In the fall, I planted Dutch Iris 'Eye of the Tiger' bulbs on a whim. The flower was described as blue and bronze and I know there was a photo attached to the bag but, when the plants started blooming last week, I wasn't in love with the flower.
I haven't made a decision about whether or not to leave the bulbs in my back border to multiply but, as one of my tests of garden worthiness is whether a flower works in floral arrangements, I challenged myself to use it for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. It took me a while to locate suitable companions but, if I walk around my garden enough times, I can usually come up with something. I'll leave you to judge how I did.
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| Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' picked up the bronze color in the lower petals of the Iris. Leucospermum 'Goldie' echoed its yellow spots |
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| Back view: I used stems of Lavandula stoechas and Salvia discolor to play off the Iris standards |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Lavandula stoechas, Salvia discolor, Iris hollandica 'Eye of the Tiger', and Leucospermum 'Goldie' |
My second arrangement was inspired by the first foxglove blooms in my cutting garden. I planted plugs of Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Mix' in November. In the past, the mixes have always yielded flowers in shades of pink, purple, or white but, thus far, all those coming into bloom are peach-colored. In prior years, I've had to hunt for specimens in that color but not this year.
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| I'd intended this as the front of the arrangement, however, in the end, I felt both sides were equally presentable. Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' and G. 'Superb' are prominent in this view. |
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| The other side of the vase highlights Leucospermum 'Brandi' (recycled from one of last week's arrangements) and Ranunculus |
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| Top view |
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| Top: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Agrostemma 'Ocean Pearls', and Argyranthemum 'White Butterfly' Middle: Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', and G. 'Superb' Bottom: Heuchera maxima, Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi', and Ranunculus 'Salmon' |
We've been given a 99% chance of rain for Monday, although, as I prepare this post under nearly cloudless skies, that's a little hard to believe. Still, my fingers are crossed for a good, solid soaking as our all-too-short rainy season nears its end.
For more IAVOM posts, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
You've done great with the iris challenge: the colors of the accompanying blooms are well matched. I don't have 'Eye of the Tiger' in my collection yet. It is always sold out by the time I get to ordering online. (I'm also drooling a little over Salvia discolor...)
ReplyDeleteThe second vase is superb. I'm glad you got a plethora of the coral-shade foxglove, they are less common. Do you let your foxglove reseed at all?
I'm too impatient to rely on self-seeded foxgloves so I generally buy plugs each fall as they reliably bloom the following spring, which those grown from seed don't do. I also grow foxgloves only in my cutting garden as the rest of my garden doesn't get the water they need to thrive and the contents of my raised planters turn over with the seasons so any seedlings that do emerge are likely to be lost in the process.
DeleteGood to have a personal challenge! I must admit I didn't warm to the first one, but then again I am not a fan of these iris, nor yellow, and certainly prefer the second one. You have had great success using foxgloves in your vases, and today is no exception - it's something I tend not to think of
ReplyDeleteI never thought of using foxgloves in vases until I started growing them in my cutting garden, Cathy. (And I gave up on growing them elsewhere early on as the rest of my garden doesn't get the water they require.) I was surprised at how well they branch out when the central stem is cut.
DeleteI think you did a great job with the flower arrangements. Such beautiful colours!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nikki!
DeleteI think you have brought out the best of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ with the matching golden color within Abelia Kaleidoscope and the bright yellow of Leucospermum ‘Goldie’ as the purple’s complement. Beautiful arrangement. The second arrangement is outstanding with the Foxglove and two Grevilleas. I see that you have Agrostemma this year, I suspect was from Annie’s. I had Agrostemma ‘Milas’ in 2020 and had hoped it would self-sow but it did not. I loved it growing between my roses that I have considered purchasing it again. We have received >0.5 inch of rain in ~2hours. Very exciting! Happy gardening, Kris.
ReplyDeleteYou're correct, Kay - the Agrostemma 'Ocean Pearls' came from Annie's. I ordered just one plant to flesh out an order to get maximum value from the shipping fee. I've tried it twice before with no self-seeding in either case. I placed it poorly this time as it's already flopping a bit.
DeleteYay for the rain! My total as of this evening is 0.70/inch. I've done very well with my rainwater collection, although I'm exhausted from toting water from point A to tank C ;)
Your arrangement makes me like the iris much better. You chose some excellent companions for it. Love the second design with that awesome foxglove. I haven't been able to find a place that will sell plugs to individuals, only growers. Would love to find plants that way.
