Last week I mentioned another plant I wanted to feature in a vase. This is that plant:
As you can see, it has an unusual flower and, frankly, I wasn't sure what to do with it. I cut several stems, stuck them in a jar with water, and meandered through the garden looking for suitable partners. I thought the end result had a wild and romantic air about it but you'll be forgiven if you think it's just weird.
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| Front view, highlighting a wind-ravaged Rudbeckia stem, from the only one of 12 plugs planted last November that's bloomed thus far |
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| Back view: wispy stems of Gaura have sprung into bloom in throughout the garden as our temperatures soared |
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| Top view (views including grasses always look funky) |
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| Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Salvia lanceolata, Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', Dorycnium hirsutum (aka Hairy Canary Clover), Festuca californica, Gaura lindheimeri, and Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' |
Summer's advance becomes more evident each day. In addition to rising temperatures, the wind here has been almost relentless for the past 2 weeks, sometimes producing gusts over 30 miles an hour. Every time I admire a spring bloom in my garden, I fear it may be the last time for the season so, like a junkie in need of a spring floral fix, I over-compensated this week by creating 2 more vases. The first of these was inspired by
Aquilegia 'Spring Magic', which just produced its first blooms. I planted 3 clumps of this columbine in 2012 but, after our long drought, only one survives and its blooms generally don't last long.
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| Front view: the purplish-blue and white color of the columbine set the color scheme |
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| Back view, which shows off the papery flowers of Limonium perezii and the first of the Achillea blooms |
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| Top view, highlighting the white Centranthus |
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| Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Aquilegia 'Spring Magic', Achillea 'Moonshine', Centranthus ruber 'Albus', Lathyrus odoratus 'Big Blue', Limonium perezii, and Tanacetum niveum |
The last vase was inspired by the bright orange flowers of
Ornithogalum dubium. I picked up this bulbous plant a few years ago and, lacking a good spot for it, stuck it in the corner of one of the raised planters in what is now my cutting garden. It dies back every summer and I usually forget all about it until it returns following our winter rains.
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| Front view: I used my ornamental teapot for this arrangement but, in retrospect, it might have been better in a vase with a narrower neck to support the stems |
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| Back view, dominated by the stems of Agonis flexuosa (aka peppermint willow) |
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| Top view, showing how the stems tended to flop to the sides of the pot |
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| Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Ornithogalum dubium, Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Bulbine fruticosa 'Hallmark', Jacobaea maritima, and Rosa 'Golden Celebration' |
Visit Cathy of Rambling in the Garden, our "In a Vase on Monday" host, to find more vases. Or join in the fun and post photos of one of your own vases!
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| Today's vases in their places: the dining table, the coffee table in the living room, and the console table in the front entry |
All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
