Yard to vase - Winter 2009-2010 series

The winter solstice is behind us, the days are getting a little longer, and there is less and less color in the garden. But, if we are lucky, there are some hardy plants that will bloom in the winter months, Please post your winter blooming plants as they are growing in your yard and and how you use them in the home. Alternative materials other than flowers are welcomed.

For me, I was thrilled when I discover this variety of Kniphofia at the UC Davis arboretum sale 5 years ago - "Christmas Cheer." And true to it's name, it has bloomed every Christmas here for the last four years.

The tall stalks makes a striking arrangement that lasts quite a few days.

Hope everyone is having a good Holiday season!

I like those! I think I have some seeds for it I got in a swap. I should've investigated sooner, your arrangement is gorgeous! They're on my to do list!

I keep hoping to find some blooms on my purple loropetalum but nothing so far. Need to check my pussywillow for some cuts. Did notice last week,that the forsythia are trying to bloom.

Thanks, bloomheaven. I hope you find those seeds - it is a great plant. If you don't find them, I'll let a few of my blooms go to seed and see if there are any viable ones and send you some. I normally divide them at the crown when it gets too big, so I have never tried to start any from seeds.

Bigred - Pussy willows would make great arrangements. Can't wait to see yours. My forsythia are far from ready to bloom. Yours must in full sun??

We had three days of 25 degrees here mid-December and most of my tender perennials are damaged. There is not much blooming at the moment, but this is prime time for my dwarf Meyers lemon tree. There is a mixture of ready to pick lemons, almost ready, and some very green ones. I get some lemons pretty much year round. I had a strand of clear Christmas lights on it to keep it from being frost-damaged.

One of the things that I like to do is to put some in a nice crystal bowl, and give it as a Christmas present.

But in keeping with the "vase" theme for this year, I wanted to try something different. Started with some lemons in a large vase.

Then I added some fronds from my cycad plant.

The Cycad leaves last a long time - over two weeks. Here is a photo of the whole plant from last year.

looks like a yellow pineapple when it's not enlarged...LOL


Hope to get out to check for some pussywillow to cut today. I hate not having real cuts in the house.

Need to take down Christmas decorations down. Will miss the decorations so guess I need to drag out my silks and make some arrangements to take their place.

this is the bouquet I was sent by my work after my father died...

and from my Dog Club friends...

I am sorry to hear the sad news... It is a comfort to be remembered by friends.

Week 2 of the New Year and we have had mostly foggy days. Camellias grow very well in the Sacramento area (aka the Camellia Capitol) and the C. sansaquas are the earlier winter bloomers. The ones that I have were at their peak at the beginning of December, but it will continue to have some blooms for a few more weeks. I think this may be "White Doves."

This one may be Kanjiro - I have the notes somewhere when I first bought the plants, but will have to dig deep to verify it.

Floating blooms is a quick and easy way to display the short-stemmed camellias.

Altho I am still in a deep freeze, my calla lilies in the solar room are starting to bloom. Helps are a minus 0 temps, snow, and fog. Our temps have climbed to the 20's....LOL

Now looking at the photo I should of added some green stuff, but on the table I didn't notice it looking so bare. (PS, the Christmas decorations are gone now this was right before Christams...LOL)

How wonderful to have a solar room to get early blooms. I had a solarium in my previous house, but no room in the present house. I just got back from my cousin's wedding in Maui so I thought I would post a photo of what would be in my yard if I was living in Maui. This was a flower farm that we visited, but this type of ginger was blooming everywhere - people's yards, resort landscaping, etc.

We were able to bring a few bunches home so I added a few of my cycad leaves to make a simple arrangement. The flowers did take a beating as carry-ons in the plane.

But, because I do not live in Maui, LoL, I will have to do with what I have in my own yard. Not too many flowers now, so I went looking for suitable greens. In addition to the cycad, I had a few foxtail ferns.

Can't remember the species of this Euphorbia

or the name of this plant - the leaves are slightly fragrant and finely cut. It came with the house when we bought it and is good as a filler.

During this past week while I was gone, we had a huge series of storms in California. I cut the greens and make an arrangement before I left. So, here is what I have for week 3 of the New Year.

Beautiful ginger. Did you get to sneak any of the plants home? My husband I use to travel alot and Maui of all the places I have been was by far my favorite. I hope the storms have not affected you. I need to walk our landscape and make sure nothing has been heaved out of the ground. Love my solar room for many reasons but for the plants all winter is one of the favorite reasons. I have hibiscus blooming, and calla lilies, and hopefully before long brugs.

I sometimes forget that greenery by it self can make beautiful arrangements to sit around.

Hey, where are all of our southern hemisphere folks at? Everything here outside is a shade of brown, please show me some color...LOL

how bout this...

Rose 'Yours Always'
on a dull day or at dusk it almost glows

my poppies are still adding a vibrant splash to the garden

What a lovely shade of red on that rose. Would love to see how you use it in an arrangement!

nemesia still going strong...

Teresa - do you get seeds from your nemesia?
Joyce - nope, I was good and did not sneak anything home - I was upfront with the ginger blossoms, and there were no problems with that.
Bigred - did you ever cut some pussywillows to bring indoors? I don't have ready access to any where I Iive.

Week 4 - in zone 9a, we are able to keep the cymbidiums outdoor, with some frost protection. I have a few in the ground by the house, but most of mines are in pots so that I can put them on the porch, or move around as needed. This white/maroon one is the earliest to bloom - sometime as early as in December. Some of the later blooming ones don't bloom until March or April.

And the vase - I put one of the single blooms in a florist water-pick thingy so that I can insert it anywhere in the vase. Among the greenery is a few leaves from the Hellebore foetidis (sp?)

soils - yes the nemesia set seed last year, I didn't dead head in time & am so glad.
When I did I used the 'instant compost method', a shallow trench filled with the dead heads & covered with soil...
well I got seedlings, and one of them was a completely different colour to the nemesia I bought.
And there is also one that is the same colour as ones being sold as Nemesia 'Rose' but I never bought any of that...
anyway I now have four colours plus a two tone one that was being sold as a perennial nemesia & is not thriving like the other two did.
It was a far more sickly orphan than the blue & the white.
Pictured is the 'Rose'

well on closer inspection I have another new colour...
started out with a 'not quite white', now I have noticed a pale pink/hint of lavender as well.
Very odd as I was sure it was the not quite white I took cuttings from but now looks like there is only one in that shade & the others are a darker hue.
Unless ph affects the colour, but the pure whites have not changed no matter where they are planted.
pic - white nemesia

not quite white...

mauve tint?

last one... two tone

ok - you wanted to see my roses in an arrangement...
so whaqt would set the roses off nicely?
and this is what I picked

there was already a vase of hydrangeas at work so I removed the wilted ones & added the roses & white hydrangea.
I thought it looked ok ^_^