In a Vase on Monday: Dahlias make it to the menu

I expected another cluster of lilies this week, but the majority of them are still holding their buds tight, which is also true of most of the dahlias that have produced buds in my garden thus far. I do have two dahlias with flowers, though, one purchased in flower from a local garden center, and one I received as a baby plant from a grower back in early April. I chose to cut flowers of the latter as it's produced blooms at a steady pace for the past two weeks.

As the flowers of Dahlia 'Karma Caroline' are notably smaller than the "dinner plate" varieties I tend to favor, I threw in a stem of a noID Hippeastrum in a similar color similar to that of the dahlia to add weight to the arrangement

The back view of the arrangement provides a better view of the Hippeastrum, as well as a closeup of the pale green Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) I added to the mix

Overhead view: I'd characterize this dahlia as a waterlily type, although I don't think the grower did so

Clockwise from the upper left, the vase contains: noID Alstroemeria, Crassula pubescens, Dahlia 'Karma Caroline', Eustoma grandiflorum, noID Hippeastrum, and Leucadendon 'Jester'

Arrangement in place on the front entry table (Note: the vase in this case is a smaller version of the vase I used last week)

Three of the six 'Montego Bay' lilies I used last week were still in good shape, although they'd faded in color since they were originally cut. 

The 3 remaining lilies and 2 glossy stems of Coprosma 'Plum Hussey' were relegated to the kitchen island

The marine layer is still present most mornings but it generally lifts earlier in the day now.  Temperatures have been in the low 70sF (22C) here along the coast.  We've yet to experience blasts of heat like the freak heatwave that hit SoCal back in February.  The question is: how long will that luck hold?

Check in with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other contributors have to share on IAVOM this week.

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

In a Vase on Monday: Rain is on the way!

We got a little less than half an inch of rain last week but the forecast for this week indicates that we're likely to have a series of rainstorms beginning in the early morning on Monday and continuing off and on through Thursday, possibly delivering another inch and a half.  I selected the flowers I cut on Sunday with the coming rain in mind.

The first arrangement was intended to add a touch of sunshine inside the house as a distraction from the gloomy skies outdoors.

The first of the Dutch Iris flowered on Saturday.  They were sold as Iris hollandica x 'Montecito' but, instead of being pure yellow and white, they have a touch of pale lavender-blue in the standards, which suggests that at least these first blooms are Iris x hollandica 'Apollo'. 

Back view: I added stems of Anemone 'Azzurro' and Limonium perezii (aka sea lavender) to pick up on the pale blue color in the Iris

Overhead view: The addition of 3 chunky Leucospermum 'High Gold' stems may have been heavy-handed in contrast to the slender Iris stems

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', white and yellow Freesia, Anemone coronaria 'Azzurro', Iris x hollandica 'Montecito'/'Apollo', Leucospermum 'High Gold', and Limonium perezii

The second arrangement was designed around Hippeastrum 'Aphrodite', which just came into bloom.  I planted the bulb in a relatively small pot and it'd blown over three times recently because it was top-heavy so I decided to rescue it before its tall stem was broken by the wind gusts that are expected to accompany the rain.

The petal color of the 'Aphrodite' Hippeastrum is more similar to 'Amadeus Candy' than I'd realized

Back view: I needed tall stems to support the Hippeastrum so I ended up cutting snapdragons again this week.  The snaps are showing the first few signs of rust on their foliage and the sweet peas climbing the nearby supports are already encroaching on them too.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: dark and light pink Antirrhinum majus, Coleonema album (aka breath of heaven), and Hippeastrum 'Aphrodite'

I'd originally thought I'd add Anemone stems to the second arrangement but the color mix wasn't right in my eyes so I ended up with a third vase to grace the kitchen island.

The small vase contains 3 varieties of Anemone coronaria: 'Azzurro', 'Bordeaux', and 'Rarity'

I'm looking forward to the rain even though a flood watch will be in effect from 9am to 9pm on Monday.  Hopefully, my rain storage tanks will be at least partially refilled in the process.

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Spring explosion

Admittedly, Spring arrives early in coastal Southern California but it feels especially early this year.  I call it Spring when I spot new flowers whenever I walk through my garden, which is generally at least two times a day.  Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is just around the corner and maybe when I tabulate what's flowering for my post, I'll discover that this year isn't an anomaly but, at the moment, it feels like one.  Finding flowers to fill my vases wasn't at all difficult - what was difficult was deciding what to rule out this week.

As much of the US is still shuddering in the face of very cold weather, it's remained warmer-than-usual here.  Unfortunately, we still haven't had any rain and even our marine layer, when it's appeared, has been light, usually clearing at my elevation by the time the sun rises.  However, there are two decent chances of rain on the horizon within the next ten days.  I focused on the Hippeastrums that might be marred by rain, should it actually show up.

