Monday, April 13, 2015

In a Vase on Monday: Chameleons

As mentioned in last week's "In a Vase on Monday" post, I have a hard time ignoring roses when they're in bloom.  As my 'Joseph's Coat' climbing rose is approaching the peak of its bloom period, its flowers were a natural choice for this week's vase, difficult as they are to work with.  They're very thorny and even cutting the stems is a prickly business.  In addition, the flowers tend to become frowsy as they age, losing their shape.  Also, because each bloom changes color over the course of time, mixing them with other colors can be difficult.

Photo of my 'Joseph's Coat'' rose taken last week - there are three times as many flowers now but you can see the color variation among the flowers even in this photo


Frankly, I wasn't very successful in dealing with the challenges the rose posed but, lacking time to futz this week, the vase I created will have to do.



Here's what went into this week's messy composition:
  • Aeonium haworthii (flower)
  • Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'
  • Alstroemeria (no ID)
  • Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin'
  • Grevillea 'Ned Kelly'
  • Grevillea 'Superb'
  • Heuchera sanguinea
  • Rose 'Joseph's Coat'

The Aeonium's flower stem is the same coral color as the rose to the right

The wavy foliage of Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' is my favorite element in this week's vase - it smells mildly of peppermint too

The flowers of Grevillea 'Superb' start out an orange-ish coral, becoming pinker as they mature

2 shots showing the mix of colors among the roses.  At the end of the cycle, the flowers turn a deep pinkish rose.

Two of the Grevillea stems, the flowers of which also change color as the blooms mature, are virtually hidden behind the Aeonium stem.  The pink Alstroemeria clashes a bit with the roses, although the color difference will diminish as the rose flowers age.  Not my best effort but c'est la vie!

Please visit the host of the "In a Vase" meme, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, to see what she's put together this week and find links to other gardeners' creations.  With spring charging into full gear, there are more and more contributors each week.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

27 comments:

  1. Mark and GazApril 13, 2015 at 10:45 AM

    How could anyone ignore those blooms with such strong and glorious colours! Best thing to do is to bring some of them indoors :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris PetersonApril 13, 2015 at 7:53 PM

      They were begging to come indoors. But perhaps they could have brought more appropriate companions ;)

      Delete
  2. outlawgardenerApril 13, 2015 at 11:19 AM

    Joseph's Coat is one of my faves and was the first rose to bloom in my garden this year. Your arrangement is fun, informal, and contains quite a few faboo stems!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris PetersonApril 13, 2015 at 7:54 PM

      Thanks, Peter. "Informal" is much nicer than "sloppy."

      Delete
  3. AnonymousApril 13, 2015 at 11:24 AM

    You have such exotic flowers in your garden Kris, I feel like I'm on a paradise island when I look at your vases, thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris PetersonApril 13, 2015 at 7:56 PM

      And what your consider regular garden fare (like tulips!) is exotic to me, Christina.

      Delete
  4. Evan BeanApril 13, 2015 at 11:50 AM

    I think you did a pretty good job, color-wise. I love flowers that change color!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris PetersonApril 13, 2015 at 7:57 PM

      I love that they change color - if only I could coordinate their schedules a bit. (Yes, I admit it - I'm a control freak.)

      Delete
  5. LINDA from Each Little WorldApril 13, 2015 at 12:08 PM

    I think you are being a little hard on yourself. You met the challenge and succeeded!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris PetersonApril 13, 2015 at 7:59 PM

      Thanks Linda. I'm just annoyed (with myself), feeling that I could have done better had I taken more time with the arrangement.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousApril 13, 2015 at 12:12 PM

    Your climate allows you some fantastic flowers!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris PetersonApril 13, 2015 at 7:59 PM

      Yes, it does. If only it also provided us with more rain...

      Delete
  7. DonnaApril 13, 2015 at 1:12 PM

    Kris I would say the no futz method worked wonders as your vase matches the roses perfectly from the Aeonium to the foliage...all perfect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris PetersonApril 13, 2015 at 8:01 PM

      In retrospect, I should have used more Aeonium flowers and sacrificed fewer Grevillea flowers.

      Delete
  8. AnonymousApril 13, 2015 at 1:27 PM

    Lovely Kris! That is a beautiful rose and you paired it with some nice companions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris PetersonApril 13, 2015 at 8:01 PM

      Thanks Susie. I think the rose REALLY likes the warmth provided by that stone chimney.

      Delete
  9. AnonymousApril 13, 2015 at 1:53 PM

    It seems strange to think of April as being your peak time for roses.... As others have said, you may think you have 'futzed' it but in fact you have clearly combined materials intuitively and to great effect. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris PetersonApril 13, 2015 at 8:02 PM

      April is the peak for 'Joseph's Coat,' although frankly none of my other rose bushes are heavy bloomers. I think I need to feed them more.

      Delete
  10. TexasDebApril 13, 2015 at 2:06 PM

    Gorgeous - in every shade and tone. I was a bit relieved to see you were using roses. After reading the title at first I thought you were going to do something weird with a live lizard in an arrangement. Yeah, doesn't make sense to me either, but that's what I thought for just a moment. I think I've been out in the pollen too long... : )!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris PetersonApril 13, 2015 at 8:07 PM

      Chameleon poseurs?! I'd never do that Deb. We don't have any chameleons and the Western Fence Lizards move too quickly ;)

      Delete
  11. Anca TîrcăApril 13, 2015 at 3:01 PM

    Beautiful mix of colours, thanks for sharing your vase, Kris!

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnnaApril 13, 2015 at 3:30 PM

    Oh 'Joseph's Coat' is such an apt name for that rose Kris and what fine companions you have found as vase partners. Thanks for introducing me to a new to me word namely "futz". I've had to look up its definition and will now add it to my vocabulary :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris PetersonApril 13, 2015 at 8:10 PM

      Yikes, I just looked up "futz" in the urban dictionary and found it has all sorts of other definitions beyond fooling around and wasting time.

      Delete
  13. AnonymousApril 14, 2015 at 12:41 AM

    I disagree - it's beautiful Kris. Those sunset colours and the Agonis foliage are wonderful, and the Aeonium flower is incredible... mine has never flowered! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris PetersonApril 14, 2015 at 10:27 AM

      Oddly, the succulents in partial shade seem to bloom more consistently than those in full sun, Cathy. I have no idea why that would be the case but that's what I've observed here.

      Delete
  14. Anna @Suffolk PebblesApril 16, 2015 at 2:52 AM

    I know what you mean about lacking time to futz (what a great word!), however your vase does not show a lack of time or effort. I am astonished at the colour variations on 'Joseph's Coat'.

    ReplyDelete

I enjoy receiving your comments and suggestions! Google has turned on reCAPTCHA affecting some commentator IDs so, if you wish to identify yourself, please add your name to your comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)