My old school, The University of Georgia, is currently topping the US college football rankings and has been for the past 19 weeks. I decided it was time to do a vase in the team colors, red and black. My husband describes the level of dedication to the sport at UGA as “Football as Religion” It is quite an experience to be in a stadium filled with 92,000 barking fans decked out in school colors. Despite being married to me for over 30 years, my husband has not yet learned to bark properly.
The reason for all the barking? Bulldogs are the team mascot, there is always a white bulldog on the sidelines (he has his own air conditioned dog house) The current one is named ‘Boom’ and they are named in order. Boom is UGA XI, when I was in school UGA IV was in charge. Follow the link for more bulldog mascot info https://georgiadogs.com/sports/2017/6/16/uga Note the vase disguises the year on the diploma.
There are probably few gardens in temperate areas that have plants with red and black foliage, but I do! The foliage is from the Piecrust Croton (Codieum varigatum), other leaves have yellows, greens and pink splashes, it is quite a colorful plant. The white flowers are ‘Miss Alice’ Bougainvillea; larger red flowers are Nodding Hibiscus (Malvaviscus arboreus); bell shaped red flowers are Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetafolium).
Another view. The black vase was a thrift store find and is one of my favorites for its versatility and contrast to the flowers it holds…and it is perfect for this “Go Dawgs” vase.
That is all from South Florida this Monday. I guess everyone now knows what I have been doing on Saturday afternoons (if we can conquer the where it is streaming on TV challenge) Visit Cathy at http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com to see more vases.
The Shrub Queen 
Great tribute to your alma mater! Cathy is going to love the prop and backstory. 😉 I enjoyed reading about all the many mascots. I’m glad he has AC, GA gets so hot!
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Thanks, Eliza. One of the bulldogs had a stroke from the heat – so they got A/C.
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My mind was going to Christmas. Watching too many Hallmark movies. I really like the crotons. I usually see them fall colors.
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I almost avoid all red flowers anymore except at Christmas!
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Really?l I have all red outside my kitchen window for hummers and butterflies.
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I mean I avoid cutting red!
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Ohhh. I did have a friend who decided she hated red and dug up all her plants and gave some to me. We are going to the low 30s tonight and I have some plants to cover.
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My goodness that is dedication to your alma mater. Love the mix of flowers!
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Well, that was an interesting post, Amelia – we learn something new every day! The black and red croton is a fascinating feature and lent itself so well to the theme of your post – I too was thinking of Christmas when I first saw it!
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Football in the South is a long standing tradition. No Christmas today.
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That’s a very dramatic color combination, Amelia – well done! I can’t remember what my undergraduate college’s colors were. As I recall, UC Santa Barbara didn’t even have a football team but I do remember a water polo team 😉 My graduate school’s colors are more deeply embedded but, although UCLA is very much into football, I’ve never attended a single game.
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Thanks Kris..
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So, a dedicated football fan! Glad your team is giving you cheer and you are cheering them on. Piecrust Croton is very cool. Such a clever vase combo.
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Thanks, Susie.
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With such dedication to the team, wouldn’t it be great if you could send an arrangement like that to grace the team’s board table or even dining table on the day of the match…from a dedicated follower of course!
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Haha! And with those red bell-shaped flowers I thought it was actually a rather festive vase suitable for Christmas! The Piecrust Croton not only has great foliage, but a great name too. I am completely ignorant regarding football, but glad you could pay your favourite team a tribute this week for their achievemnet!
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Thanks, Cathy. I may still have the same flowers at Christmas.
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I’ve had family in South Carolina for decades so I’m a Gamecocks fan myself, but it’s a rare treat to find them on my non-streaming TV these days…by coincidence the Gamecocks’ colours are also black and red (or garnet, officially…); kinda love to see them play each other just to make a game of differentiating the two teams as they crash into each other.
Your vase is perfect, as is the prop! Love the black leaves!!
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Thanks, Chris. A Canadian SEC football fan, i love it. One dahlia came up here, hoping for more.
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That is a most striking arrangement Amelia and interesting to read about your student days. Wishing your team continued success. My niece was a fairly recent student at the University of Georgia. She has settled in Georgia now and is most happy. I can’t see her returning to the U.K’s colder climes any time soon 😂
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Well, I was not here on Monday, and now that I see this, I am searching for white bougainvillea. I am in Los Angeles now. ‘Miss Alice’ is not available here, so I will likely go with ‘Jamaica White’.
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It’s called Singapore White on the West Coast..
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Gee, I was at a nursery today, finding a few items that I can not get at home, and (looking for) a few items that would likely be less expensive here, but did not find any white bougainvilleas. I will not install them until after winter anyway, so there is no rush.
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