Although temperatures remain on the cool side thanks to our morning marine layer, I can already see signs of the shift toward summer. The first Agapanthus flowers have already opened, lily flower stalks are up, and several of my dahlia tubers have sprouted. Space for the latter is limited until the current contents of my cutting garden are cleared. I've given flowers away now and then since the start of spring but Mother's Day seemed a good opportunity to step up my game.
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| I relied solely on the sweet peas, larkspur and love-in-a-mist flowers dominating the raised planters in my cutting garden to fill a dozen plastic bottles. I left them on the curb with a note wishing passers-by a happy Mother's Day late Saturday afternoon and all of them were gone by 10am Sunday morning. |
I made up a floral arrangement for a neighbor last week and liked it enough to create something similar for our own dining table this week.
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| The ever-blooming Grevillea 'Superb' has been working overtime on flower production, leaving even its sturdy stems dragging on the ground in some cases |
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| Back view: The peach foxgloves have also been producing stalk-after-stalk of flowers. Even the Aeoniums are obstructing paths with dense sprays of flowers. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', Alstroemeria 'Inca Sundance', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach', Grevillea 'Superb', Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', and Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi' |
I swung to the other side of the color wheel for my second arrangement, taking advantage of the first blooms of the Echium gentianoides I planted in the fall of 2022. I'd almost forgotten about it and, when I saw the foliage, I momentarily mistook it for a Euphorbia.
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| This Echium has the brightest blue flowers of any plants I've grown in the genus. It's foliage has narrow white stripes and leaves unlike any other Echiums I've seen. |
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| Back view: The Echium's buds start out pink so I considered pairing it with pink flowers but settled instead for white accents |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Centranthus ruber 'Albus', Consolida ajacis 'Summer Skies Mix', noID white Lathyrus odoratus, Echium gentianoides 'Tajinaste', and Nigella papillosa |
I recycled leftovers from last week's arrangements and combined them with some of the material I cut for this week's vases for a third arrangement.
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| The "leftovers" included Alstroemeria 'Claire' and Argyranthemum 'Grandaisy Dark Pink'. The newer ingredients included Nigella papillosa and Dorycnium hirsutum (aka hairy canary clover) |
I've still got more flowers than I know what to do with. I'm planning to clear out the raised beds of the cutting garden within the next three to four weeks so, absent an early heatwave, I anticipate giving away more flowers before the month is out.
For more IAVOM creations, check in with our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
