Tag Archives: Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ (Shorty Spurge)

In A Vase On Monday – Spring Preview

My dear husband is finally home from rehab after back surgeries. He is slated for lots of therapy in the coming weeks to help him regain strength and mobility.

Naturally gardening time continues to be scarce as together we concentrate on his recuperation, but with his encouragement I was able to carve out a few minutes yesterday to collect some flowers to share for a Monday vase.

With spring-like, record-setting temperatures for the past month the borders are bursting with color. Faced with the many choices I focused on Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’ which began blooming the first of February. In my garden, anemones have been difficult to establish. Most do not survive at all, others are short-lived, so I cherish this particular tiny patch.

Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’

For today’s vases I took inspiration from the blue-green combination of these anemones against the fresh lime green flowers of Euphorbia ‘Shorty’. I selected several complementary hellebores as well.

Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ and Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’

Helleborus x hybridus

Ikebana vases with integrated pin holders are a quick arranging solution.

In A Vase On Monday – Spring Preview

Hellebores began opening sporadically in December and for the last month have been spectacular. I added some named cultivars last winter which seem to have survived but only one is blooming. The label is missing and I have not had time to figure out which one it is.

Some of the hellebores in today’s arrangement are from an initial order of plants made the first year we moved into our house in 2001 and others are pass-alongs from Vicki, a garden club friend whom I first met through yoga.

Helleborus x hybridus

Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ and Helleborus x hybridus

This past week several hyacinths popped out for a fragrantly spicy surprise. They seemed to want to be arranged without fuss or competition from other flowers, so they fill one Ikebana container.

Hyacinth orientalis ‘Blue Jacket’ and ‘Woodstock’

Materials
Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’
Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ (Shorty Spurge)
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
Hyacinth orientalis ‘Blue Jacket’
Hyacinth orientalis ‘Woodstock’
Porcelain Ikebana vases, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Rectangle Blue Zen (6.75L x 3.75W x 2H inches), Triangle Blue Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H), Triangle Black Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)

I am happy with the finished effect of grouping the vases and delighted to be able to share them today.

In A Vase On Monday – Spring Preview

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us a chance to express our flower arranging passion. Visit her to discover what she and others found this week in their winter gardens to place In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday—Sisters’ Flowers

41 Replies

In A Vase On Monday – Sisters’ Flowers

Each Monday brings the chance to join Cathy’s In A Vase On Monday to share an arrangement using materials gathered from the garden.

On Saturday I visited my two sisters in Fayetteville and returned primed for a Monday vase. My sisters grow spectacular Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) in a garden bed near their front walkway. When this past year they had to remove several shrubs from the area, their amaryllis responded to the more open, sunnier situation with a profusion of blooms.

Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) in Sisters’ Garden (pink rose in background)

My sisters generously offered the clippers and encouraged me to help myself.

“Oh, yes, thank you. I would love some!”

Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) in Sisters’ Garden

I chose four tall stalks and smiled all the way home.

These flowers are simply amazing, but creating a floral design and taking photographs that do justice to these beauties has proved challenging. Had I cut them short the Hippeastrum might have been easier to arrange. Maybe later in the week I will experiment, but for now I wanted to keep the stems long so I could use a special, deep vase of clear glass.

I did cut all the stems the same length and used florist’s tape to bind them near the top.

Hippeastrum, Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’, Euphorbia ‘Shorty’

Included with the Hippeasturm is one stem of Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’ and two stems of Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ in separate pastel glass vases complete the arrangement.

Hippeastrum, Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’, Euphorbia ‘Shorty’

Materials
Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ (Shorty Spurge)
Hippeastrum (Amaryllis)
Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’

Because the peonies put up with such excessive rain last week and some still managed to open unharmed, I felt one deserved to be included in the vase today. I am not convinced it contributes to the design.

Hippeastrum, Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’, Euphorbia ‘Shorty’

Without the peony the result felt incomplete. Perhaps some ribbon or burlap tied near the top of the middle vase?

