I put together two quick arrangements Saturday morning, knowing that wouldn't be possible on Sunday or Monday. The first centers around the last dahlia. It's time to give that tuber the rest it deserves.
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| This arrangement is essentially a retread of one I created in late November but I had few options to change things up |
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| Back view, featuring the noID foliage (maybe western red cedar?) that came with the flowers a friend brought last week and stems of the coleus I planted in a half-barrel over 18 months ago |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles', Coleus 'Vino' (Plectranthus scutellarioides), Persicaria capitata, Polygala fruticosa, and noID foliage |
My second arrangement made use of two of my most reliable plants, Grevillea 'Superb' and Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset'.
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| I can always depend on Grevillea 'Superb' coming through in a clutch and the bracts of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' are looking their flower-like best at the moment |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Grevillea 'Superb', Leucadendron salignum 'Safari Sunset', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Calibrachoa 'Premier Orange', and 'Gaillardia 'Spintop Copper Sun' |
I hope you enjoyed the holiday. We had a very warm Christmas in my part of the world (79F/26C), especially by comparison to most of the US which was hit by a "bomb cyclone" just as holiday travel was reaching fever pitch. Monday's temperatures are expected to dip before rain arrives on Tuesday to carry us into the new year. If it rains on January 2nd, there may be a lot of disappointed people at the Pasadena Rose Parade.
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All
material © 2012-2022
by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
These two displays prove that you don't need much to create a colorful and exuberant arrangements. The dark coleus is just what that magnificent dahlia needed to 'pop'. The 'greens' do indeed look like a western red cedar (although I'm never confident enough to swear to it).
ReplyDeleteGrevillea 'Superb' is very well named: those blooms are terrific!
May it not rain on their parade...
Chavli
Based on the last update I just saw, it looks like both New Year's Day AND and day after should be dry, with rain not returning until late evening on Monday so parade watchers should be able to enjoy the event, Chavli. I don't go anywhere near Pasadena on the day of the parade myself.
DeleteThat lovely dahlia has certainly earned its winter holiday Kris 😂 Your second vase looks most festive indeed. I hope that you had a relaxing and peaceful day yesterday. I am pleased to read that you escaped the dreadful weather that has effected most of the USA. I hope that any rain times its arrival considerately.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be nice if rain followed the rules set in the musical Camelot, Anna, restricting itself to the overnight hours? If I'm reading the forecast correctly, we can expect 3 separate storms. The first one is likely to drop its precipitation overnight but the second two look like that could hang on through the daylight hours. We shall see. I'm most concerned about they're simply showing up as predicted.
DeleteBoth of these are lovely! Fingers crossed for rain for you.
ReplyDeleteThe first rainstorm, due tomorrow afternoon, is showing a 98% probability so we may be able to count on that one, Loree. The other two are showing probabilities of 80% and 60% respectively but as they're farther out in the 10-day forecast, they could evaporate prior to arrival.
DeleteYes, like Anna, I am pleased to read you have escaped the weather bomb - have you ever actually had any snow? Hope you get a decent anmount of rainfall this week, even if it means the parade is affected!
ReplyDeleteThe plectranthus really sets off the shade of the dahlia (what great value dahlias are!), and your second vase is so typically 'yours' with those particular shades, which you often utilise whether with or without these particular plants. I have so little in these 'coral' colours, so I always notice yours
I don't believe my current area has ever had snow, at least during my lifetime. When I was in middle school in an inland valley about 50 miles away, we briefly had snowflakes but they never even reached the ground. I've only seen snow in person a few times in my life. One year, when my husband and I flew into Northern California to spend Thanksgiving with relatives, I noticed "stuff" falling from the sky and actually wasn't sure what it was until my husband confirmed it was snow! It was so foreign to me, it didn't compute!
DeleteSeems most of the continent was hit by severe weather. Like you we enjoyed above seasonal temperatures due to a Chinook arriving. After a week in the -40's it felt tropical. How nice to be able to go and pick flowers the day after Christmas. A real treat. That dahlia has certainly earned it's keep.
ReplyDeleteYour Chinook winds sound much like our Santa Ana winds, Elaine. Minus 40 is terrible and I'm glad you got a bit of relief. Dahlia 'Lavender Ruffles' borders on a floral miracle in my book.
DeleteWonderful, especially for the end of December. I love the Dahlia and Coleus combination and pine for your Grevillea, so pretty. We are freezing in South Florida! Wishing you a rainy New Year. Amelia.
ReplyDeleteI never think of Florida getting miserably cold but I'm sorry to hear you've been touched by the miserable cold snap as well, Amelia. I hope your temperatures rise soon!
DeleteYour vases are elegant, so very different from each other, both quite beautiful. That dahlia has been a real workhorse! The second one is very seasonal and festive. Hope your holidays have been wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed the holiday too, Susie, and that you weren't caught up in the miserable conditions associated with the so-called "bomb cyclone."
Delete'Last dahlia' is always poignant, we know we have a long wait to see another in our garden. Lovely with the burgundy, a favorite color combo.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy seeing your grevillea and leucadendron arrangements, such great color and texture.
Your Christmas was definitely different than ours, the lows here were single digits! Santa had to keep moving to stay warm. I'm just grateful I wasn't in an airport trying to fly somewhere. Eliza
I wondered if you'd felt the brunt of the bomb cyclone, Eliza. We were very luck by comparison and I bet Santa decided to vacation here after his long haul. Our Christmas day was ridiculously warm and dry. Now we're in the middle of an atmospheric river system, which is bringing much-needed rain. Thus far, we're experiencing none of the extremes felt by folks to the north of us - our rain was slow and steady yesterday and we have a break today before it starts again to let everything sink in.
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