Tag Archives: sweet pea

In A Vase On Monday—High Summer

In A Vase On Monday – High Summer

Each Monday brings the chance to join Cathy’s In A Vase On Monday to create an arrangement using materials gathered from the garden. That anything can bloom in such hot, humid conditions invites pause and contemplation. Nature surprises again and again.

It is a treat today to share a new botanical themed vase, a gift from my sisters. The ceramic vase is three-sided with a green, embossed exterior that is highly textured.

Birthday Vase -Three-sided with embossment

Birthday Vase – Width and height are same

The interior is colorfully patterned and decorative. Top edges are adorned with berries and tendrils.

Birthday Vase

Berries and Tendrils Sit Atop The Vase

Working with such a complex vase was a bit challenging. First I imagined it filled with hydrangeas, but mine are well past their prime. Next I envisioned using lots of foliage and that is what I decided to try. My pass-along dahlia is five feet tall and full of buds but very few flowers. The leaves are healthy and attractive so I cut several stems to use a a starting point for the arrangement. I also chose one stem of Euphorbia ‘Ascot Rainbow.’

Vase – Outlined with Foliage of Dahlia and Euphorbia

Next flowering stems of heuchera and sprigs of multi-hued lantana were added help define the design.

Early stage- shaping the design

I liked the vase at this stage and could have stopped here, but with many other cut flowers left, I wanted to continue working on the arrangement, forgetting to take any more photographs as the design was progressing.

Materials
Flowers:
Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush)
Fresh Look Mix Celosia (citrus colors)
Heuchera villosa ‘Big Top Bronze’ (Coral Bells)
Lantana camara (Common lantana)
Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)
Liriope muscari
Pelargonium (Geranium)
Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)
Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)
Zinnia

Foliage:
Dahlia sp.
Euphorbia ‘Ascot Rainbow’

These are some of the colorful summer flowers growing in the garden that fill today’s vase.

Lantana camara (Common lantana)

Pelargonium (Geranium) and Liriope muscari

Zinnia hovers above Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’, Liriope muscari, scarlet Pelargonium, Physostegia virginiana

Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)

Cactus Flowered Zinnia

Euphorbia ‘Ascot Rainbow’, Lantana, Zinnias

I need up having to remove some of the foliage to give room to the flowers. A view from above:

In A Vase On Monday – Overhead View

At our house this week we will be enjoying the colorful summer bounty of the garden.

In A Vase On Monday – High Summer

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—Sweet Pea Reduction

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In A Vase On Monday – Sweet Pea Reduction

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

Though the house is filled with a cheerful and lively abundance of Shasta daisies, echinacea and gladioli, for today’s vase I chose to concentrate on making a design that would be spare and constrained.

A long shallow dish with a metal interior was the inspiration and starting point, countered by a fan of gladiolus foliage standing upright at one end. A small but heavy Kenzan vessel was used to hold the leaves in place. One leaf was bent into a loose, circular shape, while another was manipulated with angular cuts. Small black stones were scattered out from the base of the Kenzan.

Next a lemon yellow celosia was added near the base, followed with a flower from a Ruby Slippers oakleaf hydrangea and the top of a white gladiolus holding three blooms.

Hydrangea, Gladiolus, Celosia

A long stem of Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea) with new and aging flowers was inserted close to the gladiolus stems, its position secured into the Kenzan at the base and reinforced higher using a couple of the wispy sweet pea tendrils to latch on to the gladiolus stems.

Finally a woody stem of chrysanthemum foliage was bent and added to swing out across the dish to the left. One improvement I would make is to increase the length and arc of the line formed by the chrysanthemum, perhaps replacing the chrysanthemum with flowing bear grass.

In A Vase On Monday – Sweet Pea Reduction

Materials
Gladiolus
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Fresh Look Mix Celosia (citrus colors)
Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)
Foliage: Gladiolus, Chrysanthemum
Mechanics:
shallow, oblong footed dish, metal interior and black matte exterior
black, round self-contained Kenzan (flower arranging frog)
small, black stones

The photographs tend to flatten the dimensionality of the flowers, especially that of the sweet peas.

