In a Vase on Monday: The blues and bright spots

I tend to favor blue over every other color in my garden and, at this time of year, there are plenty of blue flowers available to fill a vase.  This week I downplayed the sharp contrast of blue and yellow I used last week for a softer look.

In retrospect, a few more light flowers would've been useful to break up the mass of blue flowers.  In addition to Scilla peruviana, I used 3 different Dutch Iris varieties this week.

Back view: The Acacia 'Cousin Itt' I used as a foliage filler looks a bit messy from this angle

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Anemone coronaria 'Mr Fokker', noID Narcissus, Iris hollandica 'Mystic Beauty', I. h. 'Pink Panther', I. h. 'Sapphire Beauty', and Scilla peruviana

I chose to fill my second vase with a mix of bright flowers.  Much as I love blue, I find myself in need of something cheerful to look at these days when every newscast seems to be worse than the one before.  It's hard not to feel anxious about the direction our country is headed under the current administration.

I took advantage of the first flowers of Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi' as a starting point

Back view

Overhead view

Clockwise from the upper left: more wispy Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Calendula officianalis 'Cantaloupe Mix', C. o. 'Ivory Princess' and 'Oopsy Daisy', Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny', Narcissus 'Geranium', and Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi'

For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find what other contributors have put together.

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

In a Vase on Monday: The spring extravaganza continues

We got a fifth of an inch of rain on Saturday as forecast and my 50-gallon replacement tank was ready to receive it, thanks to my husband's effort in retrofitting it.  It wasn't a lot of rain but it was enough to fill the tank.

We didn't look at the new tank's overflow mechanism when we purchased it by mail order.  It turned out that any excess spewed from the bottom, which isn't a good thing when the tank is set up against the house.  My husband drilled a hole in the side and fit it with a pipe to divert any overflow to the funnel system that that runs below ground, directing water away from the house.

It's been very windy of late but the latest rainstorm gave the garden the boost it needed.  Once again, there was no problem finding material to fill a couple of vases.  The first arrangement was inspired by Dutch Iris 'Pink Panther'.  The flowers have shot up virtually in unison in two areas of my front garden.

'Pink Panther' is more lavender than pink.  I initially wasn't sure what I had that would complement its color but I had no trouble whatsoever finding appropriate companions.

Back view: I added 2 Dutch Iris 'Eye of the Tiger' to provide more contrast

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: 2 noID varieties of Lathyrus odoratus, noID Scaevola, noID Ageratum, Iris hollandica 'Eye of the Tiger', I.h. 'Pink Panther', and Scilla peruviana

My second arrangement is yet another yellow and blue mix.  This one was inspired by the last of the potted Hippeastrums to bloom this year, one I initially thought might be a dud because it took so long to sprout.

Hippeastrum 'Lemon Star' looks a lot like the H. 'Luna' I grew in pots last year.  I planted the 'Luna' bulbs in the ground after they finished flowering last year and they're now producing flower stalks so I may have more Hippeastrum blooms in another month or 2.

Back view: I used the first flowering stems of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' as a foliage filler

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Hippeastrum 'Lemon Star', Iris hollandica 'Mystic Beauty, 2 different noID Narcissi, and Phlomis fruticosa 

Last week's Leucospermums held up well.  I removed the Narcissi and Ranunculus blooms that had fallen apart to create a streamlined version of the arrangement that included Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi'.

The simplified version is shown on the left and the original version is on the right

There's a good chance of more rain next Saturday.  In the meantime, I'm hoping we get a less wind and more sun to facilitate work in the garden and maybe some spring plant shopping.

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: New spring blooms keep coming

At this time of year new spring blooms seem to pop up almost daily.  I'm trying to pace myself when it comes to tossing them into floral arrangements but I ended up with three arrangements this week anyway.  The first of these was inspired by one of my favorite bulb flowers, Scilla peruviana.

As the Scilla peruviana, aka Portuguese squill, are only just beginning to unfold, I cut only one.  Despite the fact that its name suggests it originated in South America, the bulb is actually native to the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

Back view: The tree-sized Ceanothus is in full bloom on the back slope so I took advantage of it

Top view: The blue Anemone coronaria and white and yellow Freesia are still plentiful

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria, Auranticarpa rhombifolium, Lathyrus annuus, Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt', white and yellow Freesia, noID Narcissus, and Scilla peruviana

The second arrangement was inspired by the white and pink species tulips I found flowering in my back garden this past weekend.  I picked additional flowers to flesh out the vase but some didn't mesh with the tulips the way I'd envisioned.  I ended up separating what I'd cut into two separate arrangements.

Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane' has white and rosy-pink petals that look like candy canes when the petals close in low light

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Lucky', A. 'Inca Vienna', Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata', and Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane'

The "leftovers" I'd cut with the tulip arrangement in mind landed in the vase featuring a woman's clasped hands, manicured with pink polish.

The flowers shown in this arrangement are a deeper reddish-pink, leaning toward burgundy

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Grandaisy Dark Pink', a pink Freesia exhibiting an uncommon color break, a normal pink Freesia, Hebe 'Wiri Blush', Helleborus 'Anna's Red', and Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata'.  I wasn't able to find anything on color breaks caused by virus or other conditions in Freesias but this is at least the second year I've seen these.

The first Dutch Iris blooms have just appeared and my Leucospermums are opening, albeit slowly.  As we're expecting warmer temperatures during much of this week, I expect the spring cycle may accelerate.

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

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

In a Vase on Monday: It's Spring!

Despite the fact that yet another atmospheric river is moving in after spitting at us on and off all day yesterday, spring has clearly taken over my garden.  Of course, I got carried away when it came to putting together this week's floral arrangements...

Vase #1

This arrangement was inspired by Scilla peruviana, which burst into bloom last week.  I added 2 stems of Leucadendron 'Goldie', which is only just starting to unfurl more than 3 weeks behind its schedule last year.

Back view:  I used more of the flowering Acacia 'Cousin Itt' this week as a foliage filler

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', purple and yellow Freesia, Leucospermum 'Goldie', and Scilla peruviana

 

Vase #2

I cut a stem of Hippeastrum 'Apple Blossom' as it was crowding another newly emerging stalk.  I should note that it looks very little like any of the 'Apple Blossom' photos I've seen online (one of which you can see here) so I suspect it was misidentified by the seller.

The back view looks like an entirely different arrangement

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: white Freesia, Grevillea 'Superb', Hippeastrum 'Apple Blossom' imposter, and Xylosma congestum

Vase #3

This arrangement was inspired by the 'Lady Jane' species tulips, blooming for a 4th year in a row!

Back view: Unfortunately, I think Hippeastrum 'Neon' detracts from my intended focus on the tulips

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Alstroemeria 'Inca Vienna', Anemone coronaria 'Rarity', Coleonema album, Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane', and Hippeastrum 'Neon'

 

This week's rain is expected to be heaviest Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday through Sunday should be sunny, although still on the cool side.  I hope so as a friend and I are planning a trip up to Santa Barbara to visit our favorite nurseries next weekend, a visit we've put off several times since February.

 

For more IAVOM posts, check in with our host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. 

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

In a Vase on Monday: Flowers aplenty

As I ran around my garden taking photos for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day this coming Tuesday, it's overwhelming how much is in bloom.  In dry years like this one, I wonder if every flowering plant is rushing for the finish line before the heat settles in for an extended stay and soil conditions get even drier.  I know it's not spring yet in most of the Northern Hemisphere but it's well underway here.  Meanwhile, the latest projections don't hold out much hope for rain in Southern California in March or April so I'll take advantage of the flowers I've got while I can.

The Dutch Iris are still building on their flower power but the Scilla peruviana, which only just started its bloom cycle at the end of February, are already fading after a couple of stretches of warm weather.

More blue and yellow to express solidarity with Ukraine.  There are 2 varieties of Dutch Iris in this arrangement but they're very similar in color.

Back view

Top view

Top row: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Freesia, and self-seeded Lavandula stoechas
Middle row: Iris hollandica 'Mystic Beauty' and 'Sapphire Beauty'
Bottom row: Phlomis fruticosa and Scilla peruviana

Every time our daytime temperatures soar the Anemones fade, only to slowly recover when temperatures come down again, but I've got to wonder how many flip-flops they can handle.

A couple of months ago, I planted plugs of ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea) with the idea of using it to complement Anemone coronaria 'Admiral' but it never bulked up much and now it's preparing to bolt so I thought I'd use it before it fades away

Back view: The vase is the thrift store find I picked up years ago featuring a lady's well-manicured hands clasped to hold flowers but those hands are mostly hidden in this arrangement

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Anemone coronaria 'Admiral' and 'Mount Everest', Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', Brassica oleracea var acephala, Coleonema album (aka white breath of heaven), and Scabiosa columnaria 'Flutter Rose Pink'

I had a few leftovers I couldn't cram into the first vase so I popped them into a small vase rather than tossing out the stems.

The cactus-shaped vase of leftovers is sitting in the kitchen window (where it's impossible to photograph)

The other two arrangements found spaces in the usual places.

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

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party