The upcycle is the vase itself. Made from dried remnants of my front door Christmas wreath. Here is the wreath in its previous life. The green bands are Blanchetiana Bromeliad foliage wrapped around the wreath and tied with jute. When I took this down the flowers had dried to brown and the bands were curly and retained their color. I saved them because I thought they might make an interesting addition to a vase. Instead, I covered a plastic water bottle with the curled leaves and made a vase.
The flowers are a bright mix designed to counter any winter blues. Low temperatures in the 40s (F) are forecast this week, appalling weather to anyone Floridized (living in Florida for over 5 years, blood completely thins out). We might have to wear long pants and (gasp) turn on the heat. A closer view of the vase:
Another view of the flowers:
The yellow daisies are Beach Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis), a year round bloomer. The red and yellow daisies are Gallardia (Gallardia pulchella), another year round bloomer. Both are native and absurdly easy to grow. The pink flower is an unknown Zinnia. Deep pink and chartreuse spikes are Texas Vintage Rose Mix Celosia from Floret, I may really like these. I think they need cutting back, so here they are. Peachy and red spikes are from Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea). The more beige spikes are Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa) and funky stems with a bit of blue are Blue Porterweed (Stachytarpeta jamaicaensis), white daisies are another native Spanish Needles (Bidens alba).
I am really enjoying my winter garden this year and just planted another round of vegetable seeds. Hoping for more Zinnias and Celosia before the heat sets in.
Happy Gardening and thanks to Cathy at https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/ for hosting. For more vases, visit Cathy’s blog.
The Shrub Queen 
I love your vase made from the leaves. Your wreath still blows me away and it is so perfect for a tropical Christmas. Our temperatures dropped from near 80 with 99% humidity to the 30’s today. Sweating one week and freezing the next.
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Thank you, the wreath lives on…it was 39 here this morning, not sweating currently!
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An inspired vase!! I love the idea of reusing the bromeliad leaves in the way your have! And the colours in the leaves are really lovely and sit so well with the gorgeous flowers in your vase! Bright and beautiful! Amanda https://therunningwave.blogspot.com/2020/01/in-sweetly-pretty-january-vase-on-monday.html
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Thanks, Amanda. I am still trying to figure out how to comment on your blog,,loved the sweetly pretty crystal vase..
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The Bromeliad foliage makes a great accent for the vase. You have filled it with lovely and interesting materials. That is a pretty color of salvia. Glad you’re enjoying your winter garden–such a gift.
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Thanks, the Salvia are always fun in their different colors..winter gardening still seems a bit weird, I have been picking tomatoes and have pole beans flowering.
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Oh the leaves vase is wonderful and it would have been criminal not to have recycled them! It makes the perfect foil for the wonderfully warm and summer blooms you have used – it will definitely warm the cockles of anyone feeling the winter cold today, as I am! Thanks for sharing
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I am glad a little Florida sunshine found its way to the UK. I am going to keep the leaves to see how long they last.
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You can grow Celosia in winter too?!! I love the wrapped recycled plastic bottle.
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The two flowers I have had success with from seed. China Asters were a disaster and a few others!
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What a fabulous idea for a vase. I wonder if I could try it with birch bark. I envy you for your abundance of colourful January flowers. I particularly like the tawny colours of the gaillardias.
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Thanks, Liz still laughing about your vase! I have seen birch bark used like that. I think it has to be glued. I have been enjoying the Gallardias this winter.
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Wow. That’s a beauty!
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Thanks, Grandma- can I call you that?
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Beautiful. Such an innovative idea for making the vase.
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Thank you
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Was that leaf around the bottle a fad in the 1990s? I remember it from a brief class in the late 1980s, but back then, it was just a trend in Hawaii that no one else was trying.
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No idea, I don’t remember seeing Bromeliads like that in Hawaii.
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I do not know if it was done with bromeliads. It seemed like it was done with anything with a strap shaped leaf, as well as a few things that just had elongated leaves.
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