Monday, February 19, 2024

In a Vase on Monday: Rhapsody in blue

Ominous rain forecasts followed us all weekend but both Saturday and Sunday were relatively sunny, if not exactly warm.  The onset of rain was pushed back several times but Monday will almost certainly see some and, unless the forecasters are really off their game, Tuesday will see more.  The front page of the Los Angeles Times on Sunday featured a front page article on my area's long-running issue with a slow-ball landslide that started in 1956 and continues to this day.  The affected area is about five miles from us but it's a cautionary tale.  Last July, just ten miles away, a nearby city on our peninsula lost a dozen homes built in the 1970s to a slide that dropped eight of them forty-five feet down into a canyon in only hours.  Although that slide occurred months after the end of our rainy season, the higher rainfall we had was identified as the principal cause.  A geological survey we'd done in 2019 indicates that our seventy-plus year old house is on bedrock so we hope we're okay whatever comes with these atmospheric rivers.

Blue seemed the appropriate color to accompany the rain and, once I looked around a bit, I found more in that color than I'd anticipated.

My blue Anemones took center stage but I also turned up some white flowers, including scented Freesias

Back view: I used stems of a noID Ceanothus as filler material, along with a handful of early sweet pea blooms

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Felicia aethiopica, white Freesia, Lathyrus odoratus (maybe from 'Mermaid's Dream' mix), Anemone coronaria, Osteospermum '4D Silver', Teucrium fruticans 'Azureum', and noID Ceanothus


Here's a musical accompaniment, a short version of 'Rhapsody in Blue' from Warner Brothers (circa 1945), should you wish to listen to it as you finish reading this post.



I've been planning to cut stems of Grevillea sericea for some time but was at a loss as to what I could use to complement its small, delicate flowers.  Inspiration was found in the flowers of the sweet pea bush and my second arrangement came together better than I'd hoped, although I suspect the arrangement looks better up close than in photos.

A noID Anemone planted years ago appeared in my cutting garden with a white bloom bearing just a faint hint of pink, its name now lost.  The pinky-purple Osteospermum flowers stole the show from both the Anemone and the Grevillea flowers.

Back view

Top view: I added stems of what I think is an Ageratum of some kind, although I have no record of planting it and it grows far taller than A. houstonianum, the species commonly grown here.  It also acts like a shrub, not an annual.  It produces white floss-like flowers.  The stems I cut have buds but aren't yet in bloom.  I doubt they'll flower in a vase but I thought their buds were attractive enough to use as a filler.

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Ageratum, Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Daphne odora, noID Anemone coronaria, Grevillea sericea, Polygala myrtifolia, and Osteospermum '4D Pink'


My husband and I celebrated our anniversary over the weekend.  He made one of my favorite meals for dinner and brought me an orchid so the kitchen island has its requisite decoration.

The pot contains 2 Phalaenopsis and a clump of Dracaena marginata


For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who runs the weekly show.




All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party


32 comments:

  1. Your first vase IS a rhapsody in blue: Felicia aethiopica is particularly shocking with its yellow center, standing out so beautifully against the back of the vase.
    Chavli

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    1. I was surprised to discover that such small, seemingly delicate flowers can hold their own in a vase, Chavli.

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  2. Happy Anniversary! How nice he cooked a meal, inquiring minds would like to know what one of your favorite meals was? Beautiful arrangements as always. We've had quite a bit of sun here, I'm expecting a dousing later today & tomorrow?

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    1. My husband actually does most of the cooking, Tracy. He has some serious dietary restrictions and probably wouldn't trust me to be as meticulous as he is ;) In this case, he put together 2 versions of what we simply call "pork chops and rice," a casserole recipe I got from my mother as a child.

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  3. Maybe because I just returned from the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival (where spring celebration was in full force), but your vases both look very springy to me. Happy Anniversary!

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    1. Thanks Loree. Despite the rain, spring does seem to be moving ahead here.

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  4. More gorgeousness from your bouquets, Kris. Just amazing. And yes, hopefully your bedrock will save you from any slides. No sun here for a good while, just constant drizzly cold rain. Typical and boring but I'll take it.

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    1. Given the slow start of our rainy season, I'm pleased to see we're catching up, Tamara. My fingers are crossed that the areas hit hard by the rainstorms earlier this month won't experience a rerun this time.

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  5. Happy Anniversary! I have been thinking about you reading about all the rain and wondering if your garden is loving it or drowning. I hope love. We have had an unusual amount of rain here too. I love the colors today, especially the blues. Amelia

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    1. Although the rain we got from the 2 atmospheric rivers earlier this month was steady an unrelenting for days, we didn't experience the damage other areas did, Amelia. Rain in California always seems to be a mixed bag.

