Once again I am joining Cathy for In A Vase On Monday, a weekly challenge to fill a vase using materials gathered from one’s garden. Three pinks come together for this week’s arrangement.
Peony, Phlox and Roses
My pass-along pink rose came into full bloom this past week. It is one I have grown almost since dinosaurs roamed, given to me by my garden mentor Virgie (my mother’s first cousin). This fragrant rose is one my mother and my maternal grandmother also grew and I keep it for its sentimental attachment.
Old-fashioned passalong rose
I am very fond of the pink Phlox divaricata (Woodland phlox) that also opened last week. It is yet another of VIrgie’s pass-alongs.
Phlox divaricata (Woodland phlox)
I ordered two peonies from an apparently very unreliable source a couple of years ago. Last year one of them, Paeonia lactiflora Duchess de Nemours, bloomed and turned out to be more likely Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’. This week the second peony bloomed for the first time. It was supposed to be Paeonia lactiflora ‘Black Beauty’ (Nightlife Peony) with a dark burgundy colored flower, according to the picture in the catalog. Accompanying text proclaimed, “nearly black bloom.” Instead, lovely but pink.
Peony
Materials
Paeonia
Rose
Phlox divaricata (Woodland phlox)
Peony, Phlox and Roses
Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting. Please visit her to see what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.
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A very pretty combination of pinks; I always think of pink as an early summer colour. How annoying that the peonies aren’t the ones you ordered; will the supplier credit you or send you the correct ones. Although the ones you have a re lovely so perhaps not too much of a disappointment.
It is starting feel like summer here. The entire order from that company was problematic and I just didn’t have the energy deal with it at the time. Now it’s been two years and I may not get a refund but I might let them know anyway.
You should, it doesn’t do any harm for them to know that you are unhappy. Also if this is the first year this one has flowered, how could you know. Mention you blog too!
Peonies seem to be particularly hard to tag as I have purchased ‘Festiva Maxima’ three times only to be disappointed by a pink-flowering selection of some sort. Your vase, however, does not disappoint…it is stunning as always.
Marian, I’m becoming a fan of peonies–still quite a novice though. Festiva Maxima is beautiful. Hope you can land one finally.
The simplicity of sticking with a single color always appeals to me. The vase is a perfect counterpoint to this symphony in pink.
Thanks Rickii, managing a lot of colors at once can become overwhelming. This way the shape and texture of the flowers can speak for themselves.
You never feel alone in the garden, do you? All the passalongs always remind you of cherish(-ed) people. Other than its sentimental value the rose is very nice by the way, and i also love the peony, although it is very irritating when you buy something that reveals different from what was offered…
Precisely. Gardens are nice ways to carry on relationships with special people. Glad you like the rose. That’s a compliment coming from a rose connoisseur such as yourself. The only other one I have is ‘Iceberg,’ also a memory plant that had belonged to a friend.
Your experience with the peonies must be like God’s experience with us. He never gets what we should be, but how we turned out!
Funny! The peony has nice redeeming qualities so accepting it is not terribly hard.
That rose is stunning and how lovely that it has all those associations. I stay away from pink everywhere but in the garden or a vase where it is always perfect!
Thanks Linda. My preferences tend toward blues and greens but oftentimes the passalongs have been pink. They help round out the garden’s personality I hope.
Beautiful, Susie, and a common theme it appears…love the vase and pink blooms. I too have many peonies from unreliable sources that either don’t bloom or are not what I wanted…namely fragrant peonies. My peonies have sprung up and I expect them to open soon.
Thanks Donna. This peony is nicely scented too. Your garden really is catching up fast.
I have a pink one just like yours, but I don’t know the name of it. I inherited it. Lovely vase this week.
Thanks so much John. Fun that we both used pink peonies. Chloris suggested this one might be Monsieur Jules Elie but wasn’t sure. I’m not sure either–doesn’t quite seem the same.
