Mid-November; what is there in the cut flower borders that is in good enough condition to place in a vase to join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for the weekly opportunity to share a vase of flowers from our gardens.
I knew there were still some Zinnias, their foliage is now horrible but there were still plenty of blooms; many past their best through lack of cutting them on my part, for today’s vase I chose the white ones, Zinnia ‘Polar Bear’.
Zinnia ‘Polar Bear’, Cosmos ‘White Purity’, Three different white Chysanthemums
Green Chrysanthemum was needed instead of foliage
But the surprise this week is that the Acidanthera callianthus (Gladiolus murielae) that were a gift from friends in June 2014 have flowered!!! This is a flower I admire; I managed to grow it once when I lived in England and I’ve failed with it several times here. For sure I would consider it a flower of late summer (August) but I suppose it was just far too hot then; November seems far too late but I am very happy to them whenever they wish to flower.
The surprise this week Acidanthera callianthus or Gladiolus murielae
In a vase on Monday, another white theme
With thanks to Cathy for hosting; what have you found to pick today, do share your vase with us all.
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
I have some ‘Acidanthera callianthus or Gladiolus murielae’ they come up each year in August but do not flower. I’m wondering if they are just not mature enough yet, or if the ground is not well drained enough for them. They are such delicate flowers dancing at the end of their elegant stems.
I can’t advise you about the Acidanthera as this is the first success I’ve had with them in years. The first time I was lucky them were in a pot in a very sunny spot. I think you’re right that they need free draining soil.
Thank you Christina – I think I’d better lift and pot them for next year and see if that brings success.
Or put them somewhere very hot.
Yes, thank you, I might try that – I have a few, so maybe some and some.
Good luck
😉
There’s lots of lovely stuff to pick in your garden. Here each week I find myself thinking there’s nothing and then I find plenty especially when relying on foliage to pad it out. I guess it will stop in January until the bulbs come through.
Yes; there are still lots of good seed-heads too at the moment, I like using the flowers while there are some but an arrangement of some fruits and berries would be more seasonal.
That’s beautiful Christina. The Gladioli is the icing on the cake, so to speak! I thought that was the famous ‘Green Envy’ zinnia at first, but the green Chrysanth is quite striking too. Frosty here too, but the clear skies mean we can see the moon (and a little sunshine too!).
There’s high cloud here today, no sun at all! It might clear tonight to see the moon. I have ‘Green Envy’ too but it isn’t very prolific – I’ll plant more of them next year.
Here, the gladioli is called Peacock Orchid…a fitting name I think. I first saw it at Sissinghurst on a September visit and grew the bulbs the very next year in South Carolina. They bloomed in June! And I thought I was going to have a fall plant…lol.
Acidanthera obviously has very particular needs that makes its flowering season rather variable. I like the name Peacock Orchid.
Acidanthera is just beautiful Christina–makes a lovely feature for your arrangement. I like Purity very much also.
I was so happy and surprised to see the Acidanthera flowering.
What a lovely display with those airy stems up above. I love that glad and always wanted to try it but never have. What fun to have it bloom so unexpectedly.
Yes, it is fun and more useful now when there is less to pick from the garden.
Lovely to still see cosmos and zinnias, I so miss mine! This is a pretty vase and the acidanthera offer nice pizzazz. I attempted to grow them this year, but only got foliage before it was knocked down by frost. I dug them up and hope to try again next year. Hope springs eternal, esp. in the garden.
I think you just need luck with the Acidanthers. Try them in a pot positioned in a sun-baked spot.
Good idea. Thanks!
You do like your white vases – but what a great selection for a mid November one! The acidanthera were a great find and look really striking with the other blooms. I didn’t realise they would be as tall as this, or have you cut the stems of the others shorter? Oh, and have you had a go at creating your own silver vase yet?
I need to search for some silver paint Cathy and perhaps a visit to Ikea for a couple of suitable vases. You’re right I’m always grown to white flowers for vases, although this one was definitely improved by the addition of the green mums.
