My title for my Monday vase today could almost be “Fire and Ice” as we had our first (minimal) frost last night… but thankfully the container plants near the house didn’t catch it. This beautiful flame red Lantana has been looking good outside my front door all summer, and now I want to enjoy some of those lovely flowers indoors before it is too late.
I used a shallow bronze-coloured dish with a lid with holes in it (is there a proper name for such a “vase”?) which I recently acquired, and decided to add a few strands of my Polygonum/Persicaria filiforme ‘Lance Corporal’ for height…
I was initially somewhat underwhelmed by these tiny “flowers” which look more like teeny weeny red leaves. But the colour is very vivid and Lance Corporal has grown on me. And since it stands in my shade bed (upright and to military attention as the name suggests!) in complete shade almost all year, it certainly deserves being featured in a vase. The leaves are pale green with a defining red “v” shaped mark on them. Quite striking, and definitely a plant I can recommend for dry shade.
(This is the only photo I seem to have of the leaves, taken in early June…)
Of course, I couldn’t resist showing you a picture of my composition against the backdrop of the red acer leaves…
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting this meme, which has encouraged me to look at my flowers and plants in a new light and to enjoy them indoors not just on Mondays! Do take a look at her vase today, and all those others linking in to her blog from around the globe. You may be inspired to join in!
What a fabulous flower and glad it survived a frost….it is going to be wet and cold here for the last half of the week….but I am bringing in and protecting some flowers so I can still eek out a few more vases. Love the ‘Lance Corporal’ flowers…so delicate. The vase is perfectly staged too!
Thanks Donna. It has turned damp and chilly now, which at least means the frosts should hold off a while! I have planted some Amaryllis for indoors already, and have a few more for later planting. They will be useful when the garden shuts down completely!
I don’t know a name for that type of vase but it is both attractive and functional. Those red lantana look beautiful in it and wow! The red maple makes a great backdrop. Have a good week Cathy!
Thank you Susie, our maple is still going strong and brightening up some grey days this week. 🙂
I really like that sunflower plate underneath the vase.
I’m glad you noticed it! I bought it in the summer sales simply because I liked it and had no idea what I could do with it until I needed a spot for my vase the last few weeks! 🙂
I think it could be used on a few more occasions!
Lovely – the red and green together look almost Christmassy.
Definitely festive! 🙂
The Lantana is beautiful on its own but I love the addition of the Persicaria flower, which gives the arrangement an unexpected light and airy touch.
Hi Kris – my attempts at unusual arrangements are rare, but it was fun trying to get those persicarias to stand up how I wanted them!
Last night’s temperatures dipped down fairly low here too Cathy but fortunately we avoided frost. I do like the markings of the foliage of ‘Lance Corporal’ . He looks a most fitting companion for that lovely epimedium. Do you know its name?
Hello Ann, I just looked up the name of that pink flower: Semiaquilegia ecalcarata ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’. It was lovely, flowering for ages in almost complete shade. It’s like a cross between an aquilegia and an epimedium!
Frost has been forecast in the UK too this week, with cold winds coming from Russia in the earlier part of the week and the. From the Arctic at the weekend! Lovely strong colours in your vase and beautiful against the Acers.
Well, it has turned milder now Christina, but with that cold east wind making it feel really chilly!
That is a gorgeous red lantana, Cathy – and what an intriguing persicaria to go with it. Lance Corporal seems quite similar to my P Painter’s Palette which has had similar flowers for the very first time. Thanks for sharing
I suppose mine might flower a little better if it had at least some sun, but the plant looks happy enough! I joyfully discovered my third Polygonum – ‘Blackfield’ – yesterday, hidden under some Perovskia I was tidying up. 🙂
How exciting to rediscover a hidden plant – I have just ordered ‘Blackfield’ which I too am excited about!!
Beautiful lantana with the bronze, Cathy, and love the shot taken with the matching acer backdrop!
Thanks Eliza. I shall have to experiment with that vase a bit but it was quite fun trying something new!
I love the lantana in a vase! I have a lot of lantana, actually, as it is wonderfully drought tolerant. But I have never thought of using it as a cut flower, and after seeing your beautiful arrangement I can’t wait to follow. You were really right to choose such a dramatic backdrop as that gorgeous acer. It is so beautiful!
Isn’t it strange that Lantana is so drought proof and yet in the vase it drinks up the water like nothing else! It does last a few days and looks lovely in coloured vases too. 🙂
Creative, as usual!
Thanks Anca!
Red is a powerful colour and leads together with green into autumn- and wintertime. Warmth against low temperatures. 🙂 Love your new vase!
Yes, that acer gives me a warm feeling when I look at it…. from inside next to the heating! 😉 It has turned quite cold here now with an east wind.
I love your Lantana, what a gorgeous colour and a perfect match for your fiery red Acer.
It really is a good colour Chloris, although I love the orangey ones too. 🙂
That’s a nice variety of Lantana. I just pulled mine out of their pots.
I’m waiting till the frost gets mine before pulling it up, although I know it will be a horrible job clearing all my pots when it gets really cold!
You have chosen a very apt name for your Lantana – a stunning colour and I love the backdrop of the Acer too.
Thank you Ann. I’m so glad I chose this Lantana instead of an orangey pink one for a change. It has been lovely all summer, and enjoyed the extreme heat we had!
The colder weather hasn’t reached us here yet, and my acer certainly isn’t anywhere near as colourful as yours.
It turned very cold this week Janet, and the heating is now on full blast. Quite a shock after the mild weather we were having!
I may have mentioned to you that Lantana urticoides (which may have served as the basis for what’s in your vase) is native in central Texas. I know where some is growing wild just half a mile from home.
How wonderful to have such a beautiful shrub growing wild nearby. I believe it gets very large in its native environment. Does it die back some time in the year in Texas?
We don’t have a long or cold winter here, but we do get occasional freezes, and that’s when the lantana dies back. Of course our spring comes pretty soon afterwards, and the lantana soon comes back to life.
I checked one of my local wildflower books, which says this much-branched species can get to about 2m in height. In addition to its flowers, I like the fragrance of its leaves.