Tag Archives: Phalaenopsis

In A Vase On Monday – June Coda

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In A Vase On Monday – June Coda

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share cut flowers from our gardens.

Days of generous rains are gone, but we did get a thunderstorm Sunday evening. Heat and humidity are settled in for summer.  Fireflies are out. The month of June has flown quickly past but not before ushering in a host of summer blooms.

In A Vase On Monday – June Coda

With gladioli nearly finished, dahlias and phlox pick up the pace.

Phlox, Dahlia, Gladiolus

Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’

Dahlia ‘David Howard’

Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ and Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’

Materials
Flowers
Achillea filipendulina (Fern-leaf Yarrow)
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Dahlia ‘Labyrinth’
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Gladiolus, unknown white
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Lathyrus latifolius (Everlasting sweet pea)
Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid)
Phlox paniculata ‘Robert Poore’ (Garden phlox)
Foliage
Vase
Black-glazed ceramic square

Two grocery-store moth orchids, each purchased several years ago, began reblooming in late February. One finished last week and I decided to go ahead and cut the other’s flower stalk for today’s vase. Its color details are picked up by other materials in the vase.

In A Vase On Monday – June Coda

Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid)

Today’s flowers were inserted into a large florist’s pin set in a plastic black tray, and tucked into a deep, square black saucer.  I had trouble with the composition and rearranged for more than an hour. After many iterations I ran out of time. I had planned a spare Ikebana-style design, but was too wedded to using as many of the collected flowers as possible. Lesson learned.

In A Vase On Monday – June Coda

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place in a vase this week. Peace.

Phalaenopsis Pairing

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Phalaenopsis Orchid

I always have several plants sitting underneath the east-facing window in the kitchen.  Recently a pair of phalaenopsis (moth orchids) have come into bloom, opening a week apart and making me feel better about them occupying my counter space. It seems a luxury to have them both blooming at once.

Their colors are not completely compatible, but they do share some coppery, peachy, apricot-like hues; one on its throat and lip, the other on its petals and sepals.

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis Orchid

The pink one opened last week. It was a house gift in Summer 2015, I believe from my sister Cindy, and was featured in a Monday vase at the time.

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis Orchid

The second orchid with coppery-apricot petals and sepals opened earlier this week. I probably picked this up at the grocery store at some point, needing a bit of color in the house.

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Wishing you well as we move toward weekend.

In A Vase On Monday – Rearrangement In Salmon and Pink

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In A Vase On Monday – Rearrangement In Salmon and Pink

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement using materials collected from our gardens.

In A Vase On Monday – Rearrangement In Salmon and Pink

As winter continues to be well, winter, plants that normally are blooming by now remain tightly closed buds. For this Monday’s vase I repurposed flowers from the last two arrangements, both arrangements had held up nicely.

The hot pink cyclamen from last week continues to look perky.

Cyclamen persicum (Persian cyclamen)

The salmony moth orchid from two weeks ago lost one of its blooms but lasted better than expected as a cut flower.

Phalaenopsis (moth orchid)

Daphne looks worse for the wear after the extreme cold this winter and several snows.  Most of the leaves are browned and damaged. Buds display pink color but not even a random one has opened yet. But to use for foliage today I managed to pick a branch from a few that sit beneath the eave of the house. Just a few inches difference in position means it has been moderately protected from the elements.

Daphne odora (Winter daphne)

A few pieces of Lamb’s Ear drape near the opening of the container.

In A Vase On Monday – Rearrangement In Salmon and Pink

Again this week I have chosen an Ikebana vase to showcase the design. Its integrated floral pin or frog make positioning the materials quick and secure.

In A Vase On Monday – Rearrangement In Salmon and Pink

Materials

Flowers
Cyclamen persicum (Persian cyclamen)
Phalaenopsis (moth orchid)
Foliage
Daphne odora (Winter daphne)
Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ear)
Vase
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Rectangle Blue Zen (6.75L x 3.75W x 2H inches)

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 – Color In Winter

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In A Vase On Monday – Color In Winter

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement using materials collected from our gardens.

