Tomato love - Seasonal Arrangement; using tomatoes - Brief Article

Sunset, Sept, 2003 by Ariella Chezar

Pile lush heirloom tomatoes in a footed bowl for a jolt of hot late-summer color on your outdoor table. This arrangement couldn't be easier to do, and if you select tomatoes on the firm side, it will last for several days. 1 Start with the greenery. Here we wound a vine called love-in-a-puff (Cardiospermum halicacabum) around the sides of the container to create a halo that frames the fruit. (Other greens like passion vine and nasturtium also work well.) Poke the ends in small water tubes to keep the greens fresh. 2 Gather tomatoes in a variety of sizes and colors from your local produce stand, a farmers' market, or your garden, and tuck them among the greenery. The weight of the tomatoes will secure the water tubes and anchor the vine. 3 Finish with a few more twirls of the greens. If desired, add small flowers--we used nasturtium blooms, but other good choices are daisies, garden roses, and calendula.

Love-in-a-puff seeds are available from Nichols Garden Nursery in Albany, Oregon (www.nicholsgardennursery.com or 541/928-9280).

Ariella Chezar, www.ariellaflowers.com