Red flowers seem made to order to celebrate Valentine's Day so I felt lucky to have a number of them at present. I cut a stem of Hippeastrum 'La Paz' to start, only to discover that its color didn't mesh well with many of my other red flowers. 'La Paz' is a brownish-red, which sent my search for appropriate companions in directions I hadn't envisioned.
![]() |
I think the arrangement could've used lighter filler material than the chunky Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' stems I selected. Additional 'La Paz' stems would have been ideal but the other stems aren't fully open yet.
|
![]() |
Back view: I may have gone overboard with the foliage of Acacia 'Cousin Itt' here. Many of those stems have tiny pale yellow flower buds and I thought it would be interesting if they opened, although they seldom do.
|
![]() |
Top view
|
![]() |
Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky', Calliandra haematocephala, Hippeastrum 'La Paz', Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', L.s. 'Safari Sunset', and noID Narcissus (possibly 'Avalanche')
|
Even though I have other flowers that lean pinkish-red, I wasn't up for two red arrangements this week. So I switched to blue, white and yellow flowers that made me think of spring.
![]() |
The Hippeastrum 'Blushing Bride' shown front and center was supposed to pink but there's not a trace of the color to be seen in the petals
|
![]() |
The back view highlights the single blue Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) I found blooming in my back garden
|
![]() |
Top view
|
![]() |
Clockwise from the upper left: more Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Eustoma grandiflorum, noID Narcissus, noID Ceanothus, Hippeastrum not 'Blushing Bride', Osteospermum '4D Silver', and Salvia hybrid 'Pozo Blue'
|
My Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection' is dropping flowers in large numbers every day now. That may be the result of the persistent dry winds we've had almost every afternoon for well over a week. Or it may simply signify the end of the Camellia's season. The flowers don't last long in a vase but, as they're not lasting long on the shrub either, I went ahead and cut two stems for our kitchen island as a nod to the holiday.
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
Best wishes for a happy Valentine's Day!
All material © 2012-2023by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
