Every Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase with materials gathered from our gardens.
In A Vase On Monday – Crimson King
Spring is coming on too quickly for me to keep up. Suddenly the early irises are in full bloom.
In A Vase On Monday – Crimson King
In A Vase On Monday – Crimson King. Side view
A passalong from a dear neighbor ever so many years ago, the dark and intense reddish-violet Iris ‘Crimson King’ is the main star in today’s vase.
Iris ‘Crimson King
Amassed onto one side for impact, white Cheerfulness daffodils were selected to brighten and to provide contrast against the intense purple of Crimson King.
Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’ brings texture and pattern to the design, while reinforcing the purple and white theme. Similarly Hellebores, chosen originally to serve as fillers, also heighten and enhance the color theme.
In A Vase On Monday – Crimson King
In A Vase On Monday – Crimson King
In A Vase On Monday – Crimson King
In A Vase On Monday – Crimson King
Materials
Flowers
Iris ‘Crimson King’
Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’
Narcissus ‘Cheerfulness’
Helleborus x hybridus
Foliage
Leucanthemum x superbum ‘Becky’
Container
Textured, incised ceramic pedestal vase, rice or bone color. 5×6-inches, with floral pin holder.
Black stones
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting each week. Visit her blog to see her vase and check out those of other gardeners from around the world.
pbmGarden 
Goodness, is it Iris season already?! You always have such beautiful ones and your garden must look lovely as they all burst into flower! Lovely combination with the Cheerfulness and hellebores. 😃
It feels too early for irises Cathy, but looking back these two are always open around this time. Once they start the garden seems to move quickly.
This beautiful arrangement certainly says ‘hello spring.’
Thank you! Feels like spring here. Temperatures have been more spring-like the past few days.
Passalong plants are so special. Plus you always know they will do well if the person has enough to share.
Yes, so true. I’ve learned to listen if the giver mentions, “They spread.”
Oh, this takes my breath away, it’s so beautiful, Susie. 🙏 Iris aren’t in flower yet in our part of the world but you’re right, spring seems to be all over us here as well. It all seems to happen so quickly and I still have so much to do outside. Happy spring days to you both, hope your husband is doing well again.
Thanks Annette. I was shocked to see irises opening this week, but looking back at pictures this set is pretty much on time as ever. I’ve just been distracted from the garden, although I have a few opportunities to dig around. Things with my husband are more calm lately, which affords a welcome bit of breathing room. Hope your spring is perfect.
I’m glad and hope he’ll continue to improve. Fingers crossed for a beautiful spring and some more rain 😀
That’s a great use of Iris. I love those big I. germanica but find them hard to use in a vase. So I am really impressed with your display. Plus I’ve not had any luck with double daffs.
Thanks Linda. I agree iris germanica aren’t the easiest flowers to use. I just overstuffed these and prepared myself that they probably won’t last long. I do love them though.
I wait all year to see your irises bloom. And what a stunning array of flowers in this vase. I do miss my irises and all the hundreds of diffs I grew.
Donna, that’s so sweet. I’m so excited when irises bloom. Hoping they will keep going for the whole month. You must have wonderful memories of your daffodils and irises and lots of photos, but I know it’s not the same as being able to be among them.
‘Crimson King’ is also a cultivar of Norway maple with darkly bronzed foliage. It is supposedly an improved version of ‘Schwedleri’, which was the street tree where I lived through high school. (I still prefer ‘Schwedleri’.) Is ‘Crimson King’ iris not Iris germanica? My first and favorite ‘bearded iris’ is actually Iris pallida. I believe that, until recently, all of my later acquisitions are real bearded iris. Last year, we acquired a bunch of iris that resemble Iris pallida, but are shorter and deep purple. (Iris certainly have a way of compelling one to appreciate less than favored colors.) It lives with the other iris, but I suspect that it might be a simpler species like Iris pallida is.
It’s listed as Intermediate Bearded Iris (Iris ‘Crimson King’). I don’t trust myself to differentiate the types.
Bearded iris are generally so extensively bred that few should be classified as a species anyway. I learned Iris germanica as Iris X germanica. The ‘X’ reminds us that the various cultivars are generally hybrids, although the species designation suggests otherwise.
What a glorious deep colour Crimson King is – but crimson??!! It is so rich and velvety in appearance and including Orinoco Flow adds a lighter element in a complementary shade, which the hellebores and narcissi can then pick up on. So lovely, Susie, as always
Crimson because it trends toward reddish purple? I wouldn’t have named it but it’s known from 1893, and color impressions change I imagine. Thanks Cathy!
Yes, that’s a good point, Susie
Delicious arrangement, Susie! Like blackberry swirl ice cream, it looks good enough to eat! 🙂
Hmm! Now I’m hungry Eliza!
😀
The Irises are gorgeous, Susie. Now I’m envious of your bearded Iris as I was of your hellebores. I finally have a few of the latter so maybe the bearded Iris will surprise me too.
Thanks Kris! Irises must do well in California, right? I hope yours prosper.
What a scrumptious vase, Suzie! I love that you’ve been able to combine all those late spring blooms and bring them together so beautifully. Your irises are a tad ahead of mine here in Arizona. My “Indian Chief” looks set to open later this week. And though I’ve added a number of new varieties, it still seems to be the earliest bloomer.
Oh dear, I’ve spelled your name wrong! So sorry! ❤
That’s ok. Just glad you stopped by.
Thank you! I believe one of the passalongs from my neighbor was “Indian Chief” although it disappeared in the last few years before I became interested in learning the name. I’ll be on the lookout for yours.
Lovely pairing of colors–it’s Iris season in my garden, too.. Especially nice to see Hellebores in an arrangement. Their clean simple lines contrast with the tumble of purple velvet Iris.