Green/gray.  How was I going to green the Homewood vase when I couldn’t figure out the color to use.  It came to me when reading one of Paula Pryke books (will talk about her in book reviews) that the salal leaf is not  bright green and even turns a little grey when it dries.  I put the salal up against the vase and was not totally taken with it.  Then I walked around the yard to see what other greens I had.  I stopped.  Here was a lamb’s ear that would mix nicely with the salal.  Next to it was some dusty miller, another grey saw-toothed leaf.  (The wholesalers have them but it’s so exciting to have plant material for free.

I had planned to use some deep purple trachelium as the low topiary flower (its head is sort of like that of yarrow.  I bought a deep blue delphinium for a dramatic match as the high flower.  The two didn’t jive.  I went into the fridge and found red shrub roses.  They were striking with the delphinium in the Homewood pot.  www.museums.jhu.edu

Tip:  Try greening your arrangement first.  You might not have to use so many flowers.