With the return of warmer temperatures, the garden is in hyperdrive. I had too much to choose from so I picked a couple of colors to focus on and got to work looking for flowers that met the profile.
My first arrangement started with the selection of the soft peach tones of Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid'.
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I added a touch of purple to pick up the grayish-lavender pollen presenters in the Leucospermum's flowers
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Back view: The number of plants containing anything in the way of soft orange color was limited, hence the addition of 3 stems of Aeonium 'Kiwi' flowers
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Top view
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Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', Freesia, Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid', Limonium perezii, and Narcissus 'Geranium'
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I focused on vivid red for my second arrangement, accented with white flowers.
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The vase I used has an irregular shape so I photographed it from 3 sides, all of which look a little different. The red flowers are Argyranthemum and Freesia.
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The white flowers are Anemones, Coleonema album (aka white breath of heaven), and Freesia
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Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky' melds the white and red flowers
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Top view
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Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky', Coleonema album, Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', Anemone coronaria 'Rarity' (although I think the variety may have been incorrectly identified), Argyranthemum 'Grandaisy Red', and white and red Freesia
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I'd originally planned to add a deep burgundy Anemone 'Mistral Bordeaux' to the second arrangement but I didn't feel it fit so I popped that flower and a few other stems that didn't make the cut into a small vase. Leftovers from one of last week's arrangement went into yet another vase.
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The tiny vase containing the Anemone trying to pass as a rose is on my desk. The vase of leftovers containing a Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi' flower sits on the kitchen island.
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For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All
material © 2012-2023
by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Dramatic reds and oranges especially again Leucospermum. I just love seeing the diversity of blooms as I await the bulbs to bloom in my small garden. The heat is coming here as we are getting to 80...then back to reality next week to the 50s.
ReplyDeleteWill the weather whiplash ever end this year?! I'm sorry your temperatures are still sliding from one extreme to another, Donna. We've had some forecasts of 80+ degree temperatures here too but, luckily, my area has avoided them thus far.
DeleteIt must be wonderful to have flowers throughout the house. Your "Inca Lucky" alstromoeria is are intriguing, with all the shades of red and yellow blending together. Anf the anemone is a stunner!
ReplyDeleteSpring has definitely found us! I love that Alstroemeria, even if its stems are on the shorter end of the spectrum. That Anemone's blooms are a nice large size but the color of the petals don't have any of the range they're supposed to have ;)
DeleteYour vases always look so summery and fresh, Kris, which with your climate is only to be expected, I suppose! đ Each has its own appeal, too. I am intrigued by the dark argyranthemum - such a useful flower to have anad once again I have a batch of the Grandaisy Pink ones on order
ReplyDeleteI managed to get hold of 2 'Grandaisy' Argyranthemums this year, Cathy - that red one and a yellow one. I hope both hold up longer than the white one I had last year. The smaller-flowered varieties generally last a few years here.
DeleteI've not seen/heard of it before, but Leucospermum looks like a very interesting flower!
ReplyDeleteSorry, that comment was from me! :D
DeleteLeucospermum is in the Protea family, Nikki. I have a fondness for many plants in that family, all of which seem to like Southern California as much as the countries they hail from (South Africa and Australia).
DeleteI'm wild about both of these arrangements. Narcissus 'Geranium' pairs up nicely with that gorgeous Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid'. The red and white vase is vivid and rich--lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susie. I grow that Narcissus and that Leucospermum right next to each other so I decided I'd marry them in a vase as well.
DeleteGorgeous, Kris. I cannot wrap my brain around growing Narcissus in LA. They look great with the other flowers. I am thinking the flowers loved all the rain. Amelia
ReplyDeleteNarcissi handle our long dry period well - all they seem to need is winter rain to bloom. However, with temperatures rising, they're now fading fast. I'm glad I wasn't hesitant about cutting them for arrangements when the weather was cooler and wetter.
DeleteI'm glad I don't have to pick a favorite vase because I wouldn't be able to choose! I do love the way you've paired the subtle purple tones with the apricot.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to know the fire situation has been stopped.
Finding a dozen fire trucks and other emergency vehicles literally across the street and stretching down our neighborhood road wasn't a pleasant way to wake up at 5:30 on a Monday morning, Amy. The good news is that they finished up within 2 hours and, whatever the cause, it didn't set spread to surrounding brush areas, which is the biggest danger here.
DeleteWhile you may be impressed with my projects, I am equally impressed with the extravagant array of flowers you grow, and even more impressed that you know all of their Latin names. Latin names never really mattered to me, but I can truly appreciate a mind that can not only remember them all, but keep them straight, especially with the amount of flowers you grow. Your bouquets more than rival any florist arrangement. I sometimes think you have more flowers than they do.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cindy. I made an effort to start using names when I started blogging about plants and gardening. Common names aren't always useful, especially if you're communicating with plant collectors and people in areas where what you grow isn't something they're familiar with.
DeleteMaybe you need bigger vases! :)
ReplyDeleteThere was a fire across the street?!!?
I have some larger vases I seldom use. The mid-sized ones are easier to place in the house ;)
DeleteYes, there was a fire nearby yesterday morning, at the end of a spur street off our neighborhood road. A dozen-plus fire trucks and emergency vehicles moved in a little before 5:30am. They even had the sheriff's department out to manage the movement of vehicles as our road isn't that wide. They cleared out around 2 hours later. Very scary as it was on our side of the road and not far away. (It was the house of the husky dog that escapes regularly and comes up the canyon into my garden.) It smelled like an electrical fire but I've yet to hear details.
Gorgeous! I love the freesia in both, so pretty.
ReplyDeleteFreesias are fantastic flowers even if they do tend to flop around a bit in the garden ;)
DeleteOh yes, I thought that anemone was a rose! The red arrangement is so summery Kris. And I like the Narcissi in your first vase. To me your vases look like spring and summer rolled into one!
ReplyDeleteMany of the plants that might thrive in summer in your climate want the cooler temperatures we get in spring here, Cathy. Our summer temperatures cause plants like Argyranthmum to go into hiding for their own protection once summer arrives, only to reemerge when temperatures cool again in the fall.
Delete'Spider' is a good cultivar name for the leuc., quite apt. I adore the deep red daisies with the white anemone helping cool them down a wee bit. 'Mistral Bordeaux' looks so velvety, absolutely lovely flowers this week, Kris! Eliza
ReplyDeleteThanks Eliza. Anemone 'Mistral Bordeaux' seems to be very sensitive to warm temperatures. We briefly reached the upper 70s a couple times within the past few days and one plant threw in the towel while the bloom on another plant just withered in place despite ample soil moisture.
DeleteOh to be blessed with an abundance of flowers to pick Kris đ You are fortunate. 'Geranium' looks like a most attractive narcissus. I will look out for bulbs this autumn.
ReplyDeleteThat Narcissus is a very abundant bloomer, Anna. It'd be a great addition to anyone's garden.
DeleteThese are all stunning, Kris. Your arrangements are really inspiring - combining these colours wouldn’t have occurred to me and I love the way you give the blooms space - I’m terrible for jamming everything in too tightly, the tutor on my floristry course is always pulling excess material out of my arrangements! I especially love being able to see how you put it all together. Thanks for sharing. I bet your garden is absolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI actually have a tendency to stuff my vases too, Arwen, but I've been working to manage that tendency. However, as a by-product, that usually means I create a lot of arrangements each week ;)
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