Monday, June 9, 2014

In a Vase on Monday: Moody Blues

Unlike Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, the gracious host of the weekly meme entitled "In a Vase on Monday," my floral compositions don't usually bring music to mind.  However, when searching for a descriptive title for today's bouquet, "Moody Blues" popped into my head.  I can't say that I've thought of that British rock band in many, many years but they were among my favorites when I was a kid.  Despite that fact, my choice of the title relates to the colors of my floral and foliage materials rather than any song written by the band.





I picked a stem of the beautiful Eustoma grandiflorum 'Borealis Blue' (aka Lisianthus) I featured as my favorite plant of the week last Thursday.  One stem, consisting of 3 flowers, was all I could bear to cut.  While it looks quite blue in the garden, it reads more purple than blue inside the house in a vase but some of the petals show a blue tinge.  There's also a tiny touch of white in the central blossom.




I cut 3 stems of a wild lupine to accent the Eustoma.  I have a bush lupine growing in my garden but this is the first year a wild lupine has made an appearance.  I think the seed must have hitchhiked here in a load of topsoil I ordered when we built our newest border in the backyard.  Although it doesn't match the color scheme I was going for in that particular area, I'm going to let it be in the hope that it will establish itself in my garden.




I also added a few stems of a frilly form of Leucanthemum x superbum (aka Shasta daisy), Trachelium caeruleum (possibly 'Hamer Pandora'), which is just now coming into bloom here, and Verbena bonariensis.  The Verbena doesn't appear to make a particularly good cut flower as it continuously drops tiny petals but the amethyst color picks up the pinkish purple tones in the lupine so it remains in the vase for now.  The foliage accent is a stem of the "ever-purple" Ageratum corymbosum I've used before - it definitely adds a moody touch to the arrangement.





Please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see her composition this week and to find links to the creations of other contributors.  To give the Moody Blues their due, here's a link to one of their compositions, titled "Blue World."



20 comments:

  1. And I like the Moody Blues too....might put a 'greatest hits' CD on later..... That Eustoma/Lisianthus is a stunning colour, whether blue or purple - and the lupin is a great find. I have seen some attractive ones on the verges recently, but it might not be wise to introduce them into the garden I suppose. Interesting what you say about the verbena - I have managed to keep a plant from last year so I was looking forward to using some of the flowers :( On balance, I think the ageratum leaf was a good choice despite your dithering. Thanks again for joining in - it's great to see what other people can find to pick :)

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    1. I didn't realize that the Moody Blues were still performing until I Googled them. Your blog meme has contributed to my pop culture education!

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  2. What a beautiful bouquet. My favorite colors. I must admit that I am sometimes reluctant to pick flowers. Most of mine seem to be rather short-lived. The only one that will last a long time is the Peter's purple Monarda.

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    1. One thing this weekly exercise has taught me, Jenny, is how much flowers and foliage materials vary in terms of vase life. I've also found some ways to help extend that in some cases (without using those powders that often come with cut flowers purchased from the store).

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  3. Wow! Wonderful colours. Your Lisianthus is just gorgeous, ( how could you bear to pick it?) and the whole arrangement is just lovely. The Ageratum leaves are a perfect match.

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    1. I REALLY hesitated to cut the Lisianthus, Chloris, but last year I found that cutting the 'Echo Pink' variety seemed to encourage more blooms. I hope that's true of this blue variety as well.

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  4. Very nice rich blue shades, looking even better as it contrasts with the white blooms.

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    1. Thanks! I think this is my own personal favorite bouquet so far (although I may just be in love with that Lisianthus).

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  5. So lovely. I'm glad you didn't wait until Tuesday Afternoon or Beyond.

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    1. Off hand, "Tuesday Morning" and "Nights in White Satin" were the only tunes that immediately came to mind...

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  6. Great choice of flowers. Love the strong colors, especially the Lisianthus and the lupine complements it nicely.

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    1. Thanks Susie! The appearance of that wild lupine was a nice surprise, especially as it seemed to be absent from neighborhood gardens this year.

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  7. Love the blue roses! They make such an impact and the lupines go beautifully.

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    1. Thanks Cathy! The Lisianthus really does look like a blue rose, doesn't it?

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    1. That purplish blue is something! I hope it lasts in the vase.

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  9. The white really brings out the deeper blues of the other flowers Kris, I need to grow more white flowers (note to self). I've found the same thing with the Verbena although the flowers still manage to look good despite loosing petals.

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    1. I thought maybe I'd cut older stems of the Verbena but, if you're having the same experience with dropping petals, Christina, I guess it's characteristic of the flower.

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