In a Vase on Monday: Shaking things up

My home is still chaotic.  As our remodel proceeds, there's a new wrinkle every day - and sometimes two or three.  Our contractor is off to meet with a structural engineer today to resolve an issue with the kitchen extension that impacts the new windows, which have already been purchased and paid for.  The earth not only seems unsteady under our feet, it actually gave us a couple of honest-to-goodness jolts last week with two of the largest earthquakes Southern California has had in decades.  Actually, I didn't even feel the first one.  I was working in the garden but I heard about it nearly immediately from friends and family.  The second one, registering 7.1 on the Richter scale, had 10 times the intensity of the first 6.4 quake.  I did feel that one but, as both were in Ridgecrest some 180 miles away, my area wasn't materially impacted.  Ridgecrest and its neighboring communities have experienced damage and serious disruptions but fortunately no deaths have been reported.  However, even at a distance, major earthquakes shake up everyone here in earthquake country with reminders of the necessity to be prepared for "the big one" we've been told is long overdue.  I grew up in SoCal and I've been through 2 major quakes but, exposed to a lot more small quakes, it's easy to become complacent.  My husband and I have emergency packs on hand and we've taken precautions to prevent furniture and appliances from falling over on us in the event of a strong quake but reminders to review those precautions are always useful.  Coincidentally, we already had an earthquake retrofit earmarked as part of our remodel plan.

But back to flowers!  A few weeks ago, Cathy, our "In a Vase on Monday" host at Rambling in the Garden, featured a vase mixing blue and orange flowers.  I tend to stick with analogous or harmonious colors rather than complementary colors when composing floral arrangements but, after seeing Cathy's arrangement, I decided it was time for me to mix things up.  There are some strong oranges and blues in my garden at the moment so the time was right.

I've also had to change things up when it comes to photographing my vases while living in only half a house.  This week I experimented by shooting pictures in both our temporary kitchen and a vacant corner of my office, recently cleared for work that will affect the wall adjoining the kitchen.  The pictures of this vase were taken in the latter spot with the help of a board pulled from the garage.

I wasn't sure about mixing Agapanthus and Leonotis leonurus (aka lion's tail) but I was surprised at how much I like the combination

Top view: The woolly Leonotis flower looks a little like an orange tarantula spider but it doesn't bite

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Agapanthus, Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', noID Lavandula angustifolia, Leonotis leonurus, and Cuphea 'Vermillionaire'

I fell back on my usual formula for my second vase.  I've been eagerly waiting for more of my Dahlias to bloom but, while there are fat buds developing on a few more plants, 'Enchantress' and 'Labyrinth' are still the only two cultivars blooming at the moment.  Both are pumping out flowers like there's no tomorrow.  Maybe the earthquakes shook them up too!

The bees are preoccupied with 'Enchantress' so I left left those alone this week

'Labyrinth' was slower to flower but it's working hard to pass up 'Enchantress' as top bloomer

These photos were taken in our temporary kitchen, attached to the north end of the house adjacent to our master bathroom

Top view: My husband outfitted the temporary kitchen using shelving and drawers from our old kitchen

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Labyrinth', Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Grevillea 'Superb', and Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream'

For more Monday vases, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party