In a Vase on Monday: Christmas cheer

I picked cheerful Christmas-y colors to see in the holiday week, depending heavily on stems of my Grevillea 'Superb', although the initial inspiration for the following arrangement was the zinnia flowers still blooming off and on in my cutting garden.  I pulled up my zinnia "crop" in October but missed two plants by accident.  Now that I've seen that they can produce flowers into December, next year I may purposely leave some tucked in corners to provide color while my cool season flowers are getting started.

Front view with Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Coral' front and center

Back view, showing off a couple of stems of a snapdragon planted as part of a mix of plugs in late October

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', noID Antirrhinum majus, Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', Grevillea 'Superb', Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Coral'

A handful of blue flowers called out to me this week too.  As we expect to see another atmospheric river flowing through Southern California beginning Tuesday evening and possibly extending into the weekend, I didn't hesitate to cut them to fill the small vase on our kitchen island.  The butterfly-like flowers of Rotheca myricoides 'Ugandense' in particular don't hold up well under pounding rain.  The rain is welcome here, even if a soggy Christmas isn't ideal.  However, I do hope it comes down gently so it doesn't worsen conditions in the burn or landslide areas.

Clockwise from the upper left: arrangement in place, overhead view, and closeups of Cistus ladanifer 'Blanche', noID Cyclamen, Rotheca myricoides 'Ugandense', and Salvia 'Mystic Spires'.  In retrospect, I should've used a softer foliage plant as a filler instead of the Cistus stems, but oh well.

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: I had to scrounge a bit

Once summer's flowers are purged from my cutting garden to make way for the bulbs, seeds, and plugs that will thrive in winter and spring, it gets a lot harder to put together floral arrangements.  Luckily, there are a few plants I can usually depend upon to help me out.

My first arrangement contains several stems of Grevillea 'Superb', which blooms year-round, but Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' surprised me with a flush of peachy-pink blooms to support it.  The Callistemon usually blooms during the summer months and I couldn't recall it ever blooming as late as November.  I scanned my own blog to check that recollection and found evidence of one flush in November 2016, when it was still a small plant; however, coming on the heels of a heatwave in September and "extreme" Santa Ana winds last week, I think I'm still justified in describing the flowers as a surprise.  As the shrub is on the list to be pruned by our tree service in just over a week, it was a given that I'd choose to make use of it this week.

The coleus was instrumental in pulling this arrangement together

The back side looks a lot like the front except there are more dangly bits of Cuphea in the back

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', Cuphea 'Honeybells', Grevillea 'Superb', and Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Indian Summer' (aka coleus)

Senna bicapsularis, a tall shrub, usually blooms in October or November and it came through for me this week.  I had to scrounge to find materials to accompany those flowers, though.

Senna bicapsularis (aka winter cassia) is a host plant for cloudless sulphur butterflies (Phoebis sennae)

Back view: As I'm ready to pull Dahlia 'Break Out' from its pot on my back patio, the last of the Zinnia 'Zinfandel Peach' had to go too

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Tanacetum parthenium, Zinnia elegans 'Zinfandel Peach', Helianthus 'Sunfinity', and Senna bicapsularis

Last week's Santa Ana winds sparked three fires in Southern California, all north of us.  Two of the fires were smaller and have been all or mostly contained but the Mountain Fire in Ventura County has been fierce, swallowing over one hundred homes and over 20,000 acres.  It was only twenty-six percent contained when I checked its status yesterday afternoon.  Forecasters are projecting another, more moderate Santa Ana wind event midweek.  There are hints of the possibility of drizzle in the ten-day forecast but I'm not putting any trust in them yet.

On this Veterans' Day, best wishes to all US veterans and their families, past or present.  Thank you for your service and your sacrifices!

To find more IAVOM creations, drop by Cathy's blog at Rambling in the Garden.

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

In a Vase on Monday: As good as flowers

Bountiful blooms haven't suddenly appeared in the past week.  I initially focused on my ever-dependable Grevillea 'Superb' to fill this week's vase.  When I noticed that the bracts of the Leucadendon 'Safari Sunset' in the front garden were more coral and pink than red like those in the back garden, I decided to add them to the mix.  They complemented the Grevillea flowers well, ending up in a co-starring role.

Like poinsettias, the bracts of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' are modified leaves surrounding the plant's true flowers, which are much less flashy  

The back view was dressed up with stems of Cotoneaster berries

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Cotoneaster, Grevillea 'Superb', Leucadendron laxum, and L. 'Safari Sunset'

Is the arrangement suitably Christmas-y?  It'll have to do regardless.  The rain that was predicted to arrive on Sunday night has been pushed further into the week. Some light rain may arrive late Monday/early Tuesday but a solid rainstorm isn't expected until Wednesday and Thursday.  I'm looking forward to it, although I'm not yet ready to count my chickens.

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: Close, but no cigar

I was hoping to have dahlia flowers by now but they're still taking their time reaching bloom stage.  The buds closest to that are those of Dahlia 'Catching Fire' but only one bud was even near to the being suitable for cutting.

 

The 2 'Catching Fire' plants occupying the half barrel in my front garden are loaded with buds.  This one is probably a day or 2 shy of being vase-worthy.  I didn't see the tiny grasshopper on the flower's upper petals until I viewed this photo.  I didn't commit hopper-cide but, once identified, I did remove it from the immediate area.

 

 

 

I suspected the phrase I used in the title to the post was of American origin but I looked it up to confirm that assumption.  The phrase hearkens back to the 1920s where it was used by carnival barkers who lured visitors in to play games that were hard or impossible to win.  Cigars were a common award for winning the games, offered but not often handed out.

