It's the 10th anniversary of In a Vase on Monday, the weekly meme hosted by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden to feature floral/foliage arrangements featuring cuttings from contributors' gardens. To recognize the occasion, Cathy challenged participants to use vases that aren't vases. After considering alternatives I'd used before like mugs and teapots, I selected a seashell. I didn't pick up the seashell from the seashore. Although I can see the ocean from my back garden, the beach is a few miles away even as the crow flies. However, I inherited several large seashells acquired by prior owners of our property. I've previously used a large clamshell as a planter for succulents but I picked out a smaller one to use as a vase on this occasion.
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| Unfortunately, this shell was too round to sit well on a flat surface by itself so I used a piece of drift wood to support it. It also leaked a little, which meant it ended up outside. It's shown here on a low table that sits in front of the bench on our back patio. |
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| I didn't use any actual flowers either. Clockwise from the upper left, I used Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', A. arboreum 'Velour', Callisia fragrans (aka false bromeliad), and flower-like bracts of Leucadendron 'Summer Red'. |
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| I ultimately decided I liked it better in my cutting garden, where it sits in the middle of my faux bird bath filled with marbles, propped up against a glass ball used to allow bees to safely drink water |
I pulled together two conventional arrangements too. The focus of the first one was one of my old standbys, Grevillea 'Superb'.
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| Like one of last week's arrangements, a flashy coleus stole attention from the flowers meant to serves as the arrangement's focal points |
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| Back view, which sets off the Grevillea flowers to greater advantage |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Cuphea 'Honybells', C. 'Vermillionaire', Leucadendron laxum, Dipladenia 'Sundenia Coral', Grevillea 'Superb', noID Plectranthus scutellarioides (coleus), and P. s. 'Sallsa Verde' |
The second small arrangement consists of bits and pieces of things.
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| The centerpiece was meant to be the gold-toned Rudbeckia (sold as part of the 'Cherokee Sunset' mix) but the white Dipladenia seems to have stolen the show |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated', Alstroemeria 'Claire', Antirrhinum majus, Dipladenia 'Sundenia White', Rudbeckia hirta 'Cherokee Sunset', and Tagetes lemonnii |
Last week was far warmer - and drier - than I'd expected. Late last week, the forecasts for rain this week were running as high as ninety percent starting Tuesday. The chance of rain has now been pushed out to late Wednesday night and it's pegged at fifty percent in my location, trailing into the wee hours of Thursday. There's another sixty percent chance of scattered thundershowers starting Friday morning, possibly extending into Saturday. The cumulative estimate is currently under an inch in total, well below the original predictions, but I hope the forecasters are underestimating on that score.
For more IAVOM creations,
visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. To Cathy, congratulations on keeping this meme going strong for ten years and thanks for always being a gracious and supportive host!
All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Gorgeous! The shell arrangement looks like a little sea creature. I love the coleus and hot pink/grevillea arrangement.
ReplyDeleteThe shell arrangement was a last minute inspiration to fit the challenge made by our host but I'm pleased how it worked out, Tracy.
DeleteOh Kris that arrangement is stunning in the seashell...perfectly displayed in the faux birdbath. And as usual I can get my fix for bright beautiful blooms and foliage with all your vases! Happy Anniversary and here's to many more sharing our gardens!
ReplyDeleteThe well of flowers hasn't run dry yet, Donna, but I keep expecting that to happen!
DeleteHi Kris, your seashells with the succulents are very sweet and your "conventional" vases (which are never conventional really) are also delightful. You always share such unusual plants. Wishing you a lovely week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Annette! I think my plants only look exotic because my climate is so different to many eyes. To my eyes, things like tulips, peonies, Astrantia and the like are exotic ;)
DeleteThe little shell arrangement looks perfect sitting amongst the blue marbles. Looking at your second arrangement I kept thinking those are marigolds not Rudbeckia. Took me a while to see the actual Rudbeckia which is how much the marigolds stole the show for me. Hope rain is on your way. We are super warm and sunny. Very unusual for this time of year but I'll take it.
ReplyDeleteThe Tagetes lemonnii are in the same family as marigolds. That yellow/gold Rudbeckia bloom is an oddity, Elaine - it's not much like the other flowers included in the 'Cherokee Sunset' mix and the yellow ones never seem to open fully.