Hippeastrum Flanked By Euphorbia ‘Shorty’. (Perhaps a cleaner design without the Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’.)

The Hippeastrum and the peony hold their own without the euphorbia.

Hippeastrum, Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’

Eventually I had to stop fussing. Thanks to my sweet sisters, Judy and Cindy, for today’s flowers.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower arranging addiction. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday. Feel free to join in.

In A Vase On Monday—Evolving Design

35 Replies

In A Vase On Monday—Evolving Design

Each Monday brings the chance to join Cathy’s In A Vase On Monday to share an arrangement using materials gathered from the garden.

My vision for today’s offering was to form an abstraction by arranging florets and foliage into a pattern—a circle, rectangle or square—laid on a pure white background. The idea evolved into creating the shape on a decorative silver-plated tray and eventually into abandoning the idea altogether and returning to a regular vase of flowers.

Laying down the abstract design was not as straightforward as I had imagined. Interweaving the greenery and blossoms was simple, but soon it was apparent the stems and flowers were going to twist and turn, yielding to gravity rather than to my plans. I needed to find a way to keep them in place.

To solve the problem I decided to build components, similar to small boutonnières, that could be held together by wrapping the stems with florist’s tape. This worked great and they went together quickly. I had gathered enough materials earlier in the day to crank these out all day. But after making a few I began losing interest in completing the original idea of the abstract shape.

I decided to just share the collection of flower sprays.

Building Blocks – boutonnières

These sprays of flowers would be attractive to tuck around individual place settings for a dinner party. There are four variations. The first combines Helleborus with foliage of Everlasting sweet pea and Lamb’s ear.

Helleborus with Everlasting sweet pea and Lamb’s ear foliage

The second pairs Narcissus ‘Thalia’ and Candytuft flowers with Shasta daisy and Lamb’s ear leaves.

Narcissus ‘Thalia’ and Candytuft with Shasta daisy and Lamb’s ear leaves

The third set also uses Shasta daisy and Lamb’s ear leaves for the background. The flowers are Narcissus ‘Thalia’ and Euphorbia ‘Shorty.’

Narcissus ‘Thalia’ and Euphorbia ‘Shorty’

The last design uses one of my new Hellebores. The interior has matured to green and is edged with the same maroon that is on the exterior of the petals. I love the greenish hue of this hellebore with the blue-violet of Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker.’ Soft lamb’s ears and a shasta leaf add the finishing touches.

Greenery, Helleborus and Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’

Since I actually had polished the silver tray I decided to experiment a few minutes by arranging the the flowers on it.

In A Vase On Monday—Evolving Design

Components arrayed on silver

Helleborus and Anemone coronaria

Materials
Flowers
Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’
Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ (Shorty Spurge)
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
Iberis Sempervirens (Candytuft)
Narcissus ‘Thalia’ (Thalia Daffodil)
Foliage
Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)
Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ear)

Candytuft and Narcissus ‘Thalia’

No matter that my original concept evolved into something unexpected. I enjoyed the exploration. Eventually I collected the flowers and placed them into a square glass vase to savor this week.

In A Vase On Monday—Evolving Design

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower arranging addiction. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday and feel free to join in.

In A Vase On Monday—Late February Profferings

41 Replies

In A Vase On Monday – Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)

Each Monday brings the chance to join Cathy’s In A Vase On Monday to share an arrangement using materials gathered from the garden. After last Monday’s snow, sleet and ice covered the garden once more, the weather relented, and the days since have been mild and mostly sunny.

The Coral Delight Camellia featured last week with rescued, faded blooms is back with a fresher look. And Hellebores deserve a share of spotlight as they are at last coming into full flower in the garden.

Late February Profferings

As I gathered these cut flowers on Sunday morning I intended to work them all into a single arrangement. But after conditioning them in water (while my husband and I ran out to brunch with a friend), it seemed quicker and more manageable to keep the two main types of flowers separated.

