In a Vase on Monday: Stuffed with Spring Blooms

Last week I said I stopped myself from putting together a fourth vase in shades of blue and purple so, this week, I started my search of the garden with purple and blue in mind.  There are still plenty of flowers to choose from but, as I stepped out the back door, I fixated on the Dutch Iris in bloom alongside the fountain and locked into a color scheme from that moment.

Front view with the Iris taking center stage - I couldn't bring myself to cut the second blooming Iris stalk but the one I cut has a second bud about to bloom

The vase looks very lopsided from the back because I couldn't get that wide stem of Limonium perezii to cooperate and chose not to hack it into pieces

The top view highlights the silver and chartreuse colors of the Leucadendron

As the bright purple flowers of Limonium perezii are in bloom in areas throughout the garden, they were a natural choice to fill the vase, as were the gold Freesia blooms that have popped up everywhere.  The silver and chartreuse blooms of Leucadendron 'Pisa' were a wild-card addition.  I'm not sure they really mesh with the other flowers but they did lighten what was otherwise a heavy color mix, especially with the dark vase, so I kept them.

Clockwise from the upper left:  Iris x hollandica, Coleonema album with Solanum xanti, Freesia, Leucadendron 'Pisa', Limonium perezii, and Narcissus (noID)

In the past week, there's also been a surge in the volume of hot pink blooms so I made up a second vase to showcase that color scheme too.

Front view with the Schizanthus stealing the focus from the Callistemon on the left

The top view gives each flower its due

Clockwise from the left, the vase contains: Callistemon hybrid 'Hot Pink' with Alstroemeria (noID), Argyranthemum frutescens, Ixia (noID), Prunus laurocerasus, and Schizanthus  pinnatus

The first vase sits in the front entry.

The second vase sits on the mantle in the master bedroom.

And the vase created around the Cymbidium flower stalk 4 weeks ago, which I refreshed last week, is back on the dining room table.

The Coleonema and Leptospermum stems I cut last week are a bit withered but the Cymbidium looks virtually unchanged

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, the host of this popular weekly "IAVOM" meme, to find what other gardeners have scrounged up to use in their vases.


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Spring Stampede

It feels as though everything in my garden wants to bloom at once.  Many of the winter bloomers made late arrivals and the spring bloomers are now off and running too.  The embarrassment of riches in terms of floral choices could have set my head spinning but I focused my attention on the climbing rose offering its first flush of bloom and let that direct me in preparing this week's arrangement for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  However, I did stuff the vase full of flowers.

The front view emphasizes the coral colors of the rose

The back view shows off some of my yellow flowers

The top view merges both colors

Here's what I included:

Clockwise from the upper left: 'Joseph's Coat' climbing rose, Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Cotula lineariloba 'Big Yellow Moon', a red Freesia, yellow Freesia, Heuchera sanguinea 'Bressingham Hybrids', Narcissus 'White Lion', and a noID Narcissus with Coleonema album

The new vase sits on the dining room table

But wait!  There's more.  (Do I sound like an infomercial?)  The orchid arrangement that had been sitting on the dining room table for 2 weeks was looking haggard but the Cymbidium centerpiece was still in perfect condition.  I threw away the other contents of the vase and created a new one using that same Cymbidium flower stalk.

The buds at the top of the Cymbidium's flower stalk have opened since I created the original arrangement for my February 29th "IAVOM" post

Left: close-up of Cymbidium Sussex Court 'Not Peace' shown surrounded by Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'; right: Coleonema album

I was tired of breakfasting with the Cymbidium so, this week, it landed in the front entryway

No, I didn't stop there.  With some rain expected Sunday evening, I decided to "rescue" a few of my Camellias as they don't usually look their best after rain.

Camellia hybrid 'Taylor's Perfection' has been blooming for 6 weeks and hasn't received the attention it deserves

I briefly considered creating a blue or purple arrangement as well but I stopped myself.  Maybe next week.

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other contributors have come up with this week.


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Spring won't be denied

Despite our unseasonably warm weather this month, I've hung on to the notion that it's still winter.  While I know most gardeners long for spring, winter means rain here and I've been obsessed with rain of late.  But the truth is that spring arrived weeks ago here in coastal Southern California and it can no longer be denied as the bouquets prepared for today's "In a Vase on Monday" demonstrate.  Rain may still arrive, or it may not.  I'm no longer counting on it.

This weekend, as I was cleaning one of my most neglected garden areas, I discovered 2 flower stalks on one of my Cymbidiums.  One was already blooming and the top-heavy unsupported stalk was trailing on the ground.  I decided to cut it for use in this week's vase where it could be enjoyed.

Front view

Back view

I stuffed this vase with more flowers and foliage than I should have.  I'm blaming this on the fact that the garden presented me with too many options.  Yes, spring has most definitely arrived!

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: Cymbidium Sussex Court 'Not Peace'*; Freesia; Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy'; Laurus nobilis, shown with its bright green new foliage and its unopened flower clusters; and Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'.   *I'm unable to find any explanation for the name of that Cymbidium, although an on-line search substantiated that this is its correct name.

The Ceanothus hedge in the front garden is also coming into bloom and I was unable to ignore it either.  I don't think I've ever used the Ceanothus in a vase so I was inspired to see what I could do with it.

