We got MORE rain! Maybe Mother Nature heard those of you in rainier climes who wished you could send your excess rain to the drought-stricken areas of California. While I've no illusions that our drought is over, getting rain 2 weekends in a row is an extraordinary blessing and much appreciated. My garden is thoroughly soaked; the irrigation system will be off for at least another week; and all 3 of my rain barrels are full, giving me 475 gallons of rainwater in reserve. Even my car got scrubbed clean. Yay!
The second of two weekend storms crept through Sunday morning, finishing up before noon here. I strolled the garden and decided that it's time to cut back the massive gold
Duranta erecta in the front garden. I clipped a few stems as the starting point for this week's "In a Vase on Monday."
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| Sold as Duranta erecta 'Gold Mound', which is described as a shrub 2 feet tall and wide, this nearly 6 foot specimen was clearly mislabeled |
I wasn't sure what to pair with the acid yellow foliage of the
Duranta and clipped a number of plants before settling on a direction.
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| Front view: In retrospect, I probably should have clipped the Phylica in front a little shorter and let the Duranta in the back stand taller |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the left, the vase contains: feathery Phylica pubescens, Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', red-stemmed Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Duranta erecta'Not Gold Mound', and Tagetes lemmonii. My husband is already complaining about the scent of the Tagetes but I like it. |
The extra stems I clipped on my first round through the garden went into a second vase. I pulled the vase out of the back of my cupboard, where it had been all but forgotten. I bought it on-line earlier this year or maybe last year, thinking it would work well for succulent arrangements, but I don't think I've used it for those or anything yet.
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| The vase has an angular geometric shape and a pale green matte finish |
It was just the right size to contain the cuttings I had left.
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| Front view of the leftovers |
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| Back view featuring the graceful foliage of the dwarf peppermint willow |
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| From left to right, the vase contains: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', and the berries of Heteromeles arbutifolia (aka Toyon and California Holly) |
The sun came out in the afternoon. The vases found their spots. And, in the hour before dusk, the clouds moved and revealed snow in the mountains. All in all, it was a great weekend.
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| The air was scrubbed clean by the rain and the wind |
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| The first vase sits on the dining room table and the second in the entryway |
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| And snow was visible on the mountains to the east |
For more vases,
visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
