If I were Cathy at
Rambling in the Garden, our host for "In a Vase on Monday," my post title would be properly illustrated with a wizard's wand and maybe a top hat. Unfortunately, I don't have Cathy's wonderful collection of props and, feeling as I do these days, any conjuring I might do would probably involve a voodoo doll or two anyway, but I don't have those on hand either. However, even if winter rains are expected to continue at least through this week, spring is definitely in the air. Sunday brought a welcome break between rainstorms, as well as snatches of warm sunshine. Birds were all over the garden, pecking at the earth in search of worms, splashing in the fountain, squabbling with one another at my feeders, and building new nests under the house eaves.
 |
| The feeders are dominated by sparrows and finches but the front yard had a flock of birds I was unable to identify hopping about |
 |
| I've cleaned out the nesting material crammed behind this light by the back door time and time again. In spring, it's a useless exercise as the birds just remake the nest all over again the moment my back is turned. |
But on to the flowers. When I prepared my
Bloom Day post last week, I completely forgot about the calla lilies flowering on the back slope. Spurred on by all the rain we've received this season (now officially triple the total amount we received during the entirety of the last season), the lilies look to be starting off a banner year. I picked an armful of blooms.
 |
| Front view, showing the lilies accented with fragrant Freesia flowers, which exploded into bloom last week |
 |
| A similar back view |
 |
| Top view, showing how last Friday's heavy rain discolored some of the white blooms |
 |
| From the left, the vase contains: Zantedeschia aethiopica, noID Freesia, Pyrethropsis (Rhodanthemum) hosmariense, and leaves of the Zantedeschia |
The second vase is a simplified version of an arrangement I created 3 weeks ago. My
Alstroemeria have started to bloom and I'd originally planned to go pink this week but, noticing that I had stems of flowering
Ceanothus dragging in the mud, I went with a blue and white color scheme instead.
 |
| It's hard to say which is the front and which is the back with this vase |
 |
| View from the other side |
 |
| The top view is my favorite |
 |
| Clockwise from the left, this vase contains: Anemone coronaria, noID Ceanothus, scented Matthiola incana, Osteospermum '4D Silver', and white Ranunculus asiaticus |
Can you conjure up something from your garden? If so,
join Cathy's cavalcade of vases at Rambling in the Garden! Here are mine in their places:
All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Lovely, both of them. The Calla lily vase looks like you went for color blocking, a nice touch. So many flowers in your garden!
ReplyDeleteI was chagrined that I forgot the calla lilies on Bloom Day!
DeleteCalla Lilies are one of my favourites, I've never managed to grow them although I have seen them in gardens here. So that's my favourite but the other vase is gorgeous too. Apart from the native Freesias I have (which haven't opened their blooms yet) I think the larger Freesias have been completely frosted for this year; I think they'll come back next year - I hope so anyway.
ReplyDeleteI'm tremendously surprised that calla lilies do so well here, Christina, especially as most of them are on the dry, neglected back slope. The plants completely disappear in summer but return when the rains come in winter - I didn't have as many last year when our rain totals was at its lowest but there were some!
DeleteMaybe I should try some, I would love to have some to cut.
DeleteIt doesn't hurt to try, Christina! I'm always a bit surprised when they reappear but they haven't disappointed me yet.
DeleteNow this time I find myself preferring the white and yellow rather than the blue one as the white cannas and pure yellow freesias look stunning together with the little daisies - such a pure and clean vase. The birds are really active here too :)
ReplyDeleteThe birds are the true harbingers of spring everywhere, aren't they?
DeleteYour wizardry with flowers requires no wand or top hat to be scrumptious. I can almost smell the Freesia flowers from here in the cold and wet PNW.
ReplyDeleteYou can't beat Freesia for fragrance! A single bloom can perfume a room.
DeleteYour callas are gorgeous, Kris! Pure perfection. I won't tell you how much these beauties would cost out here. :( I love all your freesias, anemones and ranunculi - you have so many lovely flowers to play with!
ReplyDeleteHow funny! I never even see calla lilies for sale here, Eliza!
DeleteThose lilies are stunning. What drama they bring to an arrangement.