Hippeastrum 'White Nile' got the starring role in this arrangement.  I hadn't originally planned to pair it with snapdragons but they've taken off in the past week and, all too soon, the sweet peas are going to demand some of the space the snaps currently occupy so cutting them seemed a good idea.

The back view is much like the front

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: dark and light pink Antirrhinum majus, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', green Eustoma grandiflorum (aka lisianthus), Hippeastrum 'White Nile', and Narcissus papyraceus

The second Hippeastrum is flashier than the first, although I was happier with how the first arrangement came together than I am with the second.

Hippeastrum 'Flamingo Amadeus' is dramatic but I had a harder time finding other flowers that provided the right contrast with that orangy-pink color.  More white might have been better.

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', white Freesia, Grevillea 'Superb', Hippeastrum 'Flamingo Amadeus', and Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid'

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Change is in the air

A stretch of warmer weather earlier this month prompted the development of new blooms.  Even through temperatures dropped lower over the last few days (mid-60sF/18C), they're expected to climb again this week, at least for a time.  Meanwhile, last week's brush with rain delivered just one hundredth of an inch here.  There's currently no chance of rain showing in the ten day forecast but there's a moderately decent opportunity of some as we get closer to mid-February.  I remain hopeful that our brief rainy season, which started with such promise, won't bottom out early. 

The first of my Leucospermums is blooming but I didn't elect to use any of the stems this week.  However, I couldn't ignore Hippeastrum 'Amadeus Candy'.  I potted three bulbs in a single pot and two of the stems are now flowering with the bud of the third looking ready to open any day.

I had a surprisingly difficult time finding flowers to echo the bright pink of the petal tips.  Two Grevilleas with small flowers stepped up to help.  The white jasmine with pink buds was provided courtesy of a neighbor's plant that's currently spilling over my side of our fence.

I used more pink snapdragons this week to fill the back side of the vase

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Antirrhinum majus (aka snapdragon), Grevillea rosmarinifolia, G. 'Scarlet Sprite', Hippeastrum 'Amadeus Candy', and Jasminum polyanthum

The 'Bordeaux' and 'Lord Lieutenant' Anemones continue to produce new blooms and two more varieties are slowly unfurling.  I used one of the newbies and 'Lord Lieutenant' in my second arrangement.

Anemone 'Mistral Azzurro' is one of the new bulb flowers to make an appearance.  It's looking paler than I recall when I previously grew it but perhaps I just cut the first 2 flowers prematurely.  Interestingly, I've learned that these Anemones, like tulips, continue to grow taller after they've been cut.

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Lord Lieutenant', A. c. 'Mistral Azzurro', Limonium perezii, Matthiola incanum (aka stock), Osteospermum 'Violet Ice', and Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata'

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: Ephemeral Beauty

The choice of material suitable for cutting remains skimpy but I ended up filling two vases anyway.  The first was built around Camellia sasanqua flowers, which although plentiful at the moment, are fragile and prone to shattering quickly, especially when cut.  Hence the title of this post.

I lost 3 Camellia flowers just in the process of cutting and arranging them

Back view: I used my "clasped hands vase" but, as if often the case, I ended up covering the hands with the pretty manicured fingernails with the vase's contents.  The curly green foliage shown here is scented Pelargonium 'Colocho'.

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: noID Camellia sasanqua (possibly 'October Magic Rose'), Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre', Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', and Pelargonium graveolens 'Colocho'

The second arrangement was inspired by my first Hippeastrum bloom.  I'd ordered thirteen new Hippeastrum bulbs (commonly called Amaryllis) this year, all of which I potted up between late October and early November.  I'd planned to give away some of those I'd planted in individual pots as holiday gifts but, to date, only one has shown any signs of growth.  Once it took off, it speedily reached bloom stage.  However, as I allowed it to get battered by rain in its early stages of development, it was stunted and not gift-worthy so I cut it for my vase.

This is Hippeastrum 'Double Razzmatazz'.  The other 2 of these have yet to show any sign of producing buds, even though they were planted in pots of the same size at the same time.  All the bulbs would probably respond better if grown inside where it's warmer but I don't have the space for them in my kitchen window (or anywhere else).

Back view: The stems of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' are colorful bracts but they're doing a good job of imitating flowers when set against the dark green foliage I included 

Overhead view, showing off 2 stems of the first paperwhite Narcissus to make an appearance in my garden

From the upper left: Cistus ladanifer 'Blanche', Hippeastrum 'Razzmatazz', Leucadendron salignum 'Safari Sunset', and Narcissus papyraceus

We've had no rain since the two storms that moved through in late November.  There was a little rain in the forecast afterwards but that didn't materialize.  There's now a projection for rain in mid-December and again in late December but it's still too early to get invested in either possibility.  Meanwhile, I'm rapidly using up the rainwater I collected earlier.

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