Yard to Vase - Summer 2009 series

OK, this is getting scary, mine is about 4 months old....LOL, maybe I need to move it farther out or something.......

Pretty arrangement Happgarden, lovely and airy and fresh! Thanks for joining in, nice bamboo vase too.

Candee, 8lb 2oz is quite a big baba!

Dianne, wish me luck with the white flower bed, I haven't got any white perennials yet! lol.

They get quite large happ - the one that got me is now about 6' diameter or better and at least 12-14' tall. Others that I have are equally as large and get bigger every year.

Oh my, I need to move that away from the rock wall. Thank you all so much for the compliments on the flower arrangement and telling me about the grasses.

Happgarden, pretty arrangement! It doesn't get better than lilies and hydrangeas! And that is one giant piece of bamboo. How did the water hold up? Terri, a white flowerbed sounds enchanting. Congrats to you Candee! What a nice size grandbaby. Mine was 8lb 3oz (3years ago I mean)!

Note to self: Do not plant monster grasses in the ground.

So far the bamboo is holding up fine. No weeping from the bottom or sides. The bamboo is huge but it is really cool inside. Tried to take a picture but couldn't get it to come out.

Love lilies, but to be honest I drive 45 minutes to work, thought I was going to get sick from the sweet sweet smell....LOL

The scent of lilies can be a bit overpowering!
Karma, a white flower bed sounds good, BUT it's finding the right plants that will grow well for me! lol.

I had this patch of Black-eyed Susan for several years, and finally decided to thin it way back this spring so this clump is fairly small now. I think that this is Rudbeckia hirta.

Then, last year, I planted a yellow echinacea. And to my surprise, it looked a LOT like the black-eyed susan. But, I guess the rudbeckias and the echinaceas are closely related.

Here is a mixture of the two. Filled it in with a few croscosmia, reused the russian firecracker and leatherleaf fern from last week's arrangement, and added a few cast iron plant leaves.

That is beautiful. I forgot I was suppose to post pics of the plants the flowers came from.
Russian firecracker I have never heard of. Gonna have to look that up, is that the orange flower?
I was told by someone you couldn't put cut flowers in galvenized metal that they would die really fast? True/Not True?
I have what I call black eye susan that is all yellow, then in the mist of them there is a few flowers that have color on the petals toward the center.

Joyce

Thanks, Joyce. The russian firecracker (Russelia equisetiformis) does have reddish orange small blooms at the tips - they are the two smallish feathery branches at the bottom of the arrangement. My July 9th posting shows some of the young stems of the plant of which I had trimmed all of the older stalks. The branches (up to 3 feet tall) have a nice arching shape to them and looks great draping over a planter. The taller orange flowers in the back are the crocosmia.

I have used this metal pail for many arrangements (as Terri already noticed) and never had any problems. I do have a taller galvanized pail that has rusted in the inside. But, I still use it anyway and the rusty red water doesn't seem to shorten the life of the flowers that I put in them. Here's that vase that I used earlier in the year for the alstromerias. And they lasted a whole week. I like the galvanized metal look. Maybe some flowers are more sensitive to it's effects (if any) than others???

Ohh, I like both of those plants. Bet the hummers love the Russian one. Course I want an orange garden so I really like the other as well.

I love the look of galvanized metal so I won't worry anymore about it. I can't remember who told me that "wives tale" ....LOL it just stuck in my mind.

That is lovely Dianne, - you are so right the black eyed susan and ech look very much alike. The colors look great in the metal, I'll have to try some of my yellows in pewter.
The lilies are almost over and they smelled scrumptious, my house just had such a sweet scent when they were around.

Thanks, Candee. I planted a bunch of lilies many years ago - both Asiatics and Orientals, but they have all diminished and disappeared over the years. I am trying again this year and have some on order. Does your lilies multiply over the years?

Joyce - the crocosmia multiplies quite well here, so I will try to remember to save some corms for you come fall if you have not bought any yet.

Yes they multiply, but slowly and not all of them. Those giants have been the same grouping for the past several years with now new additions.

Soilsandup, I would gladly trade you lilies for crocosmia. I have several lilies which are new so I don't have many bulbs, but I have several others (an orange I really like) that I have spare bulbs.

Gorgeous arrangement Dianne! so bright and colourful, lovely.
I've heard that about the buckets Joyce, wives tales get all over the world! but it's probably true, something to do with the metals!! I think they look great for arrangements.

Those wives really get around don't they.....LOL

LoL!

Crocosmia here is flowering.

I didn't pick many! it's making a nice display in the garden at the moment.

This message was edited Jul 17, 2009 7:10 PM

Very nice Terri. Looks like we have similar buckets.

