In a Vase on Monday: Going for broke

The dahlias are producing more flowers every day, but this week my eyes first fixed on the foxgloves that burst into bloom all at once in one area of my cutting garden.  I don't generally expect to see foxgloves in July as the heat usually takes them out much earlier.  So I cut them first and looked for dahlias that could back them up afterwards.  Before I was done, I'd cut three varieties of dahlias and some lilies to add to the mix.  The lilies were a real surprise as I'd almost given up on seeing any more of them this season.

The lily is 'Pretty Woman', planted 4 years ago.  I'd noted earlier that 2 stalks had withered in place before the flowers fully opened, presumably in response to too much heat and too little water, so the third stalk was a pleasant surprise.  The dahlias shown at the front of the vase are 'Admiral Rawlings' and 'XXL Veracruz'. 

The back view of the vase, which shows off 3 'Hartennas' collarette dahlias and a few stems of Polygala (aka sweet pea shrub), has it's own personality

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Dahlia 'Hartennas', D. 'XXL Veracruz', D. 'Admiral Rawlings', Digitalis purpurea in purple and white forms, Polygala myrtifolia, and Lilium 'Pretty Woman'

It's been hot and humid here for the past week.  While our temperatures are no longer in the 90s (33C), it's still uncomfortable (mid-80sF/30C).  I try to get in my walks and any remotely strenuous garden activities done well before 10am if at all possible.  My garden is taking a beating as there's never sufficient time or energy to tackle everything, nor all the water the garden needs.  As the heat is on seemingly everywhere these days, I expect many of us are dealing with the same issues but, if you can't complain to other gardeners, who can you complain to?

Wherever you are, I hope you find a spot to cool off!  I know we're lucky to have air conditioning as many do not.  We're just closing our eyes to the electric bills for now.

For more IAVOM posts, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find what she and others have found to fill their vases this week.

My vase in place in the front entry

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Twisted

None of the dahlia tubers I planted in April and May are blooming yet, but two of the foxgloves I planted late last year have finally produced flowers so they kicked off today's "In a Vase on Monday" creation. They don't account for the title of the post, however. That was prompted by the unusual Pelargonium 'Colocho' I added to the mix, primarily as my foliage accent. It has twisted leaves with a delicious scent. I've had this plant in my garden for many years and I've propagated it from cuttings too but this is the first year it's developed a real presence there. It deserved the distinction of a starring role in this week's post.

The foxgloves and other flowers added rich colors

That included Centranthus ruber (aka red valerian), as shown at the back view of the vase.  It's essentially a weed here.  It was in full bloom earlier in the year but it's fading fast now.
 

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains:  Centranthus ruber, Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Digitalis purpurea, Leucanthemum x superbum, Pelargonium peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard', and P. 'Colocho'

This is the arrangement in place in the front entry

It looks as though our afternoon temperatures will remain on the mild side (72F/22C) for awhile yet but we may finally get more sun each day starting mid-week as the marine layer backs off.  As I finally sowed some zinnia seeds, I hope that means some summer flowers by July or August!

Check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other IAVOM contributors are sharing thus week.

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Getting ahead of the heat

Our morning marine layer is still in place but it's retreating earlier and earlier each day.  Yesterday, we were socked in at 6am but the sunshine cut through the gloom well before 8am.  I dashed out the door before breakfast (albeit after feeding the cat) to cut flowers.  Our temperature hit 89F (31C) on Saturday but, although Sunday ended up a few degrees cooler, it was still on the toasty side.

I'd already decided to cut a stalk of Lilium 'Friso' and planned to accent it using stems of Daucus carota 'Dara' but I struggled a bit to find plant material that'd help the lily stand straight in its vase.  I settled on Myrtus communis, which is just now producing its first flowers.

'Friso's' flowers tend to point downward and the stalk wants to lean in one direction or another under its own weight

Back view: The Daucus flowers are especially prolific this year, all self-sown

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum 'Grandaisy Dark Pink', Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Daucus carota 'Dara', noID ruffled Leucanthemum x superbum, Lilium 'Friso', and Myrtus communis

Much as I love lilies, my second floral arrangement turned out to be my favorite this week.  I still don't have many foxglove stems in bloom but, given the warmer temperatures, I thought it best to cut what I had before they fried.

