Monday, June 23, 2014

In a Vase on Monday: Fuzzy Flowers

Since Leonotis leoanurus is currently making a splash in my backyard border, I thought I'd try using a little of it in my bouquet for "In a Vase on Monday," a weekly meme sponsored by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  What I learned is that too many fuzzy flowers create a fuzzy arrangement that looks out of focus in photographs.  (Try to say that 3 times fast.)  My initial effort included both the flowers of the Leonotis, which look a little like orange tarantulas, and some equally fuzzy Ageratum houstonianum.  It was a bit much.

First attempt with Leontis and Ageratum in the vase



I pulled the Ageratum and was left with what I think is a somewhat more refined composition, although not one of my favorites.  Perhaps I should have removed the Agapanthus too and stuck with hot colors?

Second version, sans Ageratum



In addition to 2 stems of Leonotis leonurus, I used:

3 stems of Agapanthus (no ID)
3 stems of Bulbine frutescens 'Hallmark'
4 stems of Coprosma 'Evening Glow'
2 stems of an unidentified Hemerocallis (possibly 'Sammy Russell')
2 stems of Sollya heterophylla

Close-up of 2-decker flowers of Leonotis Leonurus


Close-up of Agapanthus, which are slowly beginning to wane in my garden

Close-up of Coprosma 'Evening Glow' and Bulbine 'Hallmark'

Close-up of the unidentified Hemerocallis

Close-up of the delicate blooms of Sollya heterophylla


I know the daylily won't last but there are several other buds on the stems and my hope is that they'll open at intervals over the course of the next several days.  I'd been wanting to try daylilies in a vase for some time and, seeing them featured in vase in a recent blog post by Loree of danger garden, encouraged me to take advantage of the current overabundance of red-orange daylilies in my garden.

Bouquet on the dining room table, where its colors complement a nearby picture on the wall



Please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she's cooked up this week and to find links to other gardeners' contributions.


27 comments:

  1. I like the combination of leonotis and agapanthus, they make a nice contrasting colour mix, I would definitely place such a bouquet in my living room :)

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    1. Thanks, Dewberry! I'm not sure why but I didn't feel a connection with this week's bouquet. That probably has more to do with the amount of futzing I did with it than with the flowers themselves.

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  2. I like the blue of the agapanthus and the hot flowers together - glad you left it as it is! So nice to see Leonotis again - and yours has such big flowers! I remember them as smaller.

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    1. I cut the Leonotis back quite a bit last year, Cathy, and it's made a nice comeback this year. It's the first year in the 3 we've been here that it has really looked good.

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  3. Such hot, tropical looking combo Kris!!

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  4. It's good to experiment, isn't it? I had cut some Persicaria Red Dragon but decided I didn't need it in mine. The hemerocallis is brilliant with the leonotis and the agapanthus is the perfect foil. Is the bulbine the slightly variegated foliage? Also perfect! Thanks for joining in - great ideas to share :)

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    1. The Coprosma is the variegated plant. The small orange flowers to the left of it in the close-up shot are from the Bulbine. Thanks again for hosting this weekly event, Cathy!

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  5. I like blue and orange combinations but I think the arrangement would have look good without the Agapanthus to, just very different. The Hemerocallis is a wonderful colour, do let us know how long it lasts and if the other buds open. I would like to use them too but not if they only last a day.

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    1. The original daylily blossom closed as they usually do but 2 more opened this morning, Christina. I picked stems that had some well-developed buds.

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  6. What a fantastic tropical looking assortment you have found today Kris. I love the agapanthus in the arrangement - I am really looking forward to mine flowering. Do let us know how the daylillies go on - I have never used them in an arrangement.

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    1. Two more daylily blooms opened this morning, Julie!

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  7. Orange tarantulas? That is a great description. I may be a little fuzzy-headed, but I confess I liked the first combination!

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    1. The first bouquet was hard to photograph, Deb. I took 6 or more pictures before I finally got one that didn't look out of focus. I think that's why I became frustrated with version #1.

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  8. Those are hot and sassy colours. No falling asleep with those around! again, I have never seen some of these flowers before and it is so neat to see something new! Well done! Evening Glow is something I would HAVE to have if it was around here. Lovely leaf colour.

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    1. The Coprosma are very useful foliage plants, Diane. Most, if not all, have some form of variegation. I have a few varieties as they're well-adapted to the Southern California climate.

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  9. Especially beautiful in your dining room setting.

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    1. Thanks, Ricki! The colors were a good match, even if my photograph wasn't too impressive.

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  10. The Leonotis is an interesting flower and I like it combined with the Agapanthus. Great arrangement.

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    1. Thanks, Susie! I wish I had a vase that could have shown it off to maximum advantage but most of mine are clear glass. I need to expand my collection.

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  11. Orange tarantula is just the perfect way to describe those flowers. Too bad this wasn't a Halloween bouquet. BTW my day lily opened every single one of. It's blossoms, each for a day. I hope you have similar success.

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    1. Yes, too bad the Leonotis will be done blooming by Halloween. The daylilies are continuing to open. Thanks for the tip, Loree!

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  12. Love those hot and summery colours, and a good idea to try out day-lilies in a vase as we have so many outside too. That little blue flower Sollya heterophylla is very pretty!

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    1. That Sollya is one of my favorite flowering plants but getting stems with enough flowers to make a show isn't easy, Cathy.

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  13. I could not manage to say that phrase once fast never mind three times Kris :) A most attractive and colourful arrangement.

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  14. I hope your daylilies did well in the vase. I've sometimes cut a stem with several buds and all of them have eventually opened. -Jean

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