The flowers in my cutting garden are fading faster than I can cut them. Flowers have been dropping from the foxglove stalks in large numbers. The Minoan lace flowers are withering. On the other hand, the sweet peas are trying to catch up with everything else but the majority of the blooms are so far above my head, they're hard to reach. In the meantime, the dahlias in their temporary pots remind me daily that I've got to clear the raised planters (soon!) to give them space.
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I cut almost all the purple foxgloves currently in bloom. Some were immediately deposited in my compost bin. As most have already bloomed to the top of their stem, I'm not sure how long they'll hold up in a vase.
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Back view
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Top view
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Clockwise from the upper left: Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga lily), Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Purple', assorted Lathyrus odoratus, and Orlaya grandiflora (aka Minoan lace)
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My second arrangement was inspired by a gladiola that, like a minor miracle, returns each year albeit in an area where it stands out (in less than a good way) from everything around it. The flower's unusual colors led me to combine it with a companion I'd never choose in any other situation. Sometimes one has to let nature direct one's choices.
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The peachy gladiolas are splashed with magenta and pink so I threw in 2 stems of "purple" snapdragons in to echo those odd dashes of color
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Back view
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Top view
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Clockwise from the upper left: Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', Antirrhinum majus 'Chantilly Purple', Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', and Gladiolus nanus 'Nymph'
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I was going to stop at two arrangements but many of the "rust-resistant" snapdragons in my cutting garden are covered with so much rust I can't allow them to remain in place much longer. When I discovered the the 'Golden Celebration' rose in a corner of my garden was blooming, a third arrangement became a fait accompli.
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The 'Chantilly Peach' snapdragons held up well against rust in prior years but then our conditions were far drier in 2021 and 2022
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Back view
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Top view
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Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Antirrhinum majus 'Chantilly Peach', Rosa 'Golden Celebration', and Xylosma congestum
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Is that it, you ask? No, it isn't. At least two of the gladiolas I thought I'd pulled from the raised planters in my cutting garden two years ago have produced flower stalks, one of which was already fading. I cut it, thinking to add it to my first arrangement but it just didn't fit. It ended up in a tiny vase with sweet peas that complemented it well.
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The vase contains Gladiolus 'Vuvuzela' and Lathyrus odoratus x belinensis 'Erewhon'
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To find more floral arrangements, check in with our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
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The tiny vase is sitting in the kitchen window but it didn't photograph well in that spot
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All
material © 2012-2023
by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Your home is awash with blooms and scent! How lovely.
ReplyDeleteThe first vase is easily a favorite, but I'm most intrigued by the second vase: not an easy color to work with, you did a good job pairing that lovely gladiola with a an unusual supporting cast: I love the results!
Chavli
The second arrangement was a good opportunity to cut 2 more stems of that "purple" snapdragon back too, Chavli. It seems to be the only snapdragon that's not yet afflicted with rust.
DeleteWowee! These color combinations are so on point it's amazing.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI love them all! A good reminder for me to cut some flowers today since it has cooled off a little bit.
ReplyDeleteI need to cut more and more flowers this week to clear space for the dahlias before they overgrow their temporary pots ;)
DeleteYour summer conditons are so very specific to your location, aren't they? There may be things we can't grow in the UK but I wouldn't choose anything other than a temperate climate. Knowing you are going to lose so many blooms once you reach a certain point in the year is something you will have become used to. I love the subtle purple hints that complement the foxgloves in your first and then scrolled through, looking at the others and was bowled over by your delightful little cactus vase - I love it!
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that the foxgloves will hold on and produce another flush of bloom before summer really heats up but the larkspur, sweet peas, Nigella and Orlaya are all goners, Cathy. So far, we haven't had any hot weather here along the coast but the flowers are throwing in the towel anyway.
DeleteThat first glad vase image looks like a painting to me. My foxgloves just started blooming, so it’s interesting to see how you used them. They look totally different in a vase without their top.
ReplyDeleteI've read that you get the greatest vase-life from foxgloves if they're cut when only half the stalk is flowering, Linda. All mine were well past that point!
DeleteWhat stunning foxgloves Kris! Here they are just beginning to open and I have some surprise self seeders. A beautiful rose and the snapdragon is just the perfect partner for it.
ReplyDeleteI love that peach snapdragon, Anna. It's color looks great with so many plants in my garden. It's too bad it's been so severely impacted by rust this year.
Deletei would be fearful of rust resistant snaps here if they look rusty in your garden. I love the Renga Lilies and always want them. Oh well. Foxgloves look great and I am still amazed you have them in June! Amelia
ReplyDeleteThe foxgloves got a late start this year but I usually get a second flush in June. Whether I see one later this month or in August is a big question given how temperatures can soar once summer gets us in its grip.
DeleteAll three beautiful. You are a genius at putting colours together. Peachy, apricoty flowers always make me think of you; they are your signature colours. Renga lilies, where have they been all my life, why did nobody tell me about them? I don't suppose they grow here.
ReplyDeleteRenga lilies are native to New Zealand, Chloris. They like coastal areas but in hotter summer areas they do well in shade. They're one of my go-to plants for moderately dry shade. Apparently, they can survive (or at least recover from) 15F (-9C) temperatures so maybe you could grow them if you can find a source for them.
DeleteBeautiful colors in these 3 vases. I love the drama of the foxgloves...but each vase is sporting her best gown as she struts the catwalk!
ReplyDeleteThanks Donna. That's vivid imagery!
DeleteBeautiful bouquets, Kris. I feel like a broken record, but you do have a great eye for color combinations. I love all three! Eliza
ReplyDeleteThanks Eliza. I think I'm just lucky, especially this year, to have so many flowering plants to choose from ;)
DeleteI really like the Renga Lily with the Foxgloves Kris. That must be a tall arrangement, and very striking. Love the peachy colours in the next two vases too - what a gorgeous Gladiolus!
ReplyDeleteI generally go for what I think of as mid-sized floral arrangements but this year I seem to have an unusually large number of very tall arrangements, Cathy. I credit the heavier rain in late winter and spring, which led many plants to shoot for the stars!
DeleteWow, to have so many foxgloves would be a dream. They don't perform well for me. Love the Top View of that first arrangement. Your other vases are delightful as well, especially like the gladiolas.
ReplyDeleteThe top view of my first arrangement was my favorite among this week's photos, Susie - it showed the graceful Renga lilies off nicely. I could never grow foxgloves in my borders as they didn't get enough water there but they've performed well for me in the more well-watered raised planters of my cutting garden.
DeleteI've enjoyed looking at all the arrangements this week, and that rose 'Golden Celebrations' really standards out for me with its golden tones and fulsome petals.
ReplyDeleteI've fallen in love with that 'Golden Celebration' rose myself, Noelle. I just wish I'd placed it where it's more readily visible. I don't know what I was thinking when I stuck it in a corner behind my lath house.
DeleteOh, I really love the peachy ones! But they're all amazing. You are so talented, in all aspects of gardening and arranging. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth.
DeleteI am so behind on my blog reading (a week away and two days of sitting on a jury) that I'll admit to just paging down and admiring the photos...WOW! Intense color stories and the cactus glads made me smile.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on getting through jury duty within 2 days, Loree!
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