-pink Grevillea sericea in my north side garden is currently covered in flowers so I decided to hunt down companions to support it.
![]() |
| I cut 2 dark stems of Leucadendron 'Ebony' to pair with the airy stems of the Grevillea, then sought other flowers that meshed with one or another of those elements. The vase is the smaller of the 2 matching vases I purchased online in January. |
![]() |
| Back view: As usual, I got carried away and crammed too much into the vase |
![]() |
| Top view |
![]() |
| Clockwise from the upper left: Dianthus barbatus, Hebe 'Purple Shamrock', Leucadendron 'Ebony', Grevillea sericea, Nemesia 'Banana Swirl', Pelargonium peltatum, Persicaria capitata, and Osteospermum '4D Pink' |
We're expecting light rain during the morning hours followed by mostly sunny skies for the balance of the week. With a long to-do list, I'm looking forward to getting a little work done in the garden this week.
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy in Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2023by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
