In a Vase on Monday: Seeking Inspiration

There was no shortage of flowers to cut for "In a Vase on Monday" this week but I wasn't feeling inspired.  The last of my Dahlias, 'Diva', produced her first bloom last week but with only one bloom fully open I decided to put her off awhile.  Dahlia 'Bluetiful' produced 2 fresh blooms so I decided she deserved another spin; however, her pinkish-lavender color presented a challenge and I didn't want to simply duplicate my prior arrangement.  As usual, perseverance in scouring my garden for other options paid off.

I was able to find color echoes for 'Bluetiful' in a Salvia and an Osteospermum

Surprised to find Leucophyllum in bloom in the backyard border, I tucked a couple of stems into the back side of the vase.  Leucophyllum has the reputation of blooming after summer showers but we haven't had any of those and even our morning marine layer has been thin-to-invisible for the past week.  There's no rain in the long-term forecast here until November.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Bluetiful', Helichrysum petiolare, Leucophyllum laevigatum, Achillea ptarmica 'Peter Cottontail', noID Osteospermum, and Salvia canariensis var candidissima

While working in my lath (shade) house earlier in the week, I'd discovered that the 'Cherry Sorbet' lisianthus I planted in the window boxes there last year were coming into flower on ridiculously tall stems out of proportion to the boxes themselves.  I love the flowers and would like to find more but I need to put them somewhere other than window boxes and replant those with something more size-appropriate.  However, 2 cut stems of the lisianthus provided a jumping-off point for my second vase.

Of course, Dahlia 'Otto's Thrill' took over the show, pushing the pretty rose-like lisianthus into the role of bit player 

I still have lots of Caladium leaves in the lath house to use in arrangements too

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Otto's Thrill', Amaranthus caudatus, Caladium 'Tapestry', Westringia 'Morning Light', Eustoma grandiflorum 'Cherry Sorbet' and 2 other noID varieties of Eustoma grandiflorum (lisianthus) in pink and white

I hadn't planned on a third vase but the stem of another of the Dahlias, 'Citron du Cap', had collapsed under the weight of its own bloom so I cut a couple of those too.  The simple yellow and white color mix made it my favorite vase this week.

Dahlia 'Citron du Cap' hasn't produced many blooms and the stems are prone to breaking once the flowers open so, much as I like the flower's shape and soft color, I probably won't grow it in future years

Back of the vase, filled out using feverfew

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Citron du Cap', Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated", noID Cosmos, noID Lantana, and Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew)

Today's Labor Day in the US, which marks the unofficial end of summer; however, Mother Nature didn't get the message.  While it's uncomfortably warm and muggy, with air quality indices solidly in the "unhealthy" category here, Florida and other areas of the US eastern seaboard facing Hurricane Dorian will have an even tougher time finding enjoyment in the extended holiday weekend.  The second mass shooting in Texas in a month's time added yet another dark cloud over the US holiday.  You needn't expect another rant from me on the subject of gun violence - I'm too sad to summon the energy for it at the moment.  All I can do is to wish you a safe week.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

As last week's sunflower arrangement is still in good shape, I'm running out of spots for flowers while we continue to live in less than half a house during our remodel.  The last arrangement was photographed sitting on the counter in our 50 square foot temporary kitchen but my husband has already ejected it - there's a premium on counter space.

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