In a Vase on Monday: Peachy

I was hoping to see blooms from some of my Hippeastrums this week but it's been colder than usual and the plants are in less of a hurry than I am.  Maybe it's time to bring one or two pots indoors to speed things up.  In the meantime, I took inspiration from the first two flower stalks of Digitalis 'Dalmatian Peach'.

While the foxgloves provided the inspiration, they were figuratively and literally eclipsed by the Grevilleas and Leucadendrons I paired with them

Back view: Stems of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' have proven indispensable to fill vases this winter

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Digitalis purpurea 'Peach Dalmatian', Grevillea 'Superb', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', and L. 'Safari Sunset'

Given my pattern with IAVOM posts, it's somewhat remarkable that I have only one new vase to offer this week.  Last week's flower-less vase of Aeoniums, Hibiscus, and Leucadendrons is still in the same place, looking very much the same.  In contrast, the pink Camellias included in the other vase dropped within twenty-four hours, although the arrangement's reverse face held up all week.  One of the Camellia buds also slowly started to open.  That's unusual so I've kept the stem in water to see if it'll open fully before it drops.

I wanted to root the coleus cuttings in water anyway so I'm giving the Camellia bud a chance to bloom

In addition to being colder than usual (low to mid 50sF), it's been windy and very dry here.  Our total rain since the start of our current "water year" on October 1st is 3.01 inches (76 millimeters).  The northern part of the state has received considerably more rain but the storms haven't reached us in Southern California.  It seems that the El Niño phenomenon that often signals heavier rain is being counteracted by other factors like the Madden-Julian Oscillation and the general warming of the planet.  (A thorough evaluation of some of these factors are described here if you're interested in climate science.)  As things stand, there's another chance of rain beginning on Friday.  Fingers crossed!

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.