In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave
Each Monday Cathy from Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase assembled from materials collected in our gardens.
In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave
June has arrived. May finished up with blistering heat, scorching the grass and plants with record temps in the 90s. Friday evening brought rain storms that blew over the beautiful asclepias and a few other plants, but the rain otherwise served temporarily to replenish and restore.
Red Asiatic lilies, grown in a large pot on the back patio, have multiplied over the past several years. They chose this past hot week to bloom. I collected them several times times toward the end of the week and brought all that were open indoors, knowing they would be perfect for a Monday vase.
Lilium ‘Black Out’
After enjoying the lilies several days while they conditioned in a tall glass vase, I considered leaving them as they were.
Conditioning Materials in Water
In the end I determined to use Oasis floral foam and create a formal design to take advantage of having so many lilies. I had a baker’s dozen (13) stems of lilies, but wished for more.
Saturday morning after the rain I searched for some foliage to use with the lilies: Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily) and Canna ‘Semaphore’ for filling in and adding height to the design; peony leaves to conceal the mechanics at the base.
Upon seeing the rain-bent asclepias, I straightened as many stems as I could, then rescued the ones that could not stand up, suddenly abandoning plans for a monochromatic arrangement for today’s vase and introducing orange alongside the carmine red lilies.
Lilium ‘Black Out’ and Asclepias tuberosa
I could not stick completely to red and orange and found myself bringing in some richly-hued Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue.’ (After trying them alongside the others I confined them to the back of the vase. Blues and purples seemed to distract from the strong red-orange color theme.) Also I discovered tender young lavender just beginning to open, but only a few pieces made it into the vase.)
The backside is not visible but I tucked ‘Heuchera leaves as concealer for the oasis and plastic dish.
Back of Vase – Salvia and Foliage
Materials
Flowers
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)
Lavender (Lavandula)
Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Foliage
Canna ‘Semaphore’
Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily)
Heuchera sanguinea ‘Coral Forest’ (Coral Bells)
Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Charm’
Container
Ceramic pot
The vase itself is a beautifully crafted black and red glazed pot I bought in a silent auction at an art show in my home town sixteen or more years ago. It measures 10 inches (25.4 cm) across at its widest point and is 11 inches (28 cm) tall. (Unfortunately I do not know the artist.) the peony leaves are placed at a diagonal to emphasize the band of red glaze in the pot.
In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave
These flowers really make a strong impact in my living room. I enjoyed the luxury of having red lilies to arrange. They make a great cut flower and should keep many days.
In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave
I posed the flowers in different places, so please bear with me.
In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave
In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave
In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave
In A Vase On Monday – Heat Wave
Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower designs across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place In A Vase On Monday.
pbmGarden 
The pot and the lilies are stunning together!
Thank you Chris. The pot is large —I rarely have flowers tall enough to use it.
Lovely contemporary arrangement that looks so professionally made and staged. Beautiful deep jewel colors that remind me of fall and cooler temps . . . if only.
A great floral designed and I also love the staging.
The colours of the vase are a brilliant match for the lilies and asclepia, Susie, and you have judged the angle of the peony leaves perfectly. How lovely to have so many lilies – I have added more in pots this year but with only 5 to a pot I suspect I will not be cutting them. I have kept them altogether out of the way to watch out for lily beetle, but now that most are in bud I will begin to move them into the borders.
I need to divide the lilies I suppose. After I’d cut the stems long, almost to the base, I read one shouldn’t. The lilies need the foliage to build reserves for next year. Oops for me today too.
You cut the stems and the foliage? I suppose it’s a learning curve and something you won’t repeat now you know. I repotted existing lilies early this year and planted any little bulbs elsewhere to grow on – their parents have certainly been rejuvenated by the experience
That is one gorgeous vase. I love the combo of the lilies with the asclepias; one I had never thought of before. Plus I really enjoyed all the locations where you photographed your display.
Thanks Linda. It is fun to stage the flowers. Hadn’t done that much lately but this vase kept wanting its picture made.
Oh, to have a plentiful supply of lilies like that! It’s a gorgeous arrangement, Susie. I’m glad you chose to add the Asclepias as that accent turns what was already a great arrangement into a magnificent one. As one who’s also known to tuck flowers that don’t quite “go” into the back of a vase, I can appreciate the addition of the Salvia too. Great job!
What’s the wood piece in the background in the first 2 photos? It also makes a wonderful accent.
Thanks Kris. That is a chair my daughter designed and built in college for a class (Industrial Design major). She loved making furniture but ended up going back to school for architecture (which she loves too). I was setting up the vase to photograph and noticed the chair nearby. Color seemed like it might work.
Although Asiatic lilies do not naturalize and multiply for us, a few have survived in the spot that is not a rose garden. I just recently got a picture of a single blooming lily that came up under some lavender. What a nice surprise!
That is nice.
Stunning! The vase is so beautiful with those red lilies – in fact it must have been made for them! 😉 Beautifully arranged as always Susie. Hope your heat has died down a bit. We are expecting over 30°C the next couple of days but no rainstorms in sight unfortunately.
We could use more rain too but temperatures are cooler today. Hope you gets showers this week. I do like that pot. I keep it out all the time, but have seldom had flowers that work well with it.
Absolutely stunning arrangement, Susie. The red stripe in the vase is a perfect complement to the red lilies. This is a masterpiece!
How kind, Eliza! I have enjoyed this arrangement the past few days. Much grander size than my usual ones.
Lovely hot colours and a gorgeous vase.
Thanks so much, Liz!
That’s really special! The colors are so warm and vibrant. I never thought to add Butterflyweed to an arrangement, but as you mention, if the stems are bent already it makes sense. What kind of a vase life do they have?
The butterfly weed lasted about 5 days, but wasn’t the freshest when I cut it, so it did pretty well in a vase.