In a Vase on Monday: From Big & Bold to Dainty & Demure

The weekly "In a Vase on Monday" meme is hosted by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden.  As this is the meme's twelfth anniversary, Cathy threw out a challenge for this week's post, asking participants to includeboth  a pun and a prop in their posts.  When I come up with a pun it's usually by accident and I found myself unable to produce one intentionally on this occasion.  I briefly considered punting the task to AI (hey, does that statement count?).  But that felt like a cheat and I'm also a bit creeped out by the extent to which our society is becoming reliant on AI.  So I gave up on a pun and went with alliteration with my post title, which is another variety of word play.  I did include a couple of props, though.

Here's my "big and bold" arrangement:

The inspiration came from the Protea 'Claire' in my front garden.  Most of the plant's flowers are still in bud so I cut only 2 of them, one of which was already in decline.  I considered cutting a bud or 2 but I surmised, and online sources confirmed, that those buds won't open fully if cut too early (i.e., before the petals open enough to reveal the sepals).

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Coprosma 'Eclipse', Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', a newly opened Protea 'Claire', and another Protea flower in decline

The second, "dainty and demure" arrangement, was inspired by a Chrysanthemum I purchased on the fly a couple of weeks ago.  Chrysanthemums are commonly flash-in-a-pan offers at local garden centers here, sold as sad little potted plants in the lead up to the late-November US Thanksgiving holiday.  I've never seen any of the really fancy Chrysanthemums sold here but this year I discovered some prettier-than-usual selections in larger pots, one of which I brought home to fill an outdoor container.

I had a bit of trouble finding suitable companions for the purple Chrysanthemum 'Fairbank Purple Spoon' but I found a few short stems, all of which worked in this small cut crystal vase

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Chrysanthemum 'Fairbank Purple Spoon', Cosmos bipinnatus in pink and magenta, Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and scented Matthiola incana (aka stock)

I had to dig around for props too.  Working on the "big" and "dainty" references, I initially considered polished black stones in various sizes before selecting two sizes of cat figurines (mainly because I have some on hand).

The 2 arrangements in place with their props on hand

The props are different in both size and quality.  Meeko jumped on the dining room table to check out the china piece (and no, she's not supposed to do that).

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  My my personal thanks to Cathy for pulling together this friendly meme, maintaining its currency for twelve years (!!!), and offering ongoing support to her many contributors. 

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

In a Vase on Monday: Pruning byproducts

With the holidays behind us, I've stepped up my activity in cleaning up my garden.  I've been pruning the shrubs I allowed to get out of control, tidying up others, and pulling out plants that have just become too woody (or too trashed by remodel-related damage) to salvage.  My first vase contains the byproducts of some of these efforts.

I've hard pruned my pink Cuphea, which blooms continuously but gets ratty during the course of the year.  I also cleared out some of the twiggy growth on my Hong Kong orchid tree.  It's flowers don't last long in a vase but they look flashy for a few days.

Back view: I kept this vase simpler than most

Top view

Clockwise from the left: Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree), Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink', and Lavandula multifida (aka fernleaf lavender)

My second arrangement features the vase I received from a good friend as a Christmas present.  It has a relatively small opening, which I stuffed with bits and pieces scavenged from different corners of my garden.

It's not so much an arrangement as a collection of miscellaneous cuttings

Back view: The green Chrysanthemums I purchased at the supermarket 2 weeks ago are past their prime but I tucked some of the most presentable stems here too

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White', Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest', noID Chrysanthemum, noID Narcissus, Pittosporum tenufolium 'Silver Magic', Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly', and noID Viola

With the introduction of our kitchen island, I now seem to feel compelled to have a vase there, as well as in the front entry and on the dining room table.  Luckily, I still have a steady supply of Amaryllis (Hippeastrum 'Zombie') blooming in my shade house so I've been able to refresh the dining room display as needed.  What am I going to do when that supply dries up?!

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find more "In a Vase on Monday" creations.


All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Variations on a Theme

There's still no new vase-worthy floral material in my garden so once again I was challenged to try putting new spins on the flowers that have been in bloom for some time.  In the first case, I was aided by a vase I received as a Christmas gift.  I received 2 vases for Christmas but this week will feature just the one.  It's actually not new but rather a vase that's been in my family as long as I can remember.  After my mother passed away, I told my brother to dispose of everything as he saw fit, taking away just a single family memento, a tray my father brought home from his travels during his service in WWII as a gift for my mother.  Last July, while talking to my brother's girlfriend, I mentioned a vase that was stuck in my memory.  She mentioned it to my brother and it arrived in a wrapped package for Christmas.

The vase is very heavy leaded glass with a thick base but it bears no maker's mark.  The front face has the indented form of a daisy and leafy foliage.  The upper portion of the back face has more foliage inlays.

As you can see, the vase has a wide mouth but it isn't particularly deep.  I filled it with glass marbles to support the short-stemmed Rudbeckias still blooming in my cutting garden.

I used a woody stem of the Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis) to provide additional support to the arrangement.  The stems are now bare of leaves but still covered in burgundy seedpods.

The Copper Canyon Daisies (Tagetes lemmonii) are a natural companion for the bright yellow and burgundy 'Denver Daisy' (Rudbeckia hirta)

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Rudbeckia hirta 'Denver Daisy', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', seedpods of Cercis occidentalis, and Tagetes lemmonii

Impressed by the pretty green Chrysanthemums Susie of pbmGarden and other IAVOM contributors have used in their vases, I picked up a bouquet of these flowers at my local supermarket last week with an eye to using the flowers to perk up some of my own arrangements.  I removed the pink elements in the smaller of last week's vases, cleaned up the remaining materials, and added a few of the Chrysanthemums, as well as some Campanula stems that had been beaten down by last week's rains.

The snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus), white daisies (Argyranthemum frutescens), and variegated coastal rosemary (Westringia fruticosa) used in last week's vase were still in good shape

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus, Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest', Campanula poscharskyana, noID Chrysanthemums, and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light'

I also added some of the Chrysanthemums, as well as berry-laden stems pruned from an unruly Cotoneaster I cut back last week, to put another spin on the 'Zombie' Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) still producing new blooms in my shade house.

This version looked different from every side so I'm sharing photos from 3 angles

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Hippeastrum 'Zombie', noID Chrysanthemums, berries of noID Cotoneaster, Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', and Leucadendron salignum 'Chief'

As I was preparing this post, I remembered that January December 29th marks the 7th anniversary of my blog.  On the one hand, that feels like a long time ago - I couldn't even remember the subject of my very first post - but, on the other hand, the passage of time seems lightning fast although in that time I've somehow managed to publish 1164 posts and accumulate over 900,000 views.  I appreciate all of you who've chosen to read those posts and those of you who've offered support, encouragement and suggestions both in response to life challenges big and small and my ongoing, never-ending effort to transform the garden acquired 9 years ago into something that's more clearly my own creation.  THANK YOU!

For more of the IAVOM posts that have managed to accomplish the difficult task of energizing Mondays, visit our creative and conscientious host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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