Hesperaloe parviflora flowers are in bloom all over the place just now. I don't know whether they grow wild here, but they are a very dependable plant and widely used in area landscaping. We have several which grow and bloom with minimal care and water along the difficult west side of the house. So for today's vase I decided to use some of their vibrantly shrimp-pink stalks, combined with stems of Bougainvillea and Cistanthe grandiflora.
All went into an earthenware jar I made last summer. Its small mouth was just right to hold the long stems, and the colour seemed perfect.
Not knowing anything about preparing these varieties for arranging, I simply put them in the vase - with the exception of the bougainvillea, which had its woody stems dipped in boiling water prior to use. The vibrant magenta bracts surround the occasional white bloom.
The flowers of Cistanthe grandiflora are the most volatile element in the vase because the blooms close at midday. By the time I was able to get these pictures, the flowers were already beginning to shut. However, the stems, blooms, and spent calyxes are still decorative in themselves.
Equally decorative are the big seedpods on the Hesperaloe.
And the bright pink flowers grow in rows along arching stems. Some of these stems must be seven feet or more (2 m) tall; I used smaller ones and cut them shorter as necessary. The warm colour is unlike anything else I grow.
This was a fun vase to put together - a very bright vase for a mid-May Monday, and using some of the more exotic material available. I am linking to Cathy's
Monday Vase meme; do go and check all the other vases inspired by the meme in this flower-rich season!
Happy Monday!
Weather Diary: Mostly sunny, High: 85 F (29.4 C)/ Low: 62 F (16.7 C)
The vase is a perfect foil for the flowers, Amy. I have just one Hersperaloe, a dwarf, and it has yet to bloom so this is my first view of the flowers. They're wonderful. I hope mine's getting enough sun to bloom eventually.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, Kris! I'll have to keep my eyes open for any dwarf formsof Hesperaloe - I didn't know there were any. The blooms really are wonderful, and I always enjoy the seedpods, which are long-lasting on the plants. And they're about as drought-tolerant as you could wish :)
DeleteThe vase you made is such a lovely shape - and how useful to be making the actual vases for the flowers you show us! It is fascinating to see your blooms today as all the plants are new to me and presumably would not grow in the UK, although Bougainvillea can be grown in a pot and brought inside over winter, if you remember to water it :( !! Having blooms that close at certain times adds another dimension, although perhaps we wouldn't expect them to once the stems have been cut? Thanks for sharing today.
ReplyDeleteI have some more vases in the making, Cathy - inspired by the meme :) Hesperaloe is actually very hardy (and quite rugged in appearance!); I would think the only difficulty would be keeping it dry enough... And as of this morning, I can report that the Cistanthe blooms reopened on schedule - very much to my surprise!
DeleteThat is such a lovely arrangement, and so beautifully presented and photographed! It is interesting for me to see flowers not grown in our climate.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Cathy! Growing these flowers is very much a matter of discovery for me as well; sometimes I miss my old favourites, but these new ones are exciting to learn about :)
DeleteThe vase works so perfectly with your choice of flowers which seem so exotic compared with those I grow here in Scotland. I read with interest your weather diary and I would gladly settle for your low temperature of 62 F right now :)
ReplyDeleteI went a little more exotic than usual on this one! The weather has been just about perfect lately, Elizabeth - not normal for this time of year, I'm told ;-) The garden has been loving it... Thanks so much!
DeleteA beautiful vase, exotic ... and very cheerful!
ReplyDeletePottery, with its natural color, gives a warm touch to the set.
Yes, I love the effect of the natural clay with these plants - which I have so much to learn about...!
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