There were a half-dozen camellias in bloom, perfect for displaying in a set of footed cordial glasses.

In A Vase On Monday – Camellia x ‘Coral Delight’

Camellia x ‘Coral Delight’ has a semi-double flower, deep coral pink in color. The plant is slow-growing, aspiring to 6-8 feet high. This one is about 4.5 feet tall after about ten years, with dark, shiny foliage.

The blooms are brushed with white markings on the petals.

Camellia x ‘Coral Delight’

Hellebores in my garden have been reluctant to open this winter. I visited a hellebore farm yesterday with a friend and we were surprised to find fewer blooming plants than imagined. When I have organized my pictures I will write more about the visit and purchases.

Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)

Only one daffodil was blooming yesterday, but many more are about to burst onto the scene. I included it with the hellebores for a sparkle of color. Purple stems of statice from a store-bought bouquet from last month and a piece of Shorty Euphorbia from last week’s vase were used as filler.

Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)

The hellebores were placed into a Portmeirion Botanic Garden vase, detailed with pansy motif and leaves around the rim.

Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)

Materials
Camellia x ‘Coral Delight’
6 Cordial glasses (footed) with silver caddy

Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ (shorty Spurge)
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
Limonium sinuatum (statice)
Narcissus ‘King Alfred’ (trumpet daffodil)
Portmeirion Botanic Garden vase

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower arranging addiction. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday and feel free to join in.

In A Vase On Monday—Two Delights

32 Replies

In A Vase On Monday-Camellia x ‘Coral Delight’

Each Monday brings the chance to join Cathy’s In A Vase On Monday to share an arrangement using materials gathered from the garden. Today I have two small, but colorful, vases to share.

First Vase

Camellia x ‘Coral Delight’

The first vase honors a Coral Delight camellia that burst in bloom Friday despite frigid temperatures.

Camellia x ‘Coral Delight’

I cut the three semidouble flowers that were open and brought them indoors Saturday. By Sunday when I photographed them, they had faded significantly, but in a graceful, dignified way that I find compelling.

Camellia x ‘Coral Delight’

Once again a cutting of Daphne odora fills out the vase.

Daphne odora (Winter daphne) and Camellia x ‘Coral Delight’

A second vase

In A Vase On Monday – Tiny Blooms

It was 15°F Saturday night yet anemones were freshly budding when I went out early Sunday morning to check out the garden. The anemone stems were only two or three inches above the soil and their flowers were tiny, the size of my thumbnail.

Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’

Across the way a couple of undersized, misguided daffodil buds revealed their yellow petals. Daffodils have been very hesitant to open in this unpredictable weather. Usually by now many more would be open and the flowers would be much larger.

Narcissus ‘King Alfred’ (trumpet daffodil)

Together the anemones and daffodils were barely enough to form a miniature posy. For a bit of greenery I added the tip of a flowering Euphorbia ‘Shorty.’

In A Vase On Monday – Tiny Blooms

I chose a vase with a fairly small neck, yet the flowers sink and are a bit overwhelmed by the size of the container (4.25 inches high x 2.25 inches wide).

A. coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’ is more lavender than these photographs portray. I experimented with a setting the color option on my camera to “vivid” and I like the resulting strong color, but the flower’s blue is overstated in these images.

In A Vase On Monday – Tiny Blooms

Materials
Camellia x ‘Coral Delight’
Daphne odora (Winter daphne)

Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’
Anemone coronaria ‘The Bride
Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ (Shorty Spurge)
Narcissus ‘King Alfred’ (trumpet daffodil)

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower arranging addiction. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday and feel free to join in.

pbmGarden

Sense of place, purpose, rejuvenation and joy

Tag Archives: Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ (Shorty Spurge)

In A Vase On Monday – Spring Preview

In A Vase On Monday—Sisters’ Flowers

In A Vase On Monday—Evolving Design

In A Vase On Monday—Late February Profferings

In A Vase On Monday—Two Delights

First Vase

A second vase