Wednesday brought a second winter snow to Chapel Hill and this time there was no messing around with a couple of inches. The garden was graced with spectacular 9.5 inches of snow. By Sunday the snow was nearly gone and the day was a pleasant 67°F.  

Snowy Beauty – On Thursday the sun returned.

The starting point for today’s vase was a piece from a large, broken branch of crape myrtle, a 3-inch circumference victim of the heavy snow. The crape myrtle wood is red and smooth and after the stark white snow it seemed especially appealing.

Crape Myrtles suffered damage from heavy snow.

I decided to sacrifice a stem from a salmon-colored phalaenopsis to set off the polished red bark. Unfortunately the portion of the crape myrtle branch that prompted this choice, the part that was interesting and colorful, was also much too thick and heavy for me to use.

In A Vase On Monday – Color In Winter

I ended up with a couple of branch tips that serve valiantly but lack the innate beauty of the red bark.

In A Vase On Monday – Color In Winter

Still I like the richness of the flowers against the gray stems. And outdoors in the garden, tucked deep within cold-touched gardenia shrubs, I found several sets of lush green leaves to fill out the design.

In A Vase On Monday – Color In Winter

Materials

Flowers
Phalaenopsis (moth orchid)
Foliage
Lagerstroemia (crape myrtle) branch
Gardenia jasminoides
Vase
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Black Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)

In A Vase On Monday – Color In Winter

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 – March Delight

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In A Vase On Monday – March Delight

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement using materials collected from the garden.

What began as a feature of three hyacinths staged with euphorbia, morphed into a completely different design this morning. Titled March Delight, it was a struggle to create. After initial placements of euphorbia and insertion of a white phalaenospsis recycled from last week, everything seemed on track.

Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid) from last week’s vase

Next I inserted the hyacinths, a lovely pale pink and two lavender ones. They needed just a bit of tweaking to adjust the balance, but refused from there to cooperate. Eventually the hyacinth stems pretty much disintegrated from attempts to position them.

To salvage the arrangement I reverted to an idea I had dismissed earlier of using another orchid from my kitchen window garden. Purchased last year this orchid had recently rebloomed into a creamy delight of pink and speckles with with traces of apricot.

Orchid

Cyclamen, Iberis and a tiny remnant of the pink hyacinth were used to supplement the revised scheme.

Pink Hyacinth, pink and white Cyclamen and white Orchid hovering above Begonia leaf

I tried culling and editing to give the individual flowers more space, a difficult thing to do sometimes. Originally there were two additional stems of euphorbia, but they overwhelmed the delicate orchids and cyclamen. They came out along with some of the Iberis and narcissus leaves.

In A Vase On Monday – March Delight

Materials

Flowers
Cyclamen
Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)
Hyacinthus orientalis (Hyacinth)
Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid)
Foliage
Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia)
Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ (Shorty Spurge)
Narcissus leaves
Container and Mechanics
Blue ceramic vase
Small black plastic Solo bowl – vase insert
3-inch florist’s frog (floral pin holder)

Here is a final peek at what is left of the mischievous culprit. I will enjoy the remaining hyacinths outdoors in the garden.

Hyacinthus Orientalis

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 gardens to place In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday – March Parallel

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In A Vase On Monday – March Parallel

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement using materials collected from the garden. This week she is celebrating her fifth blogging anniversary and her Monday In A Vase sensation is in its fourth year. Congratulation Cathy!

In A Vase On Monday – March Parallel

Spring is finally official and the temperatures are moderating after a brutal cold snap last week. My garden club is sponsoring a flower show this spring that includes three classes (groups): Functional Table For Two, Small Design and Parallel Design.

Unfortunately my schedule has been such that I have been unable to attend the preparatory floral design workshops this year. I decided to try a parallel design on my own this week.

The inspiration comes from the verticality of a now-fading white Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid) that has been blooming since before Christmas,

Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid)

Staging three or more groupings of plant materials placed in strongly parallel arrangement is the basis behind this creative design. Guidelines emphasize it is important to retain negative space between each group while creating a unified overall arrangement.

