Monday, July 7, 2025

In a Vase on Monday: Not what I planned

I've been participating in the weekly "In a Vase on Monday" meme long enough that, by Sunday morning, I usually have something in mind to fill my vase(s).  Although I did cut a stem of a 'Pretty Woman' lily as planned for my first arrangement, that's where the direction I'd envisioned shifted.  I'd thought I was going to put together another blue and white arrangement but two stems of perky fuchsias sent me elsewhere.

The first stalk of Lilium 'Pretty Woman' has been in bloom for over a month but I waited to cut it until the last 4 flowers had opened.  I hadn't thought of leaning into the pink touches at the base of each flower until I noticed that Fuchsia 'Windchimes Upright White' had 2 long stems just begging to be cut.

Back view: There's not a lot of pink in my garden at the moment so I took advantage of abundant blooms of Daucus carota 'Dara' and the pinky variegated foliage of Leucadendron 'Jester'

Overhead view: On this occasion I removed all the pollen on the lily's anthers to prevent stains to the bright white petals

Clockwise from the upper left: noID white Agapanthus, Daucus carota 'Dara', Fuchsia 'Windchimes Upright White', Leucadendron 'Jester', and Orienpet Lilium 'Pretty Woman'


As the Leonotis leonurus (lion's tail) recently swung into bloom in response to steadily warming temperatures, I'd planned to go all in with orange flowers for my second arrangement but I dumped that plan when the first two zinnia flowers opened in my cutting garden.  I'd never gotten around to pinching my zinnia seedlings and I couldn't bring myself to do that once they'd formed fat buds; however, these initial blooms encouraged me to get on with it.  I wasn't sure what use I could make of two zinnias but I challenged myself to try.  I'm relatively pleased with the result.

The zinnias didn't even match but they were both reddish

Back view: The seedpods of Cercis occidentalis (aka western redbud) made this arrangement in my view.  The 2 trees I inherited with the garden have never borne as many seedpods as they have this year and I should probably cut them all off soon to discourage self-propagation.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Cercis occidentalis, (more) Daucus carota 'Dara', Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown', L. 'Safari Sunset', Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Wine', and Z. e. 'Queeny Red Lime'


I ended up with a third arrangement (also unplanned) as I cut several foxglove stems to flesh out the first arrangement but then decided they were more distracting then helpful.  I threw them into a small vase with a couple of leftovers from prior arrangements.

The heat hasn't been kind to the Digitalis purpurea in the container on my back patio so cutting all the stems was a good decision in any case.  The Leucanthemum (Shasta daisy) was a leftover from one of last week's arrangements and the Leucadendron 'Jester' stem is 3 weeks old.


It's been in the low-to-mid 80sF (28C) here for the last several days and it looks as though we can expect more of the same in the coming week.  The inland valleys will be about ten degrees hotter so we're lucky.  Meanwhile California's San Luis Obispo County is now battling the Madre Fire, which has burned over 80,000 acres since Wednesday with only thirty percent containment, already dramatically eclipsing the Eaton (14,021 acres) and Palisades (23,448 acres) Fires back in January.  At least the new fire is burning in a largely uninhabited forest area.  No cause has been identified yet but it certainly looks like we're facing another bad year in terms of wildfires.  You'd have thought people would keep that in mind when it came to the Independence Day celebrations last week but, while illegal firework displays were moderate leading up to the holiday, July 4th was as untamed as ever.

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.



All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

20 comments:

  1. Fuchsia is a suprising component in a vase: it certainly works here!
    I love the second vase even better: the burgundy and green are wonderful together.
    Chavli

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    1. I had low expectations for the second arrangement but it surprised me, Chavli :)

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  2. Even with your plans thrown out the window, gorgeous arrangements. I love the lilies with the leucadendron. Our fireworks were tamer this year, but still incredulous anyone would be lighting things on fire when it's so dry. It's all so dumb.

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    1. I'd had hopes for a tamer 4th this year, especially as there were far fewer "practice" sessions in the lead up to the big event. But the explosions started Friday morning, continuing virtually non-stop through the daylight hours (why?!), and the nighttime displays were larger than ever. We can see dozens of displays, only some of which are legal and supervised. I hope the county collected lots of fines but I doubt it...