A good combination ps would that be IKEA when you next visit the UK or are there stores in Italy?
Ikea is here, two stores near Rome. They are all over the world I think and they are all identical in layout. It is quite spooky.
The last time I went was to a different branch and the route was clockwise instead of anticlockwise, or the other way round – quite disorientating!
That’s really weird.
Christina, how wonderful that the Gladiolos murielae have bloomed now! They are beautiful and delicate. It is a pleasure to see Cosmos and Zinnias at this point. Chrysanthemums are precious. Greetings from Margarita. Your garden is unpredictable. Greetings from Margarita.
It is lovely to have something new flowering this late on the year Margarita. Each stem produced multiple flowers so a few stems gives a good show.
It has to be spectacular to see Gladiolos in November. And not just any kind of Gladiolus but it has to be spectacular: I love it. And if they also throw many flowers by stem is magnificent, as its flower that does not resemble the gladioli that I know and is a fragile beauty. Christina, I imagine you will be happy with this gift from your garden. Greetings from Margarita.
Very happy, yes.
It’s a great combination, Christina. If I could find Chrysanthemums as pretty as those in your garden, I might well try growing them, even though the plants have a hard time with our summers. I did try growing that Acidanthera years ago but, after one 3 of the 12 bulbs bloomed the first year and none the next, I tossed them out – given your experience, perhaps I should have waited!
I don’t think the Acidanthera are easy Kris, you probably did the right thing. Given how wet out autumn has been this year, it might indicate that that is what they need!
I love your white arrangement, so pretty. I can never get Acidanthera to bloom more than once. A friend of mine keeps them warm by her Aga once the foliage has died down. I don’ t see why that would work but hers flowered again this year. I love your white chrysanthemum.
Mine haven’t even always flowered the first time! We’ll see what happens to these next year. I’ll leave them in the ground,
Wow, I love those green mums, that is nearly a spring arrangement. Gladioli seem to be a bit tricky, the key may be to forget about them?
Other Gladioli grow very well for me, it is just these rather elegant Acidanthera that are difficult.
Those acidanthera are stunning Christina! Mine flowered back in early September whilst we were away on holiday, although last year I planted the bulbs very late and had them flowering in the greenhouse in November – perhaps I should try successional planting next year. Can you leave your bulbs in the ground?
Yes I leave the Acidanthera in the ground, I also leave all the gladioli in the ground and so far we haven’t had a winter than has been hard enough to kill them although we have been promised a cold, long winter this year which I’m not looking forward to.
Mike has been predicting a very cold winter for a long time now and it looks like there is already plenty of snow in the Alps although it is quite warm for November here – we shall see.
It is decidedly colder than other years with more rain here, often winter doesn’t truly start until after Christmas. I feel so sorry for the poor people living in tents in the mountains because they are too afraid to return to their homes for fears of more eathquakes.
What a beautiful combination. I love the white and green theme. I am looking at seeds at the moment and am searching for the polar bear zinnia. So pretty. I’m growing the acidanthera too. I’ve just pulled all the bulbs up to over- winter in the poly tunnel. I was delighted to see that every bulb has produced some new fat baby bulbs underneath. A bonus for next summer. https://karengimson.wordpress.com/
I bought Zinnia Polar bear from Chiltern Seeds; they have a very white selection of Zinnias and the germination rate was excellent.
Thanks for the information. I shall keep an eye open for their special offers on line. They often have a discount code for 10 percent off. Thanks again. Karen
That’s a stylish, cool arrangement. Great to see the acidanthera, an elegant plant I too have failed with many times!
Do you remember the only other time when I was successful with them was in a wide low pot outside the front door in Cookham?
Beautiful! Interesting that your Acidanthera are coming on so late. I have them mixed with other gladioli, but it looks like some of them will start to bud soon, which would be very early compared to yours. Perhaps blooming is triggered by a ‘rainy season’ rather than by temperature or light.
I think you may be right about the trigger for the Acidanthera. We have had a very wet autumn this year.