Monday, July 29, 2024

In a Vase on Monday: Catching up for lost time

Isn't it odd that even a five day absence seems like a dereliction of duty when it comes to one's garden?  As my July 19th post indicated, I had plans to tackle several jobs quickly upon my return from the Puget Sound Garden Fling.  I even had delusions of creating a late "In a Vase on Monday" post after snapping a few photos of an arrangement I'd hastily put together for the contractor who directed the replacement of our water pipes and the related repairs to our walls - or really his wife, who'd just had surgery.  I'd handled most of my garden's immediate watering needs and tidied up a few areas before general fatigue and then a positive COVID test put a crimp on all my plans early Wednesday morning.  Defying my symptoms and ignoring disapproving looks from my husband, I've put in an hour here and there since Wednesday but I can't claim I've accomplished much; however, I did cut flowers for IAVOM early Sunday morning when temperatures were comfortable.

I'd identified what appears to be the last of my lilies as a starting point.  The bloom stalk proved to be past its prime but I used its one presentable flower as my centerpiece.  Luckily, my dahlias are finally stepping up to fill the gaps in my garden's supply of flowers as summer temperatures wither the blooms that were prominent just two weeks ago.

The lily is 'Pretty Woman', which for some reason is pure white this year without the pink blush it's produced in prior years.  I paired it with the purple and white flowers of Dahlia 'Vancouver', the only dahlia I purchased "off the rack" from local garden center this year.  I cut all the blooms it came with immediately after purchase and it's coming out swinging with a fresh flush of blooms now.

Back view: I filled out the vase with stems of one of the few remaining foxgloves in my garden

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Vancouver', Orienpet Lilium 'Pretty Woman', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Purple', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and Monarda hybrid 'Peter's Purple'


I filled a second collection bottle with an assortment of other flowers and foliage, originally planning to fold everything into a single second arrangement.  After some futzing, I decided I preferred to break them up into three (!!!) smaller, more carefully coordinated mixes.


The first of these centered on a single bloom of Dahlia 'Summer's End'.

I purchased a single Dahlia 'Summer's End' tuber in 2021 and it's performed well every year since.  It's a "waterlily" type.

Back view: I got lucky with a fresh flush of flowers from Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' which appeared seemingly overnight to offer the perfect accent

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', Cuphea 'Honeybells', Dahlia 'Summer's End', and Tanacetum parthenium


The next arrangement is even simpler, including just three elements.

Clockwise from the upper left: front and overhead views of the arrangement, Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac', and Daucus carota 'Dara'


The last remnants of the morning cuttings went into a third vase, which sits on the desk in my home office.

The vase contains the first flower of Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara', Tanacetum parthenium, and seedheads of Helichrysum 'Icicles'


For more floral and foliage creations visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, who leads the merry band of IAVOM contributors.



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

22 comments:

  1. Wow, these are all beautiful. I'm sorry you're feeling cruddy, I hope it doesn't last long. The Cane's Hybrid really adds such a prettiness to the 2nd arrangement. At least the inside work is complete so you don't have to deal with that right now.

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    1. I'm glad the new pipes are in and the walls are intact once again, although we're hearing a groaning sound whenever we turn on hot water in the kitchen or the bathrooms. There's a dispute as to its cause, with the plumbing contractor contending that the problem is attributable to our relatively new water heater. The water heater experts have said that's not the case so there's still a little drama to play out ;)

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  2. Oh no...I hope you are feeling much better. I know how we like to defy our symptoms but really take care of yourself. I adore all the vases, but the first is amazing with that lily with those stunning foxgloves (a fav of mine) and equally gorgeous dahlias. Take it easy my friend.

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    1. Thanks Donna. I find it very hard to be patient but I'm trying!

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  3. Love those callistemon flowers! No doubt whatever time you were able to spend in the garden was a boost to your recovery, are you feeling better?

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    1. I'm better but not 100% quite yet. However, last night was my most restful since I flew off to join the Fling. I took my last dose of Paxlovid this morning and, per the nurse practitioner's guidance, I can retest for Covid tomorrow. There's a LOT of work awaiting me in the garden!

