Today is Memorial Day in the US. Officially, it's a day to recognize the people who gave their lives in military service. Unofficially, it marks the start of summer. In Southern California gardens, flowering Agapanthus are another sign of summer so it seemed appropriate to use them in an arrangement this week.
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| Along with the blue and white Agapanthus, Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) seems to be taking off at last |
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| Back view: I used the last of the larkspur (Consolida ajacis) and the sweet peas from my cutting garden to fill out the arrangement |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: noID Agapanthus, Eustoma grandiflorum, Consolida ajacis, and Lathyrus odoratus |
I cleared out large sections of the raised planters in my cutting garden late last week. Taking out the sweet pea vines revealed three stems of gladiolas, which provided the contents for my second arrangement.
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| I thought I'd removed all gladiola bulbs from my raised planters last fall but apparently I missed a few |
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| Back view: I made use of the various pink Alstroemeria varieties as flesh out the arrangement |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', Argyranthemum frutescens, White Butterfly', noID Gladiolus, and Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' |
Flags are at half-staff today across the US in observance of Memorial Day. They were at half-staff at all federal buildings last week from Tuesday through Saturday to acknowledge yet another massacre of innocent children by a gunman. A cloud is hanging over our country. Meanwhile, the US Congress is on a weeklong break associated with the Memorial Day holiday and some members of the Senate are probably hoping the American public has a very short attention span.
For other IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Oh your all blue vase is a show stopper Kris and it must cool you down just to look at it. Summer here still seems a long way off. The events in Texas were tragic 😭
ReplyDeleteAlthough we've had periodic heat spells lasting 3-4 days now and then since January, we've been on the cooler end of the spectrum for a couple of weeks now, Anna. This is in part due to the return of our morning marine layer. But summer's heat can be held off for just so long...
DeleteSadly, last week's events in Texas aren't at all uncommon. The US has a serious gun problem.
I love the blues, Agapanthus eludes me, though I have two or three clumps of foliage around..amazed you still have Larkspur, and it is fat and happy! I am feeling a slight shift in the gun continuum with the Uvalde tragedy. Hope it continues.
ReplyDeleteAgapanthus can take time to settle in, Amelia. Maybe yours will surprise you at some point.
DeleteI hope your sense of the direction of the current talks about gun control is correct - we've heard that so many times before that it's hard not be to cynical.
Lovely classic blue and white - especially that gorgeous pale larkspur. Aggies are synonymous with summer here too and are usually blooming for Christmas. Your pretty in pink bunch compliments that green vase beautifully.
ReplyDeleteLisianthus are a total mystery to me. Do you grow them from seed or plugs? Are they annual or perennial in your garden? Judging by their delicate appearance I’d always assumed they were tricky. Any tips?
Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) is notoriously difficult to grow from seed, although some growers are now offering "pelleted" seeds. Those are supposedly easier to work with but I haven't tried them. I grow mine from plugs and they can be touchy even so. Apparently, they're Goldilocks when it comes to their soil requirements - they can't tolerate acid soil at all but also don't want soil that's too alkaline. I've had mixed experiences with them, possibly because I get them the neutral soil pH they want on some occasions but not all. When they're happy, they're short-lived perennials here. I believe the white ones I featured in my current arrangement are holdovers from last year. The blue variety I planted as plugs this year are developing buds but the foliage looks stressed. Whether that's due to too little moisture or soil additives, I can't say for certain.
DeleteThanks for the info, Kris. They do sound tricky, making their addition to your arrangements even more special.
DeleteOh, I love all your content today, Kris - in both vases! I don't expect I will ever have enough agapanthus to cut any for a vase, and I have dismally failed to grow lisianthus - but I do have 5 larkspur seedlings to plant out!! 😁
ReplyDeleteI hope your larkspur seedlings come through for you, Cathy! I actually pulled up the last of my larkspur on Saturday as, like my sweet peas, the plants were fading fast. I held some aside to include in this week's arrangement as I'd already fixated on a blue and white theme.
DeleteThe Agapanthus is just heavenly Kris and beautifully arranged! Your glads are outstanding as well. Mine aren't flowering yet but hope they'll be half as nice. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThe pink glads may be it for me this year, Susie, as I really did think I'd pulled out all the bulbs last year. There's one more stalk in the cutting garden that hasn't shown any sign of blooming yet (which makes me think it's a different variety) and a few left in one bed in my back garden.
DeleteI always get my fill of agapanthus when I visit you this time of year. Still wish I could have them growing here. And the color of those glads. Mine are just beginning to peak through the soil. I also adore the green vase. One of my favorites and perfect for that arrangement.
ReplyDeleteThanks Donna. That vase is one of my favorites too.
DeleteAlthough blue is my favorite color (and pink is somewhere much further down the list), I am in love with the pink creation. Using one of my favorite vases for it is a bonus. It reminds me of an oldish movie title that describes it well: "The Incredible Lightness of Being".
ReplyDeletechavli
The vase has an art nouveau vibe. I love it too.
DeleteYes, June = Agapanthus here. All the blues are lovely together. I grew Larkspur once. It was so pretty. Need to do that again.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, a dark cloud over all. Two suicidal 18 year olds decided to take 32 innocent people with them, because guns make it so easy.
I was surprised to find that larkspur (unlike the "fancy" Delphiniums) is pretty easy to grow, at least if the seeds get a bit of chill (in the fridge before sowing if necessary) and they get sufficient water as seedlings. They did better in prior years than this year but I think the periodic flashes of heat during what was supposed to be our version of winter may have been an issue.
DeleteThe gladioli must have been a nice surprise! Your blue and white vase is absolutely gorgeous Kris. Really love all the different elements to it and it is so cool and refreshing. I also just took a look at your post about the patio makeover and love that circular pot you have on your table. We also had one of those roll-out shades at our old house… wind is so much of an issue here though, so we just move to behind the house or barn when it gets too hot! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe sweet pea vines were literally strangling the gladiolas so it was a good thing I "rescued" them, Cathy ;) As to the retractable shade, there are concerns about exactly how much wind it can handle...
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