Monday, October 17, 2016

In a Vase on Monday: I had an orange arrangement in mind...

I'd been thinking of using Grevillea 'Superb" with orange accents when I stepped into the garden to pick flowers for "In a Vase on Monday."  Why I came back with blue and pink flowers is impossible to explain but that's what happened.

There's no orange here, where the dark blue Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus) is front and center

Nor here in the back, where Leucanthemum x superbum shows off

Nope, it looks like blue and yellow with a touch of white

Clockwise from the left, the vase contains: Eustoma grandiflorum, Achillea 'Moonshine', Barleria obtusa, the ruffled form of Leucanthemum x superbum, Senna bicapsularis, Symphyotrichum chilensis, and Vitex trifolia purpurea


Maybe I can blame it on the Eustoma grandiflorum.  The flowers practically beg to be picked and even I believe they'll tucker out and pack it in any day.

Front view of the pink and white ensemble

Back view

Top view

Clockwise from the upper right, this vase contains: cherry, pink and white forms of Eustoma grandiflorum, Abelia x grandiflora; Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', and Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom'


There was one surprise as I passed through the garden in my flower-cutting frenzy.  I saw the first bloom on my noID Camellia sasanqua.  With the vicious Santa Ana winds expected to return tomorrow and temperatures forecast to zoom back up into the low 90sF (32+C), I thought there'd be no point in leaving the Camellia in place to wither so I clipped it too.

The Camellia was tucked into a tiny vase with a few leftover stems of Abelia and Leucadendron 'Pisa'


The 3 vases found spots in the usual places.



For more vases, visit our "IaVoM" host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.


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

33 comments:

  1. Okay, I suppose I can overlook the lack of orange...but maybe next week? BTW, have you ever missed a Monday? It seems to me that you have not...which is amazing!

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    1. p.s. are you still thinking of coming to the DC area Fling next June? Registration is open! http://gardenbloggersfling.blogspot.com/

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    2. I'll have to see what's looking good late this week but, yes, orange is still calling. I can't recall exactly when I joined in on this meme (it wasn't at the inception) but I do think I've participated every week since my first contribution.

      Re the Fling, yes, I registered on Saturday. I'm in!

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    3. YAY!!! I am so glad to read that you're coming to the Fling!

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    4. I look forward to meeting you there, Loree, if the fates don't throw us together beforehand.

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  2. Isn't it strange how none of the vases were at all how you envisaged when you first went out - but I am more than happy to see all your eustoma while it is still blooming. Imight even like the pink ones better than the blue ones this time round... ;) Thanks for sharing

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    1. The unnamed blue Eustoma I planted this year isn't as fully petaled as the 'Borealis Blue' I planted in prior years. For some reason, the latter variety wasn't available locally this year. The pink varieties all appear to be stronger bloomers and more resilient plants in general.

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  3. Orange or no, these are exquisite Kris. Of course I love the blue especially.

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  4. I had to google Gomphrena decumbens - what a lovely plant! Three lovely vases, Kris. I often end up with something completely different to what I intended to pick – you obviously have lots of gorgeous material to choose from.

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    1. That Gomphrena adds an airy quality and liveliness in a vase, Sam, but it hasn't proved particularly easy to work with. The thin stems and tiny flowers get tied up in one another. I was about ready to toss them all out by the time I finally got them settled in that vase.

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  5. Hi Kris, you are getting better and better at arranging bouquets from your garden! To me it looks like that what for me are the roses in the garden the Eustomas are for you. They make incredible cut flowers and I am mad at myself that I left one more year go by without growing them. Next year I have to order them online, since I couldn't find them in the nurseries when I had time to look for them.
    By the way, no rain here :-(, but it started to drizzle very lightly when I was out there a few moments ago to cut some spend roses.
    Warm regards,
    Christina

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    1. I ordered my Eustoma plugs from Burpee this year, Christina. They're sold as Lisianthus. I noticed that the double forms were late to appear in garden centers here this year.

      I hope the rain is just tardy in making its way south to you. We got 3/10ths of an inch - not a lot but appreciated nonetheless.

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  6. Beautiful bouquets! Sometimes it makes more sense to go into the garden without a plan and see what happens. I rarely end up where I thought I was going. . .

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    1. Although I'm a planner by nature, I suppose it's a positive development that I let the garden "talk" to me more and more often these days, Linda.

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  7. There is no end to the surprises in your garden. Sasanquas! wonderful, you need to look into a Yuletide. My favorite. I love all your Gomphrenas and never see any one them in Florida. Love all the arrangements, those Lisianthus are just amazing.

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    1. The Camellias are remnants a prior owner's planting, Amelia. I do love them but, under our current drought conditions, I don't think I'll be planting any more in the foreseeable future. Those I inherited with the house are in a perfect, protected spot and I expect their roots go deep.

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  8. Oh, I love them all! Yellow, blue and white is one of my favorite combinations, but it isn't often that I have the flowers for an arrangement available at the same time. The pink arrangement reminds me of a southern lady's church hat, frilly with flowers and dotted veil. Can you see it? :) How nice your camellia is blooming - is that a sign that winter is coming?

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    1. I can see the pink arrangement in just those terms, Eliza. Thanks for the fun image! The Camellia sasanqua are usually fall bloomers - they bloom well before C. japonica, which is indeed a winter bloomer here.

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  9. They're both so pretty, but I love orange and would have loved to see what you did with the Grevillea. It would have worked with either the blue or the pink, I bet.

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    1. There are gobs of Grevillea blooms in the garden at the moment so, unless the Santa Ana winds do their worst this week, you should see them soon, Alison.

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  10. Three lovely vases Kris. The eustoma is such a fabulous colour. I just love the Gomphrena, I have never seen it here, it is perfect for arrangments. Good luck with those winds.

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    1. The winds arrive tonight and they're expected to continue for several days. A temperature of 100F (37.8C) is now expected mid-week!

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  11. These are lovely, with lots for me to look up and try. I did try gomphrena globosa for the first time this year. It is quite unusual here and has illicited a fair few comments, but your G. decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' is much better.

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    1. 'Itsy Bitsy' (sold in some places as 'Little Grapes' and others as 'Airy Bachelor Buttons') has proved to be tougher than any of the other Gomphrena I've tried, even G. globosa 'Fireworks'. It's got a permanent home here I think.

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  12. The Eustoma is always so beautiful, and you certainly made some lovely vases with it. I was wondering what the pink arrangement was making me think of, when I saw Eliza's description - just the thing! Winds are forecast for here too, but temperatures look set to remain steady, thank goodness! I hope it doesn't destroy my sprouting poppies... Love your camellia posy too!

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    1. I'm really hoping our temperature doesn't soar to 100F. It's time for summer to go away.

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  13. Gorgeous! I am glad you didn't use orange, as that blue and yellow combination with the lovely aster is so pretty. Love the Gomphrena and Pentas in the second arrangement as well. Hope you get some cooler weather and more gentle breezes soon Kris!

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    1. The aster is one factor that shifted me in the direction of the blue and yellow arrangement, Cathy. As I haven't grown this aster before and don't know how long it will continue blooming, I thought I needed to take advantage of those flowers while I can.

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  14. That is a magnificent blue.
    I can hear our wind blustering outside, but expect it to be a breeze tomorrow when we plan to hike.
    Level 3 water restrictions looming for our summer.

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    1. I'm sorry to learn that you're going to be dealing with water restrictions too, Diana. I hope you get some unexpected rain during your summer months.

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  15. They are all beautiful vases Kris but for me the blue and yellow combination with a touch of white can't be beaten :)

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    1. That is one of my favorite color combinations. It held up better than the other 2 too.

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