In a Vase on Monday: Spring is creeping closer

There seems to be a little more color in my garden with each passing week, a sure sign that spring is in the wings.  The blue Anemones in my cutting garden are producing more flowers every day so they were the most obvious candidates for "In a Vase on Monday" this week.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find many white flowers to accent the blue ones.  Mysteriously, my white Anemones are flowering on stems shorter than one-inch so they weren't candidates.

Back view: I tucked in a few stems of Argyranthemum to brighten things up

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Lord Lieutenant', Argyranthemum frutescens (returning for a second year), noID Ceanothus, Osteospermum 'Violet Ice', and Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' (aka mint bush)

Initially, I wasn't sure I had enough of anything for a second vase but then I spotted new blooms on one of my potted Alstroemerias, which gave me a springboard for a second arrangement in shades of pink.  The vase I chose gave it the extra pizazz it needed.

The pinks play off the painted fingernails of the hands clasped to form the vase

Back view: The bloom of the noID snapdragon is almost an exact match for those colorful fingernails

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', noID Antirrhinum majus, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Jasminum polyanthum (spilling over the fence from my neighbor's garden), and Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'.  (More Prostanthera was included in this arrangement but it isn't shown in closeup here.)

Last week's arrangement featuring Hippeastrum 'Lemon-Lime' still looks presentable, even though the Grevilleas had fallen apart.  I pared down that arrangement and relocated it the bedroom mantle.

The new arrangements got the usual spots in the front entry and the dining room table.

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

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: A little of this and a little of that

While my climate is far gentler on plants during the fall/winter season than many other gardeners can claim, the pickings are definitely slimmer at this time of year, especially as I was late in getting my cool-season cutting garden started this year.  A stray bloom spike on the remaining Delphinium in the cutting garden provided the starting point for my first vase.

The white daisies are a recent addition to my garden

The bush violets (Barleria obtusa) are on the wane

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest White', Delphinium elatum, Osteospermum '4D Silver', Barleria obtusa, and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light'

The Rudbeckia I featured in a vase in late October are are only plants in my cutting garden still in full bloom so I used them again this week, with just a few adjustments to the mix.

Rudbeckia 'Denver Daisy' has proven to be very resilient in my cutting beds, although its stems are regrettably on the short side

The complementary yellow daisies (Tagetes lemmonii) are in full bloom now that temperatures have cooled

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Rudbeckia hirta 'Denver Daisy', Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', unripe Guavas, berries of Heteromeles arbutifolia, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' and Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum', and Tagetes lemmonii.  I added 2 little mice painting green leaves orange under the arrangement  as a reference to our lack of fall foliage.

Last Monday, I was hopeful that our 5+-month remodel project would be complete before the end of the week; however, unexpected problems emerged on Tuesday and Wednesday and at the moment I can't definitively say when we'll be done, other than I still hope it'll be before Christmas.  Tired of focusing on the house's interior, I've turned my attention back to the garden, diving into cleaning up the collateral damage it's sustained over the last several months.  But, as I've moaned and groaned over the the remodel on numerous occasions in my IAVOM posts, you're welcome to review the results of the project here in a post I published last Friday.

For more IAVOM posts, check in with our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: It had to be pink

I spent Saturday in downtown Los Angeles.  Just after 7am, with 2 friends, I boarded a bus filled with 55 women and 2 men for a 45-minute trip to Pershing Square to join the Women's March-Los Angeles.  Seventy thousand marchers were expected but, on the way there, we heard that the number of marchers had more than doubled to 150,000.  But the numbers grew steadily.  There are no definitive counts of the actual size of the crowd but current estimates place it between 500,000 and 750,000 participants.

Men were well-represented but the march had a distinctly female vibe.  Knitted pink "pussyhats" were everywhere.

Wedged in among thousands of marchers, it was difficult to get any good photos but this one may give you some impression of the ubiquitous pink color

So, Sunday morning when I darted out in the rain to pick materials for "In a Vase on Monday," pink was on my mind and, luckily, still abundant in my garden.  I didn't spend much time deliberating on my choices and, as the rain came down more and more heavily as the day proceeded, I made do with what I gathered on my first mad rush around the garden.

Front: The flowers are packed into a vase rather like my fellow marchers and I packed the streets of Los Angeles

Back: But I like to think the varied materials support one another as well as thousands upon thousands of strangers supported one another on the streets of LA

Top view (You can find an aerial view of the Los Angeles march crowd here)

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Argyranthemum frutescens, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Coprosma 'Fireburst', Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom', and Rhodanthemum hosmariense with noID Dianthus

The few extra stems I couldn't cram into my selected vase were popped into a tiny vase.

Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' with another noID Dianthus

These two vases found places, while the presentable leftovers of last week's vases were consolidated and found a spot too.

