There is a yin yang aspect to my garden I had not considered until I put this vase together. The yin, female and present in even numbers must be the less tropical side of the vase. The more tropical plant (Lobsterclaw Heliconia) is the yang, the male side, represented by 5 bracts containing the flowers and the unbroken line of the stem…however, the colors don’t really work out to the Eastern philosophical concepts. Yin being represented by orange and yang, azure. I often have some difficulty combining the tropical with more familiar plant material. Maybe the balance is the difference…
I should put the philosophical aside as the arrangement is in gold Prosecco bottle from my usually Champagne bearing college roommate. The reflection is a funhouse version of me taking a picture in my foyer. Look for the grey hair in the middle of the image.
The Vase:
The colors reflect the Lobsterclaw Heliconia on the other side. Red flowers are from Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetiformis); the yellow flowers are from the Florida native shrub, Thyrallis (Galphimia gracilis).
The masculine side of the arrangement. A Lobsterclaw Heliconia (Heliconia rostrata), the leaf in the bottle is also from the Heliconia.
I am considering brewing some Holy Basil tea and thinking my garden design through. It is a good time of year for retrospective in South Florida. The gardening season cranks up in 90 days. Tomato seeds are planted July 15.
Yin and yang in the garden await.
To see more vases from around the world, visit our hostess, Cathy at http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com.
Happy Gardening!!
The Shrub Queen 
I really like everything about this arrangement…well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What an intriguing philosophical explanation of yin and yang, and what a glorious vase – the simple elegance is wonderfully created. Well done. I tried hard to see you and your grey hair but couldn’t make you out clearly – but I did see some nice stained glass in your door or windows… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t really have a explanation, just noodling it. LOL. no stained glass in the front door! It is
a glass french door with a red shade.Thank you, Heliconias need very little to look great.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A strong design. It sounds rather nice to be planning the gardening season ahead. Here there is a sense that summer is almost over and we’re heading to winter (despite the heat, that is!).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, It seems odd to me, after all these years to look forward to winter weather and vegetables. It is too hot to buy corn here and tomatoes. Neither will pollinate in the heat.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The rhythm’s of your garden seem different than mine if you plant tomato seeds in July, although late September/October is prime planting season for shrubs and perennials here. The lobster claw Heliconia is a dramatic presence in your vase, and I suspect in your garden as well. I’d love to have that plant in my garden but I expect it’d rapidly die of thirst.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, Kris. South Florida gardening has a different rhythm than the rest of the US, I am pretty sure by now..it is kind of backwards. I have a hard time getting enough water on the Heliconias – they are planted near the edge of the roof to maximize the water and they have irrigation heads and they still would like more water.
LikeLike
LOVE that Heliconia. Such a stunning plant!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Eliza. I do as well. Working on a painting of my dream Heliconia.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice! will you be sharing it? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe..I haven’t painted since the 80s, enjoying it though, the Heliconia in the painting is 3 times bigger!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds wonderful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really like the Firecracker flowers and the vase is fun! I tried hard but couldn‘t really recognize anything in the reflection. I‘m afraid I can‘t warm to the lobster claw flower though… it really does look claw-like! My tomatoes are huge plants with lots of small hard green tomatoes hanging on them. It seems odd you will be sowing yours just as mine start to ripen. When will yours be ready to harvest then?
LikeLike
yeah, it is all weird. Lobsterclaw included. Tomatoes depend on variety – eating in January anyway. Going to try and find the German Gardeners Delight seeds!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh I love this balanced arrangement
LikeLike
It looks more like Yang and Yin to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
OK, why?/
LikeLike
Because it is not quite a Yan and Ying.
LikeLike