Monday, November 9, 2015

In a Vase on Monday - the “before you rot” edition

Our night-time temperatures have been fairly tame, we dripped to 38F one night last week but haven't yet experienced anything that would put an end to my tender succulents planted in the ground. Instead it's the rain that's their enemy - all that moisture combined with little sun, no heat, and falling leaves, means they can quickly rot. I've been lifting plants, taking cuttings, and generally just trying to make sure they all have a fighting chance at living on - which brings me to this week's "In a Vase" submission...

When Kris shared her stunning succulent vase arrangements (here and here) I was inspired to try to do something similar. I took several Echeveria cuttings knowing exactly which "vase" I'd use, this orange glass bowl given to me by Tamara, of Chickadee Gardens (it was her grandmother's...which makes it extra special). Since I didn't want the feet of the arrangement to show through the colored glass I filled it up first with dried leaves...

And then set about taking cuttings. Both the Echeveria on the left and the Crassula muscosa on the right (long green stems) were chopped. The empty space above the Echeveria is where a couple of small Agaves were already lifted.

These Echeveria also got the chop.

And I thought about cutting the Graptopetalum, but unlike Kris I am no good at mixed succulent arrangements. I didn't want to get too carried away, they'll be cut another day.

Some of the succulent stems were so short a little wiring was required to keep them in place.

And I decided I needed some dark dramatic leaves, so these little plastic water vials were called into action. I wish I could have found them in clear, rather than that annoying day-glo turquoise.

Adding elements...

And the finished product, on our dining table. I did add a few Kalanchoe pumila cuttings, their pinkish color and zig-zag edges helped to tie-in the Castor Bean leaves.

At first I wasn't thrilled with it, since what I created wasn't exactly what I saw in my mind. However it's growing on me...

And I'm quite thankful all the surviving pumpkins and gourds don't have to be tossed quite yet. It's nice how the Halloween holiday decor can flow right into the Thanksgiving scheme.

But wait...there's more...

Since operation lift and cut was in full swing so I continued on and challenged myself to do a little mixed arrangement, just to see if I could.

When it was all said and done there was something missing...so I added the dried Banskia leaves. They echo the nubbins of the Aloe quite nicely.

This little vase is living behind our kitchen sink, a bit of the summer garden which keeps me company in the house.

Please visit Rambling in the Garden for links to everyone participating In a Vase, on this Monday.

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

28 comments:

  1. Both very nice. And you reminded me that I'd really like to dig up a couple of castor bean plants that never put on any size this year. I don't know why, but they stayed small, so I think I may try to overwinter them in the greenhouse.

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    1. Oh that's a great idea, I've got one too. Although I am proud to say two of my "from seed" plants finally obtained some size!

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  2. Aaw, you would have made Ggma very happy and proud. Lovely, both vases. I'm glad it went to the perfect home :) Thanks for sharing...

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  3. I needed some of those vials so I asked at the Safeway floral counter. They gave me a few (after they scrounged around for a while in the deep recesses of their under-sink space) of the clear kind at no charge.

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    1. Smart idea! I should ask for them when I buy cut flowers...but I never think of it then.

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  4. Loree, you are amazing, I love your arrangements. Like others, I may not comment very often but please know that I always look at and read your blogs. Always something cool going on.

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    1. Ha! Thank you so much Mary, you are very kind.

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  5. Such lovely combinations....I love the orange vases and how they work with the green subtle shades of rose and burgundy! These arrangements brought a big happy smile to my face! Seem Autumn is growing on you!!!

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    1. It is, I am really trying to be in the moment. Autumn has always been overshadowed by the wonder of summer and the dreading of winter. I am going to try to keep this positive attitude going into winter, wish me luck!

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  6. You passed the mixed arrangement challenge with flying colors. The first arrangement is great, but I know what you mean about having to adjust to something different from what you set out to create.

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    1. I thought of you when I wrote that! (and thank you)

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  7. Excellent! So the plants by the sink will keep you company all winter? Nice! I pulled my succulent pots into the sunroom this winter instead of storing them on the porch or in the garage. It will be like they're experiencing a Georgia winter--cooler day and nighttime temperatures than the summer, but no freeze. Isn't it fun to experiment? I love your first arrangement with the leaf and pumpkins, too!

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    1. The planted plants will yes, they live there year-round, although things are always moving around. The vase arrangement (which I did not pot up) will not...after a few weeks I'll take pity on them and stick them in soil. I hope your succulents enjoy their new digs!

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  8. Stunning. I wish I enough succulents so I could have a go at this art.

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    1. Thank you Jenni...if mine could live outdoors year round I don't think I'd ever have the nerve to do something like this.

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  9. Of course, you're good at mixed succulent arrangements! I know you avoid mixing succulents in the same pot but you mix your pots and you mix succulents when planting in the ground. I love both arrangements. The only thing that surprised me is that you didn't throw an agave pup in there somewhere! The dyckia was a nice touch but, ouch, I trust you used heave glove? The addition of the dried leaves was also inspired. I'd copy you if I had any autumn leaves worth showing off. I may be back to succulent arrangements again soon myself - there's a serious shortage of floral color in my garden right now after that long spell of hot weather - and then Santa Ana winds - we've had.

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    1. I am not as good at it as others are, like you! And I thought about an agave pup but didn't have one available that seemed right for the arrangement. Dyckia...there isn't one. Are you maybe talking about the Aloe Haworthioides? (small, dark, fuzzy) It's actually really soft, a cool plant! Sorry to hear things still aren't cooling off for you.

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  10. Thank you for sharing how you put this together, Loree - most interesting, and such an effective result. But what an interesting stack of books in one of your photos - do tell us more about it.... ;)

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    1. Lots of people see the "stack of books" and mention what a pain it must be to get one of the books on the bottom of the stack. Actually there is a bookcase in there - a thin spine with shelves, so it just looks like they're stacked. I highly recommend them, very little floor space is needed! (like this: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/high-and-low-vertical-stack-bo-83090)

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  11. Gorgeous, and so many pro tricks with the wire and water vials!

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    1. "pro-tricks"...haha! Rookie all the way....

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  12. They both turned out really well! The orange containers look great with the blues of the succulents. Loved the last picture of the first arrangement showing the corner of your dining room because on the wall on the left is Loree, the pictures of plants; on the right is Andrew, the stack of books. Very sweet!

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    1. Thank you! And here's a crazy secret...those books are all mine! Andrew decided a couple of years ago that he didn't like his books being stored that way, so he built bookcases by his studio space in the basement. I now get to use both tall spine bookcases upstairs. Those are mainly gardening books but a few design and architecture ones have snuck in for good measure.

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  13. These are just the most wonderful arrangements. I love fall so much, and as it slips away, these beautiful arrangements not only lift my spirits but give me ideas for autumns to come. Thanks for a great post!

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  14. These are creative and such stunning arrangements....love the variety of containers.

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