Floral pickings are relatively spare right now but I managed to cobble together some scraps from the garden for a small arrangement that doesn't include my year-round bloomers this week. As Christmas decorations have begun to fill the house, there's less space for vases anyway.
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| The Osteospermum blooms front and center here are seedlings that came up in the middle of the dirt path that runs behind my backyard border. They appear to be offspring of Osteospermum '4D Silver', which I haven't been able to find for some time and which I'd never thought would come up true to form from seed. |
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| Back view featuring the globe daisies (Globularia x indubia) that recently reappeared |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum 'White Butterfly', noID Ceanothus, Globularia x indubia, Osteospermum '4D Silver', Vitex trifolia 'Purpurea', and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light' |
As the arrangement I created two weeks ago is still sitting on the dining room table (minus only the Mangave bloom spikes), the new arrangement landed on the kitchen island.
I attempted another wreath this year but, running out of patience and struggling with a backache, it failed to live up to my expectations. I erred in failing to hydrate the cut stems overnight after I assembled the materials in small bundles before wiring them to a metal frame the next morning. My guess is that it won't hold up long even hung outside.
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| I interspersed bundles of Coleonema 'Sunset Gold', Chondropetalum elephantipes and Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' (shown upper right) with berries of a noID Cotoneaster (middle right) and bundles of Leucadendron 'Chief' and Prunus caroliniana (lower right). I found ribbon that looked like burlap (if it was wired and infused with a dusting of gold glitter) in my gift wrap stash. |
I brought home a pre-made pine wreath when we picked up our Christmas tree on Friday. I always embellish these with cuttings from the garden, although I used a lighter touch than usual this year.
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| In addition to the ribbon I've reused for years now, I added an angel, more Cotoneaster berries, and Leucadendron 'Blush'. The last were leftovers from last week's vase. |
A garden gnome, released from his confinement in the garage only for a brief interval each December, took his place near the front door to greet visitors.
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| The gnome came from a favorite nursery on a 50% off sale when it closed many years ago. He was missing a fishing pole so I give him succulents, berries or other cuttings to hold each year but he never looks less grumpy. The smaller climbing gnome hanging from his cap usually goes on the pine wreath or the Christmas tree but he earned a new role this year. |
For more IAVOM posts, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Love your healthy scraps, Kris. Lovely color on the Ceanothus with the Osteospermum and the vase. The Christmas decorations look beautiful too. A neighbor gave me some nice magnolia branches yesterday. Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteIf I'd thought ahead, Susie, I'd have saved some Magnolia branches for my wreath when the tree service was here the day after Thanksgiving. I picked up two that fell after they cleaned up and left but I left them in the sun too long and they didn't make the cut when it came to putting my wreath together. There's always next year!
Delete"scraps from the garden"? I have no blooms currently and find you 'scarps' an abundance. Your vase today have lovely rich color scheme. How fun that '4D Silver' seedlings proved true to color. I do appreciate "gentle" holiday decorations; I shoved Nandina berries and a confiner cutting in a vase and called it good :-D
ReplyDeleteI hope you back recovers soon.
Everything is relative! It seems my head sets its norms for floral production based on late spring ;)
DeleteYour Christmas wreathes are inspiring. They look wonderful if your sunshine.
ReplyDeleteThe sunshine departed behind clouds today, Noelle, although the current forecast doesn't show any rain until the wee hours of tomorrow morning. Given the depth of our drought (and its long-term repercussions), I'm looking forward to a bit of gloom.
DeleteAahh, love the gnome! Your Christmas decorations are lovely too. I haven't made an effort this year yet, but this is inspiring. The Osteospermum in your arrangement is especially pretty.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I found myself going through the motions with respect to Christmas preparations myself this year, Cathy. I couldn't let my husband (aka Scrooge) know that, though - he'd rejoice if I elected to skip the celebrations altogether and then expect me to do that every year ;)
DeleteHow exciting to have the osteospermum self seeding - I noticed some of mine in pots have survived the few frosts we have had, although I wasn't planning to overwinter them. These 4D ones are so striking, aren't they? It works so well with your ceanothus. Well done for getting your wreath done, even if you doubt its longevity - sadly I haven't found the time to do one here yet, although usually have got one on the door at the start of the month. Not sure there are any berries on our holly now either...
