We got a fifth of an inch of rain on Saturday as forecast and my 50-gallon replacement tank was ready to receive it, thanks to my husband's effort in retrofitting it. It wasn't a lot of rain but it was enough to fill the tank.
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| We didn't look at the new tank's overflow mechanism when we purchased it by mail order. It turned out that any excess spewed from the bottom, which isn't a good thing when the tank is set up against the house. My husband drilled a hole in the side and fit it with a pipe to divert any overflow to the funnel system that that runs below ground, directing water away from the house. |
It's been very windy of late but the latest rainstorm gave the garden the boost it needed. Once again, there was no problem finding material to fill a couple of vases. The first arrangement was inspired by Dutch Iris 'Pink Panther'. The flowers have shot up virtually in unison in two areas of my front garden.
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| 'Pink Panther' is more lavender than pink. I initially wasn't sure what I had that would complement its color but I had no trouble whatsoever finding appropriate companions. |
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| Back view: I added 2 Dutch Iris 'Eye of the Tiger' to provide more contrast |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: 2 noID varieties of Lathyrus odoratus, noID Scaevola, noID Ageratum, Iris hollandica 'Eye of the Tiger', I.h. 'Pink Panther', and Scilla peruviana |
My second arrangement is yet another yellow and blue mix. This one was inspired by the last of the potted Hippeastrums to bloom this year, one I initially thought might be a dud because it took so long to sprout.
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| Hippeastrum 'Lemon Star' looks a lot like the H. 'Luna' I grew in pots last year. I planted the 'Luna' bulbs in the ground after they finished flowering last year and they're now producing flower stalks so I may have more Hippeastrum blooms in another month or 2. |
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| Back view: I used the first flowering stems of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' as a foliage filler |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Hippeastrum 'Lemon Star', Iris hollandica 'Mystic Beauty, 2 different noID Narcissi, and Phlomis fruticosa |
Last week's
Leucospermums held up well. I removed the
Narcissi and
Ranunculus blooms that had fallen apart to create a streamlined version of the arrangement that included
Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi'.
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| The simplified version is shown on the left and the original version is on the right |
There's a good chance of more rain next Saturday. In the meantime, I'm hoping we get a less wind and more sun to facilitate work in the garden and maybe some spring plant shopping.
For more IAVOM creations, visit our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
