The post-holiday mantle

I've said it before, and here I am saying it again. As much as I LOVE decorating for the holidays—which I do immediately after Thanksgiving—I also LOVE taking everything down as soon as Christmas is over. Bam! Outta here. In with a fresh new look for the longest, darkest, month of of the year. This transition usually involves buying cut flowers in the genus protea, and this year is no different.

Let's start with a close up of my New Year's wreath, made from foliage of Grevillea Ivanhoe and a few NOID leucadendron flowers.

Unfortunately neither of these are from my garden, they were purchased with this creation in mind.

Having worked with both of them before I am confident they'll dry nicely.

The guzmania I'd purchased as part of the Christmas cheer are still going strong and have been moved into different containers at the base of the fireplace surround.

Now let's look at close-ups of what's on the mantle. I've considered doing a purely cream and green pottery arrangement before, but I think this might be the first time I've actually followed through with it.

Starting on the far left. I am unsure of the species name of this one, but I love it's furry top.

Each of these pottery pieces has memories attached to it. I might not be able to remember the plot of a movie we saw last month, but I can tell you who I was with, and where it was that I bought each of these. For example, the piece with the candle. This is the first time I've used it. I bought it in December of 2019 when I was up in Spokane visiting my parents on my mother's birthday. It was a little bittersweet digging it out and remembering time spent together—since I haven't been able to see them since then.

In a post I did on Instagram I called the big pink bloom a Protea 'Pink Ice', but have since learned (thanks to a protea grower) that it's actually Protea 'Venus'...

Whatever it's name, it's gorgeous.

These dried blooms have been in my collection for years. You know that memory I was just touting? Well it's failing me as to when or where I bought them. I just remember that we left town shortly afterwards and I was thrilled to come home and find them "preserved"...

Years back I scored a gorgeous black jewel orchid at Portland Nursery. It looked fabulous and I gave cuttings to several friends. Then it just sort of imploded. Dead. I've wanted another but since then this plant has become one of the darlings of the houseplant craze. In other words I could not rationalize the cost. So I was rather happy to find this tiny start for a reasonable price at Marbotts.

Did you spot this print in earlier photos? Here's a bit of synchronicity for you. I'd already planned to redo the mantle with some of my cream and green pottery, then on Christmas morning I opened this chromolithograph from Andrew, it took what I wanted to create and turned it into a landscape. The plants and colors, they're perfect.

Here's a close up. Mittelmeerflora is German for Mediterranean flora, at least that's what Google Translate tells me...

Another jewel orchid, this one 'Lightning Bolt'...

Looking further to the right...

Since candles seem to be rather hard to find these days I had to settle for ones of a smaller diameter than I'd hoped for. Nothing a little moss and palm seeds from the trachycarpus display couldn't make up for...

Actually you've probably noticed I used those trachycarpus seeds quite liberally, they have a nice opulent quality to them. Like grapes in a painting, but longer lasting.