In A Vase On Monday – January Boost
Every Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden encourages us to share a vase with materials gathered from our gardens. January has been a dreary, gray month, so watching four large flowers on this velvety red Amaryllis ‘Miracle’ open and bloom across the past couple weeks has been a big mood booster.
Hippeastrum ‘Miracle’
Just as the first flower to open was beginning to fade, the last one on the stalk opened fully. I hesitated to cut the amaryllis in case it might not last well, but the bulb has one more tall stalk with a promising bud.
Hippeastrum ‘Miracle’
Hellebores previously have appeared in the garden before Christmas on occasion. This year they feel late but a couple finally put in an appearance yesterday and I tucked them into the base of this arrangement.
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
I began with a variety of foliage but ended up removing all but a couple stems of gardenia leaves. I made a quick half-hearted search for an interesting branch to use, but it proved to be oversized and only a fragment was useful in the end. Proportions seem all out of whack. The amaryllis stem could be shortened several inches to help it relate better to the vase, but for today I’m content to let it be.
In A Vase On Monday – January Boost
Materials
Flowers
Hippeastrum ‘Miracle’ (Amaryllis)
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
Foliage
Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud)
Gardenia
Container
Textured, incised ceramic pedestal vase, rice or bone color. 5×6-inches, with floral pin holder.
The garden cleanup will start this week, forced by the loss of the last remaining ‘Carolina Sapphire’ (Arizona Cypress). A big wind storm two weeks ago brought it down and if one needs to look for a silver lining, the tree is resting gently, having avoided the fence! We have had five or so of these cypresses at a time at the corners of the back fence, having replanted them at least one other time. They have been short-lived.
Storm damage ‘Carolina Sapphire’ (Arizona Cypress)
It has been such a long time since the garden has had a nice mix of trees and shrubs enough to create interesting long views. I’m sure in July 2013 I was complaining about the bare patch in the right foreground where I had been digging out asters that had taken over some irises, but I long for this view now. The right corner, where the tree that recently fell had stood, was empty that year as well, but on the left corner two of the tree’s ancestors were thriving.
Garden View – July 2, 2013
I haven’t yet bought seeds or bulbs or dahlias this year but I have started dreaming. Hope you all have a great week. Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting each week.
pbmGarden 
Stunning arrangement. I’m sorry about the loss of your tree, and I certainly understand the cleanup involved but glad it missed the fence. A neighbor’s pine branches came down over the weekend and took out a piece of our fence. I dug around in the snow and found the piece because we’ll have to patch the best we can since they no longer make that particular style. Happy garden dreaming.
Oh, goodness. So sorry about your fence, Judy. Smart thinking to retrieve the broken piece. Our daughter got a 3D printer for Christmas and has been designing parts to adapt an old bubble gum machine into a lamp. Maybe one day we’ll be able to print any part we need.
Now, that is interesting about the 3D printer.
It seems like every few years nature makes us rethink our gardens and plants.
That’s the truth. Even in perfect conditions gardens keep growing past what the plan was.
Yes, you can’t stick a bit of the stem back if you cut your amaryllis too short, can you? They make such a great statement in a vase and to me look far better cut, than on the plant itself, but I know not everyone will agree. It was a wonderful gift and has given you a lot of joy, hasn’t it?
Gosh, what a difference the loss of the tree will make – and thank goodness it didn’t cause a lot of damage. How long is it since you have paved part of your meditation circle?
Cathy, I like them as cut flowers too and yes, it has been a pleasurable gift. The meditation circle pavers are the original ones. I used to get out and scrub them to keep them fresh.
I could have sworn it was a ‘grass’ circle and need to pay attention more, Susie – sorry!
I like the negative space in the arrangement, it highlights the shapes of the flowers and the bit of Redbud is inspired. I like Arizona Cypress as well, they are supposed to grow here but I just can quite believe it and have resisted buying any. Nature is never static. A new opportunity for you, I love Hinoki Cypress!
Negative space has always fascinated me! I do recommend you try Arizona Cypress. It’s a nice tree, but I think I’ll look for something different. I had a lovely Hinoki Cypress but it didn’t last many years. I don’t know–over the years we’ve had odd drought-stricken years and a couple of wet ones. Hard to say whether the trees were stressed irreversibly by weather.
It is fascinating and really works..The Arizona Cypress here last a couple of years, though I love the color I am not up for annual trees. My Hinoki in Atlanta met the same fate, though I love Black Dragon Cryptomerias too..the only sort of conifer that lasts here is Globe Arborvitae, which I think of as driveway markers.
Annual trees, even 10-year ones, are disappointing.
yes, I will make an exception for Flowering Cherries.
?! How did I miss that an Arizona cypress lived there?! Did you mention this before? (I know that I have seen them somewhere, but do not remember where.) I know this is irrelevant to your vase, but that cypress is rad. It is unfortunate that it did not last long. I put five in as a thin screen between here and the outer road. They will not get any irrigation now that they are established, so should last quite a while. They were grown from seed, so may exhibit some degree of genetic variability. Within our landscapes, we could possibly add a ‘Blue Ice’. I sort of want to try it because I like the species, and can justify it if the blue color is appealing. However, I am hesitant to try it within an irrigated area.
Tony, I too like the bluish-color trees and ‘Blue Ice’ looks attractive. Our ‘Carolina Sapphire’ Arizona cypresses grew well (fast too) and looked nice for a while, then each died rather abruptly. Their replacements were similar. I don’t have irrigation in the garden and the soil is fairly well-drained in that location. Good luck with your seed grown screen. It should look nice.
They may dislike the humidity there. They live here, but are happier outside of cultivated landscapes. Some of the best that I can remember are remnants of a home garden of a home that was demolished for the construction of the West Valley Freeway. They live up above the embankment of the Freeway now, and are quite happy there without any intervention. The climate is innately arid here, and is even more arid next to a freeway.
Good to know. Yep, definitely humid here.
Your Amaryllis is gorgeous Susie, and combining it with winter hellebores was a great idea. They are such different flowers and yet both are bold shapes with striking markings and centres. It is always sad when a tree comes down, but the opening up of a vista can be inspiring too. Do you think you will replant the same trees? Hope you have good weather for the tidy up. And happy dreaming!
Thanks Cathy. I think I might look for camellias or other blooming evergreens to replace the cypress. It’s hard to narrow down the choices.
We get two pretty things to admire this week: your pretty arrangement, and some views of your garden: we are lucky!
Thanks Noelle, very kind of you. I feel very lucky too.
The hellebore flowers make good companions for the vibrant Amaryllis, Susie. Losing a tree is never easy but I hope you find a suitable replacement that you grow to love.
Thanks Kris, looking forward to more hellebores. Trees are wonderful but I have trouble committing the space to them in my small garden.
Oh that is a stunning amaryllis – I’ve been watching mine slowly unfold and now open. I’ve gone for a very pale green colour this year. I like those circular beds – does the one in the bottom photo include some herbs in the planting ? I’m sure that I have a ceramic blue ball just like yours 😂
Thanks Anna. Glad you have been enjoying your amaryllis opening up. They’re such interesting plants and your green one sounds nice. The meditation circle has various thymes planted for groundcover. It hasn’t looked very tidy in a long time. Don’t you love your ceramic blue ball–love that color.
Very nice! Your garden looks great. My Hellebores don’t bloom until March (some years) or April. Love all of them, though, and I need to use them in arrangements more. Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks Beth. Hellebores are wonderful and so long-lasting in the garden. Usually they do well in arrangements but sometimes one will just flop.