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  6. Gosh, a cautionary tale indeed - you must be relieved to know your house is built on bedrock. I love both your vases today, Kris, and really admire the fluidity of the second one. I noticed a speck of blue on some naturalised muscari today, so perhaps I will have blue for a vase soon too!

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    1. I was irritated when we were required to get a geological survey done before we started a relatively modest home renovation in 2019, Cathy. In retrospect, having that study done proved to be reassuring.

      I planted Muscari in my current garden years ago. I still get one very tiny bloom each year but that's it. Muscari is yet another plant that doesn't do well here but I look forward to seeing yours!

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  7. Gorgeous blues and purple pink to say spring is here. Your garden just continues to give. Love that you have sun after all that rain. Here we had winter again. Glad also that your house is safe.

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    1. We have another 2-fer atmospheric river situation going on this week - and there's yet another round possible Saturday-Sunday, Donna. I heard we're in the running for the wettest February ever in California.

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  8. Beautiful pops of blue in your first vase Kris and the others are equally striking. Belated best wishes on your anniversary! I've never seen two different orchids together in a vase before now but they go well together. I wonder if that predicted rain has materialised 🤔

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    1. Yes, the rain materialized starting this morning, Anna. We've received 0.83/inch so far today. The forecast for tomorrow shows it as continuous for the entire day and into Wednesday!

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  9. I've been wondering how Portuguese Bend has been holding up in all this rain -- what a relief to know you're on bedrock. Happy anniversary!

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    1. The fact that stood out in my reading of the LA Times article on the Portuguese Bend was that the area some residents identified as "ground zero" had moved 4 feet in the last 15 months instead of little to nothing in other periods of the same duration. Apparently there are significant (if not necessarily sufficient) federal funds allotted for a major intervention but that's not planned to start until 2025.

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  10. I love those blues! I'm still trying to figure out whether there's a reasonable chance of success with Ceanothus here in Arizona... would be so nice to have some. We got some of your last atmospheric river, and the hillsides are greening up here now. Such enormous weather systems!

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    1. The current atmospheric river is wrapped around us at present, blocking out the lights of both the Port of Los Angeles below us and neighboring homes around us. It's likely to stick around through tomorrow but I hope it'll move along your way soon!

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  11. Another lover of the blues here. They create a serene, soothing mood.

    Beautiful orchids from your dear Husband, Happy Anniversary to you both!
    --hb

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    1. Thanks HB. I struggle to photograph blue flowers - the photos often don't reflect the vibrancy of color that my eyes see.

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  12. Happy Anniversary to both of you. What lovely arrangements and I just cannot imagine all the work you put in to choose all the different types of plants you are able to grow and then cut for your arrangements. I take my off to you!

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    1. Thanks Noelle. I'm lucky to live in a place where I can garden year-round and allows me to pick from a wide variety of plants (even as I whine about the plants I can't grow, like peonies).

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  13. Your blue vase is wonderful Kris - such gorgeous shades and shapes. I really love the Teucrium. I have never seen a blue one with silvery foliage and must keep any eye out for that. Wishing you some drier weather!

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    1. A pause in the rain to allow us to dry out awhile and maybe a rainbow would be nice right now, Cathy!

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  14. I commented yesterday but I don't see it here, so I'll try again.
    Love the blue velvety anemones, and with the freesia, so yummy. Did you know that Feb 12 was the 100th anniversary of the first time Gershwin played Rhapsody in Blue in concert?
    Love the diminutive grevillea and the pink combination as well.
    Lastly, happy belated anniversary. Your hubby picked a beautiful gift... he's a keeper! :) Eliza

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    1. No, I didn't know that 2/12 was the 100th anniversary of Gershwin's introduction of 'Rhapsody in Blue'. If I had, I'd have looked for a video of Gershwin's orchestration of the piece - an opportunity missed!.

      My husband and I've been together since we were college freshman so there's little possibility of my jettisoning him at this stage ;)

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  15. Happy Anniversary belatedly. I got behind last week with comments although I saw your beautiful vases. Love Daphne and am awaiting an order to arrive to replace mine that died a couple of years ago.

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    1. Thanks Susie. I hope your new Daphne stands up against the weather-related stresses posed by your climate. I'm frankly flabbergasted that the plant has survived in mine.

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  16. Happy anniversary - especially with a husband who cooks!
    Soft blues and even softer yellows are a very happy pair.

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