I had Peruvian lilies (Alstroemeria) in mind when I selected the title of today's post but the statement applies to other flowers in the arrangements shown below as well. Our marine layer and cooler temperatures are partially responsible for the resilience of some plants this year but others are just plain tough.
The first arrangement was inspired by two roses, which aren't tough at all. There was a chance of rain in the early hours of Sunday morning and the irrigation system was also scheduled to run. Neither does many favors for full blown roses so I cut four stems Saturday evening. However, the Alstroemeria and Grevillea stems I added are the toughies.
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| Grevillea 'Superb' is currently flowering so heavily, it demanded to be cut back. This shrub flowers year-round but I've never seen it flowering as heavily as it has this year. |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Top row: Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' and Alstroemerias 'Third Harmonic' and 'Inca Husky' Second row: Grevillea 'Superb' and Alstroemerias 'Indian Summer'and 'Inca Sundance' Third row: Rosa 'Golden Celebration', R. 'Medallion', and Xylosma congestum |
My second arrangement was inspired by Helleborus 'Anna's Red'. Hellebores may bloom plentifully in many places but the same can't be said for their performance in my garden. Only two varieties bloomed this year. 'Anna's Red' surprised me by producing new stems relatively recently. I added stems of two more vigorous plants, an Alstroemeria and an ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltatum), to complement the hellebore, along with new blooms from Daucus carota 'Dara'.
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| I stuffed too much into this vase (as usual) |
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| Back view: The Daucus carota shown here may be the biggest one I've ever seen |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Salvia lanceolata, noID Alstroemeria, Daucus carota 'Dara', Helleborus 'Anna's Red', and Pelargonium peltatum 'Dark Burgundy' |
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party