Chrysanthemum leaves and Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)

They are reduced to shape and color creating pattern in a most interesting way.

Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)

First Morningtide—October 2014

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Lantana camara (Common lantana) In Southern Border

Today’s early sky wore a draping, heavy fog. Dewdrops coated every leaf, flower and blade of grass. Would you agree the first morning hours are the the best time in the garden?

The lawn was covered with dozens of spiderwebs courtesy (I think) of Agelenopsis sp. (Grass Spider).

Agelenopsis sp. (Grass Spider)

In the Southern Border everlasting sweet pea flowers continue to form.

Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)

Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea) seems cheerfully content.

Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’ (Autumn Sage) is new this year and has seemed slow to get growing. On the other hand, long established Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage) is very aggressive.

Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’ (Autumn Sage) and Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage)

Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’ (Autumn Sage)

An interesting and delicate-looking fungus popped up today. I could not figure out its name, but a friend who has been studying all things fungi identified it as Parasola plicatilis.

Parasola plicatilis

Tradescantia used to be one of my favorite passalong plants, admired for its pretty blue, three-petaled flower. It became roguish in my current garden so I am always trying to dig it out or at least cut it back to keep it from flowering. It is much tougher and persistent than I am though. Tradescantia is growing all around the garden, but this happens to be in the northwest corner of the Western Border.

Tradescantia (Spiderwort)

I actually bought this white Tradescantia. Although white ones are found wild, this may be a hybrid. It does not have the tendency to wander.

Tradescantia (Spiderwort)

The dogwood leaves picked up some autumn color this week. A bird (presumably) found and chewed one of these red ripened berries. Next year’s new buds are forming.

Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)

Hylotelephium telephium ‘Herbstfreude’ (Autumn Joy) has performed extremely well this year. Now its color is evolving through brick red and rusty hues. Notice the Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ shows up frequently around the garden.

Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage) and Hylotelephium telephium ‘Herbstfreude’ (Autumn Joy)

Hylotelephium telephium ‘Herbstfreude’ (Autumn Joy)

Roses need more care than is included in my normal “water twice and leave it alone” gardening philosophy. Rosa ‘Iceberg’ did poorly in the spring and I began thinking about taking it out of the garden altogether. This morning I found this excuse to delay.

Rosa ‘Iceberg’

New lupine leaves look very healthy.

Lupinus ‘Woodfield Hybrids’ (Lupine)

Though I have never seen one growing around here, I have always wanted to grow a lupine. It comes from long ago because of reading a book about The Lupine Lady to our young daughter. On a whim back in April I purchased a container of Lupinus ‘Woodfield Hybrids’ from a local nursery and for some reason (probably because the tag said it would be 5-6 feet tall) I put it toward the back of the Western Border where it was pretty much out of view. It did have several flowers but never gained its expected height.

May 15, 2014
Lupinus ‘Woodfield Hybrids’ (Lupine)

If anyone can offer lupine advice I would appreciate your ideas. Did I end up with a dwarf variety or is this normal in the first season? Should I relocate it to the front of the border?

This photograph does not capture the foggy feeling but here is a view of the early morning garden.

Garden View With Fog In The Distant Sky

After A Rain

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Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)

All around us for weeks there have been tremendous downpours, but we have been missing most of the activity, just had lots of gray sky. There was a nice rain last night though. I need to invest in a rain gauge someday. We usually just measure by whether the big dip in the street’s pavement in front of our house is full of water. It is a pretty reliable measure. Although this morning it was not full, I was happy we had not been passed by completely.

The sun was back out today. I had time for a very quick tour of the garden this morning and enjoyed seeing the Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea) in the early light.

Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)

An Echinacea purpurea mysteriously appeared in the meditation circle this summer. It is compact, only a foot tall, and has rather oddly formed flowers, as if it is trying to be a double.

These older flowers are the ones that first caught my eye a few days ago.

Echinacea Purpurea

This morning there were several freshly blooming flowers.

Freshly blooming Echinacea Purpurea

Also in the meditation circle’s path, the pinking shear circumference of this rain-washed white Dianthus flower caught my eye.