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  4. Oh I am so sorry to hear about the Covid, Kris - Julie, who my flowers were for, has had it three times and this recent time was the worst. I hope you don't get the lingering exhaustion 🤞 I am with you on the dereliction of duty concept - that is why I am so diligent in hosting IAVOM! Thanks for your continued loyalty too, Kris. Strangely, out of all your vases today, with all their merits, I like the last one (the one on your desk) best, because of its simplicity

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    1. This is my first time getting Covid, Cathy - so much for my dodging that bullet since 2020! I like the way the Rudbeckia in the small vase on my desk echoes the color of the Tillandsia my friend painted in a vase she gave me as a gift years ago and felt compelled to include it in my IAVOM photos :)

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  5. A nice mix of colors, Kris! So great to have dahlias in bloom again, such a great addition to our arrangements. Your peachy 'Summer's End' is inspiring me to add some new pastels to my collection next spring. It really needs some refreshing! Eliza

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    1. Dahlia 'Summer's End' has been a particularly vigorous plant in each of my summer dahlia collections since 2021. The bloom I included in the second arrangement is its first but there are several other buds stretching for the sky too.

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  6. I hope you are feeling better. Rest really is an important part of Covid treatment, so hopefully the hot weather will force you to, if nothing else works. Take care of yourself.

    The lily, dahlia, and rudbeckia make fabulous focal points in those arrangements. Those ginormous Puget Sound area lilies--sigh!

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    1. Well, I'm not getting much done in the garden beyond some supplemental watering and minor cleanups. (I did sneak out again for about 30 minutes this morning while my husband was grocery shopping...)

      I got an ID on that giant white lily with red centers and yellow-green streaks from commentators on Instagram - it's a hybrid called 'Zeba'. I subsequently located a source online and pre-ordered 3 bulbs, to be shipped in February 2025.

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  7. Wonderful arrangements! Mum, Dad & I all have covid at the moment, it seems to be spreading like wildfire. I hope you feel better soon. Take care.

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    1. I'm sorry to hear that! The Los Angeles Times published an article today stating that the FLiRT variation on Covid is spreading rapidly, already causing cases to surpass the level experienced last summer and on its way to pass up the total recorded in summer 2022. I hope you all recover quickly.

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  8. Well done Kris, and I do hope you are feeling better now. All your vases are lovely. The peachy Dahlia is a dream, and I am amazed you still have foxgloves in bloom! I particularly like the last arrangement as I don't recall seeing Rudbeckias from your garden. That one is really gorgeous. Take a bit of time to recover Kris and enjoy your vases indoors. :-)

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    1. I tested negative for Covid this morning! It's still recommended to isolate and mask around others for another 5 days but I'm thankful for signs I'm recovering. As to the foxgloves, they've amazed me too!

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  9. I hope you're feeling better. It seems like Covid added to your creative energy; you've created three lovely vases. I really like the way you have built each one around a central bloom and taken the colour tones from it into the rest of stems.

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    1. Well, the dahlias haven't come on like gangbusters yet so I had to parse out their use ;) I'm looking forward to coming weeks when I have more dahlias than I know what to do with but there are still quite a few plants that have yet to develop buds.

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  10. I love the first arrangements movement and colors. foxgloves in summer still blow my mind and they look pristine. I hope you recover quickly, we had covid last summer and it was all about fatigue. Amelia

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    1. That I still have foxgloves flowering in late July blows my mind too, Amelia. I can only credit the marine layer that hung on well into this month, although it's pretty much gone now and temperatures are on the toasty side. This is the first - and hopefully only - bout with Covid I've had. I was already fatigued by the repiping project and the Fling that followed on its heels, and I went though a series of Covid symptoms but I think I'm on the mend now. I tested negative for Covid earlier today in any case!

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  11. Foxgloves, NOW! It blows my mind too. It must be the ocean breezes. All your arrangements are stunning with a beautiful array of flowers. Too bad about Covid. No time is good but in the heat of summer, I don't envy you. I have had eight shots now and fingers crossed only succumbed once. Hope you feel better soon.
    https://zonethreegardenlife.blog/2024/07/29/in-a-vase-july-29th/

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    1. This is my first time for Covid - and hopefully my last! I tested negative this morning after 10 doses of Paxlovid within 5 days so maybe I'm nearly done with it.

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