It’s June, the most popular month for weddings in the US. I put together a big vase of fragrant white flowers and greenery, was ready to call it ‘Go Big or Go Home’ – then realized there were bells on the table and the crystal vase was wedding gift from a dear friend that worked with both my husband and me at the architectural firm where we met. The bells, year round residents on the table, are temple bells my father brought back from India after being stationed there during World War II.
I started to use Bridal Bouquet Frangipani but the stems are too short for this vase. What could be better for a June bride than a big bouquet of Gardenias? A closer view:
The Gardenias are Tropical Gardenias, sometimes called Florida Gardenias – like the temple bells on my table, these hail from India. Their botanical name is Tabernaemontana divaricata. Adding to the fragrance from the Gardenias, the white spikes are Sweet Almond (Aloysia virgata). A spray of chartreuse flowers from the Adonidia Palm is hiding in the foliage. The rest of the foliage is Asian Sword Ferns and a few errant palm fronds from seedling Sabal Palms (Palmetto sabal).
My foyer smells good enough to hold a very intimate wedding ceremony there. The need for witnesses might present a problem due to spatial constraints.
To see more vases from gardens around the world visit Cathy at http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com
Happy Gardening!
The Shrub Queen 
Tropical gardenias sort of look like gardenias, but a bit better. Gardenias are not exactly easy to grow here. I do not think I had ever seen tropical gardenia before. I suppose I should ask about it while down south. (I will not be going any time soon though.)
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Any bride would be pleased with your arrangement. Bells are a nice touch. The Tropical Gardenia is quite lovely. Do they last long? I wanted gardenias for my bridal bouquet but the florist warned they turn brown too quickly. Hope you had a good weekend and are set for a great week ahead.
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That is a good theme for this month. And I’m hoping that it isn’t really Monday as I’m reading this. Retirement and COVID make knowing the day of the week difficult. It is the only question I ask that little talking box the kids got us.
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Oh, God, WordPress just got away from me somehow. Same here. It is not Monday and I did not know how to get it back..The box??/it talks?
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It is an Echo. I really have no use but to ask about the weather and day of the week.
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oh, an Alexa thing. Seems a popular parental gift. A friend got one from her son and hates it. My husband and I are always looking at our phones to see what day of the week it is.
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It’s a perfect arrangement for a hot, almost summer, day. I’m sure your gardenias smell almost as nice as lilacs did here a few weeks ago [insert laughing imogee] and I bet they have a much longer blooming period. The Aloysia virgata looks interesting – I’ve read that it’s evergreen unless it gets hit by even a light frost. Has that ever happened to yours? Does it bounce back quickly?
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The Gardenias are lightly scented..our average low temperature is 40 F. never seen frost. Though it has happened. No
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This is beautiful – how I wish I could smell it, I bet it is amazing!
Have a good week ahead~
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Thanks, Eliza. You, too.
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Beautiful, and lovely photos again
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Thank you.
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It’s lovely when things come together, without a deliberate act on our part, as in your glass vase and the bells – and what a glorious result which must smell wonderful. The glossy green leaves really set off the pristine white blooms, don’t they?
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Thank you, the leaves on the Gardenia are really nice, the plant is kind of scraggly but is not in a great place either. A friend of mine hangs baskets of orchids in the trunks. They usually end up sort of 8 or 10 feet tall and multi trunked.
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So the blooms look better in a vase than on the plant?!
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yes
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Gardenias and sweet almond must smell wonderful. I have only smelt Gardenias in a bouquet here, and as soap or perfume for older ladies! They seem very summery and conjure up images of floaty dresses and cool drinks!
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Sweet and summery is the scent, it is jasmine like.
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A lovely arrangement, fresh and sturdy at the same time. I don’t know why ‘masculine’ comes to mind, maybe it was reading about your father bringing the bells back from India. How lovely to have to memento always in view.
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Thank you, I think it is kind of meaty with the foliage…meaty, masculine!?
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Lovely vase, lovely bells and lovely memories
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Thanks 😊
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