 

As I continue to wait out the dahlias, I leaned on an old standby to fill a vase.

The ever-flowering Grevillea 'Superb' filled the order, although I think adding Zinnias was a misstep

I decided I liked the back view better and ended up treating it as the front view when I placed it

Actually, I think this overhead view is the best one in this case

Clockwise from the upper left: Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid', Cuphea 'Honeybells', Grevillea 'Superb', 3 Zinnia elegans (which I think are all part of the 'Candy Mix' I sowed from seed), and Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder'

 

I wasn't really satisfied with the first arrangement and I'm only nominally more satisfied with the second one.

I cut the Agapanthus stems I stripped of flowers last week down in size and used them to bulk up the arrangement of Helianthus and Zinnia flowers shown here.  This is a smaller version of the crystalline glazed vase I used last week.

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', recycled Agapanthus stems stripped of their flowers, Helianthus 'Sunbelievable Brown-Eyed Girl', Zinnia elegans (once again from the 'Candy Mix' seeds), and Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Pineapple (formerly known as Coleus) 

 

I threw together a third small arrangement when I noticed a few Lisianthus prime for cutting before the heat takes them out.

I reused one stem of Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna' from last week's small vase and added stems of pink and white Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus), as well as Zinnia elegans 'Mazurkia' (sold as 'Hidden Dragon')

 

 

Our weather this weekend proved to be milder than expected (albeit still very warm) and I'm hopeful that temperatures will continue to stay below 90F (32C) through this week.  I'm also hopeful that I'll have some dahlias to cut for a vase next week!

 

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: Some flowers keep on giving...

I had Peruvian lilies (Alstroemeria) in mind when I selected the title of today's post but the statement applies to other flowers in the arrangements shown below as well.  Our marine layer and cooler temperatures are partially responsible for the resilience of some plants this year but others are just plain tough.

The first arrangement was inspired by two roses, which aren't tough at all.  There was a chance of rain in the early hours of Sunday morning and the irrigation system was also scheduled to run.  Neither does many favors for full blown roses so I cut four stems Saturday evening.  However, the Alstroemeria and Grevillea stems I added are the toughies.

Grevillea 'Superb' is currently flowering so heavily, it demanded to be cut back.  This shrub flowers year-round but I've never seen it flowering as heavily as it has this year.

Back view

Top view

Top row: Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' and Alstroemerias 'Third Harmonic' and 'Inca Husky'
Second row: Grevillea 'Superb' and Alstroemerias 'Indian Summer' and 'Inca Sundance'
Third row: Rosa 'Golden Celebration', R. 'Medallion', and Xylosma congestum

 

My second arrangement was inspired by Helleborus 'Anna's Red'.  Hellebores may bloom plentifully in many places but the same can't be said for their performance in my garden.  Only two varieties bloomed this year.  'Anna's Red' surprised me by producing new stems relatively recently.  I added stems of two more vigorous plants, an Alstroemeria and an ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltatum), to complement the hellebore, along with new blooms from Daucus carota 'Dara'.

I stuffed too much into this vase (as usual)

Back view: The Daucus carota shown here may be the biggest one I've ever seen

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', Salvia lanceolata, noID Alstroemeria, Daucus carota 'Dara', Helleborus 'Anna's Red', and Pelargonium peltatum 'Dark Burgundy'

 

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: Going big

We had a couple of very warm days late last week and while that jump-started some flowers that have been reluctant to bloom, it's directed others to the nearest exit.  I factored both circumstances in putting together this week's arrangements.  That strategy also resulted in larger arrangements, requiring heavy vases to ensure that the contents wouldn't end up on the floor.

The peach foxgloves I planted from four-inch pots back in November cried out to be cut.  I cut three stems but misjudged just how tall they were.  Although I reduced their size, their height required taller accent plants to support them.

The foxgloves still tower over the rest of the vase's contents, even though I cut long branches of Grevillea to flesh out the arrangement

Back view, showing the tall heavy cut crystal vase I use relatively infrequently

Top view, which was harder to get than usual.  Even with a step-stool, I couldn't get a full view.

Clockwise from the upper left: Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi Verde', Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach', Grevillea 'Superb', and Xylosma congestum

The Dutch Iris were among the flowering plants that didn't appreciate temperatures soaring from the upper 60sF to a peak of 88F (31C).  I cut a lot of them for my second arrangement.  This arrangement isn't as tall as it is wide and heavy.  Although I tried to balance the weight of the floral stems I'd selected, I nearly tipped over the vase several times myself.  When that happened the fourth time as I was photographing it, I acknowledged the inevitable and crammed the cut stems into a much heavier vase made out of glass block.  However, the photos below show the contents in the original vase.

The Iris stems aren't heavy but the Echium and Leucospermum stems are very much so

Back view:  The Echium stems were cut from a self-seeded shrub that sits atop a slope along our southern property line

Top view:  One of the Leucospermum stems has twin flowers.  Most of this Leucospermum's stems produce only single flowers, or at least that's been my experience.

Clockwise from the upper left:  Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Echium candicans, Psoralea pinnata (which bloomed seemingly overnight this past weekend), Iris hollandica 'Sapphire Beauty', and Leucospermum 'High Gold' (formerly identified as 'Goldie' because that was how it was labeled at time of purchase)

 

I transferred some of the contents of last week's vases into two smaller vases because I couldn't bring myself to toss the stems that still looked good.

 

The two new arrangements earned price of place.  The second arrangement is shown in the glass block vase that replaced the lighter vase.

 

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

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