Monday, August 3, 2015

In a Vase on Monday: Not what I expected

I had a plan in mind for today's vase for the weekly series sponsored by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.   Coreopsis 'Big Bang Redshift' had begun to bloom so I thought I'd make it my focal point, adding the Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' that recently reappeared in the front border and some of the coleus (Solenostemon scuttellarioides) growing in a pot by the front door.  Well, I did cut stems of all those plants but the combination didn't come together as I envisioned.  Instead, what I ended up with was this:

Front view

Back view


My initial combination with the coleus lacked zing so I wandered through the vegetable garden and discovered that more of my red sunflowers were blooming, which set me off along a different path.  Here's what I included in my vase:

Clockwise from top left: Helianthus annuus from my "Drop Dead Red" mix; another darker Helianthus from the same mix; Leucadendron 'Chief'; Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum'; Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' with Coreopsis 'Redshift'; and Salvia lanceolata (aka rusty sage), acquired last spring at my local botanic garden  (Included but not highlighted: Ocimum tenuiflorum aka holy basil)


You may have noted that I included another of bloom of what I'd called the "black-hole of sunflowers" in a previous vase post.  That plant is the most vigorous of the sunflowers in my vegetable garden.  It was popular among those who commented on my prior use of the flower and, as some of you predicted, it does become redder as the flower matures, at least as long as it remains in the garden.

Photo of another flower on the same plant that produced both this week's dark sunflower and the one featured in my earlier post, showing much redder color

However, what really makes this week's vase in my opinion, are the stems of Leucadendron salignum 'Chief'.  It's hard to appreciate in the thumbnail photo included in the collage above but you can appreciate the plant's impact when it's viewed in the garden.

Leucadendron 'Chief' showing its summer color in my dry garden (with L. 'Ebony' at its feet)


So what happened to the coleus?  I didn't throw out the stems I'd cut.  They went into a separate vase, along with a very fragrant rose that was blooming all by itself out near the trash cans.

I've never been able to definitively identify this purplish rose - it smells a lot like 'Angel Face' but it doesn't look quite like the flowers I had on that shrub in my former garden.  It's accompanied here by Solenostemon scuttellarioides 'Lava Rose' and pink 'Cut & Come Again' zinnias.


While I was in the vegetable garden cutting those red sunflowers and the pink zinnias, I decided I might as well cut a few of the smaller yellow sunflowers as well.  Yes, this means that, once again, I produced 3 vases this week.

Three Helianthus annuus from the "Florist's Sunny Bouquet" mix with Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' left over from one of last week's vases and Jacobaeus maritima


With summer's heat turning up a notch, the flowers are quickly retreating so this kind of floral overload will soon come to an end.  However, in the meantime, I'm enjoying it.  Here are all three vases in place:

The red sunflower mix landed on the dining table; the yellow sunflowers in the front entry; and the fragrant rose in my office, where I can enjoy its scent


Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find still more vases.


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

31 comments:

  1. Loving the berry colours and the airy look to it, like a vase of plumes!

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  2. Beautiful. That red sunflower is a real show-off. Glad you showed Leucadendron 'Chief' in the garden as I spotted it and thought I recognized it as something often used by florists. Very attractive. Love the yellow arrangement too. You have an amazing number of flowers--enjoy them as long as possible.

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    1. The slender leafed Leucadendrons make great floral accents, Susie.

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  3. Once again 3 fabulous vases...I love that red sunflower with the Leucadendron salignum and the pink with the coleus was brilliant...of course the yellow vase is stunning too. I have some of the miniature sunflowers waiting for a vase next week.

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    1. I think my miniature sunflowers may just be stunted versions of the taller varieties, Donna. Most sprouted from seeds planted later than the taller versions (following a raccoon rummage of my raised planters).

