The Alstroemeria (no ID on variety) looks pinker in the picture above than it does sitting in my home office. It leans more markedly toward lavender than the other varieties in my garden. I accented it with scented Ageratum corybosum (recently featured as one of my favorite plants), white snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus, Rocket form), and breath of heaven (Coleonema album). The ageratum isn't holding up as well as I'd like in the vase - perhaps I should have crushed its somewhat woody stem to aid water uptake. The glass vase is one of my favorites, acquired during my college years (i.e. long ago), if I remember correctly.
I cut some yellow flowers for this bouquet as well but, although there's a touch of yellow in both the Alstroemeria and the snapdragon, I felt the bright yellow color distracted from the subtle beauty of the other flowers. So, I ended up with a second bouquet of bright yellow and pink blooms.
I had a hard time photographing this arrangement so I took it outside to the backyard patio. The centerpiece is a 'Buttercream' rose, which is accented by a bright pink Alstroemeria (no ID), ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard'), Argyranthemum 'Comet White', Phlomis fruticosa, one bright pink Ranunculus, and the flowers of Nandina domestica. I love the Nandina flowers, which I've used before as a filler in arrangements, but I admit that they're messy, dropping rice-like hulls as the small flowers open.
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| Close-up of Nandina flower stem |
The Phlomis, which has flowers that look like they belong in a tale by Dr. Seuss, was difficult to incorporate into the arrangement. The flowers are widely spaced along the woody stem but their unusual form makes an interesting addition.
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| Fuzzy close-up of Phlomis flower in the vase |
These are my first contributions to Cathy's meme at Rambling in the Garden. You can find her creation here, as well as links to the early spring constructions of other gardeners. My thanks to Cathy for getting me back out in the garden with my scissors.
My goodness - Spring has indeed come early! What a selection you have been able to include - the alstroemeria is something I keep trying to establish here but without success, which is a shame, and those pure white antirrhinum are beautiful too. I haven't got to the 'having to leave out' stage yet, but each week I now find I have my eye on something for the following week so in a month or two I shall be struggling to limit myself! How nice that you could use your 'rejects' in another beautiful display. It's great to have someone joining in from another 'zone' as we see such a different selection of flowers - do come again!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the invitation, Cathy! I'll certainly post more floral creations - I just needed the push provided by your meme to get me back in the game.
DeleteAs I look out the window - it's cold, thick fog and some drizzly rain added for good measure. These are a real cheery sight. Thank you so much for cheering me up Kris :)
ReplyDeleteIt's cold comfort I'm sure, Angie, but right now I'd give up some of my flowers for a bit of that drizzly rain!
DeleteBoth arrangements are stunning, Kris. How wonderful to have so many wonderful plants in bloom. The Alstroemeria is gorgeous and I think I will have a go at growing that Ageratum, it is so useful for arrangements.
ReplyDeleteThis variety of Ageratum is an evergreen (or, as the grower described it, "ever-purple) shrub. I'm thinking of trying more elsewhere myself.
DeleteGorgeous bouquets and combos Kris, and that hot pink and yellow is such a fab zing to the eye!
ReplyDeleteThe Alstroemerias, with their varied petal colors, are great for mixing with a lot of other flowers.
DeleteIf that is what you have in spring in California I can't wait to see what summer looks like! Both your arrangements look beautiful and have given me food for thought on what I need to be growing here in my English garden. I particularly like the Nandina domestica - I have not seen that before. I have doing a Vase On Monday for a few months now and love the way it makes me go out and cut flowers each week - I hope you continue to join in!
ReplyDeleteSummers here can get very hot, Julie - spring gives us our biggest color splash. Nandinas are used here a lot as foundation plants - they offer year-round interest with attractive variegated foliage, flowers and berries (sometimes all at the same time).
DeleteBeautiful flowers. So nice to have enough for a second arrangement.
ReplyDeleteI frequently end up with a 2nd arrangement when I collect flowers from the garden at this time of year - the pickings are a lot more spare during the late summer months when the plants hunker down under the heat.
DeleteI think these are my favorite of your vase creations, well done!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Loree! There's a lot more in the garden to choose from right now.
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