There's a healthy supply of red and pink flowers in my garden at the moment and, in celebration of Valentine's Day tomorrow, I took advantage of them to create today's arrangements for "In a Vase on Monday." (Yes, there are two.) I was particularly happy with the first arrangement.
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| It's hard to believe that I avoided red in my former tiny garden, feeling that it overwhelmed the space. There are plenty of flowers and foliage in that color in my current garden. |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola', Calliandra haematocephala (bloom), Calliandra (flower buds), Coprosma repens 'Fireburst', and red and white Ranunculus asiaticus. The blooms of the Calliandra (aka Pink Powder Puff) don't last long either in a vase on on the plant but the tight flower buds are also attractive. |
I used another new vase. You may note that it looks similar to the one I used a couple of weeks ago. The garden center at which I purchased the earlier vase had 3 versions with the same shape but complementary designs. Well, as I had lunch planned with a friend and as he lives in Orange County, I offered to meet him down that way and, having a little free time prior to our appointment, I paid another visit to the garden center, leaving with the other 2 vases. Serendipity!
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| This version of the urn-shaped vase has more ivory color in its surface design |
My second vase is simpler.
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| The narrow throat of this vase limits how much I can stuff into it, which in my case is a good thing |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the left, this vase contains: Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star', Argyranthemum frutescens, Coriandrum sativum, noID Dianthus, and the first Lathyrus odoratus (sweet peas), blooming in pink for the holiday |
The house no longer feels right without a vase on the dining table and another in the front entry and that's where this week's vases landed.
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| After snapping my photo of the arrangement on the left, I noticed that the Anthurium on the credenza behind the arrangement is sporting heart-shaped leaves - how appropriate! |
Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for more vases. Happy Valentine's Day to all my favorite amateur florists and IaVoM participants!
All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Your flowers are so vibrant and lovely for Valentine's Day, Kris! The red Calliandra is so special, and reminds me of the Mimosa flowers from my childhood. The first vase is so lovely with all the patterning, I try to imagine making such a complicated design. I forget how different California winters are, such beautiful flowers! Things are very bleak here after all the cold and snow. The birds (and squirrels and raccoon) appreciate the seeds we put out. The Hellebores are getting buds. Happy Valentine's Day!
ReplyDeleteI hope winter gives you a break soon, Hannah! Pretty as they are, the first vase (and its companions) are clearly mass manufactured in pieces. I was able to see seams in the vases when I looked at them closely. Of course, that's probably why they were so reasonably priced.
DeleteI just love how your displays have two sides. The powder puff flower is fabulous even if it does not last. What drama!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to pay attention to how the arrangements look from all sides, at least when they're going to be placed so they can be viewed that way. You may note that I didn't bother showing the back of the second vase this time - it wasn't impressive but then it faces the wall in the front entry.
DeleteThe displays are sumptuous, Kris. I also realise just how many different and rather spectacular flowers are required to fill these vases.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ian. Southern California offers a wide range of growing options with its temperate climate (although summers can be a challenge) - and, this year, we've got rain to keep the flowers going too!
DeleteOh those ranunculus in the first vase - I just love them! But the shades of pink in the second vase are lovely too, especially accented by the pink foliage. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteI'm very fond of the Ranunculus too and wish I'd planted more of them. I put them in my new cutting garden this year, which allows me to give them the water they didn't get in prior years when planted in the borders, not that irrigation has been much of a problem this winter with all the rain we've received.
DeleteHappy Valentine's to you. I envy your Ranunculus, they are spectacular. And my house doesn't feel right anymore without a vase. Interesting what you said about red in the garden. I never really liked it either but now I have a fair amount and tones of red. Maybe it suits the tropics?
ReplyDeleteI think red and other strong colors work particularly well where sunlight is intense, as it is in your area and in my current area. Granted, my former garden was just 15 miles north of my current one but the area was very densely populated, with houses crowded up on one another, effectively creating dense shade around most of the house. In a shady garden, the softer colors seem to shine more than the deeply saturated ones.
DeleteGreat colors for V-day, especially the Ranunculus. The first flower buds on mine appeared yesterday. Yours are way ahead.
ReplyDeleteYour area gets a little colder at night than ours perhaps, Hoover Boo.
DeleteOh, my, the first vase made me squeal with delight as soon as I opened the page :) LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it, every single blossom and leaf!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty pleased with it myself, Eliza. I think its my favorite creation thus far this year.
DeleteI keep meaning to plant more Ranunculus and then I get distracted with the tulips.I found the quality of the Ranunc 'bulbs' to be so variable, and they can be planted either spring or fall here, and usually available both season. I imagine it's the same for you.
ReplyDeleteI cheated this year and picked the Ranunculus up in 6-packs, with the foliage already sprouted. A bed that looks bare like one freshly planted with bulbs seems to be an open invitation to the resident raccoons to go rummaging and I still haven't developed a proper protection system. I need to so something before the dahlia tubers I ordered arrive in April, though.
DeleteThe pink powder puff flowers always thrill me, the grevellia is glorious. Love your arrangements and am so glad that you got the other two vases to complete your set!
ReplyDelete'Penola' flowers for a limited period but it certainly blooms its heart out. This is the first combination I've done using the pink powder puff flowers that really pleased me.
DeleteYour on a roll! (buying new vases I mean) lovely Valentines arrangements!
ReplyDeleteHa! I need to clear out some of those tall vases I never use to make room for these short, squatty ones. Unfortunately, my husband is not one to bring me armloads of long-stemmed roses.
Deletethe first vase is perfect for Valentine's day or any day for that matter, I can see why you were rightly pleased with it. Your new vases are also gorgeous. Red looks good in bright sun where in greyer lights it might be overwhelming. The light levels you have in LA make it the perfect colour for your garden; and red foliage is such a joy.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Christina. Red and other strong colors are right at home in this sunny, exposed garden.
DeleteLove them both, but that first vase goes onto my favorites list, Kris - it's just perfect! I'm wishing I had planted Ranunculus again after all, as this year we are getting enough rain to take care of it, but I had no way of knowing after last summer and opted not to try...!
ReplyDeleteRanunculus may be able to stand heat but they do need quite a bit of water, which has been my undoing in growing them in the past. This time, I planted them in the raised vegetable planters turned cutting garden, where I thought I could manage their water needs better. However, as it turned out, Mother Nature did most of the watering for me.
DeleteAll that gorgeous rich red is wonderful, I love red flowers, a perfect Valentine' s Day arrangement. The pink one is lovely too and I love the vases.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Since I planted a mix of Ranunculus, I was very pleased that some of the red ones timed their entrance so well.
DeleteTwo gorgeous vases full of romantic colour! I love the first one with all those varied shades of red - you even found matching foliage! The new vase has a very nice shape with its slender, but not too slender, neck.
ReplyDeleteThat Coprosma 'Fireburst' was a wonderful addition to my garden, Cathy. It's more vigorous than most of the others I have and holds its color well.
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