Tag Archives: hydrangea

Flowery Views

15 Replies

Deconstructed Vase II

I spent a few minutes this morning deconstructing yesterday’s In A Vase On Monday contribution, the one composed of purchased bouquets.

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

I wanted to pursue an idea to create an Ikebana design using the Gerbera daisies in the black rectangular container, but I shifted gears right away. It proved more practical to lift out the Gerberas and style them into a different vase rather than to remove all the other materials from the black vase. The vision in my head never materialized but I ended up with two distinct arrangements, that diverge from the original in interesting ways.

Deconstructed Vase I

Deconstructed Vase I

Eventually I removed that tall Sweet William in back at left, which I had liked, but the second version feels more balanced and less tense.

Deconstructed Vase I

The remaining flowers required some shifting around but nothing major. There’s no daring but I ended up liking this incarnation with its soothing, limited palette.

Deconstructed Vase II

Deconstructed Vase II

Deconstructed Vase II

Deconstructed Vase II

It would be fun to rework the vases everyday all week but that probably won’t happen. This was a good exercise though.

 

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

27 Replies

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of materials gathered from our gardens. I confess this week only the box and gardenia foliage comes from my garden.

I have a new Amaryllis ‘Tres Chic’ stem exploding with blooms to share this week.  Since this photograph was taken more buds have opened–now five of seven buds are fully open on this gorgeous Hippeastrum.

Second stem of Amaryllis ‘Tres Chic’ had 7 buds

A hurried shopping expedition ahead of the weekend’s winter storm altered my plans to feature only the amaryllis. At the grocery store I gave in to an impulse purchase of fresh cut flowers.

First I was smitten with the red Sweet William and green and white hydrangeas and I pictured they would look nice combined with the amaryllis. I chose a companion bundle of pink dianthus for filler to keep the arrangement from being just Christmas colors; nevertheless, green, red and white were the colors of the amaryllis so I stayed with them instead of giving in to some lovely and tempting orange roses. Green chrysanthemums looked very fresh and the offering of Gerbera daisies in rich red was irresistible.

A mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain fell upon the garden all day Sunday. In the afternoon I entertained myself by preparing the flowers for today—bright splashes of color to counter the gray winter skies.

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

Materials
Flowers
Chrysanthemum
Dianthus
Gerbera daisies (Gerbera jamesonii)
Hydrangea
Foliage
Boxwood
Gardenia
Container
Black metal suiban. 4 x 9.5 x 6.5 inches. Japan.
Floral foam

The container is the cast iron one introduced last week. It is a perfect shape and size.

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

In A Vase On Monday – Flowery Impulse

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for providing this opportunity to share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are offering this week.

 

In A Vase On Monday—Yuletide and Green

27 Replies
In A Vase On Monday - Yuletide And Green

In A Vase On Monday – Yuletide And Green

As the week begins I join Cathy with In A Vase On Monday, an opportunity to share an arrangement using materials collected from the garden.

Freezing rain overnight left Saturday’s morning glazed in ice. It melted quickly and Sunday’s temperatures rose to 70 F. I took advantage of the mild day to complete the long overdue task of planting 5 new camellias purchased at last month’s garden club meeting. And I added 12 more snapdragons to the meditation circle—not quite enough to go around.

Before heavy rains could move in on Sunday afternoon, I searched the garden high and low for flowers and there was only one choice. Since mid-November Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ has been the mainstay of my Monday arrangements. Many of its blossoms had been darkened by the cold, but I was able to gather a few fresh ones to include in this week’s penultimate vase of 2016.

The starting point for the arrangement is Arum italicum, which has been beautiful this fall. The plant’s leaf shape and surface pattern create a perfect foliage feature for floral designs.  I placed the arum mostly to the left and back.

In A Vase On Monday - Yuletide And Green

In A Vase On Monday – Yuletide And Green

On the right I inserted a pale-green hydrangea cluster that has been drying indoors for most of the summer.

In A Vase On Monday - Yuletide And Green

In A Vase On Monday – Yuletide And Green

In A Vase On Monday - Yuletide And Green

In A Vase On Monday – Yuletide And Green

Lastly, the camellias were added as focal flowers.  The vase is the new Ikebana one I used several weeks ago.