Thanks Dianne! I have 3 of those in a set and another 3 that are black. The black ones are stuck inside each other and I cannot budge them. Any ideas or wives tales how to get metal buckets apart? LoL!

Those black buckets would look great with pink or white flowers. I don't know of any sure way of getting them apart. Maybe if you can apply heat differentially to the buckets - expanding one slightly more than the other?? Whack it with a rubber mallet to jar it apart a little? WD40 to lubricate it just enough to twist it apart?? We have a guy in a machine shop here on campus that is really good at solving problems. Maybe you can take a photo of how they are nestled together?

Here they are Dianne, Thanks for the suggestions!

Before you say ... yes it's late here .... LOL!!

Godetia and Carnations!

Here they are in the garden..

LoL Terri - I guess I am so used to being a mom and wanting everyone to have enough sleep and rest. I have to admit that last Sunday night, I got to bed around 2:30 AM too. We went to San Francisco to see a Joan Baez concert (Free, at a place called Stern Grove) and then went salsa dancing afterwards.

those are neat vases - it would be shame not to be able to get them apart and use them.

I love godetia - I am going to have to sow some seed again. Had some about 5 years ago. Yours look a little different with the tall main shoot and smaller lateral ones. I think the ones I had were just one shoot each. Neat that you can grow carnations too. I was never successful with that. That pink vase is perfect for the combo.

hmmm - I wonder, if you fill the inside bucket with ice water & plunge the outside one in hot water they might come apart.

Thanks Dianne! Glad you enjoyed your late night out and happy to hear you are dancing again!
The Godetia were in a bucket outside for 5 days before I made those arrangements last night. I was quite shocked to see they had lasted so long and the buds are still opening. The crocosmia (picked at the same time) has died off completely. I'm going to try and collect some seeds from them.

Thanks for that suggestion dalfyre. I am going to defrost the freezer (ready for my veggies) lol.
I will try that method and see if it works. If not I've got Diannes list to try out too!

I have lots of Daylily leaves now, the flowers are so short lived but the leaves are flexible and last a long time.

Lily leaves, and a mixed bunch from the garden.

Lovely pictures all of you and beautiful plants.

I think in the back of my mind there is something toxic about heating up galv. stuff, I am not postive just seems like that, course I am the one who didn't think you could put flowers in them......

Can, you pick hardy hibiscus blooms and use those in a pot? I have the prettiest ones and they are huge! I have tropicals also that would be pretty. Never thought about it until I found you guys.

Don't have much blooming things that will keep right now. Lots of daylilies, hardy hibiscus, and some lilies. Just hard to cut the lilies right now. Probably Monday when reality sets in and I know I will be at work all week.

Joyce - that bit of info on heating up galvanized metal is a new one for me. Maybe something else will work for Terri so she won't have to try. No clue on the hardy hibiscus since I have never grown then. Anything is worth a try though.

Terri - neat use of the daylily leaves. That Russian vine of yours is so versatile. I just wish that it was not so big - I would seriously consider planting one. It seems to supply you with viney blossoms for a long time.

Dianne, I would of loved to see Joan, she use to be one of my favorite singers and then salsa all night. I miss dancing, DH isn't a dancer. Sounds like a great night.

Ask DH about it and he said welding can be deadly if you are not outside with good air movement. I looked on internet and only saw about welding.

Think I will cut some hibiscus blooms and see what happens. Seems like they are attached to the limb really close so guess I will cut a limb.

happgarden I have found that hibiscus make good floaters, just cut them short and put in a shallow bowl.
terri, how bout spraying them good with some cooking oil or WD40 if you have any and perhaps they will slide apart.

Thanks Happgarden, sounds like you've got some lovelies in your garden.
I won't be heating the buckets up then !!

Thanks Dianne, the Russian vine has gone crazy again and I've been chopping it back, so sorry if it's turning up everywhere in arrangements, lol but it does last a few days and is flexible as a cut flower. Whatever you do DONT plant one, you'll never get rid of it!!! It was growing all over next doors apple tree.

Candee, I do have some spay cooking oil, so will try that, Thanks!

Warning taken, Terri.

Here are some of what is blooming in my white planter. This Hymenocallis festalis grows very well vegetatively, but doe not send out very many blooms for a plant this size. This clump only has 5 blooms. A second clump only one so far, that maybe will send up others.

This white dahlia has seen better days. I have not divided it in years, and this small group has been snail-bitten. I will try to remember to dig up the tubers, divide and replant in the fall. It used to be a very strong and sturdy plant, full of flowers for months. I had to search for a few blooms that were vase worthy LoL