I used a small piece of plastic-coated hardware cloth to support the flowers I cut, which works well

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Ageratum corymbosum, Consolida ajacis, Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple', Digitalis purpurea, Pelargonium peltatum 'Lavender Blizzard', and Polygala myrtifolia

We're headed into the 4th of July holiday.  The reminders that fireworks are illegal here given the high risk of wildfires and numerous warnings that violators will be prosecuted and fined finally seem to have made a difference.  The fact that Southern California was devastated by a series of wildfires earlier this year may also have had an impact.  We usually hear "practice" fireworks every day and night for a month or more prior to the holiday but there's been far less of that this year.  We've heard a couple of what I assume were authorized public displays (presumably overseen by fire department personnel) but that's it.  We'll see what happens this coming Friday!

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Going big

I've got two larger arrangements this week.  That's unusual for me as I've a limited number of long-stemmed flowers and therefore generally stick to medium sized vases.  However, my husband bought me a tall vase as a birthday present and a good friend brought me a bundle of peonies on Saturday.  The two were made for one another so I had to go big there!  The challenge was to find materials in my garden to support the peonies.

The tallest flower stems I could find to back up the pink peonies were 2 white Agapanthus, neither of which had fully unfurled.  The taller pink Alstroemerias I usually pair with these peonies were gone but I scrounged up a few mid-sized stems that don't contribute much.

Back view: Only one of the peonies has opened thus far and, in the absence of other suitable flowers, I relied on foliage to fill out the vase, including 2 varieties of very feathery Leucadendrons

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', noID Agapanthus, noID Alstroemeria, Leucadendron 'Jubilee Crown', L. laxum, and the noID peonies sourced by my friend from a chain store that generally offers them at this time of year

Coincidentally, I discovered two tall gladiola stems in the cutting garden bed holding my sweet peas last week.  I'd plopped several purple gladiola bulbs there years ago and tried to remove them at the end of that season but a few have stubbornly returned year-after-year ever since.  What's odd is that this year a white gladiola popped up with a purple one.  To my recollection, I've never planted a white gladiola anywhere.  In any case, cutting those two stems led me to seek out others of a similar height.

The unseasonably warm temperatures we've experienced on and off over a few weeks are quickly taking out my Renga lilies (Arthropodium cirratum) and my love-in-the-mist flowers (Nigella papillosa) so they were logical choices.  The sweet peas have rapidly picked up production and I cut some of those trailing stems to give them greater weight in the arrangement.

I filled out the back of the vase with the sprawling stems of Centaurea 'Silver Feather' 

A rather awkward overhead view

Top row: Arthropodium cirratum, Centaurea 'Silver Feather', and Digitalis purpurea
Middle: Gladilolus 'Vuvuzela', noID white gladiola, and Nigella papillosa 'African Queen'
Bottom: Lathyrus odoratus 'April in Paris', 'Lord Nelson', and noID lavender variety

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Simple versus overcrowded

I'm prone to stuffing my vases to the hilt but I managed to keep my first floral arrangement very simple for a change.

I'd left this deep coral-colored Hippeastrum in a pot tucked into a shady corner last year without any expectation of it blooming so its arrival was a surprise.  It was sold to me as 'Appleblossom', which it most certainly isn't, but I've yet to put a name to the cultivar.

I've treated the first view as the "front" of the arrangement but this side view shows off the large trumpet flower to greater advantage

Back view: My ever-blooming Grevillea 'Superb' provided the perfect accent

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Grevillea 'Superb', noID Hippeastrum, and Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset'

However, a leopard can't change its spots.  My second arrangement went off the rails and is a tangled mess by comparison to the first arrangement.  An airier combination might have done more to show off the individual elements but, once again, I couldn't help myself.

My foxgloves have been relatively disappointing thus far this year but 2 giant bloom stalks in separate areas of the garden provided the inspiration for this arrangement

Back view: I added 2 tall stems of Salvia canariensis as a filler, along with 2 equally tall but slender stems of Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga lily)

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: white Antirrhinum majus, Arthropodium cirratum, Lathyrus odoratus 'April in Paris', pinkish  and purple foxfloves (Digitalis purpurea), Nigella papillosa 'African Bride', Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Salvia canariensis var candidissima

We had cooler weather last week but we're expecting another warm-up this week.  Temperatures up to 90F (32C) are predicted for the inland valleys.  Online sources suggest that our temperatures along the coast shouldn't soar above the low 70s (23C); however, I'm keeping in mind those sources were wrong about the impact of the last heatwave to hit Southern California.  Nevertheless, I'm hopeful they're right this time as I spent the weekend planting a couple of the beds left empty when I removed some flammable specimens - another round of temperatures in the mid-90sF wouldn't be helpful at this stage.

