Our Easter holiday was eerily quiet. I shared greetings with some friends by email and others by text and enjoyed watching the birds splash in our fountain - the white-crowned sparrows take their baths very seriously! I observed the holiday by refilling my bird feeders and filling jugs with flowers, which led to the creation of four vases, three of which I'll share here. As gloomy as the news is, the garden's overflowing with flowers and I find it hard not to get carried away.
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| Leucospermum 'Brandi' provided the inspiration for my first vase |
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| Back view: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' was responsible for tying all the elements together |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Leucospermum 'Brandi', Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Euphorbia x martinii 'Ascot Rainbow', Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset', and Xylosma congestum |
The calla lilies at the bottom of our back slope are plentiful this year and it occurred to me that they'd look nice on our living room mantle, which has been looking very bare of late.
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| I know many people allow calla lilies to stand on their own but I can only take simplicity so far |
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| Back view: I did manage to restrict myself to three elements in this arrangement, however |
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| Top view |
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| From left to right: Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', and Zantedeschia aethiopica |
The dwarf bearded
Iris on the back slope are also doing remarkably well this year. To my surprise, I discovered that the dark purple variety has a beautiful fragrance so I couldn't stop myself from cutting another stem this week. It had one fading bloom but two good-sized buds and, as the buds on last week's stem opened in my vase, I thought there's a good chance these buds will as well.
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| I added 2 stems of a new Dutch Iris that just started blooming this week, filling in with a mish-mash of other flowers |
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| Back view: The fresh green foliage accent is Prunus laurocerasus (aka cherry laurel), a prolific self-seeder here |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum frutescens, Iris hollandica 'Mystic Beauty' (only slightly different from 'Sapphire Beauty'), Cerinthe major, Freesia, Lavandula stoechas, buds of Iris germanica (possibly 'Darth Vader'), Limonium perezii, and Prunus laurocerasus |
My husband isn't much into holiday celebrations of any kind and I'd no illusions about the possibility of finding chocolates or other tasty treats on Sunday but he did hide an Easter egg of a different sort, which I found when I downloaded photos for this post.
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| He took this photo of Pipig in a pose signifying feline nirvana on her heating pad and left it for me to find when I used the camera for my IAVOM post |
Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to discover more IAVOM creations.
All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Pipig! The best kind of Easter egg, and not at all fattening! Beautiful Easter time flowers Kris - lots of them! Thank you, as always. Amanda https://therunningwave.blogspot.com/2020/04/in-vase-on-easter-monday.html
ReplyDeleteThank you Amanda!
DeleteAw, what a nice gesture that was from your husband... I don't think you have ever been lost for material to make a vase in all the time you have been joining us on IAVOM, and it is always fascinating to see what you have found from your bountiful garden. Much as I like the blues that you often find, today I especially like the more subtle first two vases - the centres of the euphorboa are graet for linking the other elements toegther. Thanks fo sharing Kris
ReplyDeleteWell, we don't have a winter season of the kind you do, Cathy, so we can effectively garden (without the assistance of a greenhouse) year-round, although things here reach a low ebb in late summer/early fall before our long dry spell is broken sometime in October.
DeleteAww, Pipig is adorable, such a sweetie! Nice surprise from hubby. :)
ReplyDeleteYour color combos are spot on, such a gift you have, Kris. The colors play so well together!
Only a cat can relax with such abandon, Eliza!
DeleteYour vases are lovely and so is Pipig's tummy hair - hope that means it has all grown back from her surgery.
ReplyDeletePipig's stomach fur WAS growing back until her late March appointment when the vet shaved it again for her mid-term ultrasound. It's coming back now but she has to have it shaved again at the end of April for her final test. I think that's why she spends most of her time on that blue heating pad!
DeleteWow, what vibrant flowers. Your vases are glorious. Very pretty cat too. Happy Easter Monday. Karen xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen. I hope you enjoyed a pleasant Easter despite the circumstances.
DeleteYour vases are always so vibrant and exotic looking, full of texture and variety. Having such beauty at your fingertips is unimaginable.
ReplyDeleteLove the picture of Pipig!
It was fun to find Pipig's photo with my IAVOM photos, Cindy. If only we all could learn to relax the way a cat does!
DeleteThis seems like the perfect time to get carried away with flowers from your own garden, why not! I did have to laugh at your "I can only take simplicity so far" comment! And thanks for sharing that shot of Pipig, it's wonderful.
ReplyDeletePipig is less fazed by her chemo treatments than I am, Loree, although I note that the photo was taken just before her 5th treatment, not after. One more to go!
DeleteWow times three! Your garden must be a botanical wonder now. Pipig looks like a cat that knows how to celebrate! I have been out of the loop and just read above that Pipig is receiving chemo treatments. So sorry to hear that. I am going back to read some of your previous posts to catch up!
ReplyDeleteI've missed you, Deb! I'm glad you, and your posts, are back.
Deletefabulous arrangements this week! And one very comfortable cat.
ReplyDeletePipig handles repetitive routines better than some of the rest of us, HB!
DeleteEvery vase is a winner!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue!
DeleteHi Kris, feeling the same as you..your garden looks fabulous I enjoyed the color separation post above, see a few new plants I would love to have..Glad to see Pipig enjoying the kitty life and nearly through with her treatments. The vases all are lovely - I think I especially enjoyed the blue one, Iris is a favorite of mine, the ones that will grow here are called Walking Iris, I am a little afraid of anything walking in Florida!!
ReplyDeleteIf it can walk, it can run, Amelia ;) I've wanted to try Neomarica but my guess is that, if they like your climate, they wouldn't like the dry conditions here.
DeleteIt's a rich time in your garden. I love each of these Kris. 'Brandi' set the stage for a great color theme. The calla lily arrangement is really striking (I've had them only once survive long enough to use in a vase). Of course the blue hued vase is dear to my heart. (Sorry to be late commenting. I tried the other day on my iPad but the comments from there seem to always fail, so I had to wait until I got back on my laptop. Loved your lath house tour too and the color themed blooms. So many gorgeous flowers and groomed grounds. Take care.)
ReplyDeleteIt's our spring peak! The calla lilies here surprised me, Susie. I didn't plant them - they came with the garden. They disappear completely when summer's heat arrives and reappear during our spring rainy season.
DeleteThe first two vases have such gorgeous shades of gold. I especially love the Euphorbia at the centre of vase number 1. I didn‘t get a chocolate egg either... my partner said he had hidden one in the garden but had forgotten exactly where!!!!! (He was joking, but I would never have found it anyway! LOL!)
ReplyDeleteHa! If a chocolate egg was hidden here, Cathy, it'd be carried off by a raccoon or a coyote before I could get to it - or possibly one of those gophers who recently moved in.
DeleteI rarely utter expletives of any kind. In my head it was OMG at the first one, and it just came up at each picture. Then I come to think about your skills as gardener and the wonderful soil and climate you have, I take my hat off to you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Noelle! I'm not sure how wonderful my soil is. It's heavy on sand so, while it drains wells, it unfortunately doesn't hold moisture during our long dry period and, during drought, that's a problem.
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