Front view

Top view

I'd planned to stick to blue and white with this arrangement but the centers of the white daisies prompted me to add another touch of yellow.

Top row: the noID Ceanothus
Bottom row: Argyrantemum frutescens, Freesia, and a bi-color Pericallis hybrid

With the garden in overdrive, I could easily have produced a few more vases but I restrained myself.

The orchid arrangement sits on the dining room table, where I hope the sunlight will prompt the last 2 buds to open

The blue/white/yellow arrangement that screams spring sits in the front entryway.  The toad that normally sits there has been temporarily replaced with blue bird salt-and-pepper shakers I inherited from my mother-in-law.

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other gardeners have found for their vases this week.


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Orchids Demand Center Stage

Although last week's heat made it impossible to deny that summer has arrived, there's still a lot in bloom, even if some flowers are starting to look a little worse for the wear.  Agapanthus were the most obvious choice for this week's vase but I couldn't think of anything inspiring to do with them.  Instead I fixated on the yellow Cymbidiums that sit in pots in a neglected area of my garden.  Their foliage is scorched so I haven't hauled the pots close to the house where the flowers could be admired.  Cutting stems for a vase seemed the obvious solution; however, selecting flowers to complement them presents a challenge.  I cut other flowers and foliage with similar colors but, in the end, I used just a single foliage element to accompany the orchids - they don't like to share center stage.

Don't the Cymbidiums look as though they're laughing at the very idea they'd consort with other flowers?

Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', a plant that can add grace to any vase

The rest of what I'd cut, plus some ornamental grass, went into a second vase.  A photo of the 2 bouquets together shows their incompatibility.

You can almost see the vase on the left emanating disdain for the one on the right

The second vase contains (clockwise from upper left): Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Goblin' and 'Arizona Sun', Leucadendron 'Blush', Leucadendron 'Chief', and Pennisetuma setaceum 'Rubrum' with Jacobaeus maritima

The Cymbidiums landed in the front entryway and the second vase took a place on the console table in the dining area.

Visit Cathy, the host of the "In a Vase on Monday" meme, at Rambling in the Garden to see what she's come up with this week and to find links to other contributors' creations.


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

In a Vase on Monday: Callas in Charge!

Rain was forecast for the entire weekend but, for the most part, it missed us until last night.  It was dry again for awhile this morning but, it's raining now and we're even getting thunder and lightening.  It's an exciting way to start the week in an area that sees relatively little in the way of weather fluctuations.  Today's bouquet for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, was put together in something of a hurry.

Front view

Back view

I spent time weeding and cleaning things up at the bottom of the slope over the weekend, where I noticed several Calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) in bloom so they were the natural choice as the focal point for this week's vase.  In addition to the Callas, I included:

• Coleonema album
• Freesia
• Narcissus, dwarf (noID)

Common Calla lilies

Coleonema album, which is currently in full bloom

These yellow Freesias differ slightly in color, with the one on the left reading as a clear yellow and the one on the right as gold, although the photos above don't show the difference well

My noID dwarf daffodils began blooming just days ago

The new bouquet took the place of last week's vase at the front entryway.  That vase, featuring Grevillea 'Superb,' lasted nearly a week.  The vase containing Cymbidium stems, created for my post on February 16th, is still on the dining room table, still looking almost as it did then.

New vase in position near the front door

The photo on the left was taken for the February 16th post; the one in the middle was taken for last week's post; and the one on the right was taken for today's post.  I changed the vase water once but haven't replaced any of the flowers.  The Leptospermum and Coleonema appear to be drying in situ and the orchids show little sign of decay.

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find her newest creation and links to the contributions of other gardeners.  If you have a vase created from materials in your own garden, link up!


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

In a Vase on Monday: A Fight for Dominance

If you've read my last Bloom Day posts, you may realize that I've become obsessed with Grevilleas.  As Grevillea 'Superb' recently bloomed, it seemed a good choice as the centerpiece of this week's vase, prepared in connection with the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  (I still can't bring myself to cut the flowers of G. 'Peaches and Cream' but 'Superb' is tucked further out of sight so a vase is a good way to increase my viewing opportunities.)  'Superb's' blooms are very bright and I picked equally bright companions, setting up an unanticipated struggle for dominance as the vase's focal point.

Front view

Back view

Here's what's included:

• Alstroemeria, pink (noID)
• Freesia, yellow
• Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach'
• Grevillea 'Superb' 
• Pelargonium x hortorum 'Mrs. Pollock'
• Xylosma congestum

The deep yellow Freesia are blooming like gangbusters and sweetly scent the room when included in a vase

The Gaillardia would probably outshine the competition if their stems were longer (and the Freesia hadn't partially hidden them)

Even if the Grevillea isn't quite as bright as some of the other blooms, the bloom has a more complex and interesting form

The Pelargonium's foliage is attractive on its own

But the Pelargonium also produces an almost florescent orange flower (I usually remove the flowers but I couldn't bring myself to do so this time)

New Xylosma foliage, cut from the hedge that surrounds our home, is the most demure element in today's vase

Which flower do you think steals the show in today's vase?  The vase landed in the front entry.  Last week's orchid vase still sits on the dining room table, looking little different than it did last week.

The Leptospermum and Coleonema in last week's vase have deteriorated somewhat but not the Cymbidiums!

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


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