In a Vase on Monday: Who's the Star?

Another Hippeastrum bloomed recently so I got my chance to pick that as the centerpiece of this week's arrangement for "In a Vase on Monday," the weekly meme hosted by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden.  I knew that it might be a challenge to find appropriate companions for the pale yellowish green of the Hippeastrum's petals but I had some ideas in mind.  Unfortunately, most of the yellows in my garden were too bright so I focused on picking up the red tones in the petals' stripes.

The vibrant hues of some of the companion plants were strong enough to compete with the Hippeastrum.  Viewed from different angles, you could argue that other elements made a bigger splash.

Which flower would you say is the star of the arrangement?

Here's what I included:

• Hippeastrum cybister 'Emerald'
• Bignonia capreolata
• Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'
• Erysimum linifolium 'Varigatum'
• Grevillea 'Ned Kelly'
• Grevillea 'Superb'
• Heuchera (noID)

Hippeastrum cybister 'Emerald' is a South American Amaryllis.  In my climate, Amaryllis can be grown outside - I planted 2 'Emerald' and 2 'La Paz' bulbs in my street-side border in 2013 in the hope that they'll naturalize.

I inherited this Bignonia capreolata vine with the house.  It sits at the bottom of the slope adjacent to 2 neighbor properties.  Although it produces beautiful flowers, I wouldn't have planted it as it gets very, very big and is nearly impossible to control.

Grevillea 'Ned Kelly' (aka 'Mason's Hybrid') has been in my garden less than one year but is already blooming prolifically.  Its flowers are similar to those of G. 'Superb,' only less robust and somewhat deeper in color.

This Grevillea 'Superb' flower has yet to reach its peak.

The arrangement ended up on the dining room table, replacing last week's arrangement, which was starting to fade.

I also had a few remaining flowers for another, smaller vase, which I placed in the guest bathroom.

This vase features Carpenteria californica and Argyranthemum frutescens 'Butterfly' 

Carpenteria is a California native that gets by with limited water on my back slope

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she's cooked up this week.


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

Planting Bed Facelift #1

In January, I wrote a post about a few projects my husband and I'd undertaken, including the removal of the wood-fired snorkel spa in the backyard.  Lacking a clear vision for the area, I filled it with cast-offs from other areas of the garden and impulse purchases.  It never came together and earlier this summer I lost its central element, the mountain pepper (Driyms lanceolata), probably due to a combination of transplant shock and inadequate water.  As I'd added Melianthus major to the bed in April, after picking it up the local botanic garden's spring sale, I decided to rely on other Australian plants for the rest of the bed.  My first "fall" planting purchase, Grevillea 'Ned Kelly,' and the established Arbutus 'Marina' adjoining the space set the red(dish) and yellow color scheme.  I'm still tweaking it but the largest elements are in place.

The main elements include:

Grevillea 'Ned Kelly' (aka 'Mason's Hybrid), which can be seen in flower here

Anigozanthos 'Big Roo Yellow,' which I bought in a large container (breaking one of my usual rules)

Leucadendron salignum 'Blush' (photobombed by Hibiscus trionum)

Leucadendron 'Jester,' temporarily in a tomato cage for his own protection - I paid a pretty penny for him even in a 1-gallon pot and it would break my heart if the raccoon marauders tore him apart before his root system anchors him in place.  

Supporting elements include:

Phormium 'Amazing Red' in the background is new but the ornamental oregano (Origanum 'Monterey Bay'), pineapple flowers (Eucomis 'Oakhurst,'which haven't bloomed), cherry skull-cap (Scutellaria suffrutescens) and succulents are holdovers from my earlier planting scheme

Hibiscus trionum (aka bladder weed or flower-of-the-hour), which has a reputation for uncontrolled self-seeding

Fernleaf lavender (Lavandula multifida) is another holdover from an earlier planting scheme

The 3 Pennisetum setaceum 'Fireworks' are new - they're not supposed to get as large as the red/purple variety I have elsewhere in the garden

Scabiosa ochroleuca, also picked up at the spring plant sale, was moved a couple feet so it no longer has to compete with the more aggressive Hibiscus for root space

The Sempervivium have been spreading happily for several months at the front of the bed

I'll probably add some of the burgundy-flowered Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' I'm pulling out of the front yard borders and more succulents.  The ornamental oregano and pineapple flowers may be moved to other areas but, for now, I'm leaving them in place.

The bed formerly occupied by our Eucalyptus tree is the next candidate for a facelift.


All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party