In a Vase on Monday: Merry Christmas!

Each year before Christmas, my husband and I host an annual smorgasbord, a tradition I took over from my mother years ago.  The food selections have become less traditional over time - even my mother never served lutefisk and I've abandoned the stewed prune dessert she insisted on serving.  (Warning: the lutefisk video may not be suitable for all audiences.)  My husband, who isn't Scandinavian, made Swedish meatballs.  Other than salads, I picked up everything else from a local deli and bakery.

Our family is smaller than it once was but now includes friends who feel like family.  As our current home is a slog for most of our guests, we held this year's celebration on Saturday so everyone could avoid long commutes and the worst of the holiday freeway traffic.  I prepared floral decorations for the dining area on Friday evening, although as the light was terrible, my photos were taken on Sunday.

The Grevilleas were meant to be the stars of this arrangement but I think the Phylica pubescens (aka featherhead) steals the show

Back view, showing off the large flowers of Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream'

Top view

The vase contains, top row: Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', and noID Cotoneaster
Bottom row: Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Superb', and Phylica pubescens

I reused the stems of Westringia 'Morning Light' (aka Australian rosemary) I cut last week in my second arrangement, along with a stem from the poinsettia I bought a few weeks ago.

The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) occupies my outdoor shade house but I also wanted to enjoy it inside the house

The back view is boring but it faces a stone wall

Left to right: Leucadendron salignum 'Chief', Euphorbia pulcherrima 'Ice Punch', and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light'

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

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas to those of you who are celebrating!

I skipped the succulents I usually add to my store-bought wreath this year, just adding stems from my recently trimmed Magnolia grandiflora, Heteromeles arbutifolia berries, a bow, and a tiny gnome

It took awhile but I finally finished decorating the Christmas tree

Can you tell that Pipig is in a snit?   Presents have overtaken most of the area under the tree she'd claimed as hers.  I've explained to her that the tree will be hers again after Christmas morning but she's not mollified.  Oh well, I'm not sure it's ever possible to please a cat.

All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

In a Vase on Monday: Coral Color!

We're in the middle of a winter heatwave.  Just over a week ago, our daytime temperatures were barely reaching 60F (15.5C) and now, courtesy of our Santa Ana winds, they're soaring well above 80F (27C).  Worse yet, there's no rain in sight and our humidity level is near zero.  Still, the flowering plants have responded to the added warmth and blooms are appearing everywhere.  My Grevillea 'Superb' is blooming as heavily as the 'Peaches & Cream' I featured in a vase in mid-January.

Grevillea 'Superb' photographed last week in the front garden

The Grevillea was a natural choice for this week's "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

Front view

Back view

Top view

Here's a closer look at the individual elements:

Clockwise from upper left: Grevillea 'Superb'; Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder', now showing its full winter colors; 3 coral-toned Iceland poppies (Papaver nudicaule); Coleonema album, just beginning its annual bloom cycle; a few stems of Leptospermum 'Copper Glow'; and Pelargonium x hortorum 'Mrs. Pollock'

The wind has also been hard on the last of the two poinsettias I used to create holiday-themed pots to stand outside the front door in mid-December.

This vignette was my entry into the "Poinsettia Challenge" sponsored by Loree of danger garden last December

It was time to put away the gnome, the final remnant of my holiday decorations, and change out the contents of the pots by the front door.  However, as there were a few nice "blooms" still left on poinsettia, I decided to put them in a vase before retiring the remains of the plant.

This poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) didn't start to deteriorate significantly until about a week ago, although the variegated form I planted began to fall apart in mid-January

By pure coincidence, both vases this week offer lots of coral color.

The arrangement containing the Grevilleas ended up on the dining room table

The 3 poinsettia stems, after scalding in hot water, sit in the front entry

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to find what she and other gardeners have cobbled together from what they have on hand this week.


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party