In a Vase on Monday: The siren call of blue flowers

I recently discovered that my Mexican Abelia, now classified as Vesalea floribunda, had sprung back to life after a hard pruning months ago.  I obtained it many years ago from Annie's Annuals & Perennials as a four-inch plant and placed it on my back slope for reasons I don't recall.  It didn't do much over the years and, although I loved its fragrant flowers, I had no success in propagating it directly from cuttings but it spread well by layering and is currently spilling over its neighbors.  Once I saw how well it was doing, I knew I had to use it in a vase.  While the color is described in the literature on the plant as "cerise," I see it as pinkish lavender and collected other flowers in that color scheme to complement it.

It became another of my "everything but the kitchen sink" creations.  The single stem of Geranium 'Rozanne' I placed in front was probably a mistake, although the faint streaks at the center of the Geranium flower echo the color of the Vesalea blooms.  The Salvia stems were almost lost in the mix.

Back view: The Limonium perezii blooms presented a better match with the Vesalea flowers

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthmum frutescens 'Mount Everest', Hebe 'Grace Kelly', Salvia 'Bee's Bliss', Geranium 'Rozanne', Limonium perezii, Osteospermum 'Violet Ice', and Vesalea floribunda

I'd originally thought I could throw the flowers of Anemone 'Lord Lieutenant' into that first vase but the color difference was too pronounced in my view.  Still, I couldn't dismiss the brilliant blue of those flowers so I created a smaller second arrangement.

I've been very pleased that the 'Lord Lieutenant' Anemone bulbs I purchased in 2025 actually fit their specifications as described this time.  The cream-colored Matthiola incana (aka stock) was added for its delicious scent.

Back view: I used stems of a noID Ceanothus as my filler

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Lord Lieutenant', noID Ceanothus, Matthiola incana, Prostanthera ovatifolia 'Variegata, and Salvia 'Mystic Spires'

We've had a major reversal in the weather over the past week with temperatures reaching into the mid-70sF (23C).  It could get warmer still over this week.  The Santa Ana winds have been blowing and our humidity levels have dropped dramatically.  However, unlike last January, the winds pose little danger of sparking wildfires because we were so well saturated by the rain we've received since October.  In fact, according to news reports, the State of California is completely drought-free for the first time in twenty-five years.  Those conditions won't last forever but they're appreciated for now.  Hopefully, we'll get more rain before our rainy season ends in April.  At present, there's no significant chance of rain showing until early February.

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

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party