As we begin to pack up half the house in preparation for our upcoming remodel, I already feel as though I'm surrounded by chaos. Preparing flower arrangements for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by clever Cathy at
Rambling in the Garden, provided me with a sense of normality, if only temporarily.
As we approach mid-May, our temperatures remain on the cool side but summer flowers are nonetheless advancing onto the scene. My first arrangement is channeling summer's heat.
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| I kicked off this arrangement with 3 stems of Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' but the large flowers of Gaillardia 'Amber Wheels' may have stolen the starring role |
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| I used Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' as a filler in the back |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', Gaillardia aristata 'Amber Wheels', Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', and Rosmarinus 'Gold Dust' |
On the other hand, my second arrangement embraced the cooler colors of Spring in coastal Southern California.
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| Of the dozen plugs of Digitalis purpurea I planted in the fall, only one plant produced flowers in a color other than white. I created this vase to play off its purple color. |
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| The pretty flowers of the lavender ivy geranium and Centaurea 'Silver Feather' are almost lost in the rear view |
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| Both of this week's vases were so tall that I had to stand on a chair to photograph them from above |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Centaurea 'Silver Feather', Digitalis purpurea, Orlaya grandiflora, Pelargonium peltatum (aka ivy geranium), Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly', Prunus ilicifolia (which I've previously misidentified as another species), and a noID rose that came with the garden |
As my own stress level is building, Princess Pipig remains oblivious to the changes afoot in our household. When she's not napping, she's enjoying checking out the boxes littering our dining and living rooms.
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| "Why did you wake me up?" |
For more Monday vases,
visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
