We've had more clouds than sun since the last "atmospheric river" moved through California the middle of last week. Another one is expected to move through our area Tuesday into Wednesday and the longer-term forecast projects the possibility of still another stretch of rain Sunday through Wednesday. This is unusual for us and even though the current storms, originating from Hawaii, bring warmer temperatures than those originating from Alaska, I'm missing the regular doses of sunshine we're used to. So I created my own.
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| This sunny arrangement was inspired by the tiny puff-ball flowers of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt'. Generally grown for its foliage, the heavier-than-usual rain this year seems to have encouraged more flowers than I've ever had before. |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', noID yellow Calendula, Correa 'Wyn's Wonder', white and yellow Freesia, and noID Narcissus |
The the unusual flowers of Salvia africana-lutea inspired my second arrangement. I've used its flowers only once before in a vase but I thought I'd take another stab at it.
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| I'm happier with this version than I was with the arrangement I created in April 2019 |
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| Back view: I added a few flowers of the equally unusual Isopogon anemonifolius, as well as ivy (Hedera) flowers. English ivy is a weed here and nearby impossible to control on my back slope. |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: noID orange Calendula, Isopogon anemonifolius, noID Hedera, Ranunculus, Salvia africana-lutea, and Xylosma congestum |
As last week's rain plastered many of my Freesia flowers flat into the dirt and another storm is on the way, I cut still more of them for an arrangement on our kitchen island.
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| Views from the front, top and back |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia floribunda 'Chiapas', purple and white Freesia, and Helichrysum petiolare |
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| Two additional stems of the yellow/gold Freesia went into my small cactus vase by the kitchen sink |
The atmospheric river carried a substantial amount of rain and we're expecting a similar amount this week. Although my husband's repairs to our chimney held up against February's rainstorms, we weren't quite as lucky this month - one small area is still leaking. The tarp is back on the chimney and, hopefully, the next repairs will be done by a professional. Flooding hasn't been an issue in our immediate area but it is in other areas, and homeowners in the mountains to the east of us have really struggled, with some thirteen deaths attributed in one way or another to record snowfall there that kept many people confined to their homes for a long period with no heat or power or access to medical treatment. As far as our long-standing drought goes, the situation has greatly improved, with no areas currently listed in extreme or exceptional drought and parts of the state are now considered drought-free. Most of Los Angeles County is now simply classified as "abnormally dry." The most critical issue now is how to restore groundwater, severely depleted after too many dry years. Creating means to store and conserve the excess water received from the atmospheric rivers that appear likely to reoccur at intervals in the future so it's available for use during prolonged periods of drought also remains a major challenge, especially as out-of-state water resources become more limited.
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
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material © 2012-2023
by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Love how relaxed yet flushed all these arrangements look; a very rainy spring attitude coming through. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks! The ample rain has given the garden a major boost, although the colder-than-average temperatures we've experienced since the beginning of the year has slowed the progress of many flowers by a couple of weeks.
DeleteIt is amazing the amount of rain you are having. Much needed but not without great sacrifice with floods, lost lives, power outages. The extremes just seem to continue. Here too. More snow on the way. Likely 8-12 inches. But your stunning vases are bringing needed sun and color to the NE as we desperately need it now too.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember the mountains to our east ever being so severely impacted by snow, Donna. The delays in getting people out of snowbound homes is shocking.
DeleteBeautiful. I am excited to see the Freesias. I have just bought a package with thirty bulbs and I am hoping they will grow in pots for me.
ReplyDeleteFreesias are well-suited to coastal Southern California's Mediterranean-type climate. I hope the bulbs do well for you. They can flop and bit so giving them some support can be useful.
DeleteThanks for giving us more information about the water situation, Kris. How tragic that ppeople lost their lives because they were cut off like that. I wonder what the solution will be for water storage? Do you know how much rain you have had of late? Your freesias in particular make such an impact in your vases today, especially those yellow ones
ReplyDeleteThe state is looking to divert water into flood plains in the areas where groundwater has been severely depleted, which should help restore aquifers. One goal is to replenish private wells than have gone dry in Central California. Our season-to-date rain total in my location (counted from October 1, 2022) now stands at 15.73 inches. That's good for us, although significantly lower than many of the surrounding areas.
DeleteAll three lovely color combos, and all different. Good use of Freesias. It's a good year for Freesias!
ReplyDeleteMost of my Freesias supported enough this year to prevent flopping. Some are using the bare stems of roses! The "fancy" colors though are blotchy or marred--there are areas of white where the color appears damaged. The plain ivory ones have become favorites as they also seem the most fragrant.
Hoping our region graduates from "abnormally dry" in Thursday's drought map. We're at 17.50" at the moment. It's a great mental relief to have a break from drought, however brief.
