Monday, June 2, 2014

In a Vase on Monday: Rinse, Recycle & Reuse

The conservation mantra is "reduce, reuse, recycle."  I didn't plan to invoke that mantra, or a version of it, when I began preparing this week's floral bouquet.  I'd been admiring a lovely foxglove, Digitalis x mertonensis, in my garden for the last 2 weeks and decided to make it the centerpiece of my next floral construction.  What didn't factor into my plan was that my pretty Digitalis blooms would come covered in aphids.  I spent more than 20 minutes rinsing the 2 foxglove stems I'd cut.  Those nasty bugs were in every nook and cranny but I just couldn't bring myself to toss the stems out as the flowers themselves appeared unaffected by the unwelcome encampment.




I'd already cut a lily and feverfew to accompany the Digitalis in the vase.  But, having spent so much time carefully rinsing each tubular flower of the foxglove, I ran out of time for additional fussing.  As the stems of Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' I used in last week's composition were still in perfect condition, I decided to recycle those by using them as this week's foliage accent too.  I think they actually look better this week than they did when I photographed last week's bouquet - the stems opened up some during the course of last week.  Do you ever recycle materials cut for one arrangement for use in another?

I also reused last week's glass vase as its yellow color fit the mix better than the other vases in my collection.  The vase contains:

  • Digitalis x mertonensis 'Polka Dot Pippa'
  • Lily, an unscented, unknown variety received as a gift with purchase
  • Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum'
  • Leucadendron salignum 'Chief'







This bouquet is my contribution to the collection assembled by our host, Cathy, at Rambling in the Garden.   Click here to see her creation and to find links to bouquets constructed by other gardeners this week.




14 comments:

  1. Beautiful Combo!

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  2. What an unusual foxglove and a perfect match to the lily. Yes, I do sometimes reuse material from one composition to another if it is still fresh. Everything was new in this week's offering but the Alliums from a couple of weeks ago are still in vase slowing drying now but with colour rather than gold at present.

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    1. This is the first time I've grown this perennial species of Digitalis, Christina, and I really like it. I wish I had better luck with the fancier Alliums - they do make a wonderful contribution to both garden and vase when they dry.

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  3. The foxglove and lily were made for each other! That's a great colour match. And I like the foliage too.

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    1. The color match was pure serendipity, Cathy. When the foxglove first began to bloom, I was unsure what I had to complement them and then the lilies made an appearance.

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  4. Delicious peachy pink colour scheme, nice!

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  5. Yes, I will often reuse flowers from one arrangement for another. I think your foxglove bouquet is very pretty, despite the anti-aphid effort you had to put into it. Well done!

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    1. I haven't had much of an aphid problem up to now so these caught me by surprise, Deb. Maybe the stress posed by the recent heat made the flowers a target of the nasty beasties.

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  6. There's no sign of the stressful work it took to prepare the foxgloves for your vase. Your flowers and foliage work great together.

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    1. Thanks, Susie. The aphid removal was more time-consuming and annoying than anything else. The little buggers caught me by surprise.

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  7. I left a message here yesterday but it disappeared perhaps it is in your spam. I will try again, I hope it works this time. I love your Digitalis mertonensis which is quite unlike the one we grow here, much nicer. It goes beautifully with the Leucadendron which I admired last week. I wonder how long it will last in water. The lily is a perfect match too. A lovely arrangement as usual Kris.

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    1. Thanks you for making the return visit, Chloris. Some of my own messages on other blogs disappear for unknown reasons at times too - glitches in the larger internet machine perhaps. I was surprised how well this particular Leucadendron held up in the vase - it shows no sign of failing yet.

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