Gladiolas are kind of awkward in a border, but I do love them in a vase. I thought I planted some deep purple and some red ones in an out of the way spot but only red appeared (admittedly, two slightly different shades of red…can you tell?)
It was such an out-of-the-way place that I forgot to stake them. Three of them flopped over and became twisted as they reached for the light. I thought it would make them impossible to work with, but in fact I think it makes the arrangement more interesting the way they curl up on the right side.
I used the stiff, sword-like leaves of the glads themselves to hold them in place. One lonely stem of Casa Blanca lilies was more or less buried in a back border, which made it easier for me to sacrifice it to the bouquet gods. When you buy lilies from the florist, all of their wonderful anthers have been snipped off. I understand why they do this, because they are loaded with pollen that stains what it touches. I’m careful when handling them and make sure not to set them on a cloth, but these wouldn’t work half as well without those furry anthers relating to the bright red of the glads. The only other thing I added was a single leaf of Hosta ‘Guacamole’. The character of this arrangement will change almost daily, as lower blooms fade and those that are now tight buds unfurl. I’ll have to keep rearranging, but that’s the price we pay for these big, bold statements.
Visit Cathy to see a very different posy and an invitation to join in and/or explore what’s there for the pickin’.
Gladiolus stems do seem to have a mind of their own, but your arrangement works great. I like the beautiful red shades and the lilies add a bit of drama.
What a stunning arrangement! I really like the red and white together. I have not had much luck with lilies but yours are beautiful. I planted ‘Casa Blanca’ and they bloomed only the one year. But I am hopeful they will return.
I do so like the philosophy of using the lone lily and the bent gladioli – it’s something we have been learning on this meme, whether its ‘sacrificing to the bouquet gods’ or making a purse out of a sow’s ear with damaged or distorted or pruned stems. Shame you didn’t get your purple gladiolus but your reds look good (ARE they different?!) and a lily wouldn’t be the same without its anthers. Thank you for joining in ps does WordPress not remove spam comments like the 2 which have been posted so far?
Susie~Thanks for coming by and leaving a comment. I got an error message when I tried to leave one for you,but I did enjoy your blog.
Dorothy~My Casa Blancas were spectacular for years and kept increasing in number. This year there was only the one. Not sure if they got shaded out or what. I’m trying again in a new spot with more sun.
Cathy~The difference in the reds is only a shade or two, hardly noticeable, even in real life. Akismet has always been good at filtering out spam, but lately more of it has been getting through. I remove it myself, but only check once a day. Sorry for the annoyance.
What a stunning arrangement – love contrast of the red gladioli with the white of the lily – your beautiful ‘sacrifice to the bouquet gods’. I haven’t had the courage to make such a sacrifice, our lilies remain in the garden … for now! And I so agree with you about the anthers – it would be a shame to cut them off.
The lily has so much impact sitting there, all alone, amongst the dramatic red ! Lovely!
elizabeth~In my perfect world, I will have so many lilies that cutting a few will never be noticed. Thanks for stopping by.
Jane~A drama queen, for sure…in a good way.
Oooo … I do love Gladiolas! I used to be able to grow them in my garden before the neighbors planted a Maple tree in front of it. I love the tree, but now that area of my garden is too shady, and the Glads need sun. But I purchase them for flower arrangements this time of year because they’re quite reasonable–and gorgeous! Lovely bouquet, Ricki!
Beth~I know, I walked into Trader Joe’s yesterday and there were glads…lots of glads, 5 for $1.99.
Born in August glads are my birthday flower – and I have never much liked them, but you are right – they look better in a vase – especially one you have put together. Just lovely.
Pat~My daughter was born in August. How come I never knew about birthflowers? Is that like a birthstone?
Red and white is one of my very favorite flower combinations. You sure did it up right with this arrangement; it’s got it all, beautiful shape, color, and fragrance! Beautiful! Glads belong in a vase!
Peter~And a new crop is just coming on. I was more successful than I thought.
It’s wonderful that you are getting ideas from this piece of writing as well as from
our dialogue made at this time.