As pandemic restrictions drag on, I've been spending entirely too much time surfing the internet. That's led to some purchases I might not have made otherwise. One of those arrived recently and, after some deliberation, I decided it probably wasn't going to work in the location I had in mind, or even for the purpose I originally had in mind. For the time being, I decided to use it as a vase. Or, perhaps instead of saying "it," I should say "them."
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| Sold as a collection, I'd planned to fill the "Triplet Sculpture Planter" with small succulents and place it in my shade house but the especially strong winds we recently experienced broke a couple of things there and I decided these resin pieces might not survive another such event. They have drainage holes so they're not intended to be used as vases but I managed to work around that problem. |
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| The planting space is quite small in all three cases. I was able to insert a tiny bud vase in the middle one but was forced to resort to two shot glasses as water reservoirs in the other two. |
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| I mixed and matched materials to fill the planter cavities, clockwise from the upper left: Calliandra haematocephala, Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', and L. 'Wilson's Wonder' |
I had another of my more unusual vases in mind for my second arrangement but in the end decided to use a conventional vase which better fit the contents.
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| I cut one stem of Hippeastrum 'Lemon-Lime' and prepared it for use in a vase as I did last year, inserting a stick up the hollow stem, stuffing in some cotton, and closing the bottom using a rubber band |
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| Back view: Grevillea and Leucadendron stems provided the primary accents |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Correa 'Wyn's Wonder', Grevilleas 'Peaches & Cream', Hippeastrum 'Lemon-Lime', Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', and noID paperwhite Narcissus |
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
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| The triplets landed on the fireplace mantle |
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| and the Hippeastrum arrangement sits on the dining table |
All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
So amused by your non-identical triplets. What amusing vases to place imagined hair-dos or decorated hats.
ReplyDeleteI need to find a better way to provide water for the plant material if I'm to use the triplets as vases on a regular basis, Noelle. The shot-glass reservoirs are awkward to use.
DeleteAlthough the 'traditional' vase arrangement is beautiful, it can't compete with the fun, last minute genius repurposing of your online purchase. I love them!
ReplyDeleteThey are cute! Luckily, at least the Leucadendron stems can get by on minimal water.
DeleteWhat an entertaining trio! And I love the calliandra and the grevillea! Such lovely cheerful colour - just what we need here today. Ghastly cold and sleety weather. Yuk! Love too the gentle springlike colours in what I always think of as your bubble vase! A
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear the triplets have been well-received, Amanda. I hope better weather is in the cards for you soon!
DeleteI think they're great. While I don't have a problem with regular vases and flowers, these definitely liven it up. I like them. A LOT.
ReplyDeleteI do wish their cavities were just a smidgen larger to allow me to insert bud vases in all three. I imagine that pulling the shot glasses out daily to refill with water will get old fast.
DeleteThe traditional vase is beautiful. That hippeastrum is spectacular. At my garden club's last meeting a florist gave us a demonstration. She recommended dipping stems like that and hydrangeas too into alum--supposedly opens ups the capillaries and allows the flower to continue absorbing water. Your technique must have been successful too though since you tried it last year. I love the whimsey of the trio of vases too. The materials are still totally you, but interesting to see a different style. Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of using alum to stiffen stems before but I see that there are other advocates of that approach online, Susie. Maybe I'll add that step to those I already take.
DeleteThose three little faces are fascinating, such characters!
ReplyDeleteThey do look like they have stories to tell, Diana!
DeleteOh your triplets are adorable, Kris - love them all! I wonder if I can buy them here...? The miniaturised contents work really well - well sourced! I love how the green of the foliage in your second vase picks out the centre of the hippeastrum - that works so well too. Thanks for sharing your creations, Kris
ReplyDeleteThe triplets came from Singapore, Cathy! I expect the seller ships to the UK too. They were a bit, although I got them for what was supposedly a "special" price ;)
DeleteMy husband loves the triplets, high praise! Well done selecting the plant material to fill them, it suits the vases. I admit to liking the more conventional vase better!
ReplyDeleteThe second arrangement is my favorite this week too, Amelia.
DeleteOh they are definitely unique characters Kris and all now have their own striking hairstyles thanks to your creativity. I think that we're all perhaps spending too much time on the internet at the moment. I know that I am. Hippeastrum 'Lemon -Lime' is most striking.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall where I got that 'Lemon-Lime' Hippeastrum, Anna, but I do remember picking it out on the fly. Now I wish I'd purchased more than one bulb!
DeleteThe "triplets" are fun! They put a smile on my face, definitely charming whimsy, not weird.
ReplyDeleteExcellent arrangements in them, too.
I thought the triplets should be coordinated but not identical, HB. They seem to be a hit, generally speaking. My husband hasn't said anything about them, good or bad, but I consider that a positive response when it comes to him ;)
DeleteI love the heads. Not weird at all to me.
ReplyDeleteThey seem to be a winning effort at doing something different, Lisa.
DeleteWhat fun, I love your face pots and their flowers. What a gorgeous hippeastrum and so much prettier in a vase than sitting in a pot on top of a long giraffe neck.
ReplyDeleteI entirely agree about the Hippeastrum flowers, Chloris. As I recall, they have a pretty good vase life too, albeit not quite as long as they have in their uncut form.
DeleteLove those little pots! They brought a smile to my face this morning.
ReplyDeleteI saw the pots flash by on a sponsored Instagram post and initially ignored them but, when I continued to think about them days later, I took to my PC and conducted a search and voila!
DeleteI don't even know how to describe with words how much I love what you did with those three head vases. Each arrangement is perfect for it's container. They're similar enough they work together nicely, yet individual enough they hold your interest. So good!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Loree. I debated using different materials in each "vase" but decided that, as triplets, they needed to play off one another.
DeleteArtsy and fun, I love the triplets! And the lemony Hippeastrum is lovely... I'm wondering where I can get one for myself... :)
ReplyDeleteThere are still some late sales on Hippeastrum bulbs out there, Eliza!
DeleteYour planters are such fun! I especially like the tall white one, but can see it might not be stable enough in a windy spot. Adore that lemon Hippeastrum! What a beauty! Hope it lasts well for you!
ReplyDeleteThe Hippeastrum is doing fine thus far, Cathy, but the small water reservoirs in the face planters dry out even more quickly than I imagined they would. I've got to find a better alternative to the shot-glasses I inserted in their cavities - or resort to succulents to fill them in the future.
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