Tuesday Bouquet: The Last One

 

The last Floral Arrangement class project:

One bunch of "steel grass"  (Xanthorrhoea species)

One bunch Tulips  

One glass vase

 

The "steel grass", rolled into a "q" shape and pushed into the vase, acts as the anchor for the Tulips.  No foam, no tape.  The arrangement took just a few minutes to craft.

 

Two tulips just above the vase have a tête-à-tête:

Tulips do their own thing in a vase--the stems continue to lengthen, and the flowers turn towards the main light source.  This arrangement will change over the next few days as the flowers open.

The class enabled me to I learned new things, feel more confident about making arrangements, have models to  mimic or duplicate.   Plus, it was fun.  

Two days later, the Tulips are doing what they do:

 Perhaps I'll enroll in a future session.  In the meantime, back in the garden...

Irrigation problems.  A leaking valve:

But also a sprinkler head leaking badly enough to create a water filled pit.

After it dried out:

I had to temporarily dig up several plants, dig out around the valve and leaking sprinkler head, get irrigation parts, arrange help to fix the leaking valve, temporarily shut off the outdoor water, etc, etc..

It look a lot of time and energy.  Mostly done, except  checking for leaks one more time before putting all the soil back.  

I'd rather be wandering around the garden at this time of year.  Everything looks so fresh and new.

'South Africa':

South African:  Leucospermum Yellow Bird seedling:

Lavender 'Silver Anook':

 With  Lavender 'Meerlo' in the foreground:

Leucospermum 'Scarlet Ribbon':

Aloe vera:

Perhaps I'll duplicate the tulip bouquet one day, with Yucca or Dasylirion leaves subbing for the "steel grass" and Leucadendron 'Pom Pom' playing the role of the Tulips.   

They do remind me of Tulips:

'Apricot Cream', looking creamy:

And Hippeastrum papilio to finish.