ReplyDeleteI was thrilled with the Osteospermum '4D Silver' seedlings, Cathy. I'd always assumed these hybrids reverted to the form of their single-petaled ancestors. The 4D varieties work well in arrangements, unlike the single-petaled varieties that close up in low light.
DeleteLovely wreaths and love the gnome climbing gnome. Can we see your tree too, please?
ReplyDeleteThe tree looks very much like the one I decorated last year, Tracy. Maybe I'll show it later if I get a good photo of the cat sleeping under it ;)
DeleteVery pretty holiday offerings, Kris. I like the grumpy gnome and his rosy cheeks!
ReplyDeleteI saw on the weather that you might have some rain headed your way soon. Fingers crossed!
The forecast isn't as good as it was looking last week, Eliza, but it still seems certain we're going to get rain here from the wee hours of Tuesday through mid-afternoon. Originally, there were projections exceeding one inch of rain but it now looks like half that :( I turned our irrigation system off last week when we got 15/100ths of an inch.
DeleteI like your home made wrath Kris ! I wish I could find somewhere to forage Pyracantha berries. My neighbor has a row of Cotoneaster that used to drape the berries over my fence but now she has her mow-blow guy chop the plants down a couple times a year so it never gets berries anymore.I just don't get it.
ReplyDeleteYou might have some wrath, but you know what I meant !
DeleteYes, I knew what you meant, Kathy! I guess your neighbor doesn't care much about birds if she prunes the shrubs before they bear fruit. The berries are the main attraction of Cotoneaster in my view.
DeleteVery pretty wreaths. I am not much of a wreath maker but thought I would try using colourful branches this year to make a star for our front gates.
ReplyDeleteI haven't mastered wreath-making by any means, Elaine. My wreaths are too skinny. Using branches to make a star sounds like a great idea!
DeleteI really love your arrangement, Kris -- the cool-colored foliage is perfect with the blue flowers! And I'm amazed that your Osteospermum came true.
ReplyDeleteI hope your wreath holds up after all, as it's quite pretty. Hopefully in a year or two I'll be settled enough to make a wreath, but in that case I'll have to plant a few evergreens in order to have anything much to cut! ;-)
I don't have any of the traditional evergreens (e.g. pines), Amy, but Leucadendron and even cherry laurel foliage holds up amazingly well. My wreath is getting a good soaking this morning which may help it survive as I didn't have the sense to hydrate the cut stems beforehand ;)
DeleteI love your wreath! (the one you made) It is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI'd hoped to make this year's wreath a lot bulkier, Loree, but I just didn't give it the time and patience needed to create the number of plant bundles I needed to do that. Next year (maybe).
DeleteThe colors on the bouquet are wonderful and go so well with the very pretty vase.
ReplyDeleteThe grumpy Gnome is exactly how I feel without rain. Are your collection tanks full already? We're getting a glorious soaking here. Hooray! Enjoy the rain!
It's a decent storm, HB! We've received about 2/3rds of an inch of rain from this storm thus far, hopefully with more to come this afternoon. The 50 and 160-gallon tanks are full. I haven't even tried to assess the 265-gallon tank. It's fed from the smallest roof (the garage) so I'm collecting rain in plastic trugs to dump into it after the rain stops.
DeleteThe Osteospermum are a nice Christmas surprise. They look wonderful in your blue vase.I love both wreathes and the one you made looks great, wreathes are hard to make! I used berries sometime and they might last a week outside, depending on the weather and if the birds find them..
ReplyDeleteI just refilled my bird feeders so hopefully the birds will leave the berries on the wreaths alone. Right now, I'm watching them swamp the feeders in the rain from my office window :)
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