Lovely pinks. So pretty. I remember your Duchesse de Nemours that wasn’ t . I wonder which this is. It looks a bit like Monsieur Jules Elie. But I’ m not quite sure.
I was glad you set me straight last year and was hopeful you’d recognize this peony today. I do see a similarity but am not quite sure either.
Lovely trio of pinks! As Christina says, you should still get in touch with the company. It;s not as if things always flower in their first year anyway. The peony is especially gorgeous whatever its name and I see you have used a Caithness Glass vase…
Thanks Cathy. I was planning to mention the Caithness vase but can never remember the name and didn’t take time to look it up. It appears to be the same as yours. Perhaps I contact the company, but I agree the flower is nice regardless.
I love the gorgeous color combination you chose…The blue really makes the pink blooms so much more striking.
Hi Charlie. That Caithness vase seems to work with about any kind of flower and color. Thank you.
I adore peonies. I tried growing the herbaceous variety in my old garden once, depositing ice cubes of the soil in a vain attempt to fool the plant into believing it was experiencing winter chill – needless to say, it didn’t work. I’ve got an Itoh peony now, which has pretty foliage but, so far, has exhibited no signs of blooming. So your peony has me green with envy this morning! I know it’s frustrating when what we order isn’t what we get (especially if that discovery takes a year or more) but you’ve got a spectacular flower and you’ve created a beautiful arrangement (as usual).
Thanks! Kris, you’ve made me smile at the though of icing down your peony, but how ingenious to give it a try. I’ve not tried an Itoh peony before but after seeing them on blogs I have them on my ever-growing list.
Your vase is beautiful – love your arrangement of pretty pink flowers. I like the deep pink of your passalong rose and how lovely to have plants with memories attached in your garden. All my plants are new but many are there because of the association with someone or something I want to remember. I think I have a few mis-labeled ones too … I can think of a climbing rose that looks entirely different from what it should and a flowering cherry – the blossom of which doesn’t look right, off the top of my head! Much as I love peonies I haven’t got one growing in the garden … your beautiful ones have inspired me too do some to remedy that soon 🙂
Well thank you Elizabeth. Hope you find a peony to add to your garden. I like to know the names of plants in a garden but they’re still enjoyable regardless. Seems you’re creating your own memory garden. Plants are terrific for that.
This is a nice idea to use three shades of one colour. It really highlights each individual flower and yet they are linked together. I also got sent the wrong peony a few years ago… can’t remember what it was meant to be now but it is annoying. Still, the one I was sent is quite nice too. I shall have to use it in a vase this year when it opens! I also liked your vase very much. Is it glass?
It seems I’m not alone in receiving mislabeled peonies. Fortunately we’ve all still liked the result. The one in your vase today is lovely. Yes, the Caithness Glass vase is a gift from my sister. She purchased it in Scotland during a vacation a few years ago and I’ve always used it with this rose. Now the rose has company.
The beauty and power of pink flowers – just great, Susie!
Thanks Anca! When fully open the rose is almost exactly the same pink as the peony, but it starts off much darker.
Nice! I had no idea there were pink woodland phlox.
It is a passalong so I’ve called it phlox divaricata for a long time without really researching it much. Like most passalongs it is very easy to grow and is happy in sun or shade.
Lovely frothy combination Susie. In the past two years I have had tulips and a Rowan tree both supplied and not as ordered both have been refunded. I know just what you mean about finding the energy and actually even with a refund, its an annoying episode, especially the tree!
Hi Julie. Well glad you worked through and received the refund. It is a bit disheartening and a tree is not easily substitutable.
I would love this on my desk.
The fragrance is wonderful too.
That peony is wonderful, despite its colour. I love the flowers that carry memories as well as their beauty your rose and the phlox are perfect colours for the errant peony.
Thanks Linda. Those special passalongs certainly add to my enjoyment of the garden.
That’s a stunning combination! And the scent must be wonderful, too! I love the double, ruffly Peonies!
Thanks Beth. It’s nice to have fragrant flowers.