Rest assured that the spell check did not like that word I made up, Graptosalvia. It still doesn’t, and would not even hazard a guess at what I was trying to type. Grapto for the grey graptosedum and salvia for the flowers.
The wildflowers in my garden have responded wonderfully to my haphazard fertilizing a couple of months ago followed by lavish rain showers over the past couple of weeks. I have never seen them so big or so green. Another home run for time release fertilizer. Osmocote may be the secret for gardening on sugar sand. The succulents, graptosedum and friends, are also enjoying the heat and food. I never do anything special to the succulents and they just keep multiplying..the instructions I read on the internet for succulents boggle my mind.
The contents:
The funky foliage in the vase – two cuttings of grey graptosedum, these things tend to shed leaves as they are moved, so I arranged the lost leaves into a fan at the base of the vase. The spiky green foliage is a frond from a palm seedling stuffed between the flower stems to make them stand up straight. It looks deceptively like a spike dracaena.
The flowers:
In red, white and pink spikes, Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea); yellow flowers are Thyrallis (Galphimia gracilis), this is one of my favorite summer flowering shrubs. It would probably be taller if I did not like to cut the flowers. There are a few white spikes of Sweet Almond Bush (Aloysia virgata) and I managed to cut the Gallardias (Gallardia pulchella) off the bottom of the picture. The vase is a leftover florist vase from ..who knows where, but the perfect size.
Happy Summer Monday to all and thanks to Cathy at http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for hosting IAVOM. Follow the link to see more vases..
The Shrub Queen 
I’m glad you explained that word. It did look very unusual. Your wildflowers look great together. I have also been fertilizing more this year using MicroLife. It is expensive, but Ace Hardware keeps sending me coupons and they sell it. Anyway, I am getting good results, so with fertilizing and a lack of rabbits, plants are growing well.
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Thank you. I looked up MicroLife and they only sell it in TX, I wonder if it is specific to your soil? I have the biggest crop of rabbits ever and they are eating the sedge weeds in the grass. I think the scented plants they leave alone.
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Oh, I kinda thought that, but never looked it up. I know they used it at the botanical garden I used to volunteer at.
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Just splendid, you’re very good at flower arranging 👏
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Thank you, Annette. I enjoy arranging.
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I wasn’t sure if Graptosalvia was a relative of salvia, so had to smile when you said it was a made-up word! The salvia is so striking, in both colourways, and the added greens and greys make the perfect foil
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Thank you, Cathy. There is probably a salvia by that name somewhere.
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Love the red…I’ll just call it salvia!
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Thanks, Rosie. That works..
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A happy combination! Glad your random fertilizing worked. I need to do that here. Have a good week.
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Thanks, Susie. I think simple is better sometimes, fertilizer can get so complicated.
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Wow, that’s a dramatic display!
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A little drama goes a long way…
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Very pretty. All those colors remind me of candy for some reason!
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Thank you, hmm peppermint and lemon drops??
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Yes! My grandmother used to keep a glass dish of sourballs on her coffee table… I think that is the memory that got stirred up. 😉
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My grandmother kept pretty but revolting hard candy on her coffee table!
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Ha! A glance at your title had me wondering if you’d accomplished a horticultural breakthrough! The succulents combine beautifully with the Salvia and Gaillardia flowers. I’m not acquainted with the Galphimia but I love it; however, the fact that the genus isn’t even listed in my Sunset Western Garden Book isn’t auspicious.
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Only a floral breakthrough. Thank you. The Galphimia is a Caribbean native, I think and you probably need summer humidity to grow it.
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My, my this vase is really an explosion of the tropics. That grey graptosedum is really quite an impressive plant. Love it in the vase.
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Thank you,
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Very impressive, I love all the cheery salvias.
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Thank you, Liz
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Graptosedum? I thought that it is Graptopetalum. I was not aware that it is a hybrid.
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It is. I have some graptopetalum, too.
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Gorgeous! The yellow flower is an eyecatcher, despite its daintiness. But the salvias grabbed most of my attention again. 😉
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Thanks, Cathy. Salvia lovers we are!
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