Monday, June 8, 2015

In a Vase on Monday: Strange Bedfellows

In creating this week's vase, I knew I wanted to use the beautiful Agastache I picked up on one of the recent plant shopping binges I'd promised myself I was going to avoid this spring.  However, I had no notion as to what to pair with it.  In the end, I made a bold color choice (by my personal standards anyway) and chose flowers that picked up the color of the calyx surrounding the Agastache's flowers, as well as some that played up the warm tones of the flowers themselves.  I'm happy with it but I apologize if the combination scorches your eyeballs.


Back view (with another photobomb by Pipig, who seems to be very jealous of flowers)


Here's what I included:

  • Agastache 'Summer Glow'
  • Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'
  • Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Arizona Apricot'
  • Hebe 'Wiri Blush'
  • Pelargonium x domesticum 'Rembrandt' 


This beautiful Agastache 'Summer Glow'  with its lemon yellow flowers and purplish calyxes was new to me but I couldn't pass it up when I saw it (even if I struggled to find spots for the 2 plants I brought home)

With its wavy stems and bronze-tinged leaves, Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' makes a great foliage accent

Although Gaillardia 'Arizona Apricot' is taller than G. 'Gallo Peach,' its stems are still relatively short 

I understand that many of Hebe have been reclassified as Veronica but 'Wiri Blush' is a hybrid whose parentage I've yet to discover so I don't know if it's still a Hebe or now a Veronica.  Whichever it is, the flower color picks up the purplish hue of the Agastache's calyxes.  

As does the color of the vibrant and aptly-named Pelargonium 'Rembrandt,' another relatively recent acquisition


I placed the new arrangement in the entryway, displacing last week's arrangement.  As that arrangement was still in very good condition, I moved it to the living room.


Pipig still seems obsessed with this arrangement but at least she hasn't tried to pull it apart again (yet)


I had a group of friends over this weekend and created a splashy, loose bouquet to decorate the dining table, which I'll also share.

The bright white of the Eustoma made taking a good photograph of this vase difficult

It photographed better from the back


I included:

  • Agapanthus, blue and white forms
  • Eustoma grandiflorum, blue and white varieties
  • Jacobaeus maritima (formerly known as Senecio cineraria and commonly known here as dusty miller)
  • Prostanthera ovalifolia (aka mint bush)


The Agapanthus were meant to be the stars of this arrangement but I think the Eustoma, particularly the white form, usurped the other elements.  The blue Eustoma are holdovers from last year but their flowers are much smaller this time around.  The white Eustoma is also a holdover but its placement in partial shade appears to have allowed it to return with more vigor this season. 

Cool temperatures and persistent "June gloom" on Saturday led me to move lunch from the outside patio to the dining room at the last minute, side-lining the vase to the kitchen counter during our party so my guests didn't have to peer around it to see each other.

However, the vase returned to the dining table when the party was over

"In a Vase on Monday" is hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  You can see what she's put in a vase - and find links to other participants' creations - here.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

24 comments:

  1. I can't get over your cool temps Kris....but oh that first vase is fabulous. I love the colors and especially love Agastache 'Summer Glow'.....you picked perfect blooms to complement it. I really adore it and the second vase is gorgeous with the bright yellow and blue/purple.

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    1. "May gray" and "June gloom" don't always come with cool temperatures but that was the case this year, at least until yesterday when the afternoon temperature soared to 93F. This morning we got rain (!!!) but our temperature is still supposed to hit the high 80s - it's very tropical.

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  2. You're a flower arranging machine! Love the bright colors in the first arrangement! I saw some Gaillardia 'Arizona Apricot' at a nursery this weekend and thought of you.

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    1. You didn't take it home with you? It's a splendid plant.

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  3. Beautiful summer colours in both vases, I am sure you will enjoy watching them the whole week, Kris!

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    1. I do enjoy having flowers in the house as well as the garden. I expect you do too, Anca!

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  4. Elegant arrangements as always Kris! A warm and cool duo this week :)

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    1. The vases are proliferating! I may have a problem finding places to put them soon.

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  5. No that first vase certainly does not "scorch my eyeballs" Kris. It's a fabulous colour combination as is the second albeit a much cooler colour way. Maybe Pipig is thinking that she should be the centre of attention and not the flowers :)

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    1. Oh, that's almost certainly what Pipig believes. I don't think she'd pay any attention to the flowers if I didn't.

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  6. Wow - that agastache is a stunner and your vase is worth any residual scorching of the eyeballs! And I had a little giggle at your hebe as I thought it was called 'Wiri Brush' rather than 'blush'! ;) The combination of all 5 plants is spot on so brilliantly chosen so thanks for sharing ps I like your cooler vase too, but not as much the first!!

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    1. I'm sure we could find a plant out there that truly deserves the name 'Wiri Brush', Cathy (but not this one). Thanks for hosting!

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  7. Oh, far from scorched eyeballs, I adore this week's bouquet! I might have to look up that Agastache.

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    1. It's very pretty Agastache, Alison - and more robust than others in my my garden.

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  8. You have the most gorgeous flower decorations in your house. The agastache is just stunning.

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    1. Thanks, Jenny! I'm running out of places to put them...

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  9. I love the bright, contrasting colors! I think the simple dichromatic color scheme helps save it from being truly eye-scorching, but maybe it's just my dull laptop screen. lol. Haha, hi Pipig. You think you should be the center of attention, don't you?

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  10. Both are beautiful, and the front view of the first vase with the Gaillardia is so cheerful! The Agastache is very attractive with those two tones and you've picked up on them very nicely!

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    1. All the Gaillardias (at least those I'm acquainted with) are decidedly cheerful flowers, well-suited to the summer garden.

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  11. The scorching colors are the ones I appreciate most in beds once the sun climbs brilliantly into cloudless skies, and the same goes indoors. Your family and guests are fortunate to share the visual bounty at close range. Perhaps Pipig is after insects she senses are (or were) in amongst your blooms? I know my indoor cats are absolutely fascinated with anything that comes in from "out there", including at times our selves!

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    1. It's true - pale colors tend to get lost here too (although that doesn't always stop me from planting them). Pipig does pay attention to clothes and shoes upon their return from the garden but, for the most part, her attention to the flowers is pure jealousy, I think - or, if you want to phrase it in more positive terms, curiosity as to what can possibly warrant attention that should properly be directed her way.

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  12. The Agastache 'Summer Glow' is the most vibrant one I've seen, and looks so wonderful with the 'Rembrandt' and the other flowers. Gorgeous colors! The blue and white arrangement is very lovely too. White IS a hard color to photograph but you did a great job.

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    1. Some whites are particularly hard to photograph, aren't they? I've yet to get a clear photo of the handful of gardenia flowers in my garden and this Eustoma seems to present the same problem. Shasta daisies don't, though. Go figure - I'm sure science can explain it.

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