Andrew, Lila, and I spent most of last week traveling through Central and Eastern Oregon. Knowing our days would largely consist of car-time, with small bursts allotted to exploring, I thought it would be an interesting challenge to see what sort of material I could collect along the way to fill a vase.
Our first night was spent in Pendleton — home to the woolen mill and the round-up. The open fields behind our hotel provided the perfect place to forage...
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I cut a little of this...
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And a little of that...
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I was surprised to find Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) growing here, but suppose I shouldn't have been. Tempting as it was to cut some of this I left it alone, after all I would be playing with these weeds in the hotel room...with a curious dog who wants to eat everything.
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Once my hands were full I returned to our room to see what I could come up with...
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But had to wait until the next morning to get a good photo of the finished arrangement.
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The vase was a birthday gift Andrew bought at the Hirshhorn Museum in D.C., when we were there for the Garden Bloggers Fling. It's basically a plastic pouch, that folds flat, but when filled with water sands upright as a vase, naturally Amazon has them too (here).
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I do love me some thistle...
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Our next two nights were spent in Burns, as a jumping off point for travel south around the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, Steens Mountain, and the Alvord Desert (I'll share a few photos from those travels later in the week). I collected cuttings on the outskirts of town...
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The golden hour really is golden in this part of the state...
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The Burns arrangement...
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I couldn't resist a photo in front of the hotel artwork, thanks to Andrew for playing along...
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Our final night was spent in Bend, which felt like a big city when compared to where we'd been. Gathering became a little more challenging since I didn't want to cut anywhere that might get me in trouble.
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Luckily I found a few things to snip while walking Lila.
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We were closely watched however.
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The Bend arrangement definitely has more of an urban feel...
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Less "weedy"...
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I did sneak in a couple of purchased Gomphrena (G. haageana 'Strawberry Fields' perhaps?) that I spied in the floral case of a nursery I visited, while Andrew poked around a bookstore.
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This was a fun experiment and a great excuse to get up close and personal with the local flora at each town we stayed in. Plus it put a nature focal point in our hotel rooms, always a good thing! For more "Blogger vases" visit our meme host Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
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Weather Diary, Oct 1: Hi 65, Low 50/ Precip .01"
All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
Our first night was spent in Pendleton — home to the woolen mill and the round-up. The open fields behind our hotel provided the perfect place to forage...
I cut a little of this...
And a little of that...
I was surprised to find Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) growing here, but suppose I shouldn't have been. Tempting as it was to cut some of this I left it alone, after all I would be playing with these weeds in the hotel room...with a curious dog who wants to eat everything.
Once my hands were full I returned to our room to see what I could come up with...
But had to wait until the next morning to get a good photo of the finished arrangement.
The vase was a birthday gift Andrew bought at the Hirshhorn Museum in D.C., when we were there for the Garden Bloggers Fling. It's basically a plastic pouch, that folds flat, but when filled with water sands upright as a vase, naturally Amazon has them too (here).
I do love me some thistle...
Our next two nights were spent in Burns, as a jumping off point for travel south around the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, Steens Mountain, and the Alvord Desert (I'll share a few photos from those travels later in the week). I collected cuttings on the outskirts of town...
The golden hour really is golden in this part of the state...
The Burns arrangement...
I couldn't resist a photo in front of the hotel artwork, thanks to Andrew for playing along...
Our final night was spent in Bend, which felt like a big city when compared to where we'd been. Gathering became a little more challenging since I didn't want to cut anywhere that might get me in trouble.
Luckily I found a few things to snip while walking Lila.
We were closely watched however.
The Bend arrangement definitely has more of an urban feel...
Less "weedy"...
I did sneak in a couple of purchased Gomphrena (G. haageana 'Strawberry Fields' perhaps?) that I spied in the floral case of a nursery I visited, while Andrew poked around a bookstore.
This was a fun experiment and a great excuse to get up close and personal with the local flora at each town we stayed in. Plus it put a nature focal point in our hotel rooms, always a good thing! For more "Blogger vases" visit our meme host Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
Weather Diary, Oct 1: Hi 65, Low 50/ Precip .01"
All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.