Dianthus ‘Ideal Select White’

In A Vase On Monday—Late Summer Basket

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In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer Basket

Today, the first Monday in September, is designated as Labor Day in the United States. It has been a federal holiday since 1894 to recognize the importance and contributions of workers. It is also time again to join in Cathy’s challenge In A Vase On Monday. The goal is to fill a vase using materials gathered in one’s own garden.

Although I love blue-hued flowers my garden most often seems to be filled with pink ones. Since for today’s arrangement I avoided reusing multicolored Zinnias and yellow Rudbeckia, today’s Monday vase is also filled with pink flowers.

Everlasting Sweet Pea is blooming better than it did at springtime and Obedient Plant is in its prime. Most of the Echinacea is attractive now only to the American goldfinches, but I found one large, fresh bloom to include. For a touch of blue I also chose a handful of Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ and more pink, a few stems of Verbena bonariensis.

Pinkish hues dominate the garden’s blooms: Everlasting Sweet Pea, Obedient Plant, Echinacea

I collected a mix of greenery to support the arrangement, so much in fact I later had to remove quite a bit to allow the flowers to stand out. The foliage is dark green Japanese holly, bright yellowish-green, Wintergreen boxwood and silvery Dutch Lavender.

Dark and light green and silvery foliage was used for this late summer arrangement.

The arrangement was created using floral foam in a shallow, plastic dish. The vase today is a small potato basket.

In A Vase On Monday

The basket is one of the first baskets I made one autumn many years ago during a 4 or 6-week program at The Arts Center in Carrboro.

Potato basket-detail

Materials
Flowers
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Lathyrus latifolius (Everlasting Sweet Pea)
Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Foliage
Buxus microphylla var koreana ‘Wintergreen’ (Wintergreen boxwood)
Ilex crenata (Japanese holly)
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Dutch’ (Dutch Lavender)
Mechanics
Lomey 6″ clear designer dish
Floral foam
Handmade basket

I found this old photo of my baskets. Commercial dyes were used to color the reeds and the color has faded considerably. The egg basket handles were formed of wisteria vine, a material easily found in my yard at the time. For several months my kitchen was filled with basketmaking materials. I made baskets for my daughter, my sisters and a special friend and gave them as Christmas presents that year and then never made another one.

Susie’s Baskets

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

MidAugust Blooms

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Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ (Coneflower)

Echinacea have been a mainstay this summer, drawing bees, hummingbirds and American Goldfinches to the borders. The blooms on this white one, Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’, really improved after the recent rains.

Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ (Coneflower)

By design I have a lot fewer Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy) and Tradescantia (Spiderwort) in the garden this year, both of which were becoming rather aggressive spreaders.

Tradescantia (Spiderwort) and Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)

The sap of Tradescantia lately is causing me to have an itchy skin contact rash. For that reason and because I want to control its spread, I tried not to allow it to bloom at all this year, but a few sneaky flowers remind me why I have enjoyed it for so many years.

Tradescantia (Spiderwort)

I have simply grown tired of Shasta daisy after letting it roam for a lot of years. One entire bed was taken over by this plant, so I still have a lot of work to do to tame it.

Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)

Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage) and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (Herbstfreude) are pairing up in a lovely color combination. This salvia also spreads freely but I have finally learned to be ruthless in pulling it out when it wanders too far.

Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage) and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (Herbstfreude)

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ is finally blooming again encouraged by the recent rains.

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

This passalong everlasting Sweet Pea looked miserable most of the summer but, like the Black and Blue salvia, it was rejuvenated by the rainfall. I planted annual sweet peas seeds this year but none survived.

Perennial Everlasting Sweet Pea

The bird feeder is always a source of entertainment and occasionally the birds plant a few flowers for themselves. I am not sure exactly what this volunteer is but it is cheerful enough.

Birdfeeder Volunteer

For the first time in many years my Stargazer Dahlia, did not return, done in by the cold winter I suppose. It was a passalong from a friend and former neighbor and so I missed not seeing it this year. In spring though I had picked up a dinner plate Dahlia bulb, packed in a fairly generic-looking box, but labelled to have come from The Netherlands.

