I had two flowers in mind when I stepped into the garden to fill this week's vase. As the two clearly wouldn't make suitable companions, this meant two vases. (I know you're not surprised.) However, the one thing the two vases had in common was scent.
The impetus for the first vase was a plant that's relatively new to my garden:
Gomphrena 'Pinball Snow-tip Lavender'.
Gomphrena takes the heat and isn't a water guzzler so, when I saw this one, I broke my rule against planting in summer (again).
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| Front view: The scent here was provided by a noID rose, which may or may not be 'Angel Face', but smells very much as I remember that rose smelled |
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| Back view: You knew the pink Eustoma grandiflorum would turn up somewhere, didn't you? |
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| Top view, highlighting the hard-to-photograph Gomphrena |
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| Clockwise from the left, the vase contains: Gomphrena 'Pinball Snow-tip Lavender', Abelia x grandiflora, Eustoma grandiflorum, Origaninum 'Monterey Bay', Polygala myrtifolia 'Mariposa', the noID rose, and Stachys hybrid 'Lilac Falls' |
The second plant I fixated on was
Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', which recently produced a flush of new flowers. The flowers are a magnet for bees and I had to shake the stems before bringing them in to the house to prevent the bees from coming in with me.
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| Front view: An ensemble cast of flowers with no obvious lead player |
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| Back view: Lonicera japonica, inherited with the house, provides the scent here |
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| Top view |
The flowers of the
Callistemon are on the peachy side of pink, which made finding suitable companions more of a challenge. The yellow undertones of the
Callistemon made the pink
Eustoma look dingy so I chose other flowers in shades of coral and yellow.
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| Clockwise from the left, the vase contains: Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', Achillea millefolium 'Appleblossom', Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Lantana camara 'Irene' with Zinnia 'Profusion', Leucanthemum x superbum, Lonicera japonica, and Plectranthus scutellariodes 'Mocha Mint' (commonly known as coleus and formerly classified as Solenostemon scutellariodes). There's a little Tanacetum parthenium in the mix too. |
The new arrangements displaced last week's creations.
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| The first arrangement sits in the front entry |
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| The second sits on the dining room table |
For more vases,
visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Oh that first arrangement is SO gorgeous - love the colours and the textures. I have no idea whether we can grow Gomphrena in the UK but I shall look into it. It is so lovely that I am afraid your second vase barely got a look in, but it's intriguing to see the use of callistemon. No, sorry, I just can't help it and have had to go back for another look at that first vase... Thnak you so much for sharing it (them!) :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it, Cathy! I love the colors in the first arrangement too.
DeleteThat is a great use of Gomphrena Kris. Works beautifully with your noIID but beautiful rose. Mine did terribly last summer which was very drought-ridden, so didn't try it again this year. It love the coral and peachy tones of the second vase too.
ReplyDeleteGomphrena likes heat but maybe not humidity? We've been more humid than usual this year but we probably don't have anything on you in that department.
DeleteI think you have inspired me to try the Gomphrena, that one is so pretty. The combinations are wonderful and i wasn't aware Callistemon could be used as a cut flower. Lovely as always.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be interesting to see how long that Callistemon lasts in a vase. The larger-flowered form I tried before didn't hold up long at all.
DeleteHi Kris, I think it is so wonderful that you fill your house with flowers from your garden week after week. These homegrown bouquets really have the special something, so pleasantly different from the flowers bought at the florist.
ReplyDeleteThis Monday I am really in love with the lavender colored vase. Lavender is a color that really speaks to me, I don't know why. The new Gomphrena 'Pinball Snow-tip Lavender' is very pretty. I like it a lot in combination with the pink Lisianthus.
Looking already forward to your vase(s) next week!
Warm regards,
Christina
I love lavender too, Christina. It's a soothing color.
DeleteBeautiful colours, Kris, all of them!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anca!
DeleteLove the first one with those two dramatically different sides. I went plant shopping over the weekend and need to wait for cooler weather to get them in the ground.
ReplyDeleteWe're remarkably cooler than we were just 2 weeks ago. It seems like an invitation to plant but I keep reminding myself that even if summer began with a bang, that doesn't mean it'll end with a whimper.
DeleteGorgeous, per usual, Kris! I feel this little squeal of delight bubbling up from within when I see your arrangements. :) The plants are always new and unexpected to me. Love the gomphrena (wow) with the rose and (rose-like) eustoma...so pretty. And the callistemon is delightful. Super nice!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't pass up that Gomphrena, especially as the others I planted have done so well. As to the Callistemon, it's headed to the list of my all-time favorite plants.
DeleteTwo super vases..and such a range of exotic blooms...the rose is more our type of thing in the UK, but that one too is just perfect.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to see a few roses bloom as this isn't the norm in my garden during the summer months, Noelle. I've increased my irrigation, which I think is primarily responsible for the unexpected blooms but the cooler temperatures may also be playing a role.
DeleteHi Kris, all are beautiful - you're such a talented lady! The first one is so romantic and girly, just love it. Have to check the frost hardiness of Gomphrena which is new to me. Best wishes, Annette
ReplyDeleteGomphrena likes heat but I can't speak of its cold tolerance, Annette. Have a great week!
DeleteTwo beautiful vases - can't believe what you're still able to cut this hot August! The Gomphrena is marvelous. I had the chance to get some last week but left it in favor of emphatically desert plants - plus Limonium perezii, which I always love in your photos! Clearly I'll have to get back and try Gomphrena at some point ;-) Love your (probably) Angel Face; I remember it having such a wonderful scent so can try to imagine... Hope the lantana works well in the vase; it's been a lifesaver here in terms of color and reliability in the garden!
ReplyDeleteGomphrena flowers have the same kind of papery texture as Limonium perezii so it might well work for you. It takes the heat here, although it requires what the grower referred to as "moderate" water.
DeleteI saw a single flowered form of Eustoma for sale at a nursery in Portland last week and thought of you as yours are always so gorgeous. However, it was labeled as an annual and the single form didn't appeal to me as much as your doubles so it stayed at the nursery. Gorgeous arrangements as always!
ReplyDeleteThe single flowered Eustoma come in some pretty bi-colored varieties but I can't say that I ever liked them as well as the double-flowered forms either, Peter. They're marketed as annuals here too but they over-winter without a problem in our climate; however, we rarely get freezes.
DeleteBeautiful! The Gomphrena is so pretty, and I like the Callistemon in the second vase as well. Both are new to me!
ReplyDeleteSadly, as I'd feared, the Callistemon flowers don't hold up well in a vase. They don't shatter but just kind of fade to a dull yellowish beige color.
DeleteBeautiful. Even with your drought you have gorgeous blooms.How do you do it?
ReplyDeleteIt helps that I've increased the irrigation in my garden. I'm doing more deep watering of the less well established plants, which has given the flowering plants in my garden (even the roses!) a major boost. Our water district has eased up on our restrictions (due to the amount of rain El Nino sent to Northern California and the improvement of the snow pack). Frankly, I think California's decision to ease up on the drought-related controls after one year of near-normal rain is foolish but I've decided not to fight it, especially as I'd already racked up significant savings month-to-month, giving me a healthy water budget I hadn't utilized.
DeleteBoth of them are gorgeous. I have long been an admirer of your lovely Eustoma and the Gomphrena is a little darling. The Callistomen is a fabulous colour. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chloris! The Eustoma are most definitely on the wane but my hope is, after a short rest, I'll have more flowers in the fall.
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