ReplyDeleteThey're elegant blooms. I've heard that, like tulips, calla lilies are best displayed by themselves but I was happy with this simple mix.
DeleteBoth vases are simply gorgeous. Isn't rain an amazing thing?
ReplyDeleteThe rain has been a minor miracle, Amelia! When El Nino passed SoCal by last year, I thought my garden was sure to go into a slow, steady decline, drought tolerant selections or not. I'm very happy that this year's La Nina also hasn't lived up to its (low) expectations.
DeleteI love yellow freesias, they scent is possibly my favourite but it's so hard to choose. I've ordered some bulbs so I hope they do well. Blue and white is such a classic combination, it always looks good and your blooms are gorgeous. I'm disappointed not to see a voodoo doll.
ReplyDeleteI had a voodoo doll once. It was a going away gift from a co-worker, who'd listened to me grouse for years about certain managers. (I worked in human resource management.) I loaned the doll to someone I worked with elsewhere and never got it back...
DeleteHi Kris, I think both of your vases are very beautiful, but as usual I have a clear favorite. The first one!!! I think that is one of your very best ones ever so far! I really like the staggering of the height of the blooms in this vase and that you only choose three different varieties, but used these in abundance. I think it is a very fresh almost modern design and it looks like a florist has done it.
ReplyDeleteI envy you a little about all the calla lily blooms. I have five plants of them too, but three struggle very much and I think there is only one bloom in the making :-(. I suspect that the root competition with the Queen Palms nearby is so strong that it prevents the calla lilies from doing well.
I think we are in for a week of wonderful gardening weather and I intend to get as much done in the garden as possible. I hope you enjoy it to the max as well!
Warm regards,
Christina
I inherited these calla lilies with the garden, Christina. I suspect they've been in the ground for a long time. Even those planted around the lemon tree do well despite root competition but perhaps they got their start when the lemon tree was still small.
DeleteHi Kris, I've been wondering how you're faring with those massive storms I've been hearing about. Crazy isn't it? We've had record rainfall here too. Your bouquets look like they're straight from the florist, only BETTER! Absolutely gorgeous. I love how your birdies are nesting. I put up three new birdhouses last fall. I'm hoping birds will take up residence. Great post!
ReplyDeleteWe weren't affected nearly as much as Northern and Central California by the rains but there were some mudslides and floods in the surrounding area. Last Friday was the worst of it here. Today's rain wasn't bad but there's yet another storm due this weekend. I'm worrying about my succulents rotting...
DeleteLovely bouquets, as usual!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anca!
DeleteLove the white/yellow and white/blue combinations, Kris - both look so fresh and full of spring :) I think I can see how much your flowers are enjoying the moisture! We did get a bit more rain over the weekend; it's going to be great to go into summer with the soil "tanked up".
ReplyDeleteWe're thoroughly saturated here now, Amy. I'm actually looking forward to a chance to dry out a bit.
DeleteI see you've quite a lot of bird activity as well, Kris. We hear about your rain in the news - it's fab one way but I hope you're not suffering damages. Your vases are gorgeous as usual. I always enjoy the variety and elegance of your displays. Best wishes, Annette PS: Why is it so difficult to leave a comment???
ReplyDeleteSadly, rain in California often means mudslides and floods. You'd think we'd have adequate protections in place by now...
DeleteI can't explain why you have a persistent problem with leaving a comment. The Blogger-Wordpress connection has always created periodic problems (on both ends) but I haven't heard of problems from other Wordpress users of late. I note that you also have a Blogger profile - perhaps that impacts the interface somehow?
What an absolutely stunning lily and freesia arrangement. Perfect. The white is so white (!) and the darker honey throats of the freesias add great texture. The birds around here are beginning to pair up. It's lovely to see everything gearing up for spring isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to a beautiful spring, Allison! Maybe I'll get a good show from my Iris for a change this year.
DeleteWhat fabulous Calla lilies Kris! I love both of your vases. Just wish I could smell those Freesias... ;-)
ReplyDeleteIf I could bottle the Freesia scent, I would, Cathy!
DeleteI love those Callas! Your new vases are getting a good work out, too. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThose new vases are the perfect size.
DeleteWhat beautiful arrangements! Thank you for sharing them, they are very inspiring.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, Teri!
Delete