Accompanied by long green leaves of iris and narcissus the orchid was given central placement.

In A Vase On Monday – March Parallel

The second grouping, on the right side, features several iris buds that survived this week’s cold, another cluster of narcissus leaves, and a single Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’ flower.

Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’

Branches of Eastern redbud form the third segment of this arrangement.  They are joined by a folded-over narcissus leaf and another purple-blue anemone.

Each grouping of materials is inserted into its own florist’s frog or pin holder. Large round leaves of Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ are used to hide the mechanics.

In A Vase On Monday – March Parallel

Clusters of white Iberis sempervirens and more redbud flowers are used across the base of the arrangement to unify the design.

In A Vase On Monday – March Parallel

Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)

 

Materials

Flowers
Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’
Cercis canadensis L. (Eastern Redbud)
Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)
Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’
Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid)
Foliage
Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia)
Iris germanica leaves
Narcissus leaves
Container and Mechanics
Shallow, round, black dish
3 small black plastic Solo bowl
3 florist’s frogs (floral pin holders), 2.5 inch and 3 inch
Black polished stones

In A Vase On Monday – March Parallel

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—Orchid Blush

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In A Vase On MondayMonday brings the chance to share cut flowers from the garden by joining in Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday.

Early Sunday afternoon it was too icy for me to get out to check for any Hellebores that might be flowering on the northern side of the house.  Instead I resorted to using indoor blooms, three flowers from a holiday Phalaenopsis.

A curved section of the orchid stem and a wrapped Warneckii leaf placed in a new white oval container (2.5 x 2.5 inches) made a quick arrangement.

In A Vase On Monday - Orchid Blush

In A Vase On Monday – Orchid Blush

Not really pleased with the result, I tried again. Later in the day after sun had worked its magic against the ice, I ventured out to collect a few hellebores. Many were stuck under the ice, but I did find a few to use. On the way back inside I even plucked a deep purplish-red pansy.

In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

The second version made for a happier vase on Monday.

Orchid, Pansy and Hellebore

Orchid, Pansy and Hellebore

Materials
Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid)
‘Lemon Lime’ Warneckii
Pansy
Hellebore

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower addiction. It is always interesting and insightful to 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—Pink Glass and Orchid

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Pink Phalaenopsis And Bottle

Pink Phalaenopsis And Bottle

Monday brings the chance to practice flower arranging by joining in Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday, where the goal is simply to fill a vase using materials gathered in one’s own garden.

Today’s offering comes from my indoors garden. I received a beautiful Phalaenopsis orchid as a house gift several weeks ago. Already in full bloom, the flowers are pink with chocolatey overtones on the lip.

Pink Phalaenopsis Displays Cocoa Overtones

Pink Phalaenopsis Displays Cocoa Overtones

Yesterday I clipped one of the three stems to use in today’s vase, my first time experimenting with the luxury of orchids as cut flowers.

I had in mind a specific and complex Ikebana arrangement, but once I started working with the design I realized it would take more time to execute my plan than I could possibly spend.

Instead a pink perfume bottle purchased from a glass artist at the annual Carolina Designer Craftsmen Festival years ago made a harmonious container for a simplified arrangement. The actual color is less coppery and more pink than the photographs depict.

Pink Perfume Bottle

Pink Perfume Bottle

The depth of design, pattern and color integral to the bottle are strong enough to reinforce the orchid’s beauty.

Pink Perfume Bottle Detail

Pink Perfume Bottle Detail

The graceful curves in the glass and the overall shape of the vase complement the gentle arch of the blossoms.

Pink Phalaenopsis And Bottle

Pink Phalaenopsis And Bottle

Pink Phalaenopsis And Bottle

Pink Phalaenopsis And Bottle

Pink Phalaenopsis And Bottle

Pink Phalaenopsis And Bottle

As always a big thank you to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for organizing and hosting. It is always fun to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.