Tag Archives: Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia)

In A Vase On Monday – Duality

Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement every Monday using materials collected from our gardens. After very little rain recently an impending hurricane lurks in the Atlantic.

The inspiration for my vase this week is the foliage of my favorite indoor plant, Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ or Beefsteak Begonia, with its rich forest green leaves that somehow are richly red on the underside. I have been watching this begonia overflow its pot this summer and so decided to remove a section to use today. Then I will allow it to root in water and pass it along.

Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia)

I wanted also to feature a garden phlox, perhaps it is ‘Robert Poore,’ that has been quietly blooming for many weeks in the southwestern part of the garden. Once clippers were in hand I discovered there was not as much flowering as it had seemed.

Phlox paniculata (Garden Phlox)

Phlox then has been overshadowed by strong spires and deep color of my next choice, Angelonia, which is dominating the meditation circle with its vigor.

Once all the materials were chosen their colors seemed incompatible. (With apologies to Elizabeth Warren) I persisted. The shock of a bright orange zinnia was used to offset the weight of the red and green foliage in the lower half, to keep drawing the eye back up toward the purple-blue flowers in the upper half of the design.

Staging the Ikebana vase on top of an iron candleholder gave the begonia leaves space to drop and flow with grace, rather than be compressed at the base.

In A Vase On Monday – Duality

Materials
Flowers
Angelonia angustifolia ‘Blue’ (Summer Snapdragon)
Angelonia angustifolia ‘Purple’ (Summer Snapdragon)
Zinnia Cut and Come Again (Zinnia elegant pumila)
Phlox paniculata (Garden Phlox)
Foliage
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood)
Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia)
Vase
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Black Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)

Zinnia and Angelonia

In A Vase On Monday – Duality

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.

In A Vase On Monday—Winter Vase

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In A Vase On Monday – View From Above

Monday brings an opportunity to practice flower arranging by joining in Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday to fill a vase using materials gathered in one’s own garden.

This week we had a very minor ice storm, lots of rain and even a day of sunshine. There are very few choices for winter blooms in my January garden, making it difficult to come up with anything new for a Monday vase.

Although Hellebores have been used in my first two vases this month I clipped four more (all that were open) to use again this week.

Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)

For further inspiration I looked indoors where a few pots of cyclamen have been blooming for several weeks and a Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ has recently begun to flower as well. I chose two bright red cyclamens, but left the begonia blossom intact, collecting the leaves instead.

‘Erythrophylla’ leaves are bright, shiny green in front, but flipped over they reveal a beautiful red underside. Their contrasting white veins are also flecked with red, reminiscent of red speckles inside the hellebores.

Red and green Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ leaves add contrast and texture.

For a vase I used the shallow, ceramic leaf-shaped dish. The three holes in the top were just right size to hold the various stems snugly in place.

In A Vase On Monday

I positioned the three leaves first, with the back one directly opposite the ceramic leaf of the vase itself. Next beginning in back I established a line of pink hellebores curving right to left. The pair of cyclamen flowers complete the arrangement for today.

A pair of cyclamen blossoms add a final jolt of color to the arrangement.

In A Vase On Monday

Materials List
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
Cyclamen
Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia)

In A Vase On Monday – Winter Vase

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting. Please visit her to see what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.

Things On My Mind

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Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia)

Indoor Blooms

Gardening outdoors is much preferable to me so I keep very few plants inside. One exception is Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia), a plant I adore for its glossy leaves with reddish undersides.

Leaf Underside-Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia)

Two years ago when I admired a fellow garden club member’s Beefsteak Begonia, she quickly offered me a cutting to take home. It soon rooted and last year bloomed in October. This year it waited until Christmas week to start sending up its first flowers—white with a bare tinge of soft pink.

Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia)

Friendship Bouquet

A cherished bouquet from dear friends arrived during the holidays, formed of a crimson vase of red Alstroemeria paired with white Chrysanthemums. The arrangement brightened the house and the hearts within.

Table Centerpiece

Our daughter is an industrial designer turned architect with a keen aesthetic sense. For Mother’s Day one year she presented me with a unique walnut centerpiece for the table that I adore. The walnut board she used was one she had rescued from a scrap pile, discarded because it had a serious crack running through the center.

This very flaw she turned into a feature by slightly enlarging the crack and carving portions of the inner and outer edges for textural interest. The centerpiece flares out slightly at either end. She creatively spaced holes that are suitable for tea candles. Conveniently, shot glasses fit also and can be used to hold blossoms.

I use this art piece year-round to hold candles and special flowers that usually come from my garden. Sweet William, echinacea, gardenias, camellia blossoms, yarrow, roses, spirea and daffodils all make lovely, informal miniature arrangements, especially when complemented by sprigs of lavender, artemisia or other greenery.

During the holidays the garden had very few blooms that were not damaged by various cold snaps, so I purchased Alstroemeria to use with silver leaves of lavender for a simple combination.

Garden Truths In Strange Places

Out of habit I usually buy unpatterned paper towels without dyes, but somehow before the holidays I ended up with a package featuring a design edged in flowers. Upon opening I found these towels speak to me!

This sheet bears the reminders No two days are the same in one garden and No two gardens are the same. Who knew paper towels came with a smile?

pbmGarden

Sense of place, purpose, rejuvenation and joy

Tag Archives: Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia)

In A Vase On Monday – Duality

In A Vase On Monday—Winter Vase

Things On My Mind

Indoor Blooms

Friendship Bouquet

Table Centerpiece

Garden Truths In Strange Places