Dinner Plate Dahlia ‘Blue Bell’

Well the dahlia has finally bloomed. Granted I selected a poor spot for it, but I do not think it will reach the promised “up to eighteen blooms per plant.” Neither does the size nor color correspond to the package at all. The flower is beautiful though and I am happy to have another dahlia for the garden.

Dahlia

Sunday Sweet Pea

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This perennial form of Sweet Pea is a passalong that brings nice memories. I cut it back heavily this year and it has been much tidier. The extra rains this year have kept the foliage looking healthy but the blossoms are not as pretty as usual. Still it was nice enough to attract an early Sunday morning visitor.

July 31, 2012 update: Thanks to P&B, the butterfly is identified as Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus).

Everlasting Pea

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In the southern border this week Lathyrus latifolius (Everlasting Sweet Pea) is reblooming.

Normally, this Sweet Pea would have died back by this time of year, but instead it has lush green foliage and many cluster of pink, presumably stimulated by this summer’s odd heat and rain patterns.

In its current sunny garden location this Sweet Pea vine has higher aspirations for climbing than its trellis can support, so for now it is forced to sprawl among its neighbor, Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage).

This perennial came from my previous (and shady) garden eleven years ago, one of many pass-along plants from a dear relative.

Though not fragrant, the pink blossoms hold a certain old-fashioned charm.

‘Blue Sky’ Salvia and Everlasting sweet pea

Blooming In Mid-September Part 2

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A walk around the garden yesterday revealed so many interesting blooms for mid-September, I wanted to continue documenting the state of the garden as Autumn approaches.

Cottage Garden Feeling Along the Southern Border

Salvia ‘Blue Sky,’ a “bring-along” plant from the former Wave Road garden, sometimes spreads too much for its surroundings, but it is easily manageable. Reaching about 5 feet tall, it brings height and a cottage-like feel to the garden to the southern section of the border.

In the same area an old-fashioned sweet pea is paired with the ‘Blue Sky’ salvia evoking a nostalgic effect. This pairing occurred through happenstance, rather than planning. The sweet pea also made its way here from the Wave Road garden. It was one of many “pass-along” plants from a dear cousin.

Not blooming, but worth a mention here while visiting the southern border, is this year’s new evergreen privacy hedge. The five ‘Blue Point’ Junipers installed in late February are growing well. They were chosen because they are deer-resistant and drought-tolerant and this seems to be the case. After these junipers were planted, the fence was added also as part of the garden renovation project. It is hard to remember how bare this area looked before these improvements.

A few feet down the border is a small stand of Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue.’ This salvia blooms well when given plenty of water and recents rains have brought out a plethora of deep richly-hued blue flowers.

Tanacetum vulgare (Common Tansy), a pass-along plant from a former work colleague, has a pretty little yellow flower this week. Skin contact with tansy causes a rash. A non-native it also is fairly aggressive and is difficult to remove once it spreads.

Surprises

The heat and drought set in just as the red gladioli should have bloomed this summer. They dried up quickly. Apparently this one bid its time and waited for more moderate conditions. Discovered too late to bring inside, the gladiolus hid itself and is leaning into a large group of woody-stemmed chrysanthemums, which will have yellow blossoms in mid-October.

A surprise Monarda (Bee Balm) in the side garden contributes a spot of deep red next to an underperforming Pink Muhly Grass.

To Be Continued

Mid-September Blooms will be continued.

Mid-June Garden

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Gladiolus, Liatris Spicata and Echinacea

The garden is holding up well this week despite a lack of rain or watering. In the northern bed Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) and the first blooms of Liatris Spicata ‘Alba’ (Gayfeather or Blazing Star) and Gladiolus dominate the view.

Liatris Spicata

Gladiolus

In the southern bed, sweet peas and pink yarrows are still pretty although the color is fading on the yarrow. Mexican salvia, with its intense blue flower is coming into its own in the southwest end of the bed, while Lantana, with its multicolor flowers, fills out the southeast corner.