The tiny vase sits near the kitchen sink; the larger vase sits on the dining room table; and the mash-up of last week's vases sits in the front entry

The rain continued all day.  It was more rain than I think we've had on any single day in the 6 years we've owned our current house.  The daily total exceeded 4 inches.  While I realize that may not seem like a lot to those of you in wetter climates, it is a LOT for us.  Probably not a drought-buster, but things are looking up there.  Unfortunately, SoCal's honeymoon with rain also appears to be over with the onset of mudslides, fallen trees and flooded freeways.

View through my kitchen window on Sunday at 4pm

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


All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Imitation of a Rose

I had such good luck with Eustoma grandiflorum last year, I had to pick up more when they became available in the garden centers this spring.  I found the double-flowered 'Echo Pink' variety in 6-packs and scattered them about in the middle of the backyard border, where I'd hoped they'd play up the pink in my Yucca 'Bright Star.'  Their blooms turned out to be much paler than I'd expected so I won't use them in that spot again but they're still pretty in a vase.

Back view

The vase contains a couple of repeats from last week:

• Abelia x grandiflora (probably 'Edward Goucher')
• Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt'
• Eustoma grandiflorum 'Echo Pink'
• Pentas lanceolata 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom'
• Salvia 'Wendy's Wish'

The Abelia and Acacia performed so well in last week's vase I brought them back for a second run

The pink Eustoma may not be quite as dramatic as last year's 'Borealis Blue' variety but it's very pretty in its own right

It really does have a rose-like form

Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom' is returning after a seasonal hiatus

Salvia 'Wendy's Wish' does a good job as a supporting player, echoing both the color at the base of the Pentas florets and the color at the center of the Eustoma

I placed the vase on the entryway table, where it got the attention of my curious cat.

That's Pipig's ear you see in the lower left of the frame, sitting on the table looking the picture of innocence after I caught her with her face in the middle of the arrangement

I'm also showing off a vase I created late last week for a visit by my sister-in-law and her husband.

This yellow and white concoction includes:

• Abelia x grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope'
• Argyranthemum frutescens 'Butterfly'
• Jacobaea maritima
• Leucanthemum x superbum

Abelia 'Kaleidoscope'

Agryrantemum 'Butterfly' with Jacobaea maritima

The fluffy form of Leucanthemum x superbum

I moved this arrangement from the entryway to the dining room table when I tossed out last week's creation (which, except for the roses, was still in good condition).  Pipig paid not lick of attention to this arrangement but, upon taking a photo of it in its new position, I discovered that she hadn't left the other one alone.

You can see my errant cat in the background of the frame above, on the right.  What was she doing?

She was disassembling my new flower arrangement

Rebuked, she was unrepentant.

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she's got in a vase this week and to find links to other gardeners' creations.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Split Personalities

For this week's "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, I have 2 vases with very different personalities, although they have one flower in common.  The first vase, featuring Gaillardia x grandiflora looks more autumnal than spring or summer-like.

Back view

It features:

• Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Goblin' and/or 'Arizona Sun'
• Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'
• Pelargonium hortorum 'Mrs. Pollock'
• Senecio cineraria (now known as Jacobaea maritima)

The only difference between Gaillardia 'Goblin' and 'Arizona Sun' that I can see is their height - I think there are probably some of each here

I've had a terrible time trying to photograph Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' in my garden but photographing it in a vase was easier - it looked almost good enough to have sufficed on its own

I meant for Pelargonium 'Mrs. Pollock' to have a larger role in this week's vase but the stem blocked some of the relatively short Gaillardia stems from view so it ended up in the back of the vase

I love the gray foliage of Senecio cineraria (now classified as Jacobaea maritima) but I find I also like its bright yellow flowers, which the bees seem to adore

The second vase, although taller, has a lighter, more summery feel.  It's similar to the bouquet I featured 2 weeks ago except that it includes a bolt of cheerful yellow.

It contains:

• Argyranthemum frutescens 'Butterfly'
• Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga lily)
• Eustoma grandiflorum 'Echo White'
• Jacobaea maritima
• Solanum xanti

Argryrantemum 'Butterfly' and Jacobaea maritima complement each other well

Arthropodium cirratum is hard to photograph, especially under the gloom of "May Gray" skies, which cause the flowers to close

This Eustoma stem is a holdover from last week's arrangement - I cut off the central flower, which was beginning to fade, and tucked the stem into the back of this week's vase as it still has a lot of flower-power left

I think this is the best close-up photo I've gotten of Solanum xanti - this is the first time I've noticed those little green dots around the flower's center

Here are the 2 vases in place:

In the front entryway

On the dining room table

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see more vases constructed of materials selected from participants' own gardens.


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party