The Oxford Dictionary defines an "overflow" as "an excess or surplus not able to be accommodated by an available space." That applies to the current surplus of Aeonium arboreum bloom stalks in my garden. I started to count them several weeks ago and stopped when a got to a hundred. More have appeared since. It seemed time to reduce their number so a neighborhood giveaway was in order. I've done this before as shown in this prior post dated February 18, 2022.
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| I filled 5 good-sized recycled plastic canisters with water and used the bench as my staging area. I cut about 40 stems. The bees were all over them but they paid me no attention. |
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| I set them facing the street in front of my succulent bed |
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| Closeup of my sign. I put the flowers out late Monday afternoon and 3 of the 5 canisters were gone when I checked on them at early Tuesday morning. One empty plastic canister was later returned empty, which I refilled late Tuesday afternoon. Between the bees and the fact that numerous neighbors have Aeoniums of their own, I may not get many more takers. |
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| I threw 5 more stalks into this vase with no water so I could assess how long they last without it |
There are still a lot of flower stalks left.
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| It looks as though I hardly made a dent in the number of flowers. They were more prolific to start with in this area of the front garden but, as I have Aeonium arboreum scattered everywhere, I cut stems from multiple locations. |
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| At least I cleared all the stalks that made this it hard to walk along this path |
Lest you think I've foisted off my problem on my neighbors, I should note that I've found the flowers make decent and long-lasting vase material.
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| This is the arrangement I created for "In a "Vase on Monday" on January 5th. In addition to the Aeoniums, it contained Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Argyranthemum frutescens, and Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'. |
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| This is a photo of the same arrangement taken a week later. Other than white Marguerite daisies, it looked even better a week afterwards on January 18th but I failed to take a photo before I chucked it out to make room for another floral arrangement. |
Any spent or disfigured bloom stalks have already gone in the green bin. More will go once the green bins are emptied later this week. I may keep a dozen or so but that's it. Meanwhile, a more interesting flower opened yesterday.
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| This is Hippeastrum 'Amadeus Candy'. I've 3 of the bulbs in a pot and 2 stems have blooms, with the third still in bud. |
All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
I love a floral giveaway! Thanks to their ability to stay looking good for awhile without water, I wonder if aeonium blooms have ever been used on a parade float?
ReplyDeleteHa, good question! The timing of the blooms may be a little late, at least for the Rose Parade, but then they bloomed earlier this year in my garden...All but 4 stems of the Aeonium bloom stalks I left for neighbors were gone this morning (and I tossed those in my green bin for pickup tomorrow).
DeleteIf I walked by your pretty giveaway, I'd definitely take one, or two...
ReplyDeleteI'm curious: once an Aeoniums rosette blooms, is it finished? Do you pull the whole bit out? (I may have asked this before... not sure :-D)
Chavli
All but 4 of the stalks had been taken by mid-morning yesterday - I just tossed the remaining ones in our green bin for pickup at that point. As to your question, Aeonium arboreum develop tree-like structures over time. The individual rosettes that bloom do die. I usually cut those stalks down as far as I can without disturbing healthy, non-blooming rosettes. Eventually, the clumps get messy or overgrown, at which point I'll pull them up, often cutting healthy rosettes and replanting or giving them away. Letting the rosette stems callus before planting is generally recommended, although our climate here is dry enough that you can usually safely plant the cuttings without that step. That's the reason I have zillions of Aeoniums all over the place ;)
DeleteYour now clear pathway looks great! You do make those blooms work, not an easy task. Ooooh, the Hippeastrum is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI've grown that Hippeastrum before but I'd forgotten how pretty it is. It looks even better today than it did yesterday when I took the photograph.
DeleteHow long do the flowers last? They look quite long-lived.
ReplyDeleteGerhard, the cut flowers last over 2 weeks in a vase with water and they even hold up for quite awhile without water. Uncut on the stalk, they last for many weeks more - I cut them down long before they're spent, though.
ReplyDeleteThe starry blooms are quite attractive, but your garden is a bit overwhelmed with them, isn't it? I'm glad that your neighbors appreciate them, it would be a shame to green bin them all. Very pretty amaryllis! Eliza
ReplyDelete100+ bright yellow/chartreuse duncecap-shaped flowers is more than a little overwhelming, Eliza! I probably still have 3-4 dozen left but I got rid of all but 4 flower stalks with my giveaway ;)
DeleteI'm trying to think if there are any blooms that are so prolific that I would want to get rid of them. I can't think of anything at the moment except, of course, weed flowers.
ReplyDeleteThe Aeonium bloom stalks are a self-created issue for me, Jerry. I use Aeoniums (of various kinds but primarily Aeonium arboreum and A. haworthii) as filler material throughout my garden. I love their succulent rosettes but eventually they bloom. Unfortunately, 100+ of them blooming at one time is overwhelming!
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