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Easter flowers

I didn't decorate eggs for Easter but I did collect flowers from my garden, which is at its spring peak at the moment.  After a cool week, the weekend delivered blue skies and comfortably warm temperatures in the mid-70sF (23C).  Despite forecasters teasing us with rumors of a chance of rain last week, we didn't get any and in all likelihood our rainy season is over.  Unless we're gifted with a monsoonal storm straying off the desert areas to the east in late summer, we probably won't see rain again until November.

Given the especially dry conditions this year, it isn't really a surprise that the foxgloves have been slow to develop.  However, one plant in a well-watered barrel in my cutting garden produced its first flower stalk and I took advantage of that for my first arrangement this week.

That flower stalk was very hefty even when I cut it down to size to suit the vase  

Back view: Once again, my arrangement looked lop-sided when viewed from the back but I didn't have the time or energy to make it more symmetrical

Overhead view: It also could have used some lighter notes to break up all that magenta color

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus in magenta and a lighter pink, more snapdragons in white, Argyranthemum frutescens 'Mount Everest', Digitalis purpurea, Pelargonium cucullatum, P. 'Lady Plymouth', and Salvia canariensis var. candidissima

My second arrangement made use of two of my Leucospermums, also known as pincushion shrubs.

Drama queen that she is, Leucospermum 'Brandi Dela Cruz' took center stage

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', A. 'Inca Sundance', Leucadendron 'Jester', Leucospermum 'Brandi Dela Cruz', L. 'Sunrise', and Lobelia laxiflora

I cut some succulent flowers to include in the second arrangement but wasn't able to cram them into the vase so I tucked three of the stems into a small vase.

The stems were cut from Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', which are flowering abundantly right now

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Catching up for lost time

Isn't it odd that even a five day absence seems like a dereliction of duty when it comes to one's garden?  As my July 19th post indicated, I had plans to tackle several jobs quickly upon my return from the Puget Sound Garden Fling.  I even had delusions of creating a late "In a Vase on Monday" post after snapping a few photos of an arrangement I'd hastily put together for the contractor who directed the replacement of our water pipes and the related repairs to our walls - or really his wife, who'd just had surgery.  I'd handled most of my garden's immediate watering needs and tidied up a few areas before general fatigue and then a positive COVID test put a crimp on all my plans early Wednesday morning.  Defying my symptoms and ignoring disapproving looks from my husband, I've put in an hour here and there since Wednesday but I can't claim I've accomplished much; however, I did cut flowers for IAVOM early Sunday morning when temperatures were comfortable.

I'd identified what appears to be the last of my lilies as a starting point.  The bloom stalk proved to be past its prime but I used its one presentable flower as my centerpiece.  Luckily, my dahlias are finally stepping up to fill the gaps in my garden's supply of flowers as summer temperatures wither the blooms that were prominent just two weeks ago.

The lily is 'Pretty Woman', which for some reason is pure white this year without the pink blush it's produced in prior years.  I paired it with the purple and white flowers of Dahlia 'Vancouver', the only dahlia I purchased "off the rack" from local garden center this year.  I cut all the blooms it came with immediately after purchase and it's coming out swinging with a fresh flush of blooms now.

Back view: I filled out the vase with stems of one of the few remaining foxgloves in my garden

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Vancouver', Orienpet Lilium 'Pretty Woman', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Purple', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', and Monarda hybrid 'Peter's Purple'

I filled a second collection bottle with an assortment of other flowers and foliage, originally planning to fold everything into a single second arrangement.  After some futzing, I decided I preferred to break them up into three (!!!) smaller, more carefully coordinated mixes.

The first of these centered on a single bloom of Dahlia 'Summer's End'.

I purchased a single Dahlia 'Summer's End' tuber in 2021 and it's performed well every year since.  It's a "waterlily" type.

Back view: I got lucky with a fresh flush of flowers from Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' which appeared seemingly overnight to offer the perfect accent

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', Cuphea 'Honeybells', Dahlia 'Summer's End', and Tanacetum parthenium

The next arrangement is even simpler, including just three elements.

Clockwise from the upper left: front and overhead views of the arrangement, Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac', and Daucus carota 'Dara'

The last remnants of the morning cuttings went into a third vase, which sits on the desk in my home office.

The vase contains the first flower of Rudbeckia hirta 'Sahara', Tanacetum parthenium, and seedheads of Helichrysum 'Icicles'

For more floral and foliage creations visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, who leads the merry band of IAVOM contributors.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party