The silvery foliage of my
Leucadendron 'Pisa' had grown well over 6 feet tall and was looking a bit unkempt so I gave it an impromptu trim on Sunday morning. That left me with good-sized stems of glistening silver foliage, which provided the framework for today's vases.
Silver looks good with almost everything but I really like it with blue.
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| Front view, featuring, you guessed it, Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) |
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| Back view showing off the stems of Leucadendron 'Pisa' |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the left, the vase contains: purply blue Eustoma grandiflorum, Globularia x indubia (which I call hairy blue eyeballs), Leucadendron 'Pisa', a ruffled form of Leucanthemum x superbum, the papery flowers of Limonium perezii, Plectranthus ciliatus with dried bracts of Catananche caerulea, and Trichostema 'Midnight Magic' |
You may not believe it but I hadn't intended to create a second vase this week as the pink vase assembled last week was still in good shape, so my front entry already had a floral focal piece. But I had more
Leucadendron stems than I could use in the blue vase and I noticed that my tall
Senna bicapsularis was just starting to bloom so with a few more snips of my secateurs I was committed to a second vase. The
Senna, a host plant for the cloudless sulphur butterfly,
Phoebis sennae, blooms for a few weeks so you're likely to see it again.
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| Front view: most of the Senna flowers haven't opened yet so I threw in some pale yellow Eustoma grandiflorum as well |
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| Back view, showing off foliage and a stem of Eustoma left over from one of last week's vases |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Senna bicapsularis (syn. Cassia bicapsularis, aka Christmas bush and money bush), Abelia x grandiflora 'Hopleys', Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Bulbine frutescens (aka snake flower and cat's tail), a pale yellow form of Eustoma grandiflorum, and Leucadendron 'Pisa' |
The blue bouquet bounced last week's pink arrangement from the front entry. (The pink one ended up in the master bedroom.)
The yellow arrangement sits on the dining room table.
Visit Cathy, our host for the "IaVoM" meme,
at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other gardeners have in their vases this week.
All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
They are both lovely Kris. I specially love your purply-blue arrangement, I am crazy about the eustoma. What a colour!
ReplyDeleteThe blue Eustoma is a gorgeous color - I just wish it were as tough as the pink cultivars.
DeleteTwo exquisite arrangements...and to our eyes in UK so exotic. It is lovely to see what you are growing, the quality must reflect your gardening prowess. Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Noelle!
DeleteThat deep purple eustoma always knocks my socks off. Such a beautiful thing. As always, your arrangements are fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI need more of those blue Eustoma next year, Peter. For some reason, the blue form was impossible to find in the garden centers this spring and, unlike the pink forms, the blue varieties I planted last year didn't return this year.
DeleteI was bumping into your blog as I googled a plant ID over the weekend, Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid,' seen at the Huntington. These vases are wonderful, Kris. Really like that globularia with the purple eustoma.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE 'Cane's Hybrid'. If I could figure out where to put it, I'd get another. Mine came from the Australian Native Plants Nursery in Casitas Springs.
DeleteI love to see your selection of blooms on a Monday as they are invariably so different from what we are growing in the UK; your blue lisianthus will always be my no 1 favourite but I rather like the blue eyeballs too! Thnaks for sharing, Kris
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to find some "hairy blue eyeballs" in bloom, Cathy. Like many of my other plants, they must like the return to cooler temperatures.
DeleteBE-U-T-FULL! I love the lisianthus, leucadendron, senna flowers and acacia foliage - the colors and textures are superb!
ReplyDeleteInitially, that second arrangement was more about the foliage than the flowers but the Senna buds are opening nicely so the arrangement should be a mass of yellow color soon.
DeleteYou are the Lisianthus queen! And they are beautiful. Those Sennas grow here and they look better in your vase than in the garden around my house.
ReplyDeleteMy Senna is currently on the gangly side. Ideally, I'd prune it hard to reduce the height and fill out the foliage but I foolishly planted it between a fence and a narrow path so I think I'm stuck with the thin, awkward look.
Deletehairy blue eyeballs and a silver frame makes an arresting combination
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you could find the Globularia/hairy blue eyeballs there (it's fairly hard to find here) but I bet it would do well in your climate too.
DeleteI realized that I am still going by the name "Lisianthus" so I never recognize it's new name. I love having arrangements that can move around the house so I can enjoy them in multiple locations. Also love your frog!
ReplyDeleteI've had that ceramic frog (it's actually a box) forever, Linda. I think I picked it up in Santa Barbara when I was in college - it's one of my favorite things.
DeleteOh my, Kris. So lovely. The blue arrangement looks absolutely perfect sitting by the front entry. I've enjoyed seeing your Lisianthus so much. Wish I could grow it here.
ReplyDeleteIt's sold as an annual even here, Susie, but I'm lucky to be able to keep it going into subsequent years. Or, I'm lucky there with the pink varieties anyway - the blue and yellow varieties don't seem quite as resilient.
DeleteI am so jealous of your Leucadendron 'Pisa' riches! You are using them well...
ReplyDeleteUnlike the Leucadendrons with fuzzy foliage, 'Pisa' is very happy here.
DeleteThe highlight of the white flowers adds so much to the beautiful blue arrangement Kris; the perfect combination.
ReplyDeleteI'd add white flowers to most of my arrangements if I had enough of them, Christina. They do add sparkle.
DeleteThe colours in that first vase coordinate beautifully Kris. Love the eye balls and white Leucanthemum in particular. Your flowers always looks so fresh - not at all stressed by the heat. :)
ReplyDeleteThe plants most stressed by the heat tend to shut down, Cathy - no flowers from them!
DeleteThat blue arrangement is so elegant... everything so nicely balanced! Love seeing your Senna too, and all that wonderful foliage :)
ReplyDeleteI'm getting my blog following list up at the new blog (www.SmallSunnyGarden.com) -- and I found I somehow had the wrong link to your blog all this time on the original site - ouch! I think I have it right now ;-)
I wondered if you'd set up a new blog at a new address when I didn't see a vase posting, Amy. I'll check it out and update my own blog list link.
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