In A Vase On Monday – December’s ‘Passionate Blush’
Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden encourages us to share a vase highlighting what is growing in our gardens.
December has arrived with the garden in a soggy state. Camellias are beleagured from successive bouts of cold and rain. Snapdragons and violas that were planted to add color to bleak November (and December) refuse to bloom. For Thanksgiving I had purchased a couple of mixed bouquets and created a table arrangement which I considered calling into duty for today’s vase, but I decided to explore the garden first.
So for inspiration this week I returned to ‘Ruby Slippers,’ the oakleaf hydrangea featured several weeks ago. Its deep red leaves are cheerful and welcome this time of year. Everything else seemed woefully unusable until several plants of Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ offered up possibilities—flexible and energetic stems of burgundy with a few flowers and a few leaves. I do not remember noticing gaura at this time of year before, but this day the stems danced in my hand, begging to star this Monday.
Using an Ikebana vase I inserted the hydrangea foliage low in front, then added several multi-branched stems of gaura. The gaura flowed gracefully. It was limber enough I could wrap and twist pieces into shapes of circles and ovals. I liked the rhythmical effect and felt it was done, but could not resist adding a lime green chrysanthemum plucked from the Thanksgiving bouquet.
In A Vase On Monday – December’s ‘Passionate Blush’
Chrysanthemum, , Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ and Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’
In a second Ikebana vase I clustered a bunch of gaura stems to the right side in back, placed the remaining red hydrangea leaves low to left and center, pleased with the breezy looseness. This time I wondered how some red alstroemeria from the Thanksgiving vase might look against the red stems and leaves. Fine, yes that will do.
In A Vase On Monday – December’s ‘Passionate Blush’
In A Vase On Monday – December’s ‘Passionate Blush’
Alstroemeria, Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ and Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’
Materials
Flowers
Alstroemeria
Chrysanthemum
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)
Foliage
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Container
Porcelain Ikebana vases, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Rectangle Blue Wave. Triangle Blue Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)
Alstroemeria, Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ and Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’
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 
I love the movement in your vases.
Thanks. The gaura turned out to be an expressive material.
Textures too are harnessed as shown by the wonderful hydrangea leaves…two beautiful arrangements.
I like those leaves too. That hydrangea offers up a lot of interest in the garden. Thank you Noelle.
The tracery created by the Gaura is wonderful – a terrific and creative use of the plant. Love both. Thought of you – I was out watering the Dahlias!
Yay, wonderful dahlias! Thanks Amelia.
Oh Susie, the twirly wirly gaura makes such an impact and the alstroemeria picks out the reddish tones perfectly – so effective, as always
Thanks Cathy. The gaura proved to be a hidden gem this week. I’ve never been happy with it in vases before (when it’s in it prime bloom time) but enjoyed it at this stage.
Yes, it was a different beast altogether in this vase
Beautiful, Susie! Motion and movement, the arrangement fairly dances!
Thanks Eliza. Lovely of you to say so.
I cut back my Gaura a month ago but I can’t remember ever seeing it look like this. You have an eye for identifying – and transforming – candidates for arrangements into something stunning.
Thanks Kris. Finally my habit of not getting gardening chores done pays off! The texture seemed different than it does at regular bloom time, not sure why.
Both lovely and so dramatic. I have an oak leaved hydrangea but this Ruby Slippers is very special, I am going to look out for it.
Hope you’ll enjoy Ruby Slippers if you add it to your garden. I love its red foliage.
Very nice and artfully done! What great combinations of colors and textures.
Thank you Beth! These have lasted very well also for almost two weeks.
I like how you used the Hydrangea leaves. And I’m learning to appreciate what a wonderful cut flower that alstroemeria is. If it were only fragrant.
Fragrance would be a bonus, but the altstroemeria have lasted 12 days.
They seem incredibly long-lasting.
That is an impressive alstroemeria. I grew them as cut flower so long ago that most of the modern cultivars that are now popular had not yet been invented.
Must be interesting to see how they and other flowers have developed.
Yes, it is, although for many, the traditional sorts are better than the contemporary cultivars. Some of the newer alsroemeria are exquisite. However, some of what was introduced in the 1990s were not as pretty as their ancestors. Some of the Asiatic lilies are weird too. Their earlier simplicity was part of their appeal. All the strange and mixed colors look so unnatural and fake.