In a Vase on Monday: Spring explosion

Admittedly, Spring arrives early in coastal Southern California but it feels especially early this year.  I call it Spring when I spot new flowers whenever I walk through my garden, which is generally at least two times a day.  Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is just around the corner and maybe when I tabulate what's flowering for my post, I'll discover that this year isn't an anomaly but, at the moment, it feels like one.  Finding flowers to fill my vases wasn't at all difficult - what was difficult was deciding what to rule out this week.

As much of the US is still shuddering in the face of very cold weather, it's remained warmer-than-usual here.  Unfortunately, we still haven't had any rain and even our marine layer, when it's appeared, has been light, usually clearing at my elevation by the time the sun rises.  However, there are two decent chances of rain on the horizon within the next ten days.  I focused on the Hippeastrums that might be marred by rain, should it actually show up.

Hippeastrum 'White Nile' got the starring role in this arrangement.  I hadn't originally planned to pair it with snapdragons but they've taken off in the past week and, all too soon, the sweet peas are going to demand some of the space the snaps currently occupy so cutting them seemed a good idea.

The back view is much like the front

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: dark and light pink Antirrhinum majus, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', green Eustoma grandiflorum (aka lisianthus), Hippeastrum 'White Nile', and Narcissus papyraceus

The second Hippeastrum is flashier than the first, although I was happier with how the first arrangement came together than I am with the second.

Hippeastrum 'Flamingo Amadeus' is dramatic but I had a harder time finding other flowers that provided the right contrast with that orangy-pink color.  More white might have been better.

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', white Freesia, Grevillea 'Superb', Hippeastrum 'Flamingo Amadeus', and Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid'

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Fire and Ice

While I can't claim we're in the middle of a true heatwave, it's been unseasonably toasty here of late with temperatures running in the low 80sF (27-28C).  Humidity levels remain low and my plants are begging for infusions of extra water despite the fact that the automated irrigation system currently kicks in twice a week.  The morning marine layer is projected to make appearances on and off this week, which should lower the temperatures and raise the humidity but I won't count on that until I see it happen.  February is traditionally the wettest month of our all-too-short rainy season in Los Angeles County but the ten-day forecast doesn't hold any real chance of rain at this point.  However, the warmth is bringing on fresh flowers in my garden on a steady basis.

As a nod to the warmer conditions, I selected a few blooms of the fiery Leucospermum 'Sunrise' to guide the choices for my first arrangement.

I threw in a few stems of white Marguerite daisies (Argyranthemum frutescens) at the last minute to help balance all the red-orange colors but I don't think it really did the trick.  I also can't explain why the 2 stems of Alstroemeria suddenly collapsed the way they did.

Back view: more yellow Marguerite daisies might have helped

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Argyranthemum frutescens 'Beauty Yellow', A. f. 'Mount Everest', Antirrhinum majus, Grevillea 'Poorinda Leane', and Leucospermum 'Sunrise'

ICE (the acronym for the US Immigations & Customs Enforcement agency) has been on my mind and as a friend and I joined an ICE Out protest on Saturday, I felt compelled to add that reference to my post's title when I cut two of the first Scilla peruviana (aka Portuguese squill) to bloom this year and added more blue tones to complement them.

I probably should've held off on cutting the Scilla peruviana until the stems were taller but I couldn't resist.  These are the first blooms from new bulbs I planted in November.  My larger clump (which I still haven't divided) hasn't developed buds yet but I've little doubt they're on their way.

Back view: I can't account for the lavender Anemone blooms.  They're distinct from the 'Azzurro' variety I used last week but they're definitely not either of the 2 other bulb varieties ('Rarity' and 'Rosa Chiaro') I ordered this fall.  My best guess is that they're 'Mona Lisa', included in my order by mistake.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Lord Lieutenant', noID Anemone (maybe 'Mona Lisa'), noID Ceanothus, and Scilla peruviana 

Last week's Hippeastrum 'Amadeus Candy' held up well, with the last two buds opening as the week came to an end.  I couldn't bring myself to toss them out so they were plunked in a small vase for the kitchen island.

The other 2 bulbs of 'Amadeus Candy' are already in full bloom.  I guess I couldn't count on their pacing their bloom schedules more widely.

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Spring in January

It definitely feels like Spring here.  We had temperatures in the low 80sF (28C) last week.  It cooled down slightly yesterday and it's expected to slowly drift down into the mid-60sF (18C) as the week continues and the marine layer reappears.  While I've enjoyed the warmer temperatures, I nonetheless hope this isn't the new normal.  I certainly don't want to find us jumping into summer anytime soon.

My first arrangement this week made use of the dramatic 'Bordeaux' Anemones that have been blooming for weeks already.

The plum-colored Anemones aren't easy to photograph.  It also didn't help that its petals are prone to spotting but then the overhead watering I did last week when the Santa Ana winds were blowing didn't help there.

Back view: The blue flowers of Aristea inaequalis provided a nice accent when I cut the stems in the morning but unfortunately I find they close up in the afternoon.  I'm hoping that the late afternoon sun in the front entry where the vase sits will cause them to reopen. 

The flowers made their best showing in this overhead shot 

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Bordeaux', A. c. 'Lord Lieutenant', Aristea inaequalis, noID Ceanothus, Chrysanthemum 'Fairbank Purple Spoon', and Hebe 'Wiri Blush'

My second arrangement is very pink and still more spring-like.

