In a Vase on Monday: Rose takes a backseat

The few hybrid tea roses I have have been only sporadic bloomers so far this year.  When I saw that one of the 'Medallion' roses had produced a fat bud a few days ago, I targeted it as the centerpiece for my next bouquet.  However, finding other flowers to complement the rose proved more difficult than I'd expected.  The snapdragon with similar colors in my vegetable garden was well past its prime and many of my peach-hued plants had too much pink.  I ended up picking a surprising partner, Tagetes lemmonii (aka Copper Canyon daisy).  Its bright gold flowers have deeper, orange-toned centers, which with the green, gold and orange foliage of Abelia x grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope,' made a nice mix to my eye.  The Tagetes also provide the scent the rose lacks.  The only problem was that the bright color of the daisies had the side-effect of putting the rose in the back-seat in the overall composition.

The Abelia stems come in a range of colors - the plants that get the most sun show the most color variation

Of course, everyone has heard of back-seat drivers and I think 'Medallion' fits the stereotype.

Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin' is an attention-getter too but the flowers also do a good job of mediating between the rose and the daisies.  The petals pick up the color of the rose, while the anthers in their center pick up the yellow-gold of the daisies.

Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin'

Tagetes lemmonii 'Compacta'

The other components of the bouquet include a few stems of Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' (Breath of Heaven), Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew), and Justicia brandegeeana (shrimp plant).  I'd planned a larger role for the Justicia but the stems of my still-small plants didn't rise to the occasion.  I used them to dress the back of the bouquet.

This bouquet is my contribution to Cathy's meme at Rambling in the Garden.  Please visit Cathy to see her creation this week and to find links to the posts of other contributors.