Dahlia production seems to be on pause. The plants that have been blooming for a month or more are still producing buds but there wasn't much in bloom to construct an arrangement around and the buds on the remaining dahlias have yet to open. I cut three bright red Zinnias and two stems of the white Amaryllis belladonna that appeared last week as a starting point and stuck with a red and white theme.
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| Caladium 'Tapestry' stole center stage from the flowers surrounding its colorful leaves. I planted a variety of Caladium bulbs in the bed along our front walkway years ago but most have either produced small leaves on virtually nonexistent stems or disappeared altogether. 'Tapestry' is the exception. |
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| Back view: I supplemented the Zinnias with several flower-like stems of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: white Amaryllis belladonna, Caladium 'Tapestry', Leucadendron salignum 'Safari Sunset', Crassula pubescens, Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', Persicaria capitata, and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Deep Red' |
I'm still preoccupied with my husband's post-surgical care so I didn't go over-the-top on flower arrangements this week as I usually do, although I prepared a very simple arrangement for the kitchen island.
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| I used one stem of Dahlia 'Calin', the first flowering stems of Clematis terniflora (aka sweet autumn clematis), Corokia x virgata 'Sunsplash', and Leucadendron 'Summer Red' |
For more IAVOM arrangements, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
I hope to have at least one other post this week but it may be awhile yet before I resume my regular Monday-Wednesday-Friday posting schedule.
All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Oh your red and whte theme works a treat, Kris, with the foliage of caladium (thought it was coleus at first!) and leucadendron perfect for complementing the zinnias and amaryllis blooms, Hope the surgery and post-operative care has been going well
ReplyDeleteThe surgery seems to have been effective, Cathy. Recovery is slower than we'd like but it's proceeding within the surgeon's expectations so that's positive. Six weeks from now all should be back to normal.
DeleteCatching up, so you are 2 weeks down. and 4 to go. Hope all goes well and this is soon a distant memory.
DeleteMy husband's getting better, albeit more slowly than either of us would like. The initial 6-week recovery projection seems to have been a little ambitious.
DeleteI am surprised at how much I love that caladium leaf with the vase you chose!
ReplyDeleteI wish Caladium was happier here and came back more reliably, Loree. As I suspect low water is the problem, I should probably return to growing it in a pot - or one of my many half-barrels.
DeleteI hope that your husband's surgery went as planned Kris and that your husband is making a good recovery. Do take care of yourself too. I initially thought that the caladium foliage was some sort of begonia 😀 Those deep red shades are most attractive indeed.
ReplyDeleteI'm very tired, Anna, but I suspect that'll change as my husband continues to improve. I usually avoid strong reds in my garden but I do enjoy it when it's balanced with white.
DeleteThe Caladium is crazy gorgeous and stands out, obviously, but the entire arrangement is quite stunning.
ReplyDeletePost surgery demands can be tasking, but it must feel good to be slowly leaving it behind and looking forward to recovery.
chervil
Recovery is supposed to take 6 weeks, Chavli, but of course my husband and I always expect that we can do things in less time. Patience is a virtue both of us need to work on ;)
DeleteI love the Caladium with the zinnias! Good luck with the continued care, six weeks will go by quickly and fall will roll in. Amelia
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm looking forward to fall all the more expectantly this year, Amelia, even if the calendar doesn't accurately reflect a change of season here in SoCal.
DeleteThat’s a gorgeous caladium, Kris. I’ve not seen Amaryllis belladonna in white before - does it have the same lovely perfume as the pink form?
ReplyDeleteI hope your husband continues to feel better each day and that you manage to squeeze in a little time for yourself too. With such a pretty garden, I imagine even a quick cuppa sitting amongst it would be beneficial. Take care.
I've read that the white form of Amaryllis belladonna is "rare" and, in this instance, I think that's correct as I've never seen them offered anywhere other than one mail order nursery. I actually got all my Amaryllis (white and pink) years ago from a blogger in Virginia who decided to send them to me when they didn't do well in her climate.
DeleteMy husband's definitely getting better, although I think he's pushing the timetable quite a bit, not that that's at all unusual in his case ;)
Good to hear that your husband is doing pretty well. That is what is important right now. Take good care of yourself, too.
ReplyDeleteThe red and white is really pretty. Red Dahlias and red Zinnias are so striking. Red has always been a favorite color of mine. The Caladium is a great expression of the red/white theme.
I avoided red in my former tiny garden as it seemed to overwhelm surrounding plants. That changed with my current garden but I still hesitate to use a lot of red.
DeleteThere's a story about a famous artist (I think it was J.M.W. Turner) who was at the pre-opening preparations for the big Royal Academy show. He was looking around at the other artists who were frantically touching up their paintings--sometimes extensively. He watches and watches. Then he walks up to his own painting, and carefully adds just a small spot of red, then declares the painting is now complete.
DeleteThe story goes that just a small touch of red grabs the eye, which then wanders over the rest of the painting, and that this is true for gardens as well.
Ha! Thanks for sharing that story, HB!
DeleteI'm sorry to learn that your husband had surgery and wish him a speedy recovery. Your flowers are breathtakingly beautiful as always and should help to cheer you all up a bit. That Leucadendron is so gorgeous, wish I could grow it. Or maybe I could? I shall lokk it up. Keep your chin up, best wishes
ReplyDeleteThanks Annette. Excess rainfall may not be an issue in growing Leucadendron given current circumstances, although cold winter temperatures could be.
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