When the nighttime temperatures began to cool, I was delighted to notice signs that my
Eustoma grandiflorum was preparing to make a comeback. The white form, planted from a 6-pack, never really got off the ground before the heat struck, causing blooms to shrivel before they were ready to open. The blue forms,
E. 'Borealis Blue' and
E. 'Echo Blue,' got an earlier start so I was able to savor their blooms for several weeks before they too hunkered down to wait out the hot weather. I tucked an unopened bud of
E. 'Echo White' in last week's vase. This week's vase, prepared in connection with the meme "In a Vase on Monday," hosted by Cathy at
Rambling in the Garden, contains both white and blue forms of the beautiful double-flowered varieties.
![]() |
| I think this one is 'Borealis Blue' but its flowers and those of 'Echo Blue' look more alike now than they did earlier in the season |
With one exception, everything I've included in this week's arrangement has appeared in one or another of my earlier arrangements. The exception is
Barleria obtusa, also known as Bush Violet. I vaguely remember growing this plant in my former garden but I haven't seen it in years. I came across it at the local botanic garden's fall plant sale the weekend before this past one and scooped up 2 pots. The plant sale had been dramatically scaled back in comparison to prior years' events but finding this plant made the visit worthwhile.
![]() |
| Barleria obtusa is a drought tolerant evergreen shrub from the Acanthus family that blooms in fall through winter |
In addition to the
Eustoma grandiflorum and
Barleria obtusa, here's what I included in my vase:
- Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink,' scheduled to be pruned back hard later this fall
- Lobularia maritima (aka Sweet Alyssum), a self-seeder enjoying its own comeback
- Pentas lanceolata 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom,' which recently began another flush of bloom
- Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior,' which is just about to end its annual bloom cycle
- Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star,' also on the pruning "to do" list
- Tanacetum parthenium, represented by the last fresh stem left in my garden
![]() |
| The Cuphea 'Starfire Pink' in the front yard gets a temporary reprieve on pruning until my other plants recover from their shearing - I can't leave the hummingbirds without their favorite food source |
![]() |
| Plectranthus 'Zulu Warrior' is shown here with Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom' |
![]() |
| Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-Star' flowers sporadically but its real beauty is in its foliage |
This vase is sitting on the dining room table where I can enjoy it while eating my breakfast.
![]() |
| Although I do need to find a more autumnal table runner |
Please
visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see her vase this week, which marks the 52nd week she has hosted this meme featuring flowers collected from her garden in the United Kingdom. In addition to her vase, you'll find links to the creations of other participants in this popular weekly event.
All material
© 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