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  4. Three winners again this week. That's great about the sunflowers - I'm pleased you are pleased again after initial misgivings about the dark start to those blooms. And for a moment I misread about the rose and thought it was the trash in all your heat that you'd commented upon as "fragrant". I thought to myself "Well, that's ONE way to put it!". So happy it was the rose, especially since you brought it into your office. Have a lovely week - perhaps it will rain somewhere!

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    1. It's weird to plant rose bushes out by the trash bins, isn't it? I didn't do it - they were there when we moved in. It's not even a very sunny area. I blame the shade and my stingy watering for the failure of those roses to do much the past 2 years. But I do get excited on the rare occasions roses actually bloom in that area.

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  5. Who on earth names a plant Coreopsis 'Big Bang Redshift'?! I love all your dark sunflowers - was it a mixed packet? They look great with the pennisetum - and the coleus is great with the unidentified rose. But what took me by surprise was the yellow vase - I am not a huge yellow fan but this took me by surprise and just jumped out at me, like the taste of a tangy lemon meringue pie. It looks so light and refreshing and I love it :)

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    1. Americans have been going crazy in naming plants. There must have been a study showing that, as a population, we respond to provocative names. As I recall, there was a reaction to Dianthus 'Heart Attack" too when I featured it in one of my posts last year. It didn't hold up in my garden but 'Big Bang Redshift' is going strong. I think the 'Big Bang' part may actually identify a trademarked series of Coreopsis but I'm not certain of that.

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  6. 3 great vases, Kris!I hope they will make you feel good the whole week!

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    1. I've become too used to having multiple vases to strew about the house, Anca. It's going to feel sterile when I drop down to one or - heaven forbid - none.

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  7. That Leucadendron is truly spectacular! Love the sunflowers too, but even more, I love what you do with them. Very lovely bouquets, all three, but the first one is my fave! :)

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    1. That first vase certainly turned out to be more dramatic than what I'd originally envisioned, Anna. I love having the sunflowers in my vegetable garden - next year, I'm going to plant them earlier and in greater profusion.

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  8. I love the dramatic burst of the first ensemble, well done!

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    1. That one surprised even me, Loree. I think I found the right companions for the dark sunflowers this time (by happenstance).

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  9. I saw the first, I thought Tactile, the second Paisley, and the Third Lemon Delight..all very different but equally good, cannot choose a favourite, love them all.

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  10. how I love that red sunflower and the yellow vase is equally lovely - I grew Helianthus 'Claret' and 'Ruby Eclipse' this year on our allotment which were also rather special.

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    1. I'd hope for something with the variety shown on the red sunflower seed packet, Ann. So far, I haven't seen that kind of range in the bloom colors but I'm still hoping some of the buds yet to open will deliver.

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  11. Again, Kris, I love all your vases; as you showed each one I thought each more lovely than the last. I am so impressed by what you have flowering in your actual garden, hardly anything flowers in the heat here; I think they must be plants that wouldn't survive my winters which is an interesting thought isn't it. I am very envious of that very dark sunflower if you ever find it's name I'd love to know.

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    1. My guess is that dark, dark red sunflower might by 'Moulin Rouge', Christina, but I have no way of knowing what it is with any degree of certainty as the packet doesn't list the kinds of Helianthus annuus hybrids making up the mix.

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  12. You are one prolific vaser! As always they're beautiful but that first one - the leucadendrons and grass - swoon!

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    1. That Leucadendron was one of the best choices I made in the early stages of planting this garden, Peter. The Pennisetum was the inspiration of a prior owner (or rather, his landscaper).

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  13. It would be hard for me to choose which bouquet is my favorite, but that dark red sunflower is amazing!

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    1. I figured there might be some drama in a seed mix labeled "Drop Dead Red" and it came through, Deb.

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  14. The first is my favorite. Those dark flowers--love them!

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    1. You couldn't get much darker - the color rivals that of Leucadendron 'Ebony'.

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  15. Beautiful colours! I love summer for every day fresh cut flowers. The burgundy of sunflower is amazing. I grow only traditional yellows, but may look for the unusual colours for next year.

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