In A Vase On Monday - Yuletide And Green

In A Vase On Monday – Yuletide And Green

Materials

Arum italicum
Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’
Hydrangea, dried

In A Vase On Monday - Yuletide And Green

In A Vase On Monday – Yuletide And Green

It is always such a pleasure to put together a weekly vase. Thanks to Cathy for hosting and giving us a chance to express our flower arranging passion. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday - Yuletide And Green

In A Vase On Monday – Yuletide And Green

In A Vase On Monday—Moody Blush

32 Replies
In A Vase On Monday - Moody Blush

In A Vase On Monday – Moody Blush

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

Two of my sisters visited recently bringing a gift of several beautiful hydrangea stems from their yard. The hydrangeas have been rooted in water and are ready for me to plant.

Taking care not to damage the roots I loosely combined them with Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’ (Purple Heart) for a quick and easy arrangement.

In A Vase On Monday - Moody Blush

In A Vase On Monday – Moody Blush

The purple heart is pass-along from my friend and work colleague Kathryn. Planted among monarda and aquilegia, it has little chance to shine until those taller plants die back. I photographed a purple heart flower in the Saturday’s early morning foggy light. The green background is the underplanting of fresh new columbine leaves.

Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea' (Purple Heart)

In bright sunlight, the dusky wine leaves pick up the purple and red of the hydrangeas.

In A Vase On Monday - Moody Blush

In A Vase On Monday – Moody Blush

Materials
Hydrangea
Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’ (Purple Heart)

In A Vase On Monday - Moody Blush

In A Vase On Monday – Moody Blush

I would have enjoyed keeping this vase intact, but afraid the sap of the purple heart might affect the hydrangeas I separated them into different containers after photographs were complete. Hope your vases last longer this week.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly chance to express our flower arranging passion. 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—Sisters’ Hydrangeas

36 Replies
Hydrangea

Hydrangea

Using a bit of poetic license, I am twisting the rules on Cathy’s In A Vase On Monday challenge to offer a vase filled using materials gathered not from my own garden this week, but rather from my sisters’ lovely garden.

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

Yesterday we had a wonderful family gathering at the home of two of my sisters.

Earlier this spring a freak storm in their area had dumped over 6 inches of rain in a brief amount of time, overpowering the culverts and causing severe flooding in their neighborhood (as well as in other parts of the city). The water receded quickly once the storm passed, but the water coursing thought their yard had left a path of destruction and detritus.

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

Despite this inauspicious start to the spring gardening season, their garden now looks beautiful again. It has been quickly restored: mounds of debris removed, fountains repaired, herb garden replanted, shattered glass bird bath replaced, containers repotted and more.

Many hostas were lost but fortunately their collection of hydrangeas survived intact. In fact, I was drooling over the ones on their coffee table and mantel all afternoon. And lucky me, before I left yesterday one sister took me out next to the pergola to cut a variety of these multicolored flowers for a take-home bouquet.

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

Once home I chose a dark blue ceramic vase as a container. After admiring the hydrangeas for a few minutes, I found the flowers practically arranged themselves. I removed almost every leaf, then shortened the stems several times until the flowerheads draped easily together.

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

Unlike many of my floral designs which are intended to be viewed from the front, the graceful hydrangeas in this arrangement flow one to the next and encourage the viewer to follow.

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

 

I love hydrangeas and am certain to enjoy this arrangement all week, thanks to my generous sisters and their inspiring garden.

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

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

Hydrangea

Hydrangea

June Beginnings

15 Replies

Ambling though the garden today I noticed a new array of plants beginning to flower.  There is something special about these first fresh blossoms.

Hydrangea macrophylla

Hydrangea macrophylla

Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan' (Coneflower)

Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ (Coneflower)

Dahlia 'Stargazer'

Dahlia ‘Stargazer’

Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)

Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)

Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

Gaura Belleza 'Dark Pink' (Butterfly Gaura)

Gaura Belleza ‘Dark Pink’ (Butterfly Gaura)

May Garden Interests

10 Replies

While irises have captured most of my attention in the garden this spring, other plants have competently played supporting roles and many more are leading the way as transition toward the warmer season takes place.

An amaryllis I have been watching to develop surprised me today when it opened up and was white, not red. I also found one with a red bud nearby.  These flowers did not bloom well last year and I had forgotten the particulars of them.