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  3. I absolutely love the lily arrangement, it's gorgeous! I also think your zinnia challenge turned out quite nicely, well done! Seeing your Queeny Red Lime reminded me to look up Queeny Lime Orange which I theoretically bought two small starter plants of, but the blooms opened bright orange, no lime at all. They look nothing like the online photos promise. Bummer.

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    1. That's disappointing, Loree. I've come to expect mistakes with bulbs but plant growers should produce better results.

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  4. Kris, Pretty Woman and friends is fantastic. I have killed so many fuchsias it is absurd. Love it. Stay safe. .Amelia

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    1. I haven't had a lot of success with fuchsias either, Amelia. However, 'Windchimes Upright White' blooms nearly year-round in a large pot so it's been very satisfying. 'Dollar Princess' has also done well in a barrel planted along with New Guinea impatiens. My conclusion is they're happier in large, well watered containers here rather than in the ground.

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  5. Both beautiful and very different vases this week, Kris. The white lilies are dramatic and enhanced by the pink accents. I love the red zinnia 'BGW' with the redbud pods (the eastern doesn't have such large ones) and leucadendron, pulling the red out to the edges. Very cool!
    The heat and the wildfires (along with crazy people setting off fireworks) surely do take the fun out of summer. I miss the pleasant, worry-free summers of my youth! Eliza

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    1. With wildfires, floods and other natural catastrophes coming at us with increasing frequency and the unwillingness of the current federal administration to face the reality of climate change and invest in the systems necessary to manage those catastrophes, I worry about what our future holds.

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  6. We are back up to the high 20s again here, although we have now a couple of decent bouts of rain - I think there is also a risk of fires in some areas, but nothing like the risk and scale of those in California. You always manage to produce such varied vases with such interesting and often unusual blooms, and this week is no exception. The zinnias are gorgeous!

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    1. Our temperatures were pleasant yesterday but we're up to 81.5F (27.5C) today and it's not even noon yet. Wednesday and Thursday are supposed to be even warmer but at least we shouldn't reach the heights expected for our inland valleys and cooler temperatures should return this weekend. If only we could get a little rain to take the edge off!

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  7. Beautiful. My lilies are almost bloomed out, all that I have left are a giant variety that smells divine. They are a favorite, and I see you're wise also and take off the staining anthers when you bring the flower in. That was one of the first things we learned when I took a Floral Design class.

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    1. I really like those pollen-laden anthers but the pollen does mar the petals once it falls!

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  8. Oh 'Pretty Woman', you are indeed very pretty as are the 'Dara' heads - there is something about umbels that are always so attractive. I'm sorry to hear about the fires again. We have been lucky so far, fingers crossed and have had several storms with a lot of rain which should hopefully delay the number of fires.Your Foxgloves are gorgeous too and I thought they preferred a more temperate climate!!
    https://zonethreegardenlife.blog/2025/07/07/in-a-vase-monday-july-7-2025/

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    1. Our long, continuously dry summers combined with strong winds present the greatest fire dangers here, Jenny. I'm glad the rain is helping you. As to foxgloves, they're really spring (cool season) plants here but they were late to flower this year. They're struggling but I haven't had the heart of pull them up as I usually do during the summer months.

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  9. The lilies are stunning Kris, and I am pleased to see that lovely Daucus being put to good use in both arrangements. Love the pretty Fuchsia. Only wish I could grow them. They never seen happy wherever I put them so I have given up!

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    1. I don't have great luck with fuchsias as a general rule either, Cathy. However, I have 2 varieties now that seem to be happy in their large containers where they get regular water. They didn't do nearly as well in my shade house, which was an interesting discovery - I think they wanted more sun than they got there ;)

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  10. I think the 2nd one works the best. The colors work together. Zinnia flowers make a great focal point. White grabs all the attention in the others--that happens in the garden, too. Maybe it's our screaming-bright summer light.

    A kid is suspected of starting a fire with a firework in Laguna Beach; he was arrested and faces felony charges. The fire people stopped it at 4 acres, luckily. I hate fireworks.

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    1. I was surprised and pleased with the second arrangement, HB. I heard the story about the 13 year old. I can't believe he could've gotten the fireworks without his parents or another adult knowing about it...

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