Technically it is not even summer yet it feels like summer is flying by. Monday is here again bringing the chance to practice flower arranging by joining in Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday. The goal is to fill a vase using materials gathered in one’s own garden.
When Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ began opening last week I brought one stem indoors, where I admired its red-orange color all week. This flower became the starting point for this week’s design.
For a deep blue contrast I chose Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ but there were not enough blooming just yet to make a large impact.
For more contrast to the echinacea’s strong hue, I included a branch of Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’. Its layers of dark leaves radiate out accentuating the rays of the echinacea.
A few sprigs of lavender extend the size of the arrangement and the color reflects some of the purplish highlights of the euphorbia as well.
I worked with several vases and settled on a dark blue matte-finished ceramic piece my daughter created. (She also built the cherry table.) I have lots more to say about this arrangement but have to hurry off. Happy Vase Day!
Materials
Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ (Hybrid Coneflower)
Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ (Spurge)
Lavender
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Pin frog (3-inch)
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting. Discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.
pbmGarden 
Love the colour of your Echinacea Big Sky Sundown, just what I need for my Sunset border! I will have to look for it or something near to it. It contrasts beautifully with all the blue.
Pauline, I imagine that color would be great in your sunset border–and what a neat idea to have one!
The echinacea Big Sky Sundown is a fabulous colour and would look well in my sitting room; the design of this arrangement is very different from your usual more airy designs; it works beautifully in the mat vase.
Christina, the hue of Big Sky Sundown is appealing. I started out with a more open arrangement this morning but the flowers seemed to need to be closer and more compact to give a big punch of color.
Well it certainly looks perfect now.
I love this arrangement – and your pictures are gorgeous! Nice job!
Thank you Elizabeth–I’m happy with the way it turned out. Arranging the flowers takes practically no time compared to trying to photograph the arrangement.
The colors play off one another well, Susie. Did you treat the Euphorbia at all (e.g. scald the stems) before adding it to the arrangement? I’m never sure how to handle Euphorbia in an arrangement.
Your daughter is clearly very talented. Both the vase and the table are wonderful!
Thanks Kris. Actually I’ve never used Euphorbia in an arrangement before and didn’t think to do anything to it except condition it and the other flowers overnight in water. I’ll have to see how it holds up. I love having these objects in the house my daughter created–she’s an architect now.
The colour of the Echinacea is really lovely – its name says it all. I like the contrasting blue and black of the salvia and Euphorbia. The wood of the table it is standing on is a great background. You have a very talented daughter!
Cathy, I tried photographing this arrangement three different times and was happy the warm color of the cherry wood complemented the flowers today. I want to be modest, but I do think my daughter is very talented. It’s always fun to see what she thinks of next.
Wow – that echinacea is an amazing colour, and what a clever use of the euphorbia to link with the echinacea and the salvia. You have a good eye for bringing out the colours – and have made a very effective vase with only a few blooms. Hopefully we are all learning from your examples – thank you so much Susie 🙂
Thank you Cathy. We seem to all be learning from our collective experiences each week, which makes this so valuable, not to mention fun.
I love the simplicity of your arrangement this week – it makes the most of the pop of colour. How lucky to have such a talented daughter!
Thanks Julie. The color of the echinacea seemed to drive my design this week and I did want to emphasize it. (And yes, sweet and talented daughter–I am lucky!)
Nice! You’re right about the euphorbia, it really is an excellent choice to pick up the pattern and compliment the colors of the echinacea.
Thanks, I’ve never tried using euphorbia indoors before so it will be interesting to see how it holds up. I liked the dark color against the echinacea.
Lovely, Susie, and as all your arrangements it evokes such cool elegance and simplicity. The shelf is well chosen and the Echinacea looks stunning.
Thanks very much Annette. I think I do tend toward simplicity.
The ‘Black and Blue’ goes really well with the coneflower, both the shape and color contrasts.
Thanks. I wish there had been more Black and Blue blooming when I gathered the flowers. I had envisioned the arrangement differently but guess part of the practice is learning how to deal with the flowers that are available.