It's finally time to feature Lilium 'Orange Planet' in a vase. The bloom stalks have been teasing me for well over a month now. The first trumpet blooms opened early this month but, as each stalk held between ten and twelve buds, I didn't want to cut any of the three stalks prematurely and lose some of the nascent flowers in the process.
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| Photo of the 'Orange Planet' flower stalks taken on June 10th |
With warmer temperatures prompting more and more buds to open I decided it was time to cut one of the smaller stalks.
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| Five of the blooms on the stalk I cut were open and the other 5 buds showing promise of opening soon. I used stems of Grevillea 'Poorinda Leanne', currently covered in frilly pale apricot blooms, as a filler. This Grevillea is a hybrid of G. juniperiana and G. victoriae. |
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| Back view, dressed up with 3 stems of Grevillea 'Superb', which flowers year-round |
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| Overhead view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Hybrid Achillea 'Terracotta', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Calendula officianalis, Grevillea 'Poorinda Leanne', G. 'Superb', and Orientpet Lilium 'Orange Planet' |
I'd planned to cut a variety of Agapanthus for a second arrangement this week but last week's lily-based arrangement was still looking good so I put that plan off and simply refreshed it.
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| I removed the Leucospermum 'Sunset' and Lobelia laxiflora, as well as 2 spent blooms of Lilium 'Royal Sunset' from the earlier version of the arrangement, adding one new stem of 'Royal Sunset' and 2 fresh stems of Leucospermum 'Brandi Dela Cruz'. The rest of the original elements remained in place. |
I cut another bunch of sweet peas for the kitchen island as an unexpected blast of heat this past weekend appears to be accelerating their decline. I'd hoped to hold off another week before pulling those vines but I may end up tackling that chore this week. All but one of the twenty-five dahlia tubers I potted up in mid-April have sprouted and thus far I've planted out just fourteen of them. Once I clear the bed occupied by the sweet peas, I can plant another four or five of those dahlia tubers there. I plan to give the remaining sprouted tubers away.
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| The mix of Lathyrus odoratus seeds I sowed in early November took an inordinately long time to grow up and flower but, after just a couple of weeks of vigorous bloom, they're now rushing to the finish line. Sweet peas are not summer blooms in my part of Southern California. |
Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find links to arrangements composed by other IAVOM contributors using materials from their gardens.
All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
