What to put in a vase for Cathy at Rambling in the Garden‘s weekly challenge to find something in the garden to put in a vase to enjoy indoors?
Last week I saw that there were quite a few Zinnias and I thought another little celebration of them would be a nice idea as surely they wouldn’t survive another week; but when I went to pick them their blooms were tatty and not worth cutting so I will be removing them from the the cuttings bed this week. But as I have mentioned several times already they have been flowering constantly since the first week in June so very good value for a cheap packet of seeds.
I wasn’t sure what else I could find; although there were dots of colour around nothing was in good enough condition to be worthy of a vase. Except Leonotis leonurus; in fact this is growing better now than at any time during the summer, plus there is now sufficient material to take some more cuttings, some have already struck so I will make space for a few plants in next year’s cuttings beds.
Leonotis leonurus in a vase on Monday 14th December
Leonotis leonurus
Leonotis leonurus
I put the vase (actually a woven pot with a plastic interior) on the kitchen mantle shelf where I can enjoy them.
What have you found for a vase today? Do visit Cathy to see what she and many others have found today.
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
A gorgeous plant…I don’t think I remember seeing this flower before. I like the look of it in its own container. Lovely orangey-yellow color to the flower.
I have used it before but mixed with other things. I think it is looking its best now. When the orange petals fall the seed whorls up the stem also make a useful addition to a vase.
it is a beautiful flower and must be providing some much appreciated colour in your garden at this time of the year and looks great as a cut flower too. One to add to my list, I think!
Sarah Raven uses it as foliage in her bouquets. I is quite tall, mine is about five feet.
We can grow Leonotis leonurus (called lion’s tail here) as an annual or tender perennial, but it is iffy for us. Can you overwinter it in the garden?
It has survived in mild winters but is more successful if I take cuttings and overwinter them in the greenhouse. They take a long time to flower well.
Your Leonotis is striking. It looks terrific on its own, with the graceful arching branches providing flowers and foliage. I think your basket makes a perfect container to go with the orange tones of the flowers. Hope you have a good week.
I think you’re right the Leonotis looks better on its own than with other flowers. I hope you have a good week too.
My goodness! Certainly not what we would expect for mid December – that leonitis is amazing! Not sure how reliably it would grow in the UK but I am certainly thinking I will give it a try and I am sure it will be on your list for next year too. Your vase such a lot about our unusual weather this year, so thank you for sharing.
I love the arrangement, and the vase. Good luck with the cuttings…its wonderful to be able to make more plants.
This is such a nice plant – I recently visited a public garden that had it interplanted with grasses and it just shone!
A beautiful plant with a mysterious name!It looks so well in your vase!
I’m so impressed by how well your Leonotis has flowered, Christina! By comparison, the older shrub I inherited with the house has thrown out only sporadic blooms even though I cut it back hard last year, hoping to give it a new lease on life. I’ve been seriously considering replacing it.
Our young plant is also covered with flowers now.
I haven’t picked it yet, will follow your fine example.
Leonotis is a new plant to me, and it is lovely. I like your basket as well.
What a gloriously warm and spicy colour Christina. I’ve only tried leonotis once from seed but didn’t have any joy. Were these flowers picked from cuttings you took last year?
Yes they were. With regular watering they grew really well.
Wonderful choice, the bold color is such a wonderful antidote for the cold, gray days that have been so prevalent lately.
Luckily we’ve had sunny days for most of the month but that means that the nights have been quite cold. But I can live with cold if there is sunshine, it’s the grey skies and low cloud I hate.
I might try growing aome of these for summer pots next year. Love the apricot colour in your basket vase. 🙂
I think you might find them rather tall for pots, mine are about 5 foot but on Sarah Raven’s video they are over six foot!
Oh wow, I hadn’t realized! Mind you, my Tithonia did really well in my large pots this year and were about 4 or 5 foot tall!
Quite amazing. They look fun to grow. Do they need to be staked?
Mine aren’t but they are planted close together and near other things so everything is holding everything else up.
That’s a lovely vase – really zingy and summery flowers esp in December… I’ve got fuschias in mine which definitely shouldn’t be still around in soggy manchester – still v mild – 12 degrees today… Have a lovely week love bec xx
Hi Bec, our temperatures aren’t so different to yours but here the air is much drier and so it feels much warmer.
It should be about 5C at the moment (& icy mornings and snow sometimes) and it’s so mild at the moment the grass is still growing… It’s nuts…. Too soggy/muddy to mow though…
I grew this many years ago and your lovely arrangement has made me want to try it again. Beautiful!