Lantana

Daylilies, which I had many times threatened to pull out completely in an attempt to keep deer away, have persisted and (now that the fence has deterred the deer so far), they may actually bloom this year.

The tradescantia (Virginia Spiderwort) is winding down its long blooming period that started in early April, so I cut down most of it this week. I had never noticed a sensitivity to this plant before, but I developed an itchy red rash on my arms after carrying the trimmings away. The rash lasted a day or so; fortunately the itch lasted only a half-hour or so.

Several Shasta Daisy flowers opened last week but as a group they are blooming very slowly. The Rudbeckia hirta ‘Irish Eyes’ is starting to form buds. Several types of lavender are in flower, which delights the bees. Perovskia (Russian Sage), echinacea and bee balm were introduced last year into some additional areas and they seem to have adapted equally well around the garden.

In The Pink

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Pink Yarrow

When I think of the garden always it is a picture of cool greens and blues. At this time of year though, when I survey the lush parts of the garden, pinks abound in opposite sides of the space.

A short yarrow given to me by a friend nearly a decade ago, sends soft pink drifts through the southern bed between silver Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ear) and blue tradescantia.

Where the yarrow lets off, a trailing, old-fashioned sweet pea that I brought from my old garden continues the pink theme, and winds through tradescantia toward a stand of woody-stemmed chrysanthemums.

Opposite, in the northern bed, purple coneflower or echinacea mirror the pink hues. The garden and its colors are heating up.

Morning Garden Walk

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The backyard garden at the end of May is pleasant and lush, with inviting colors, textures, diversity of plants, and sounds of birds, elevating this morning’s walk to a remarkably satisfying experience for this gardener.

Chrysanthemum, silvery Dusty Miller, Sweet Pea combine with soft leaves of Eastern Red Columbine.

The tradescantia (Virginia Spiderwort) wake up the early morning garden with intense blues, but close under the strong sun by midday. The pink yarrow and white rose campion mix well and the tall blades of iris add balance.

Nearby a lantana has sprung to life and soon will be covered in multicolored clusters of red, yellow and orange.

Stachys (Lamb’s ear) brightens the back corner between some irises and a gardenia. The gardenia will soon add its unique fragrance to the garden.

The Liatris spicata (Gayfeather) earlier seemed terribly crowded by the irises, but as its bloomtime approaches it stands tall.

Verbena bonariensis frequently draws American goldfinches to the garden. It is surrounded by a foxglove, shasta daisies, tradescantia, a rudbeckia ‘Irish eyes’ and gardenias.

The meditation circle with its labyrinth still has more mulch than plants. Five bonariensis await planting within but I am hesitant about whether they are a good choice. Meanwhile the penstemon and angelonia have worked out great. The thyme lacks a strong presence, though it grows fine and has bloomed. The candytuft bloomed a rewarding second time.

Many more plants are tucked and packed into this small backyard haven, making each morning’s walk new and interesting as they transition through life.

Almanac

After a week of extreme heat, with temperatures reaching into the nineties, last night’s cooling breezes and this morning’s crisp air were welcome. Despite the prediction of rain I broke my rule against watering and gave some plants a good drink. Still only 66 degrees by lunchtime, the heavy rain started suddenly and continued steadily until early evening, and streets flooded in Chapel Hill. The garden’s meditation circle flooded near the entrance and in the middle, draining pretty well afterwards, but leaving a stark contrast to its bleached-out look under the severity of the sun earlier in the week. After a rosy-clouded sunset, the rains returned.

pbmGarden

Sense of place, purpose, rejuvenation and joy

Tag Archives: sweet pea

In A Vase On Monday—High Summer

In A Vase On Monday—Sweet Pea Reduction

First Morningtide—October 2014

After A Rain

In A Vase On Monday—Late Summer Basket

MidAugust Blooms

Sunday Sweet Pea

Everlasting Pea

Blooming In Mid-September Part 2

Cottage Garden Feeling Along the Southern Border

Surprises

To Be Continued

Mid-June Garden

In The Pink

Morning Garden Walk

Almanac