In a Vase on Monday: Sunshine following a little rain

Much to my surprise, we got a bit of rain on Saturday.  Earlier in the week, there were hints we could get some drizzle but I discounted the forecast; however, instead of disappearing as is generally the case at this time of year, Mother Nature delivered a solid quarter of an inch.  That may not seem like a lot to many people but we consider it a decent soak.

On Sunday, I chose a sunny yellow and white arrangement to celebrate the event.

I find I need a regular jolt of cheer these days.  I would've used my swirled yellow glass vase but last week's orange arrangement is still in almost perfect condition so I picked a clear glass rectangular vase instead.

Back view: I added a variety of Calendulas to the mix

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia grandiflora 'Radiance', Argyranthemum frutescens 'Mount Everest', Centranthus ruber 'Albus', Calendula officianalis, Leucospermum 'High Gold', and Phlomis fruticosa

My second arrangement is a moodier creation.  I wanted to use stems of an unusual South African Salvia that's scheduled for removal along with a host of other plants in early May as part of my effort to address Los Angeles County's new "defensible space clearance" ordinance for high fire risk areas.  The Salvia itself isn't especially flammable but it grows up through another plant that is regarded as such and removing one without the other isn't practical.  I like the Salvia but I don't love it so it'll go.  (I may take a few cuttings in case I have a change of heart, though.)

In addition to using several of the Salvia stems before that plant is gone, I cut the (mostly) spent flowers of Helleborus 'Phoebe' that's planted below another plant scheduled for removal.  I hope to dig up the hellebore before the crew arrives to pull out the 20 plants on my removal list.

Back view, showing off the stems of Salvia lanceolata

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', Grevillea sericea, Helleborus 'Phoebe', and Salvia lanceolata

I cut two stems of another Alstroemeria with the initial intention of adding it to the second arrangement but I decided it didn't fit the mix.  I threw those stems into a small vase and added two snapdragons to accompany them.

The small vase containing Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky' and Antirrhinum majus landed on the kitchen island

 

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Making my own sunshine

We've had more clouds than sun since the last "atmospheric river" moved through California the middle of last week.  Another one is expected to move through our area Tuesday into Wednesday and the longer-term forecast projects the possibility of still another stretch of rain Sunday through Wednesday.  This is unusual for us and even though the current storms, originating from Hawaii, bring warmer temperatures than those originating from Alaska, I'm missing the regular doses of sunshine we're used to.  So I created my own.

This sunny arrangement was inspired by the tiny puff-ball flowers of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt'.  Generally grown for its foliage, the heavier-than-usual rain this year seems to have encouraged more flowers than I've ever had before.

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', noID yellow Calendula, Correa 'Wyn's Wonder', white and yellow Freesia, and noID Narcissus

The the unusual flowers of Salvia africana-lutea inspired my second arrangement.  I've used its flowers only once before in a vase but I thought I'd take another stab at it.

I'm happier with this version than I was with the arrangement I created in April 2019

Back view: I added a few flowers of the equally unusual Isopogon anemonifolius, as well as ivy (Hedera) flowers.  English ivy is a weed here and nearby impossible to control on my back slope.

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID orange Calendula, Isopogon anemonifolius, noID Hedera, Ranunculus, Salvia africana-lutea, and Xylosma congestum

As last week's rain plastered many of my Freesia flowers flat into the dirt and another storm is on the way, I cut still more of them for an arrangement on our kitchen island.

Views from the front, top and back

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia floribunda 'Chiapas', purple and white Freesia, and Helichrysum petiolare

Two additional stems of the yellow/gold Freesia went into my small cactus vase by the kitchen sink

The atmospheric river carried a substantial amount of rain and we're expecting a similar amount this week.  Although my husband's repairs to our chimney held up against February's rainstorms, we weren't quite as lucky this month - one small area is still leaking.  The tarp is back on the chimney and, hopefully, the next repairs will be done by a professional.  Flooding hasn't been an issue in our immediate area but it is in other areas, and homeowners in the mountains to the east of us have really struggled, with some thirteen deaths attributed in one way or another to record snowfall there that kept many people confined to their homes for a long period with no heat or power or access to medical treatment.  As far as our long-standing drought goes, the situation has greatly improved, with no areas currently listed in extreme or exceptional drought and parts of the state are now considered drought-free.  Most of Los Angeles County is now simply classified as "abnormally dry."  The most critical issue now is how to restore groundwater, severely depleted after too many dry years.  Creating means to store and conserve the excess water received from the atmospheric rivers that appear likely to reoccur at intervals in the future so it's available for use during prolonged periods of drought also remains a major challenge, especially as out-of-state water resources become more limited.

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

All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Warm & Cool

While the Midwestern US has been turned upside down by a plague of tornadoes and the Southeastern US has been hit with a major heatwave, coastal Southern California has continued to be pleasantly cool and comfortable with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60sF (17-20C).  We even got another light touch of rain on Sunday, while the mountain areas got snow.  We know we're really, really lucky.

Saturday was mostly sunny but Sunday was cloudy and damp.  Near 6pm, we got a sudden downpour that pushed the day's rain total to 0.15/inch and brought our annual total to date to 19.45 inches, which is stellar.

Under threat of rain Sunday morning, I decided to cut a couple of my warm orange 'Medallion' roses, which started blooming last week.  I thought of combining them with Leucospermum or Grevillea flowers but I quickly took another track with the addition of a few Calendula blooms.

I wouldn't normally have thought of mixing the peach colored rose with red but there was just enough orange in the Calendula and the foliage of the dwarf peppermint willow to make it work

Back view: I can't remember the foliage of the peppermint willow ever turning this red

Top view: This particular foxglove stem had a cream-colored cast and the red dots echoed the reds in other elements

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' (aka dwarf peppermint willow), Alstroemeria 'Claire', Calendula 'Zeolights', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmation White', Ozothamnus diosmifolius (aka rice flower plant), and Rosa 'Medallion'

My Renga lilies (Arthropodium cirratum) just began blooming too.  Although I love these plants, I've found them difficult to combine with other flowers in a vase, which doesn't mean I didn't take a stab at it.

A stronger foliage back-drop may have helped the sprays of the Renga lily stand out more

I dressed up the back view with the addition of white Agrostemma 

Higgledy-piggledy top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga lily), Agrostemma 'Ocean Pearls', Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly', Centaurea "Silver Feather', and foliage of Cercis occidentalis (aka Western redbud)

For more Monday vases, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  To those of you in the US, best wishes for a wonderful Memorial Day!

This could be the last time you see flowers in these positions for several months.  We've already started packing up the half of the house that'll be impacted by our remodel.

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