The garden is so full of bloom right now that I flung all sorts of flowers into today's vase. I tried to keep the colours in the range inspired by the first two flower choices: the freesias and ranunculus blooms.
Each of these has just opened their first flowers within the last week, and I am thrilled with both. The freesias were a bit of a surprise. I had purchased a bargain pot full of spent freesias last spring, thinking they were bright yellow. What was my excitement a few days ago when they opened a rich bronze!
As for the ranunculus, they were a batch of mixed colours, planted as bare tubers last autumn and hovered over as the days began to grow longer. They seem to require frequent watering so I'm not sure how good a choice they are for this garden in the long term. But their flowers are magnificent, and I'm very pleased to have them finally begin blooming! The first opened yellow, but more recently some wonderful scarlets have appeared. (For a full photo series of the scarlet ranunculus, see my post at
Journal of a Thousand Things.)
Then there were the Kangaroo Paws (Anigozanthos flavidus), also recently opened.
Plus the daisies: Argyranthemum frutescens...
...and Tetraneuris acaulis.
Russelia equisetiformis to add some height...
...and at the base, Dianthus...
...with sprigs of Lavendula stoechas "Madrid" and a cluster of simple scarlet Pelargonium. Everything is slipped into an earthenware vase I made a couple of years ago.
It's quite an exotic mix, with flowers from at least four continents.
It's quite exciting to have this much material to use for a Monday vase, just a year and a half from beginning the garden! Some of this is due to the inspiration of the meme itself: a big thank you to Cathy at
Rambling in the Garden!
Have a great week!
Weather Diary: Sunny; High: 85 F (30 C)/Low: 50 (10 C)
It certainly has a wow factor with an exotic almost Spanish look.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't thinking Spanish when I put it together, but it certainly does have that effect with those red and black blooms. Thanks! ;-)
DeleteFabulous choice of flowers for your arrangement. I love the hot mix of colours and it does look good in the terracotta vase.
ReplyDeleteI'm finding that hot colours work well here, so I certainly have plenty (besides, the hummingbirds love them!). So glad you enjoyed the vase too -- thanks!
Deleteyes, Ranunculus do require a lot of watering, but yours look in tip top condition. I agree with Brian, definitely a Spanish feel to your vase:)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you liked it, Ann! It was great fun to have so much material to put together. I'm loving the Ranunculus, and I've been amazed that the ones in the ground have fared better than the few I potted up, which I can't seem to keep happy. Perhaps the moisture remains more even in the ground...?
DeleteYour vase is marvelous, and the flowers are such rich intense colors worthy of a desert garden, you've done a great job with your garden, Amy! While the annual rainfall can be pretty high here, there is a totally dry summer to get through, so I tend to pick drought-tolerant plants myself, my favorites being the ephemerals that grow and bloom during the late winter to early summer wet phase then go dormant until the next rainy season.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Hannah! It's definitely a good place for strong colors as they must compete against our light, bright soil. I totally agree about dormancy, and I'm hoping that some of the "wet winter/dry summer" bulbs will survive through the coming season, but we shall see... The freesias, planted late last spring, did come through summer very well!
DeleteDesert envy..
ReplyDeleteBest time to visit... ;-)
DeleteWow! This is a totally gorgeous mix of flowers and stunning colors and of course the vase just brings it all together so beautifully.
ReplyDeleteWell done!
- Kate
Thanks so much, Kate -- so kind of you :) I believe this is the first time I have had anything like such a range of flowers to put together, so I am delighted, of course!
DeleteIt's a really pretty mix of flowers, Amy! I'd previously discovered that ranunculus are thirsty plants but, nevertheless, I regret my failure to plant any tubers this year. Sadly, there's no sign that those I planted in prior years plan a return visit either.
ReplyDeleteThey are gorgeous little things, but it took me aback to see how much more water they needed than the freesias, for instance! Too bad yours didn't come back, though I know that in colder climates they're usually treated as annuals in any case, since they don't store well. I always prefer my tubers and bulbs to come back too...
DeleteYou have put your lovely flowers together beautifully. I love how you just dropped in "an earthenware vase I made a couple of years ago". It's a really beautiful shape and your flowers do full justice to it!
ReplyDeleteThanks very much, Christina! Putting flowers in my own vases has been quite an education in what works, to be honest. Sometimes the simpler forms seem to display the flowers much better -- especially now that I have more blooming in the garden ;-)
DeleteThat is a gorgeous vase Amy! I love those rich colours, especially the Freesia. How lovely to have such a selection in spring already! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a wonderful time of year here, Cathy; and the plants are making the most of it. I was so thrilled to find the Freesias opening in that rich bronze tone as I had expected a rather flat yellow ;-) So glad you enjoyed the vase too!
DeleteSuch a gorgeous bouquet in an equally gorgeous vase. The colors are so rich! What beautiful flowers you have blooming right now!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Kate! Those colors seem so "right" for this garden, though I have been getting some nice soft hues in too, lately. Sorry I missed your comment so long!
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