ReplyDeleteWhat I call "plugs" are the plants that come in 6-packs, Susie - they're little different in size from the tiny plants sold by some of the major growers like Burpee. I've never been able to get 6-packs of the 'Dalmatian Peach' variety, though, and have seldom even seen a single plant included in the mixes sold locally. This may be an anomaly - or a mistake.
DeleteThe foxgloves bring such a nice line to the second vase. Glad you scored some peachy ones! Maybe 'Eye of the Tiger' is relegated to the cutting garden? I like the rich colors but maybe they don't work in your main gardens. It amazes me how Salvia discolor has so many admirers. It does throw out a few of those high-contrast blooms but in my experience is just not a good garden plant. It's straggly and floppy, and unless you point the camera at the blooms they read as invisible in the garden -- I must be doing something wrong with this salvia!
ReplyDeleteThis Salvia discolor has a greater presence than the one I previously grew but it still has a trailing nature, Denise. You might like it better if it was allowed to weave among other plants. As a cut flower, my only issue is that it's so sticky it can be awkward to work with. It's near-black floral color distinguishes it though.
DeleteEverything looks great, I love a little bronze here and there, just a touch and the Iris looks great in the mix. Those foxgloves are fabulous.
ReplyDeletePeach foxgloves are my favorite, Amelia, but you can usually only get them in larger sizes at premium prices, if you can find them at all. It's odd that, so far at least, all those I planted seem to be popping up in that color. I rather hope there's a purple or white one among the dozen I planted!
DeleteBoth beautiful arrangements Kris and for once I don't have a favourite 😂 I wonder ff 'Eye Of The Tiger' could be the sort of flower that grows on you 🤔
ReplyDeleteAs Denise suggested, I think perhaps I just need to "hide" the bulbs somewhere where they're not quite so prominent, Anna. At present, they're in the very front of a border.
DeleteExuberance from those foxgloves! Exuberance just right for springtime.
ReplyDeleteThe 'Eye of the Tiger' Iris has been the only variety that did not survive in my garden. Or perhaps the spot it got was just too dry. It looks very striking with the Abelia foliage--the bronzy color seems to work perfectly with the orange tones in the Abelia.
I may keep the "Eye of the Tiger' bulbs, HB, but tuck them into a corner somewhere. That way, their appearance may be a delightful surprise instead of "what the heck?".
DeleteOh, that's a beautiful iris. And your colorful combinations are perfect, once again! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth!
DeleteI’m not normally a fan of Dutch iris, but this one has changed my mind. The colours are very striking, especially combined cleverly with the complementary abelia foliage; they bring out the best in one another. And peachy foxgloves are a dream. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteDutch Iris do remarkably well here with little care once planted and, even with our drought, each year they've returned reliably (generally in greater numbers and size) so they've earned a place in my garden. I do think I'm going to dig up and move the 'Eye of the Tiger' bulbs but I'm not planning to toss them.
DeleteTwo lovely arrangements again Kris. When I saw your first photo of the iris, I wasn't sure about it either. But you really did pick the perfect colours to go with it and I rather liked the result! The foxgloves are really pretty too and your peachy arrangement would probably go with that iris too…. So will it stay? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think the Iris will remain in my garden, although probably in a different location, Cathy ;)
DeleteI am not an impartial judge as I adore iris...I think it is a great vase...both are wonderful. The second is perfect for my color of the week, orange!
ReplyDeleteYes! Peach is the friendliest form of orange, Donna.
DeleteUsually it has not been this case, but we received more rain down in RB than up on the hill: my home weather station reported 1.46” of rain on March 28-29. Coincidentally last Friday, I severely cut back two ‘Sticks on Fire’ planted in 2010 in the curbside garden. Since then, it has been propagated to 3 other places in my garden, to many neighbor’s gardens on my street, as well as to other people who pick-up the cuttings left in a barrel. It also has been given to Valmonte Farm & Garden to sell. The winter color is exceptional, but its does grow rapidly once established.
ReplyDeleteI can see you removing yours in that location. You can have another 1/2 wine barrel for your dahlias!
Happy Gardening, Kris!
I've been told that there's some kind of geographical anomaly that can impact the amount of rain on the peninsula, Kay, but I've yet to check into whether that idea has any scientific credibility. In any case, your rain total for this last storm was slightly over twice ours. I'm envious!
DeleteI'm not sure about eye of the tiger: I think a solo appearance with a little of her own foliage, well lit. With all the other lovely material around her she is a bit lost. Lovely second arrangement with some most pleasing colours.
ReplyDeleteI think 'Eye of the Tiger' will be relegated to a spot with less exposure in my garden, Noelle. Interestingly, the color of the bloom's lower petals have changed quite a bit since our temperatures have fallen lower again.
Delete