My season-to-date rain total is 15.73 inches, which seems low relative to numbers I'm hearing from other nearby areas so maybe it's time to check for clogs in the weather station's tech again. I agree that it's nice not to have to think about every drop of water I use in the garden at the moment, though. Every time I stick a trowel in the soil, I'm surprised at just how deeply the moisture extends.
DeleteVery sunny. I love the colors of the vase and flowers in the second one. I understand what you are saying about missing the sun, I am the same having lived in Florida for 10 years, can't deal with overcast for too long. I am glad to see some water stockpiling in your area - I read the statistics on how much drinking water is used for irrigation in Southern Calfornia, astounding! Amelia
ReplyDeleteOur rainy season is short and, in recent years, it's also been pitiful. Reusing waste and "recycled" water, even in commercial settings, is a relatively recent development and still not used extensively.
DeleteSono gli stessi problemi di cui si parla qui. Sembra assurdo che se ne parli in Svizzera ma i ghiacciai sono quasi spariti e le Alpi sono sempre piĂč asciutte. Alcune previsioni dicono che tra 40 anni saremo come le montagne desertiche dell'Afghanistan. Speriamo di no. Contento che siate riusciti ad avere piĂč pioggia del previsto in modo da avere un minimo di riserve :)
ReplyDeleteTi auguro una buona stagione che non sia troppo arida :)
Too many people are still in denial about the long-term impacts of climate change, Gabriel - many think the tech industry is somehow going to save us at the last minute. We've had a good water year thus far (albeit at great cost to some of those dealing with flooding and excessive snow). Our rainy season usually comes to an end in late March/early April. We rely on water from snow melt in the northern part of the state for much of our water the rest of the year but in recent years early warming has caused the snow to melt too early, which means it isn't available when we need it and now the out-of-state sources are being significantly reduced too.
DeleteThese are all beautiful with many interesting blooms and foliage. I love the shape of your second one and oh the Ranunculus is beautiful. The rains you've been enduring are crazy weird. It's amazing the area is still suffering the effects of drought, but I know it's not an easy problem to solve.
ReplyDeleteThe atmospheric rivers are very weird, Susie - almost creepy. It's like living inside a very wet cloud for days at a time. But my main regret is I don't have the capacity to capture more of it than my 3 collection tanks can capture and store. Why municipal areas can't do some of that to support community needs, I don't understand. There are some big state/county-level projects in the works, at least on paper, but I'd like to see my city and other surrounding cities do more too.
DeleteThank you for the sunshine. You always bring sunshine to my day when I visit your blog. Beautiful bouquets, as always. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I can be helpful, Beth ;)
DeleteYour vases have all captured sunshine and warmth Kris. I've not come across the term 'atmospheric river' before so must follow up your link. So sad that the flooding led to the loss of lives. February which is often a wet month for us was unusually dry but March so far is making up for it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough flooding has cost lives too, the unusual aspect this year has been the loss of life due to snowbound conditions so severe that people were confined without access to heat, power and even food for long periods. There wasn't the equipment necessary to dig people out or reach them to provide medical treatment.
DeleteLove how you created your own sunshine. These late winter/early Spring months can be the most challenging so have to find your joy. The Salvia is intriguing, will have to look out for it.
ReplyDeleteI picked up the Salvia at my local botanic garden on one of their sales (back in the day when they sold plants propagated onsite). Unfortunately, I've never seen it anywhere else. I should probably try propagating it myself.
DeleteThe first two vases really are sunny and cheerful Kris. The salvia is very attractive - I am a great fan of salvias and always buy a couple of the less hardy ones as annuals, so perhaps I will come across this one some time. Good to hear you have had your fill of rain - I suspect you will be glad to see the back of it for a while now! It has been very wet here too, so hopefully that will give our shrubs and trees the boost they need after such a dry summer last year.
ReplyDeleteIt seems almost sacrilegious for me to wish the rain away, Cathy, but a little sun and blue sky - and a break to allow the soggy soil to absorb the moisture before the next atmospheric river arrives - would be appreciated ;)
DeleteThe simple sunny freesia on your window sill are glorious!
ReplyDeleteIt felt like going WAY overboard to include that little vase in my post but it was pretty perfect and I couldn't resist.
DeleteYummy freesias! Love your sunny arrangement as well as the orange ranunculus/salvia extravaganza, Kris. Ranunculus is another favorite flower that I can't grow well, so I end up buying them in a store. That African salvia is a show-stopper, for sure. Lovely vases this week per usual! Eliza
ReplyDeleteI haven't had much luck growing Ranunculus from corms in recent years either, Eliza. I brought home a couple of small pots with sprouted plants from the local garden center.
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