Now that I've cleared my cutting garden, there aren't many flowers to fill a vase. My options are to focus on foliage, go small, or make use of succulents. I'll probably use all three strategies off and on until my cool season plants jump into gear, which is likely to take at least two months and possibly longer, depending upon our weather. However, I do have a few plants that commonly flower at this time of year. I featured two of these, Senna bicapsularis and Tagetes lemonnii, in one of last week's arrangements. This week I focused on the bush violet, Barleria obtusa, a drought tolerant South African native.
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| While the bush violets inspired the arrangement, bearded Iris 'Autumn Circus' grabbed the spotlight. The Iris has been blooming for over 2 weeks but the recent Santa Ana winds desiccated some buds before they had a chance to open so I decided to take advantage of the the last 2 blooms. |
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| Back view: I'd meant to cut the Vitex trifolia stems the night before putting this arrangement together but never got around to it, hence the drooping foliage in these photographs taken Sunday. They should be standing upright by Monday morning. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Barleria obtusa, Iris germanica 'Autumn Circus', self-seeded Osteospermum, Pentas lanceolata, and Vitex trifolia |
I relied heavily on foliage to create a second arrangement this week.
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| This one was inspired by my favorite ivy geranium, Pelargonium peltatum 'Dark Burgundy'; however, the rainbow colors of Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Florida Sun Rose' (aka coleus) assumed center stage |
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| Back view: The only true flowers in this arrangement are a few Pelargonium stems and the pink Pentas lanceolata |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', Leucadendron salignum 'Winter Red', Prostanthera ovatifolia 'Variegata, Pelargonium peltatum 'Dark Burgundy', P. sidoides, Pentas lanceolata, and Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Florida Sun Rose' |
After nearly two weeks of excessively warm temperatures and dry winds, it looks as though our morning marine layer will bring back cooler, more fall-like temperatures this week. Unfortunately, the atmospheric river that's enveloped the Pacific Northwest isn't likely to bring any rain this far south. I've heard that the rainy season here may not get rolling until January.
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
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material © 2012-2023
by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
