In my view, spring isn't defined by a date on the calendar. My garden tells me when it's spring. It does creep in slowly, with one bloom here and another there. I ask myself if this or that flower is a fluke, the result of a brief warm spell or its placement in a particularly sunny spot. But some signals are clear. In the case of my garden, the first blooms of Dutch Iris represent solid evidence that spring has arrived. The majority of the bulbs sprouted six to eight weeks ago but the first blooms appeared last week.
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| A mix of Iris hollandica 'Sapphire Blue' and Leucospermum 'High Gold' is one one of my traditional combinations, as the Leucospermum usually blooms on a similar schedule |
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| Back view: I used stems of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' as a filler. That felt appropriate both because the Acacia is sporting its tiny puffy yellow flowers at the moment and because I'm struggling with the prospect of removing some or possibly all of my Acacias in response to Los Angeles County's new "defensible space clearance" ordinance. Acacias have been called out as one of several flammable plants of particular concern. |
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| Overhead view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Anemone coronaria 'Mr Fokker', Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus), Freesia, Iris hollandica 'Sapphire Blue', and Leucospermum 'High Gold' |
I took advantage of another Hippeastrum 'Marilyn' bloom for my second arrangement. The flower was so top heavy that the plant turned on its side during last week's rainstorm, even though the rain never came down hard. The stem of another of these bulbs snapped. Overall, it hasn't been a great year for the Hippeastrum bulbs I potted up in December but I remain hopeful that the bulbs I planted in the ground last year will perform better if/when they bloom in late spring or early summer.
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| The Hippeastrum's petals turn white as the flower matures but it starts out with a definitely greenish tinge, leading me to lean into pastel flowers in lavender and mauve |
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| Back view: I flip-flopped a couple of times when deciding which side of the vase should be treated as the front. The vase itself is very narrow when viewed from the side. |
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| Overhead view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Mistral Rarity', Freesia in shades of pale lavender and pale yellow with touches of lavender, Hippeastrum 'Marilyn', and Polygala myrtifolia |
Last week's rain totaled 0.44/inch but the two storms coming this week are expected to deliver more than an inch. Originally projected to arrive on Monday, it now looks like the first one will be delayed until Tuesday afternoon. In any case, the rain is projected to continue into early Friday. Yet another storm is possible early in the following week. We're still running significantly below average for our rainy season, which generally ends in April, but at least things don't look as sad as they did at its start.
For more IAVOM creations, check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to discover what other contributors have to offer.
All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party