I can't help myself. I've keep cutting flowers for the house. It doesn't noticeably diminish the flowers in the garden because they keep coming, thanks to the relatively bountiful rainfall we've had. Our total rain thus far this water year currently stands at 18.53 inches, which is considerably more than the average of 14.25 inches, and there are over five months left before the water year is over.* Although our rainy season usually comes to an end by mid-April, climate scientists contend that it may continue into May this year.
My first arrangement this week was inspired by the the bearded Irises in bud at the bottom of my back slope. However, they didn't open on the schedule I'd anticipated so I took another tact. I cut a few stems of the fragrant Abelia 'Chiapas' growing nearby and sought companions to complement it elsewhere in my garden.
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| In lieu of the dark purple bearded Irises, I cut the nearly black DutchIris known as 'Eye of the Tiger'. I added two of the last 'Pink Panther' Irises to provide a contrast. |
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| Back view: I used stems of the Abelia 'Chiapas' (syn. Vesalea floribunda, aka Mexican Abelia) and Polygala myrtifolia (aka sweet pea bush) as filler material. The Abelia, purchased from Annie's Annuals & Perennials years ago, has a delicious scent. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia 'Chiapas', Osteospermum '4D Pink', O. 'Violet Ice', Iris hollandica 'Eye of the Tiger', Phlomis fruticosa, Polygala myrtifolia, and Iris hollandica 'Pink Panther' |
I checked the bearded Iris again late Sunday afternoon but the buds still weren't fully open.
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| I expect they'll be well past their prime by next Monday |
It's impossible to ignore the Leucospermum blooms in my garden at the moments so I cut several of those stems for a second arrangement.
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| I kept flip-flopping between this side and the one shown below to serve as the "front" of the arrangement. The Erysimum 'Winter Orchid' used as a "spiller" here finally sealed the deal. |
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| The other side of the vase featured 2 varieties of snapdragons |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus 'Chantilly Peach', noID Antirrhimum, Erysimum 'Winter Orchid, Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi', Narcissus 'Geranium', Xylosma congestum, Zantedeschia aethopica, and Leucospermum 'Sunrise' |
I also cut flowers for a small vase during the middle of last week, then refreshed it on Sunday. In addition, not able to bring myself to dump all the contents of one of last week's arrangements, I rejiggered it using what was still fresh.
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| The tiny vase on the left contains Anemone coronaria 'Rosa Tigrato', A. c. 'Mount Everest', Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky', and Cuphea 'Honeybells'. The Anemones appear to be headed toward their seasonal exit. The arrangement of leftovers on the right includes last week's Helleborus 'Anna's Red', noID Alstromeria, Argyranthemum 'Grandaisy Dark Pink', and Heuchera maxima. The revamped arrangement shows off the form of the clasped hands vase nicely. |
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
*Approaches to recordkeeping with respect to rainfall vary. The US National Weather Service tabulates rainfall by "water year," measured from October 1st through September 30th of the following calendar year and the current average figure of 14.25 inches is calculated based on water year totals over the 30 year period from 1991-2022. In contrast "seasonal" rainfall for downtown Los Angeles is calculated from July 1 through June 30 of the following year over a span of years from 1887-2022. The resulting average in that case is 14.75 inches.
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
