In A Vase On Monday–August Mingle
Monday is nearly over, but I have been hurrying this evening to join Cathy’s challenge In A Vase On Monday. The goal is to fill a vase using materials gathered in one’s own garden.
In between errands and rain showers I finally managed at midday to gather flowers for today’s vase, leaving them in water to condition. After dinner at last I had a few minutes to assemble an arrangement for today. Fortunately it went together quickly.
First I affixed florist oasis to a shallow dish. Using a single stalk of euphorbia and multiple stems of Coral Bell flowers and lavender leaves, I outlined a basic circular shape for the design. It would have been nice to have some concealer leaves, but it was too late to gather any. I made do with a few fern-like tansy leaves and a bit of the lavender.
Outlining the arrangement
Next I emphasized the outline using Black and Blue salvia, then added rich canary yellow giant zinnias for focal flowers. The salvia is actually very blue, not purple as the photograph makes it seem.
Next Black and Blue Salvia and Yellow Zinnias were added.
Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ (Hybrid Coneflower)
Then came red-orange coneflowers (Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’), orange zinnias, and lantana. The lantana seems mostly orange at first glance, but its blooms are actually multi-hued clusters of orange, yellow, and pink flowers.
I finished the arrangement with yellow rudbeckia with green-cone centers, and Rosa Iceberg.
This iceberg rose did not really bloom well in spring, but recently it has tried again. Its flowers are very small and stems are weak, but I used them today for their fragrance.
Rosa ‘Iceberg’
Physostegia virginiana (Obedient plant) is starting to bloom this week and I used a couple of stems draping downward. To complete the arrangement I set the flowers atop an inexpensive bone-colored ceramic novelty vase that is stamped Vintage 4.
In A Vase On Monday–August Mingle
It is easy to lose track but as I was arranging I tried to work from all sides of the arrangement.
In A Vase On Monday–August Mingle
In A Vase On Monday–August Mingle
I do not usually work with so many different flowers in one arrangement and still cannot decide if it is easier or harder. It is surprising that such a variety was available today in my garden.
Materials
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Dutch’ (Dutch Lavender)
Heuchera villosa ‘Big Top Bronze’ (Coral Bells)
Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ (Spurge)
Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy)
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Pale yellow and orange Zinnia Cut and Come Again Mix -Burpee- 24” height
Canary yellow Zinnia Giant Flowered -Burpee-30” height Huge 5” blooms
Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ (Hybrid Coneflower)
Rosa ‘Iceberg’
Rudbeckia hirta ‘Irish Eyes’
Lantana camara (Common lantana)
Physostegia virginiana (Obedient plant)
In A Vase On Monday–August Mingle
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting. Discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.
pbmGarden 
You have succeeded very well with a wide range of different flowers. It is really useful to see the process of achieving the finished vase.Susie, thank you for sharing that. BTW I searched on-line and in shops in the UK and it seems the florists pins you sometimes use are not available any more, a florist told me they had been superseded by Oasis.
Thanks Christina, glad it was useful. That’s interesting the florist pins aren’t readily available. I found one UK source but of course, don’t know anything about this place (http://www.pin-holder.co.uk). Try searching for Pin Holders (Kenzans).
Thanks Susie, I’ll try that
Thank you for showing us how you put the vase together – as you said, you have used many different blooms but they work together well and give a really balanced result. Those of us less ‘experienced’ would find it much harder to get that balance and shape right but we are learning all the time and value your contributions for the guidance they give as well as the overall result. Thanks as always for joining in! 🙂
Thanks Cathy. I’m learning a lot by joining in with you and everyone else making a Monday vase. The practice really helps. I signed up for a class this year through my garden club.
You are clearly an experienced arranger Susie, no plonking in a vase for you. Thank you for showing us how you built your arrangement. It is really beautiful.
Thanks Chloris, Sometimes plonking is exactly what is needed, but I took a class a couple of years ago and learned several basic designs that I have tried to practice. Signed up again this year through my garden club and am looking forward to learning some new designs.
Well that’ s good, you’ ll be teaching all of us new tricks.
That is truly a lovely arrangement that could rival your local florist. You did good!
Judy, thanks so much. I appreciate your kind words.
That really is a bounty of flowers and looks wonderful. The details of how you put the vase together are useful… one day I might attempt a professional vase if I ever get hold of some oasis! I would probably make the mistake of starting with the main flowers and put the foliage and outer stems in last. Perhaps I need to find a book on this! Love the colour of that Echinacea Susie!
The rain really has helped give the garden a second chance. I like your Echinacea of similar color too. Glad you found the details useful. I took several classes a couple of years ago and we used a book that broke down the designs. Sometimes the instructor did things in a different order than what the book recommended so don’t think there’s one right way. I have found floral design does not come naturally to me so it’s nice to practice each week, but it is also satisfying to just plop the flowers in a vase without the fuss.
Susie I love the low light you used to photograph these August flowers as it mingled well with the colors of your vase. And such a wonderful variety that shows now in our gardens. I like working 360 degrees around a vase too sometimes. It really makes me think and use my creative eye. Sometimes our best vases are those we just do without thinking as you did, letting your creative side take charge….result is perfection!!
Thank you Donna. Glad you liked the golden light. Honestly I would have preferred to use natural light but it was already dark when I finished this vase.
Thanks for showing how you put the arrangement together …the result is gorgeous. If I tried something as sophisticated I’d end up with a real mess but yours is so well balanced and beautiful. Many thanks too for recognising the red flower in my vase as a zinnia … not a flower I’m familiar with but I like it so much I think I may have to grow more next year.
Elizabeth, your arrangements already look well balanced. Glad I could ID the flower for you. I grew zinnias from seed this year and have enjoyed them immensely.
Absolutely beautiful selection of flowers. I love the oranges.
Thanks Malc. I like the orange tones too and initially planned to have only the black and blue salvia with orange flowers, but there were so many flowers blooming yesterday I couldn’t stop.
Nice! I especially like ‘Iceberg’ and the zinnias.
Thanks Jason. That poor Iceberg needs someone who loves roses to tend it. The zinnias have brought so much pleasure this summer.
What an interesting process, there’s just no way to compare it to what I do!
Thanks for outlining your thought process and the steps, it seems like relaxing work.