Although the 'Taylor's Perfection' Camellia blooms play the starring role, it was the pink snapdragons that inspired this arrangement

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus, Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection', and Narcissus papyraceus

Our formerly saturated soil is becoming drier by the day.  More rain would be appreciated before our all too short rainy season comes to an end in April.  AccuWeather currently projects the possibility of rain late this month.  My fingers are crossed that forecast is correct.

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Nose dive

One of the plants in my back border took a nose dive a few days ago.  Although the gardeners trimmed the hedge behind it before we noticed it had toppled, I don't think anyone was responsible for knocking it down.  The plant in question was an artichoke with three very heavy chokes.  I think its sheer weight caused its nose dive.  Dry soil may have been a contributing factor as we've been dealing with our first heatwave of the year since Friday.  In any case, rather than tossing the entire thing in the compost bin, I decided to use part of it in an arrangement.

The 'Purple Romagna' artichoke has exceptionally sharp spines that glint like gold in the sun.  Unfortunately, I couldn't capture their color properly with my camera.

Back view: I added a few stems of the bronzy-colored flowers of the Aeonium haworthii to play off the choke's gold spines and white and purple flowers of Nigella papillosa to echo the choke's flesh.  In retrospect, it may have been better to stick with one or the other.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', Nigella papillosa 'African Bride', and Cynara cadunculus var. scoolymus 'Purple Romagna'

My second arrangement is more conventional.  Many of its components didn't appreciate the sudden surge in our temperatures over the weekend, peaking at 95F (35C) on Saturday, so I treated my selection process as a rescue operation, saving some flowers from a third day of high temperatures.  We're expecting a dramatic drop in temperatures today.

While I started off with a few stems of pink Alstroemeria, Centranthus and 2 varieties of snapdragons took over

I dressed up the back view with stems of 'April in Paris' sweet peas, which have suddenly burst into bloom

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus in dark pink and white, Argyranthemum frutescens 'Mount Everest', noID pink Alstroemeria, Centranthus ruber, Fuchsia 'Dollar Princess', and Lathyrus odoratus 'April in Paris'

I've a lot of work to do in the garden this week (as well as the foreseeable future) so I'm looking forward to temperatures in the pleasant range of the mid-to-upper 60sF (17-20C) at least through next Sunday.

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Easter flowers

I didn't decorate eggs for Easter but I did collect flowers from my garden, which is at its spring peak at the moment.  After a cool week, the weekend delivered blue skies and comfortably warm temperatures in the mid-70sF (23C).  Despite forecasters teasing us with rumors of a chance of rain last week, we didn't get any and in all likelihood our rainy season is over.  Unless we're gifted with a monsoonal storm straying off the desert areas to the east in late summer, we probably won't see rain again until November.

Given the especially dry conditions this year, it isn't really a surprise that the foxgloves have been slow to develop.  However, one plant in a well-watered barrel in my cutting garden produced its first flower stalk and I took advantage of that for my first arrangement this week.

That flower stalk was very hefty even when I cut it down to size to suit the vase  

Back view: Once again, my arrangement looked lop-sided when viewed from the back but I didn't have the time or energy to make it more symmetrical

Overhead view: It also could have used some lighter notes to break up all that magenta color

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus in magenta and a lighter pink, more snapdragons in white, Argyranthemum frutescens 'Mount Everest', Digitalis purpurea, Pelargonium cucullatum, P. 'Lady Plymouth', and Salvia canariensis var. candidissima

My second arrangement made use of two of my Leucospermums, also known as pincushion shrubs.

Drama queen that she is, Leucospermum 'Brandi Dela Cruz' took center stage

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', A. 'Inca Sundance', Leucadendron 'Jester', Leucospermum 'Brandi Dela Cruz', L. 'Sunrise', and Lobelia laxiflora

I cut some succulent flowers to include in the second arrangement but wasn't able to cram them into the vase so I tucked three of the stems into a small vase.

The stems were cut from Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', which are flowering abundantly right now

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Pinks, purples and blues

After more than a week of unusually warm, summer-like temperatures, it's cooled dramatically the past couple of days, varying from the upper 50sF (14C) to the low 60sF (17C).  The marine layer has returned as well, hanging on into the mid-afternoon.  There's even a chance of rain on Friday, although I'm not laying any odds on that yet.

I cut more flowers than I'd planned, and ended up with three arrangements this week.  The first one is very pink.

I cut a single Hippeastrum flower, rescuing it from the ravages of an earwig insect

Back view: the pink edging the Hippeastrum's petals directed me to complement that bloom with pink and white Alstroemeria and snapdragon stems

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Alstroemeria, pink and white Antirrhinum majus, Argyranthemum frutescens, Hippeastrum 'Aphrodite', and Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' (foliage)

My second arrangement was inspired by the dark purple bearded Iris at the bottom of our back slope.  The flowers were admittedly looking a little battered but I cut them anyway, along with a stem bearing two unopened buds.

Although the Irises were intended to be the centerpiece of the arrangement, I think the flowering stems of the Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' (aka mint bush) stole the show

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Ageratina (possibly A. adenophora), noID Iris germanica, Osteospermum '4D Pink', Phlomis purpurea, Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata, and Scabiosa 'Flutter Deep Blue'

I initially cut a few blue Echium stems for the purple arrangement but they didn't fit well so I ended up with a third arrangement, embellishing them with two stems of another bearded Iris.

The third arrangement ended up on the kitchen island.  The vase contains more Ageratina, Echium webbii, and Iris germanica 'Gilt Edge'

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

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