Our temperatures soared above 90F (32+C) this past weekend and the Santa Ana winds returned, stressing both the garden and the gardener. Unlike our earlier bout with heat a few weeks ago, it didn't cool down significantly at night and the marine layer characteristic of this time of year, known locally as "May Gray," was a no-show. So, instead of an open-ended journey of discovery, this week's Sunday foray into the garden in search of plant material for "In a Vase on Monday" was more of a search and rescue operation.
My biggest concern was the foxgloves (
Digitalis purpurea) in my cutting garden. I've already pulled out my sweet peas and Iceland poppies to make room for sunflowers, zinnias, and dahlias. The sweet peas and poppies began blooming in February so they had a decent run before the earlier heat spell withered them in place. On the other hand, the foxgloves didn't begin blooming until the latter part of April so I've been reluctant to pull them out, even if they're no longer looking their best. I chose the stems least marred by the heat for my vase.
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| The foxglove stems aren't as tall or voluminous as those I cut for earlier vases |
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| The back view is much the same as the front |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the left, the vase contains: Digitalis purpurea, Ocimum hybrid (aka African blue basil), the last of the Matthiola incana (aka stock), and Ozothamnus diosmifolius (aka rice flower) |
I had more fun with the second vase, which utilized summer blooms. The Renga Lilies (
Arthropodium cirratum) are all in full bloom now and I had longer stems to play with this week. My Shasta daisies are also making their first appearance this year, joined by an unexpected flush of flowers I hadn't expected to see until much later.
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| The blooms on Aster chilensis 'Purple Haze', now classified as Symphyotrichum chilensis, were utterly unexpected |
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| The gray foliage plant, shown here in the back view of the vase, is a bit of a mystery. Seedlings of what looked like lamb's ear appeared in various spots in my garden in late winter and, although the leaves are narrower than the Stachys byzantina I've grown elsewhere, I concluded that it must be that. I transferred the seedlings to the cutting garden. Now I'm not so sure. |
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| Getting a top view of this arrangement was tough. I had to stand on a chair to get this photo and still wasn't tall enough. |
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| Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Arthropodium cirratum, Symphyotrichum chilensis 'Purple Haze', Globularia x indubia, Leucanthemum x superbum, the plant that may or may not be Stachys byzantina, and Tanacetum niveum |
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| Here's a look at the purported lamb's ear in my cutting garden. If you have any other guesses as to what it might be, please pass them along. I don't think its a sage - it has no scent. It feels like lamb's ear but the leaves have remained narrow. It's also grown quite tall without developing any sign of flowers. |
Our heatwave is expected to last another couple of days but the marine layer is back full-force this morning, which should at least moderate our temperature along the coast. I can almost hear the garden sigh with relief - or maybe that was just me.
Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, our "In a Vase on Monday" host, to see what other gardeners have used in their vases this week.
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| The finished vases in their places |
All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
