While I have a few red flowers in the garden, I couldn't come up with any mixes that excited me. Given last week's unseasonably hot and dry conditions, my color schemes were driven by a desire to make use of selected flowers before Mother Nature left them withered shells rather than flowers in colors more appropriate for Valentine's Day.
My first arrangement was inspired by the blooms of the 'Chantilly' snapdragons I planted in late November. Snapdragons don't do at all well in the heat here and, even though temperatures are expected to drop today, I'm not sure how long the cooler weather may last. It felt more like early summer than early spring last week and some cool-season flowers have already taken a hard hit.
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| There weren't enough snapdragon stems to rely exclusively on those so I called on my standby Grevilleas for support |
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| Back view: In addition to the fancy 'Chantilly' snapdragons, I cut a noID orange-flowered variety I purchased as part of a 6-pack mix I planted last fall |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus 'Chantilly Bronze' and 'Chantilly Peach', noID Antirrhinum majus, Freesia, Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Poorinda Leane', G. 'Superb', and Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' |
I spied a couple of stems of pink Alstroemeria poking up beneath one of my large shrubs and picked those for a second arrangement thinking I might be able to play off those flowers to create something with a Valentine's Day flair. When I couldn't find anything in the right tone to serve as a focal point, I cut yet another stem of Hippeastrum 'Luna'.
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| The pale green of Hippeastrum 'Luna' provides a nice complement to the pink Alstroemeria. 'Luna' just keeps on giving. Each of the 3 bulbs in the large pot produced at least 3 bloom stalks. I still have one stalk in the early stages of bloom and what appears to be a newly developing stalk. In addition, I have another pot with one bulb that has 3 stalks in the early stage of blooming. |
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| Most of the pink blooms ended up pushed to the back of the arrangement. I included one half-open Anemone coronaria flower because the hot, dry conditions have been putting a very quick end to the Anemones. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria*, noID Antirrhinum majus (part of the aforementioned 6-pack), white Freesia, pink Freesia with noID Alstroemeria, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', noID Narcissus, and Hippeastrum 'Luna'. *The Anemone doesn't appear to be the 'Mount Everest' variety I'd ordered. |
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Your antirrhinum blooms are an intriguing shape, Kris, and I am wondering if it is that particularly veariety - the colours pair so well with the ever-useful grevillea. Love the greenish blooms of the hippeastrum in your second vase!
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that the snapdragons in the 'Chantilly' series are hybrids bred for stronger stems, upward facing blooms, and even light scent, Cathy. They aren't all that easy to find. Seed sources, when available at all, dry up early and I've yet to see any of these plants sold locally. I got mine from a mail order nursery last November.
DeleteIt's a shame you're already having to deal with such heat. The snapdragons and Anemone are so pretty and I love the narcissus with 'Luna'. Happy Valentine's Day, Kris!
ReplyDeleteSadly, the Anemone coronaria blooms were hit hard by the hot, dry conditions we've had the last week. I'm hoping they'll rebound with the return of cooler temperatures. There was a slight chance of rain in the forecast for tomorrow but it seems to diminish by the hour.
DeleteThe first two snapdragon blooms look so different than the NoID one, which has the more recognizable 'jaw'-e shape. All with dreamy shades of summer. The second vase has enough pink to qualify for a Valentine's Day, though any bouquet is suitable in my opinion. And is it okay to admit that I prefer the 'pinkier' back side to the front?
ReplyDeleteThe first two snapdragons are part of the hybrid 'Chantilly' series. I love these flowers but they aren't easy to find. The two sides of the second arrangement do look very different, don't they? I should've placed it in a position in which it could be easily viewed from both sides ;)
DeleteDefinitely up to floral standard for Valentine's, red not required, just lovely flowers and you have excelled - the corally pinks are fabulous and not seen here. Still boggles my mind you can grow narcissus.
ReplyDeleteNarcissus does surprisingly well here, Amelia. The noID variety in the second arrangement came with the garden so it's survived well over 10 years with no coddling. There are even some at the bottom of my neglected back slope in an area with no irrigation that return every year!
DeleteBoth lovely vases Kris but I think that the cooler toned one steals my heart this week. I placed a seed order last night but the seed company concerned had sold out of the snapdragon 'Chantilly Bronze' I was after 😢 My search continues but I can admire yours from afar.
ReplyDeleteI think that seeds in the hybrid 'Chantilly' snapdragon series are still in short supply, Anna. I noticed that two sources here report being sold out. I was lucky to get my plants in small pots from a mail order nursery back in November.
DeleteI love any flowers at Valentine's Day....these are both gorgeous. They seem to sing both spring and summer to me.
ReplyDeleteLast week really felt like a twisted mix of spring and summer, Donna. Winter heatwaves aren't unknown here but, combined with our low rainfall trend, it wasn't welcome, except perhaps by some surfers ;)
DeleteCertainly up to Valentine's Day standards, they are both so pretty. The first vase has your signature peachy shades which I always admire. I love Luna too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cloris! 'Luna' has been an especially strong performer. I'm going to transplant at least 3 of the bulbs into my garden to see if I can get them to naturalize. I had less of a problem doing that in my former garden 15 miles away than I've had thus far in my current garden.
DeleteOh I would have been very happy to receive that first arrangement for Valentines Day, well done!
ReplyDeleteThanks Loree!
DeleteAbsolutely gorgeous arrangements this week, Kris. The first is scrumptious, I love that color palette and the second simply shouts, "Spring!" Most pleasing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Eliza. Both arrangements are also holding up well relative to last week's arrangements, which had to cope with very low humidity :)
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