Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Monday Vase: Late August

Monday Vase meme
I present yesterday's vase today...
Monday vase meme, small sunny garden
Although there are some nice blooms in the garden, they are coming mainly from plants I have featured over and over.  And while I have no complaints whatsoever about the floriferousness of Russelia or of Crown Princess Margareta - that marvelous rose - I thought a little cool green would be a welcome note for this warm last week of August.

So the vase began with stems of Eremophila "Outback Sunrise", which generously has a couple of blooms on it in any case.
Eremophila "Outback Sunrise", small sunny garden, amy myers photography
This low-growing, wide-spreading Eremophila is slated for a move when the weather cools off.  Its lovely sulphur yellow blooms do not mix well with the lovely fairy pink blooms of Crape Myrtle "Rhapsody in Pink" to my eye; therefore the Eremophila will be transferred to the predominantly orange and yellow East Border.  My ideas on this have been undergoing a good deal of fluctuation lately, so no plans are permanent yet!  But I thought the Eremophila could take a little trimming without harm so it supplied some stems of its glossy green foliage, plus a couple of  its elegantly elongated blooms.

Slender stems - with no sign of bloom stalks yet - from Muhlenbergia capillaris "Regal Mist" were added, along with a few stems from another Eremophila, this time the dusky foliage of  E. maculata "Valentine".
foliage of Eremophila "Valentine"
It was perhaps an error to cut a stem from my still very small Caesalpinia pulcherrima.  It would have been a wonderful effect, but the fern-like leaves closed immediately.  I slipped them in anyway; their blue-green colour is pleasantly cool.  Here they are, all folded together.
Caesalpinia pulcherrima foliage closed, desert garden
And at last I couldn't resist putting in a pop of colour.  With the yellow Eremophila, a sprig of lantana seemed just the thing.
Lantana
I used my handthrown stoneware jar again.  Its tin-white glaze has a nice cooling effect of its own.
Monday Vase meme, small sunny garden
So here is my postscript version of a Monday vase for the meme at Rambling in the Garden!

Happy Tuesday!
Eremophila "Outback Sunrise", Monday Vase meme, small sunny garden, desert garden
Weather Diary: Cloudy with some rain; High yesterday: 105 F (41 C) - should be cooler today!/Low: 85 F (30 C)

13 comments:

  1. I do love the shape of this vase Amy - so you can keep on using it if you like!! Your photos with the close-up details are wonderful, so clear, and the lantana is supported well by the other contents which I don't know at all. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you like the vase, Cathy; I'm sure you'll see it again as it is turning out to be very handy for Mondays ;-) I admit that the foliage selections are becoming quite exotic here as I'm mostly using from shrubs now. Since these need to be very well-adapted, they're the sort of plants which I buy ten minutes after hunting around for information on these "unknowns" - standing by a shelf at the GC, hovering over my phone where I am doing a frantic search... "Oh yes, this one looks good; I'll try it..." Quite the learning process! But most are growing nicely.

      Delete
  2. The vase is particularly effective against the stark background of the brown wall, Amy. I hope my Eremophila blooms someday - it still doesn't look much different than it did months ago when I planted it but at least it's not dead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That nicho is quite handy for vase photography, Kris ;-) I certainly hope your Eremophila comes through for you; I'm finding them very useful plants under full desert conditions and clay soil.

      Delete
  3. the cool greens work so well with the orange and yellow. I can't quite believe that it is the last week of August already ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The end of August has crept up on me too, Ann - despite the fact that I'm counting the days till autumn at this point ;-)

      Delete
  4. A lovely slender arangement Amy.
    It must be very satisfying to use vases you have made yourself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's been not only satisfying but informative to use my vases this way, Brian. It's changed some of my ideas about what will or will not work well - much to my surprise ;-) Thanks so much!

      Delete
  5. I enjoy your abundance and variety of green foliage to showcase the lovely peachy orange Lantana blooms. I miss Lantana from my Texas childhood. I hadn't seen the Eremophila before, it was a kind of goldfish form. Very late summer colors!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lantana is invaluable for the hot, dry weather, isn't it ;-) And I love the Eremophila flowers - you're right, they have a goldfish look! The variety "Valentine" has a similar shape, but in brilliant pink, but it appears to be only spring-blooming. Thanks, Hannah!

      Delete
  6. I love the close up details of the leaves and flowers. That is how I do my gardening, its all in the detail of the form.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I never get tired of the details of the plants - quite fascinating! Thanks for coming by :)

      Delete
  7. I love the close up details of the leaves and flowers. That is how I do my gardening, its all in the detail of the form.

    ReplyDelete