Red flowers seem made to order to celebrate Valentine's Day so I felt lucky to have a number of them at present. I cut a stem of Hippeastrum 'La Paz' to start, only to discover that its color didn't mesh well with many of my other red flowers. 'La Paz' is a brownish-red, which sent my search for appropriate companions in directions I hadn't envisioned.
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I think the arrangement could've used lighter filler material than the chunky Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' stems I selected. Additional 'La Paz' stems would have been ideal but the other stems aren't fully open yet.
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Back view: I may have gone overboard with the foliage of Acacia 'Cousin Itt' here. Many of those stems have tiny pale yellow flower buds and I thought it would be interesting if they opened, although they seldom do.
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Top view
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Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky', Calliandra haematocephala, Hippeastrum 'La Paz', Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', L.s. 'Safari Sunset', and noID Narcissus (possibly 'Avalanche')
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Even though I have other flowers that lean pinkish-red, I wasn't up for two red arrangements this week. So I switched to blue, white and yellow flowers that made me think of spring.
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The Hippeastrum 'Blushing Bride' shown front and center was supposed to pink but there's not a trace of the color to be seen in the petals
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The back view highlights the single blue Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) I found blooming in my back garden
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Top view
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Clockwise from the upper left: more Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Eustoma grandiflorum, noID Narcissus, noID Ceanothus, Hippeastrum not 'Blushing Bride', Osteospermum '4D Silver', and Salvia hybrid 'Pozo Blue'
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My Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection' is dropping flowers in large numbers every day now. That may be the result of the persistent dry winds we've had almost every afternoon for well over a week. Or it may simply signify the end of the Camellia's season. The flowers don't last long in a vase but, as they're not lasting long on the shrub either, I went ahead and cut two stems for our kitchen island as a nod to the holiday.
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
Best wishes for a happy Valentine's Day!
All
material © 2012-2023
by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
'La Paz' is a beautiful flower. I've always grown the more traditional types, but this makes such a flowing statement. I could not figure out what the Alstroemeria was until I read you id photos. Another stunner! And I love the blue vase with such different sides but neither one suggests it is the back view. You should put it in front of a mirror for display.
ReplyDeleteI did have difficulty deciding how to position that second arrangement, Linda. The not 'Blushing Bride' Hippeastrum has just 2 flowers and a relatively short stem and, after several attempts to achieve symmetry, I just threw up my hands and decided to leave it as it was ;)
DeleteWow, Hippeastrum 'La Paz' makes quite a statement, doesn't it? I wouldn't think it's easy for it to share the stage but you did a good job with the accompanying greens and reds.
ReplyDeleteI may like the second vase even better. Happy to see Hippeastrum 'Blushing Bride' not blushing at all! The pure white and green/yellow center is just the right tone for this composition. The lovely Narcissus is able to make a greater contribution here, the cobalt Lisianthus, oh my!
A blue-yellow combo feels to me like southern France... perfect.
Chavli
Blue, white and yellow (particularly a soft yellow) may be my favorite color combination, Chavli. While I was initially disappointed by the white 'Blushing Bride', I decided it was serendipity that she skipped the pink.
DeleteI love that sweet camellia vase, and I'm jealous your 'La Paz' has opened. Mine refuses to do so.
ReplyDeleteCamellia 'Taylor's Perfection' lives up to its name when I keep the arrangement very simple - if only the flowers lasted longer in a vase! 'La Paz' was very slow to develop, Loree, and its stems are extremely tall, or at least taller than any other Hippeastrums I've grown. I've 3 bulbs in a pot and they look geeky. I'm going to plant them out in the garden when this bloom cycle is done to see if they'll show up better in a natural setting.
DeleteOh I grew La Paz last year, Kris! Your search for suitable companions definitely paid off as they work so well with it, but how fresh and pretty your second vase is with those soft blues alonside the narcissi - lovely!
ReplyDeleteThat second arrangement is my favorite this week, Cathy. Although our temperatures are cold again (that is, our version of "cold"), the arrangement makes me feel as though spring is just around the corner.
DeleteOh a Happy Valentine's Day to you Kris! My beloved mentioned that he might present me with flowers on Wednesday - I think that he was a bit surprised to find out that Valentines Day is in fact tomorrow 😂 Lovely vases as always - my favourite has to be the middle one. Blues and yellows together are such a pleasing combination and 'Blushing Bride' sits in so well with them. Is there any hint of pink in the flower? I'm just wondering about her name.
ReplyDeleteI think the seller sent me the wrong bulb in place of 'Blushing Bride', Anna. There's absolutely no sign of pink and the 'Bride' is very pink in all her publicity photos ;)
DeleteI love this week's arrangements, Kris! 'La Paz' is gorgeous, what a show stopper, along with the red pompoms, it is a party! And the white Hippeastrum with the narcissus delights me, it speaks of spring. Beautiful! Eliza
ReplyDelete'La Paz' is certainly splashy, Eliza. I'm hoping I can get it to naturalize here.
Delete2nd one is the gem this week--the colors coordinate perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThat's my favorite this week too, HB. It sings of spring!
DeleteOh Kris these are gorgeous....love the reds for Valentines Day today. So many blooms really are cheering me as I await spring.
ReplyDeleteSpring is coming, Donna - it just takes a little longer to reach you. Even we're colder (and gloomier today) than we usually are at this time of year.
DeleteBeautiful flowers, nicely and thoughtfully designed. 'La Paz' is amazing! I love your blue tribute to spring.
ReplyDelete'La Paz' has great color and form. My fingers are crossed that it'll do as well in the ground as it's done in a pot.
DeleteHappy Valentines Day, Kris. La Paz is mad cool and I love the blue arrangement especially the top view with the swirling flowers. Amelia
ReplyDeleteI've become very fond of Hippeastrums. Flashy as the multi-petaled varieties are, I love the "exotic" ones like 'La Paz' best.
DeleteAs always you have some gorgeous flowers in your vases Kris! The Osteospermum with its hint of blue is so very pretty, and the whole vase really does hint at spring. And the fun fluffy red flowers in the first vase are amazing!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been able to find that Osteospermum '4D Silver' in local garden centers in recent years but l'm lucky that the original plants self-seeded a bit, Cathy. The "red power puff" flowers are wonderful, although sadly not long-lasting in a vase.
DeleteLove the blues in that second arrangement.
ReplyDeleteI think that was almost everyone's favorite, Jean - I know it was mine.
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