We got more rain than expected last week, albeit the only snow nearby was in the mountains to the east of us.
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| Photo from our back garden looking east. The Port of Los Angeles is in the foreground and the City of Long Beach is visible in the mid-range area. The mountains beyond are usually obscured but they showed off their snowy caps clearly after storms scrubbed away the smog. |
Many of my flowers were left in a soggy state and finding enough to fill a couple of vases was harder than I'd anticipated on Sunday. The Hippeastrum 'Exception' I used last week was in passable condition so I put together another arrangement recycling it as the centerpiece.
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| I reduced 'Exception's' stalk by almost half and cut off 2 of the blooms that were browning around the edges |
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| Back view: I used more feathery foliage than I assembled last week and added stronger punches of color |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', a noID Alstroemeria, Antirrhinum majus, Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', Chlorophytum comosum (aka spider plant), Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', and Hippeastrum 'Exception' |
I created a second arrangement using Hippeastrum 'Elvas'. It wasn't in perfect condition but I patched together a vase with a nod to Valentine's Day.
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| I hunted down red flowers to play off the red edges of 'Elvas'. I can usually count on the feathery flowers of Calliandra haematocephala (aka red powder puff) at this time of year but they're only just getting started. |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Alternanthera 'Little Ruby', Calliandra haematocephala, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola', and Hippeastrum 'Elvas' |
Best wishes for a happy Valentine's Day! We expect sun today but mostly cloudy skies through the rest of the week, probably culminating with the arrival of another atmospheric river on Saturday.
For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Both vases are perfect for Valentine's Day, with complete range of white-to-red. Today, I like the vibrant top view of the vases best: everything comes together beautifully from above.
ReplyDeleteGrevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' doesn't ring any memory bells, although I'm sure you've shown it before. I love the contrast between the silver-green foliage and the abundant red 'dots' of blooms.
Chavli
I once had 2 Grevillea 'Penola' but I lost one several years ago. They're big plants and one literally fell over under its own weight after a period of unusually heavy rain. My remaining plant sits alongside the fencet next to the concrete block stairway. It's a very narrow space (seldom seen even in my wide shots) and I don't know what possessed me to put it there. I've tried to keep it tied against the fence in espalier fashion but it regularly breaks free. In fact, I need to tie it in again now.
DeleteHappy Valentine's Day, Kris. The Amaryllis look great for all they have been through. I don't think of them as long lasting cut flowers. You made me wonder if it is too late for me to try some snaps. I do love them, especially that deep red one. I hope it is not too much rain, which seems weird. This is the coldest, rainiest winter I have experienced in Florida. Amelia
ReplyDeleteIt'd be nice if the rain was more evenly spaced, Amelia, but when it comes to weather none of us usually get what we wish for, at least in the long run. The Amaryllis/Hippeastrum here vary greatly in terms of their vase life. In contrast to 'Exception', 'Zombie' was waning before the week was out.
DeleteHappy Valentine's Day, Kris! The vases are full of pizazz. I like way you have used the Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola'.
ReplyDeleteLike the red powder puff, I think of Grevillea 'Penola' as one of my standby Valentine's Day plants but it actually has a long bloom period. It's a little stiff in a vase but at least it's not as prickly as some of my Grevilleas.
DeleteYou are bringing it for Valentine's Day! I'm dreading the week of rain coming our way, at least it's warm. I'm just hoping we don't get sogged out. Fingers crossed it's well behaved.
ReplyDeleteI keep hearing that the atmospheric rivers are "warm" but they haven't felt that way to me, Tracy. Our daytime temperatures were stuck in the 50s during the last 2 storms. We've moved into the low 60s today, which I'm enjoying, even it that's brief.
DeleteGood to now that the first hippeastrum bloom lasted well over the week - the alstroemeria go really with it, as does the antirrhinum, which for those in the Uk will seem an unusual seasonal bedfellow! Did you say your hippeastrum grow outside? Do they realiably return, if that is the case? What an asset thatmust be for this time of year!
ReplyDeleteI literally found the dark pink Alstroemeria hiding under shrubs, Cathy - it was an early arrivals even for us.. I grow all the Hippeastrums outside. Those blooming now are in pots. The bulbs planted in the ground take longer to bloom, if they do at all. They established more quickly in my former tiny garden than they have here. I suspect they don't like the drier conditions of my current garden.
DeleteYou would never know it had been soggy in your neck of the woods Kris - the flowers in your vases look most happy and healthy indeed. There was mention of the weather in California on the BBC website last week. What is an atmospheric river? Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day.
ReplyDeleteAtmospheric rivers are defined by Wikipedia as "narrow corridors...of concentrated moisture in the atmosphere." My understanding is that they're referred to as "rivers" because they appear as such when viewed from space. They're also often referred to here as a "pineapple express" because they originate in tropical areas.
DeleteThanks for the explanation Kris 😀
DeleteBoth hippeastrum are lovely and you did a wonderful job filling the vases. That is what I lack, filler plants and flowers this time of year especially. H. Exception is quite stunning.
ReplyDeleteDonna, I've fewer problems finding fillers because we don't have "real" winters as you do ;)
DeleteI feel for you, having soggy flowers. My flowers are the same here after all the rain we've been having. You still pulled together a beautiful arrangement, ass you always do. :)
ReplyDeleteYou seem to grow several plants which are the same as we grow here, so I can't quite grasp that you live so close to snow capped mountains! I love your view over Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Well, there's even snow in some parts of Hawaii where the elevation is high enough, Jo! Coastal California is considered one of 5 areas in the world with a Mediterranean climate, typified by hot, dry summers and rainy winters. Southern and Southwestern Australia are also considered in that category so plants that grow there will often also grow well here.
DeleteBoth vases have a touch of romance this week Kris. 😃 The Callandra is a lovely splash of red and the Alstroemerias are pretty too. Amazing view across the port towards the mountains. When the weather conditions are right here we can see 'mountains' in the Bavarian Forest, although there is rarely snow on them! The Alps are just a bit too far away unless you are on very high ground on a very clear day!
ReplyDeleteWe see snow on those mountains relatively infrequently, Cathy, but then we usually don't have clear views of the mountains at all, partly due to clouds but mostly due to smog. The area I showed in that photo is even more invisible than the area slightly to the northeast but the view in the foreground is more interesting.
DeleteFlowers from the garden in February, what a blessing. Hope your special valentine spoils you.
ReplyDeleteMy "special valentine" and I celebrate our anniversary in 3 days so we generally ignore Valentine's Day ;) I hope you're enjoying a nice one, Elaine!
DeleteHi Kris, the pic of the snowy mountains is awesome. What are the mountains called? Your flowers look gorgeous and not a bit soggy. Hope all is well with you, happy late winter days 🪻
ReplyDeleteI'm not 100% certain, Annette, but I think that snow-covered mountain is Mount San Antonio, better known as Mount Baldy, which is part of the San Gabriel mountain range and the Angeles National Forest.
DeleteThat greenish-blue/brown vase with all the ridges is very attractive - one of my favorites. Seems like it goes well with almost anything you could throw its way. Nice to see you found a use for some of the branches pruned off of Penola.
ReplyDeleteThat vase was one of my best purchases, Jerry - and it wasn't even expensive!
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