In a Vase on Monday: Summer Rescue Operation

I went outside to cut flowers for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, at 8am on Sunday.  The thermometer already read 87F (30C) so it wasn't the optimal situation in which to cut flowers but I knew things were only going to get worse.  The heat is expected to climb to record levels throughout the US Southwest on Monday so I cut a lot of flowers.

Cutting lots of flowers means I have 3 vases to share this week.  The first was constructed to show off my Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus).  The pink-flowered varieties planted last year have the largest number of buds but I didn't want to lose a lot of unopened flowers so I turned to another group I planted as plugs in April.  Their color wasn't what I'd anticipated when I submitted my mail order.

Front view featuring Eustoma planted from plugs in April

The back view is very different but I like it too

Top view

If you look very, very closely at the Eustoma, you'll notice faint pink highlights in what otherwise seems to be pale yellow bloom.  The variety is called 'Pink Champagne' but even I didn't see the pink in the flower until it was inches from my face.  At first, I thought maybe I'd mixed up the plugs but I checked my records against the grower's listing and I'm certain now that 'Pink Champagne' isn't as pink as the catalog photo led me to expect.  Maybe the pink will deepen, as has been the case with other of the solid pink selections, but I didn't count on that when I selected its companions for my vase.

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Eustoma grandiflorum 'Pink Champagne', Achillea 'Moonshine', noID Anigozanthos, Hebe 'Purple Shamrock', Phylica pubescens, and Tanacetum niveum with Santolina pinnata.  Aren't the purple edges and stems of the Hebe wonderful?  I also like the way the variegation in the Phylica echoes that of the Hebe.  I was able to bring myself to cut one stem of the Phylica as it was sticking up above the plant like a feather-duster (and it helps that I now have 3 of these plants in my garden).

I selected sweet peas as the starting point for my second vase.  They were already on the decline and I fully expect that the current heatwave will be the end of them.  Last week I paired blue/purple sweet peas with stems of Lupinus proquinuus in a bouquet for a friend but the lupines were mostly toast already so I looked further afield for companions this week.

Blue and white Agapanthus filled in for the missing lupines

The back looks similar to the front

Top view

I stuck to a blue and white palette.

Clockwise from the left, the vase contains: white and blue forms of Agapanthus, Catananche caerulea, Lathyrus odoratus, Leucanthemum x superbum (ruffled form), Solanum xanti, and Tanacetum niveum.  (Also included, but not highlighted were: Lavandula angustifolia and Salvia 'Mystic Spires'.)

As the heat worsened, I made a last minute decision to cut flowers for a third vase before ducking inside to get out of the heat and the almost unbreathable air tied to the Sherpa fire 100 miles away.  I cut just two stems of pink Eustoma as a starting point.

Front view showing pink Eustoma front and center

From the back, the foliage of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' makes me think of a dress with a long train (not that I've ever owned or worn one of those)

Top view

This vase balanced floral and foliage elements to a greater extent than the other two.

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Eustoma grandiflorum, Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Origanium 'Monterey Bay', Pelargonium peltatum, Persicaria capitata, and Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star'

As soon as I went into the house, the birds made a bee-line for the fountain.  The critters have as much trouble with our heatwaves as we do.

This Spotted Towhee enjoyed a refreshing bath once the coast was clear

Sitting at my desk late Sunday afternoon, I could literally see plants withering through my office window.  The Shasta daisies, which looked great Sunday morning, have already shriveled.  I wish now that I'd cut all of them.  Despite a good soaking on Saturday, I fear that some plants may not make it through the first official day of summer.

But my blue and white vase gives a sense of pleasant coolness to the dining room table.

The vase with the 'Champagne' Eustoma adds cheer to the front entry.

And the vase containing the "true" pink Eustoma found a place on the bedroom mantle.

Pipig gets to relax in the air-conditioned comfort of the house as the heat intensifies today.  I have to head off into the heat for jury service, leaving my garden to its own devices.

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


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party