In a vase on Monday: mostly foliage

It's late autumn here in Australia and though there are a few flowers in my garden, I thought I'd have a go at creating an arrangement that draws on foliage colours and forms rather than flowers for interest. Though Adelaide has a Mediterranean climate, I grow a fair number of tropical foliage plants in pots, moving them undercover in winter to keep them dry in the cooler weather. Here's what I came up with:

Foliage: Iresine herbstii, Aucuba japonica, Plectranthus argentatus, Hypoestes phyllostachya, Alpinia sp., Syngonium podophyllum 'Neon Robusta' (I think), Ctenanthe setosa, Ctenanthe setosa 'Grey Star'. Flowers: Begonia 'Mega Red'. Fruit: Sold to me as 'Chinese 5 colour chilli', from a garage sale over a decade ago - I've been saving the seeds and growing it every year since.
 
  

Here's the arrangement with a few props:

Props: being late autumn, it's persimmon season. Yum. I like the vanilla type; the knitted black cat was made for us by a lovely neighbour - a toy version of our pet cat, Cosmo; green depression glass jugs from my grandparents, and an antique green tile - a gift from an elderly lady I garden for

Here's a closer view:

And I couldn't resist adding a photo of the real-life Cosmo:
Cosmo does not enjoy the cold and spends a lot of time rugged up at this time of year

Head over to Cathy's blog, Rambling in the Garden to see this week's vase-worthy creations from bloggers around the world.

Location: Adelaide SA, Australia

Comments

  1. Kris PetersonMay 22, 2022 at 9:25 PM

    The Iresine plays off the Begonia beautifully, Horticat. Your mostly foliage arrangement is as eye-catching as anything with a heavy flower count. I've grown Iresine and Hypoestes in the past but struggle to keep them happy under our increasingly dry conditions. Cosmo is adorable snuggled into his rug. In contrast, my cat Pipig insists that we bring out the heating pad when it gets cold here.

    ReplyDelete
  2. HorticatMay 22, 2022 at 10:52 PM

    Thanks Kris, Pipig is lucky to have a heat mat - the things we do for our fur babies! I’ve thought about getting one for Cosmo but he does like to knead things with his sharp claws and I thought that might be a bit of a hazard!

    ReplyDelete
  3. DonnaMay 23, 2022 at 6:09 AM

    What a stunning vase of mostly foliage...such variety, color and texture!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HorticatMay 23, 2022 at 3:37 PM

      Thanks Donna, I like coloured foliage almost as much as I love flowers!

      Delete
  4. CathyMay 23, 2022 at 9:42 AM

    This is lovely, and really highlights the attarction of foliage. I had to smile at the knittined cat because the tail looks so relaistic but the eyes give it away!! Love that green tile

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HorticatMay 23, 2022 at 3:39 PM

      Thanks Cathy, I’ve looked at that that knitted cat several times out of the corner of my eye, thinking it was the real deal!

      Delete
  5. Susie @ pbmGardenMay 23, 2022 at 7:04 PM

    You have such a strong design sense. This is really lovely, colorful, well-balanced.

    ReplyDelete
  6. HorticatMay 23, 2022 at 9:26 PM

    Thanks Susie :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMay 24, 2022 at 12:25 AM

    It is lovely to see so many different colours and shades in just foliage. Very effective!

    ReplyDelete

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