Today's vase was kept quite simple in order to avoid overwhelming any of the precious flowers. They went into the smallest of my vases, the little blue handthrown bud vase.
After yesterday's post, it was certain that one component of today's vase would be Freesia alba. Only one stem because I couldn't bear to cut any more. They are so luscious in the garden!
Buds are forming at last on Ozothamnus diosmifolius, which I bought partially for its readily dried flowers. I learned last year to cut the stems earlier rather than later. While the fully open flowers are pretty, they do not dry quite as attractively as the buds. The former become rather faded and furry; the latter keep a soft pink color and remain firm.
With cream and warm pink, the rosy orange hues of Aloe "Blue Elf" seemed just right. And it has plenty of flowering stems! It is the first aloe to come into bloom so far.
It's a very elegant plant in its way, worthy of being displyed next to the freesias..
Thanks, as always, to Cathy for developing and hosting the lovely In a Vase on Monday, where gardeners from over the world bring a bit of the garden's richness indoors!
Weather Diary: Fair; High: 90 F (32 C)/Low: 55 F (13 C); Humidity: 17%-70%
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Hollis (Tuesday, 14 March 2017 09:19)
I linked back to your previous post in hopes of guessing the family (always a fun challenge), but had to resort to wikipedia ... Iridaceae! Neat surprise. A few glimpses of the leaves in your previous post do look iris-like, but the flowers fooled me.
Kris P (Tuesday, 14 March 2017 12:50)
Beautiful, Amy! You're sending me outside to check my Ozothamnus for flower buds...
Cathy (Tuesday, 14 March 2017 15:08)
The advantage of cutting Freesias is that you have that wonderful scent indoors! :) I love the echo of the shapes of both the Freesia and the Ozothamnus. The Ozothamnus is new to me and reminds me of Statice, but a different colour. Beautiful vase too Amy!
Cathy (Tuesday, 14 March 2017)
Your freesias are more or less the same creamy white as my tulips, and the dried Ozothamnus in particular works so well with it. Thank you for sharing your precious blooms!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 15 March 2017 00:41)
Hollis - Yes, the leaves are iris family leaves :) These grow so low to the ground that I hardly notice the foliage. I need to take a ruler out to check the size; they seem about the same size or slightly taller than Dutch crocus.
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 15 March 2017 00:44)
Kris - I'm wondering what you will find since most of your flowers have been ahead of mine this year! By the way, the first bud stalk is out on one of my established Hippeastrums... ;-)
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 15 March 2017 00:49)
Cathy@Words and Herbs - You are quite right about bringing in the fragrance :) Although my sister's jasmine has just begun blooming, and one stem of that has swept all before it! The Ozothamnus was one of those "what is this pretty plant I've never seen before" purchases at the GC. I looked it up in haste on my phone, saw that it was good for cutting and drying, and brought it home...
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 15 March 2017 00:53)
Cathy@Rambling in the Garden - I get far more good out of cutting the ones that can be cut ;-) I love those creamy white/yellow tones...!
Nomads By Nature (Thursday, 16 March 2017 05:55)
Love the lines of your arrangement - elegantly wistful. What a beautifully scrumptious grouping to enjoy inside!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Thursday, 16 March 2017 10:45)
Thanks so much, NN! It's been a long-lasting one too, which is more than I can say for some! I was intrigued by your beautiful vases; it looks like we are dealing with fairly similar climates, just reversed seasons... ;-)
Diana Studer (Monday, 20 March 2017 18:41)
My freesias are in pots, so I bring one in, when it is happily filled with flowers.
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Thursday, 23 March 2017 16:08)
Diana - That must be fabulous... :) Do you overplant or store while they are dormant? (So sorry for the late reply!)
Diana Studer (Thursday, 30 March 2017 08:10)
lazy gardener. Mine are neglected in pots. It is on my guilty gardener list to sort out all those pots of lost label bulbs.