In a Vase on Monday: As luck would have it

I fully expected to be scrambling to find material to fill a vase this week.  This was indeed the case with my first arrangement.  I identified two flowering plants that might serve as centerpieces, a yellow Rudbeckia growing in a barrel in my front garden and the first buds of Senna bicapsularis growing along the fence separating us from a neighbor.  I cut stems of both but in retrospect wasn't too pleased with either so I went searching for other plants to give them a boost.  As is often the case in such circumstances, I cut more plants than I probably needed and end up with a hodge-podge.

Most of the Rudbeckia flowers had been nibbled by the grasshoppers still plaguing my garden and the Senna buds hadn't quite opened yet

Back view: I threw in the shaggy Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum) that made a lone late showing in my front garden and the orange berries of Auranticarpa rhombifolium (aka diamond-leaf pittosporum)

Overhead view: 2 stems of Japanese anemone (Eriocapitella hupehensis) elevated the arrangement somewhat, although they were partially buried on the mix

Top row: Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', and Auranticarpa rhombifolium
Middle: Correa 'Ivory Bells', Eriocapitella hupehensis, and Lantana 'Lucky Yellow'
Bottom: Leucanthemum x superbum, Rudbeckia 'Juliana', and Senna bicapsularis

I had some unexpected luck in putting together my second arrangement.  Due to last week's heavier-than-expected rain, I wasn't able to get as much done in my cutting garden as I'd planned.  I managed to get all the dahlias but one out of the raised beds, which I left in place temporarily as it still had buds.  After the sun came out and temperatures surged into the mid-80sF (29C) days later, two new blooms of Dahlia 'Lady Darlene' made an appearance.

The 2 dahlias are smaller and redder than the 'Lady Darlene' flowers I've featured in prior vases

Back view: I've plenty of colorful Leucadendron stems to fill out my vases

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Lady Darlene', Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', G. 'Superb', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Leucadendron salignum 'Blush', and variegated L. 'Jester'

Despite delays, I completed the process of digging up one of the raised beds in my cutting garden and replanted it with spring blooming plugs and bulbs (anemone corms).  Meanwhile, the local raccoons have been "helping" me clear the other two raised beds of grubs.  (I've laid hardware cloth and wire cloches over the first bed to keep them at bay.)  However, my sister-in-law will be visiting midweek so work will be delayed once again - but then my back will appreciate the break.

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

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