My arrangement for this week began to form in my mind when I noticed my Apocalyptica Bromeliad was flowering. These are sometimes called Matchstick Bromeliads, so I decided to use my husbands vintage French cafe match striker as a vase. This ‘vase’ was originally used in French cafes to hold matches for smokers.
Images that come to my mind when thinking of a vintage French match striker involve Ernest Hemingway – sitting in an uncomfortable metal chair at a tiny table contemplating the nearby Seine River while trying to work out some angst. He looks down and realizes the match container has been hijacked to hold flowers, finds a box of matches and proceeds to strike a match on the side of a the vase. Then he lights an unfiltered cigarette, takes a big drag, exhales blowing some rings with the smoke, sighs deeply and takes a big gulp of red wine. And thinks some more.
Maybe not. Okay, I drank the red wine and Ernest was not here. But there is a river nearby. My angst concerns the sun also rising, but the garden dilemma involves where to move poorly performing Agapanthus to get more sun. On to what is in the vase.
The Apocalyptica Bromeliad (Aechmea apocalyptica) is the nearly fluorescent orange spiky flower. Rounding out the vase in orange again, Mexican Bush Honeysuckle (Justicia spicgera); in purple, Ground Orchids (Bletilla something); Blue Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum) and another volunteer Asparagus Fern for fluffy greenery. The red striped foliage is from another Bromeliad (Neoregelia ‘Fireball’). There are a zillion varieties of Fireballs and I gave up figuring out which one is who because they are all pretty and mostly indestructible.
Happy Monday, may your week be angst free.
The Shrub Queen 
That’s a great image you have conjured up, and of course I love your use of props! I am now wondering why the Apocalyptica Bromeliad is called such a thing… 😉 Thank you for sharing a delightfully different vase again, and let’s hope you are able to avoid angst too!
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Thank you, another name is Aechmea gammosepala, though that usually refers to a blue version. It is a bit of a explosive color, bright orange flowers and the foliage is olive green with burgundy red backs, I was surprised by the color of the flower. My Agapanthus angst continues. I love the flowers but can only grow foliage!
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Such intriguing plants – and names! I haven’t had an agapanthus flower for years, but I still live in hope (and have just germinated some ‘pilfered’ seeds from somebody else’s agapanthus!)
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Your musings always add an entirely new dimension to your arrangements, Amelia! I have to wonder if adding a glass of wine to my vase arranging process wouldn’t give it a boost too but, as most of mine are constructed on Sunday mornings, that might be pushing things a bit far. I love the matchstick bromeliad, yet another variety I’ve not seen here.
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No BUI here, Kris. I do the arrangements in the morning as well but the light for photography has not been good until late afternoon currently. Bromeliads here are a learning process as it is rare to find one that is named. The Matchstick also comes in blue and is popular the world over, I am constantly amazed at the hits on the Matchstick post.
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Great arrangement and story. And wine.
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Thanks
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Lol. I’m laughing at your images. What an interesting vase and the wine of course, that will help with the dilemma one way or another. The vase is full of interesting things too.
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Laughing with me, I hope. My garden is full of interesting bordering on weird.
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Love the train of thought as well as the arrangement! 😉
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Thank you, loved the Silent Sunday image
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Thank you 🙂
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I love your matchstick pot and the container and your flight of fancy involving Earnest Hemingway and Paris. And what a good excuse to have a glass of wine.
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Cheers!
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Great arrangement, glad you got to enjoy the wine. Not sure Hemingway would have noticed the flowers he would have been so busy with his musings
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Probably
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How all-around clever, Amy! That ‘tablescape’ of the flowers, the container, the glass of wine and the matches — it’s such an intriguing storytelling picture.
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Thank you, Cynthia! Happy Spring!
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