This year Christmas Eve and the first day of Hanukkah fall on December 24, the media have christened the date Chrismukkah, which I suppose sounds better than Hanukmas.
In honor of the season and Chrismukkah, I have done two arrangements, one in Christmas colors, red and green and another in traditional Hanukkah colors, blue, white and silver. Being perpetually and cursedly curious, I wondered about the origin of the color schemes.
According to Cambridge University the Christmas color scheme could go back to the Celts who used a red and green tree to mark boundaries. Here is the link, Who color coded Christmas. More research tells me the Hanukkah colors are based on the Israeli flag, why blue.
Now that we know the origins of the colors, here is the Hanukkah arrangement. The silver goblet is an heirloom from my mother’s collection and the flowers are in blue and white – Pom-Pom Asters (inspired by Cathy, our hostess) I started some seed in September and now have blue, white and perhaps pink Pom-Pom Asters, who knew they would grow in Florida in the winter.? The Asters are thriving, but alas, so far my other IOVOM flowers, the Cactus Zinnias are a disappointment. Another inspiration, White Italian Sunflowers are going, but they are showing signs of mildew, time will tell. The other blue members of this arrangement are Evolvulous, Blue Daze the annual peeking out here and there. The White Begonias are Sweet Begonias, a perennial here, the silver flowers are from Flapjack Kalanchoes. Deep plum foliage along the edges is from Purple Oxalis, from my neighbor. I think this plant may be the common thread between all of us. Asian Sword Ferns provide a bit of green.
Here is the Christmas arrangement, the original thought that it looked sort of non tropical. Then, the white Bridal Veil Plumeria is a bit difficult to explain. The dark green Yew is Japanese Yew, Podocarpus macrophyllus. Unabashedly tropical as are the red berries of the Brazilian Pepper, outlawed years ago as invasive, but determined to stay around, it is sold as Pink Peppercorn the world over and I have not eaten one of the berries near my house, but many birds have – and on the Brazilian Peppers go, The red striped foliage is from Martin Bromeliads and the ferny foliage is Copper Fennel. I think I have cut more of this than we have eaten, though it is tasty. The vase is an old Brandy snifter from my husbands ‘flaming things in a glass phase’. Go figure. Drinking flaming liquids is not my area of interest.
So, there we go. Happy Holidays to all.
The Shrub Queen 
What a nice idea to do a vase for each occasion. I love those pink peppercorns but did not realize they were considered invasive. Such a lovely color for a berry.
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It is hard to think of pink peppercorns as evil until you see what they can do. They are lovely and the arrangements are taking at least a hundred of them out of action!!
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Again, very creative. I do like the blues and it is a perfect time to use them. It is great to have flowers in the winter. We went down to 30F and I haven’t looked outside to see if any flowers are left.
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Thank you, I hope you have some pansies and violas!
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I am so behind in my gardening. I have 2 days of cutting and pulling before I add my winter annuals.
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Those asters are so pretty – I must have a look round to choose which ones I will grow next year. I am glad they grew for you but I am sorry about your lack of zinnas – so far! It was interesting to read the background of your two vases – those pink peppercorns are certainly striking! Thanks for sharing
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I do love those Asters, you had a named cultivar I could not find here. We will see about the Zinnias, I rarely see Zinnias here although I cannot imagine why no one grows Z.linnearis.
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Beautiful arrangements. I’ve always preferred blue flowers. Cactus Zinnias did well for me this summer so I’m sorry you’ve not been happy with yours. Have nice holidays.
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Well, Susie, the Zinnias have totally croaked! They really did not look like yours, kind of single instead of double. I am starting a new garden and will try another batch direct seeded to see if that works. Thank you and Happy Holidays!
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I really love those red peppercorn berries – absolutely perfect for the Christmas arrangement. The Hanukkah vase is also very pretty. Such a shame your cactus zinnias were a disappointment. I do hope you try again and have better luck next time as I know how much you love them.
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I am starting my Coral Reefer garden, neighbors gave me coral rocks! It has more sun this time of year so I will give the Zinnias another try in the ground. I like the berries too!
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Chrismukkah?! I hadn’t heard that one but, yes, it’s superior to the alternative I guess. Both arrangements are beautiful, although I admit that the blue and white one is my favorite. I had a Brazilian pepper plant itself in my garden here – I thought the foliage was pretty and had no idea what the plant was so I let it grow awhile, until another blogger identified it and put me on warning. Although only a foot tall, I had to bring in reinforcements (my husband) to remove it. California peppers are more common here, as you might expect, but also vigorous reseeders.
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Interesting! the Peppers here are not on my property yet I see them and understand why people planted them. I like the blue arrangement as well, the asters are really pretty.
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I prefer the name Yule for this time of the year as it predates all the Near East religions. But your title neatly fits your two beautiful arrangements. I wish those gorgeous peppercorns would come and invade my garden. I love your asters too.
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Yuletide Greetings, Liz. You really don’t want the Peppers, they have the oddest habit, this time of year I understand why people liked them. I am enjoying the Asters and will be interested to see how long they last.
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