Monday, December 19, 2022

In a Vase on Monday: Gift flowers - and a hand-made wreath

With Christmas a week away, time is short and flowers are few.  A friend stopped by on Saturday for a pre-Christmas get-together and gift exchange.  She brought flowers so those went into a vase for the dining room table.

The vase holds Chrysanthemums, bicolor and red Gerberas, Dianthus, and greenery

 

Among other things, I gave her this:

The seashell is one of many that were left behind by a prior owner.  I recently filled a larger clam shell with succulents (as shown here).  This smaller version was filled with miscellaneous succulents I had on hand.

 

On Sunday, I made another stab at creating a wreath using material in my garden.  This is the third time I've done this and I'm only nominally more pleased with this year's effort.  I used larger bundles of material this time but, in retrospect, I think I should have used shorter stems and more bundles.  As in prior years, I didn't give the project the time and patience it needed.  Here's a run-down:

I used a 14-inch metal ring as a base

I assembled various cuttings from the garden cut in roughly 8-9-inch lengths.  I didn't end up including the Magnolia grandiflora seed cones (mainly because I ran out of time and patience).

This was my first sample bundle, which I decided was too wispy.  I ended up including 3 stems of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', 2-3 stems of Leucadendron 'Chief', and one stem of Cotoneaster berries in each bundle. 

This is what the wreath looked like after the first pass.  I used 22-gauge paddle wire to attach the bundles, overlapping each with the next one in an alternating in-out pattern.

The finished wreath is shown above in place on the gate that separates my cutting garden from the northeast side dry garden.  I wired up the heavy Aeonium rosettes separately and added a small red ribbon as the final touch.  Clockwise from the upper right, the following 4 photos show closeups of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', noID Cotoneaster berries, and Leucadendron salignum 'Chief'.

    

Our annual tree pruning is scheduled to start early this morning.  My husband and I spun around the garden yesterday, moving furniture, pots, and breakable items out of harm's way.  We've used the same tree service, owned by an arborist, for years now.  They always do a good job but there's also always collateral damage and I expect to be spending hours doing cleanup afterwards.  It'll be nice to start the new year with that chore behind us, though.

For more IAVOM posts, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

 

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party





24 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Eric. I hope you and D have a merry one too - and my best to Lucy and Annie as well.

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  2. Such a lot to take in your post today, Kris. I am intrigued by the colour of those gerberas, and wonder if it is worth growing them next year - no idea how easy they are to grow, as I have always thought they could be a little tender in the UK. Your shell is definitely 'cute' - what a nice idea, and well done on your wreath whihc looks fine by me. I have not (yet) done one for our front door this year but from my garden 'diary' I see I made it on this date last year, so perhaps it will still happen, although not today! And yes, hope you too have a happy festive period, Kris 👍

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    1. One of my Southern California blogger friends grows Garvinea Gerberas, which are reportedly relatively hardy, handling temperatures down to 25F (or -4 to -5C). I've yet to be able to find them but they've done very well for her. Those I've grown in the past were prone to mildew, which is a persistent problem with certain plants here. Best wishes with your wreath!

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  3. Your wreath is fabulous! I am curious how the acacia dries, you'll have to let us know. Hopefully the tree trimming isn't too messy, although as you say some of it is inevitable. We had our roof demossed and the gutters cleaned last week and of course it made a huge mess and it's been to wet and cold for me to do anything about it.

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    1. I'm interested in how well the Acacia will do too, Loree. The stems hold up well in a vase but they're not getting any water in a wreath beyond whatever the marine layer contributes. It's colder than I'd like for cleanup operations here too (59F at present), although I suspect you'd consider it downright balmy.

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  4. Your wreath assembly with items from your garden is so pretty, it really shows your material to great advantage and the little succulent roses sums up your love of succulents. What a lovely present for your friend too.

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    1. If I'd had more time and patience I'd have added more succulent rosettes to the wreath, Noelle. They have to be wired separately as they're heavy.

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  5. I love the succulents, well, everywhere. I will be interested to see how they fare in the wreath (I think it looks great!) I hope it lasts for you. Merry Christmas.

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    1. I suspect the succulents in the wreath will last longer than any of the other materials, Amelia ;)

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  6. As lovely as the Gerberas are, I think you friend got the better deal; I love the planted up shell.
    You ended up with a wonderful wreath, fresh and full of movement!
    I am curious why you are impatient with it? You seem to have patience in abundance when it comes to many garden projects.
    Chavli

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    1. My level of patience seems to be directly correlated with the amount of time I have available. Most of my garden projects have no specific timetable but Christmas has a very specific deadline. There was a time, decades ago, when I finished all my Christmas shopping by Halloween, fitting it into my workaholic schedule padded with time to spare. Now for some reason I never start any of my preparations early enough.

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  7. What a great step-by-step post. Love it! Your arrangements (of all types) are beautiful. Happy Christmas!

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  8. Lovely wreath, Kris - far nicer than anything you could buy - and it comes with the satisfaction that you made it yourself! 🙂 - Horticat

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    1. Thanks Horticat, although next year I'm committing to give myself more time to put together a wreath ;)

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  9. Super inspiring! I used clippings from a holly-leaf cherry as background and filled in with leucadendron bracts. Thanks so much for the idea :)

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  10. I love your wreath Kris. Something completely different than the usual conifer ones. Not much of a wreath make myself but I did put together some really nice outdoor pots just before the weather turned frigid so am enjoying them through the front window.

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    1. In December in the Northern Hemisphere, a touch of color is to be appreciated whatever its form, Elaine. I hope you're enjoying the holiday season.

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  11. No matter how many flowers you grow yourself, isn't it nice to receive flowers? Your wreath is awesome. Such a beautiful assortment of materials. I've had some luck extending wreaths by misting them frequently. Hope you and your husband have a great holiday.

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    1. I was counting on the marine layer doing the misting of the wreath for me, Susie. However, although that worked for a couple of days, we seem to be entering a warm spell from now through Christmas so I'll follow your advice ;)

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  12. Lovely holiday flowers and your wreath is gorgeous! Eliza

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