DeleteNice work with that shell! And of course you managed to find non-flowers that are perfect flower stand-ins.
ReplyDeleteMy (admittedly vague) recollection is that I found Callisia fragrans through you, Loree. My memory is that you were introduced to it by another gardener who commented that it was almost as easy to grow as a plastic plant and I hunted it down after you posted photos on your blog; however, it never made it into my record. I "recovered" the name with the help of my cell phone ID function.
DeleteExcellent memory! I love that plant so much. It looks great when it's taken care of, and looks almost as good when it's not.
DeleteI've read that Callisia likes to be kept moist during the active growing season and barely moist duting its dormant season but, after 2 pieces became detached, I set them aside to replant later, then forgot about them. They'd been sitting without soil or water for at least 3 months and they look fine! The "like plastic" description applies ;)
DeleteI love how you have used the shell and succulents in your first non-vase, Kris, and how you have created an effective seside base for it - beautiful! You can't resist vases as well though, and I espececially like the freshness of the yellow one. Fingers crossed for rain for you!! 🤞
ReplyDeleteThanks Cathy. We could really use some rain! It's still in the forecast and it's currently estimated to show up several hours earlier than forecasters were predicting yesterday.
DeleteHappy Anniversary, Kris. It's always a treat to see your vases. The shell in the faux bird bath is such a great idea and the additional arrangements are lovely. Hope you get some rain. We're in drought big-time. Even when rain is predicted (rarely) we don't get it. Jordan Lake near my home is revealing ghost towns of communities that once existed before the dam was built and the land flooded.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susie. I'm sorry to hear about your drought conditions. Hopefully, we'll both get a good soak soon!
DeleteLove the non flowers in the non vase! That sounds weird. Oh well. Happy Anniversary! Conventional vases look great as well. Love the gold tones for fall. I hope rain materializes, we get the same forecast, just keeps pushing the times out.
ReplyDeleteOops, comment above from Amelia.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your ID, Amelia. If only Mother Nature was more even-handed - and predictable!
DeleteI very much enjoyed all three arrangements, particularly the one pictured outside. The light is so clear and bright.
ReplyDeleteWe've been enjoying warm temperatures and blue skies even if its too dry from my point of view, Noelle. Being further south than you are, we also get more light (longer days) at this time of year but you make up for it at other times.
DeleteFrom a certain angle your shell arrangement looks like a fanciful hermit crab. :) A fine answer to Cathy's challenge, Kris!
ReplyDeleteVases 2 & 3 are your usual beauties. I really love grevillea, you're lucky to have it as a year round bloomer.
I really hope you get some good rain this week! Eliza
Thanks Eliza. For what's been characterized as an "atmospheric river," it isn't looking like we'll get a lot of rain from this weather "event" - perhaps just 6/10ths of an inch over 4 days. But I guess the good news story is that it shouldn't cause any flooding.
DeleteA beautiful arrangement in the shell Kris. It looks especially pretty in your bird bath, with the blue pebbles setting off the white shell. I do envy you your aeoniums etc… they will grow here (indoors usually), but never get big enough for any bits to be cut for a vase! Grevillea is a favourite of mine seen in your vases - I have never seen it on sale here but love those colours. And the lemony vase with your pretty Dipladenia is gorgeous - quite summery in fact!
ReplyDeleteHope that rain comes (and maybe is more than predicted - does that EVER happen?! LOL!).
Aeoniums are made for coastal southern California, Cathy. I've often joked that, if I had to give my garden a name, it might be Aeoniumville ;) If there was money to be made for selling my extra Aeoniums, I might be rich!
DeleteI'm hopeful about the rain but other surrounding areas are likely to get a lot more than we will.
Oh such a lovely creation in a shell Kris - it looks the perfect size for the plants to fit into comfortably. Do you know the tongue twister "She Sells Seashells"?It's one that tripped off my childhood tongue with some difficulty 😂 Your other vases are most attractive too. I hope you get rain and more than you expect. Here I was delighted by a dry morning but the wet stuff returned after lunch.
ReplyDeleteI'm familiar with that tongue twister, Anna, and can't claim I was great at quickly spinning it off my tongue either. In contrast to your situation, I'm absolutely thrilled when we get a wet morning!
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