Hippeastrum (Amaryllis)

Hippeastrum (Amaryllis)

Pincushion Flower is an enchanting name for this plant, nicer sounding than Scabiosa. This plant seldom last more than a couple of seasons in my garden and this is year two. It has been blooming well this year, starting just over a month ago. The cooler temperatures and plentiful rain this spring seem to have kept it happy. If I can force myself to do regular deadheading it will help.

Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue' (Pincushion Flower)

Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’ (Pincushion Flower)

Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue' (Pincushion Flower)

Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’ (Pincushion Flower)

Slow to open this year the peony flowers show some browning after heavy rains this week. In the previous two years this ‘Pink Parfait’ bloomed by May 11, but this year, still waiting.

Paeonia 'Pink Parfait'

Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’ (Peony)

A Veronica spicata ‘Pink Goblin’ purchased last year is beginning to bloom. I enjoyed it last year so purchased 3 new ones this winter by mail order, this time ‘Red Fox’ Veronica. They arrived bare-root and are still very small.

Veronica spicata 'Pink Goblin' (Speedwell)

Veronica spicata ‘Pink Goblin’ (Speedwell)

This black iris has a few more blooms open today.

Iris germanica (Bearded iris) Black Iris

Iris germanica (Bearded iris) Black Iris

Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena) has been blooming for a couple of weeks and now several thymes are also beginning to flower. Echinacea is shooting up in many of the borders and forming buds. In the meditation circle Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ and Penstemon mexicali ‘Pike’s Peak Purple’ both opened today.

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
Penstemon mexicali ‘Pike’s Peak Purple’ (Beardtongue)
Penstemon mexicali ‘Pike’s Peak Purple’ (Beardtongue)
Penstemon mexicali ‘Pike’s Peak Purple’ (Beardtongue)

Every Southern garden should have hydrangeas and, thanks to Jayme at EntwinedLife, my garden has a healthy hydrangea that not only has survived, but is forming flowers. Thank you Jayme.

Hydrangea macrophylla

Hydrangea macrophylla

This year I ordered an Allium Raspberry and Cream Collection, which is in fact a mixture of Allium Nigrum and Allium Atropurpureum. One Allium Nigrum is open this week.

Allium Nigrum

Allium Nigrum

To end this this garden tour today I will mention my family’s old-fashioned rose that my grandmother and mother grew. This was passed along eons ago by my mother’s cousin and my dear garden mentor. She shared with me so many of her favorite plants and they have become my favorites too.

Old-fashioned Rose

Old-fashioned Rose

Clouds And Other Sightings

6 Replies

Substantial early morning rain left the garden soggy and provided a good excuse to put weeding chores on hold. The day reached a lovely 76 degrees with sun and clouds trading places throughout the afternoon.

March Sky

One little flower has popped open on the native Eastern Redbud. After tomorrow’s projected eighty-degree warmth more will probably be encouraged to follow suit.

Cercis canadensis L. (Eastern Redbud)

A grocery store hydrangea has lived on the screened porch for three or four seasons, while year after year nice quality nursery ones have failed to survive in the garden. I will keep trying to get one established in the garden proper, meanwhile this little faithful one lives on in its original pot.

Hydrangea Growing In Pot

Iberis Sempervirens (Candytuft) is planted in several places around the garden. The structure of this flower is captivating and its pure white draws me in. This one is probably ‘Alexander’s White.’

Iberis Sempervirens (Candytuft) 'Alexander's White'

June Vignettes

Leave a reply

June arrived as temperatures are approaching, but not yet surpassing, historic records. Yesterday’s 96 degrees forced the tip of the tall digitalis (foxglove) to simply curl over, leaving the plant in the shape of a shepherd’s crook.  Later in the evening it had straightened itself to it’s usual dignified, stately form.

Predictions calling for temperatures to reach near-100 today swayed me to break my anti-watering stance this morning. The new shrubs and perennials especially need a bit of nurturing against this heat for a while longer. Besides, spending early moments in the garden is one of the nicest ways to enjoy the serenity of the space, while providing an opportunity to make mental notes of the accumulating garden chores.

Bees, butterflies, birds, blooms and scents make the garden a special place. Monarda (Bee Balm), Blue Sky Salvia and gardenia are the latest flowers to open in the garden.  I knew the gardenias had opened before I saw them, with their unparalleled fragrance wafting through the early morning air; monarda smells wonderful in its own minty fresh way.