In A Vase On Monday – June Orbs
Today brings a welcome chance to share the garden by participating in Cathy’s weekly call to display our cut flowers In A Vase On Monday.
The transition to summer is evident throughout the borders and in these early days of June, Hydrangea and foxglove continue to delight. Naturally then they should be featured in today’s arrangement.
Digitalis Foxlight ‘Ruby Glow’ and Hydrangea macrophylla
My first ever Ranunculus have begun to flower. Not many from a bag of 40 tubers survived and the flowers are much smaller than I had anticipated, but I was able to cut a couple of blooms.
Ranunculus
I bundled together half-dozen stems of Appleblossom yarrow to form a sphere similar in size to one hydrangea.
At center left, bundled Achillea x ‘Appleblossom’ (Yarrow) echoes the shape of hydrangeas and caramel accents of Ruby Glow foxglove.
Achillea x ‘Appleblossom’ (Yarrow), Gaura, Ranunculus
In some pictures the yarrow may look faded or even brown, as my husband thought, but in reality the flowers range in color from pink to peach with yellow centers. The effect was intended to pick up the caramel tones visible in the foxglove.
Hydrangea macrophylla, Digitalis Foxlight ‘Ruby Glow’ and red Pelargonium
Scarlet Pelargoniums harvested from a planter on my screened porch add a zing of color to what would otherwise might appear to be a collection of mostly pink balls.
In A Vase On Monday – June Orbs
The Waterford crystal container measures about 6 inches high by 6 inches wide. To hold the flowers in place I used a Perfect Arranger, which is a stainless steel armature with a weighted base that holds flower stems tightly in place without the need for using floral foam.
Materials
Achillea x ‘Appleblossom’ (Yarrow)
Dahlia sp.
Digitalis Foxlight ‘Ruby Glow’ PPAF (Ruby Glow Foxglove)
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)
Hydrangea macrophylla (from Jayme, March, 2013)
Leucanthemum superbum ‘Becky’
Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)
Pelargonium, dark red
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
Ranunculus
Crystal vase
Perfect Arranger floral holder
This last view is one taken from overhead.
View From Above – June Orbs
Many thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly floral arrangement celebration. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and other gardeners are placing In A Vase On Monday.
pbmGarden 
Wonderful as ever – you are such a pro! I admire the amount of thought that goes into your vases. Great work.
Joanna, such a nice compliment. Thank you. I’m enjoying the hydrangeas this year so much–they make it easy to create a lush vase.
I like your clever idea of tying the Achillea together to make a larger statement and reflect the mass of the Hydrangeas (I hope I remember to use this idea sometime). Hydrangeas are attracting me more and more; I’ve always said they aren’t suitable for the climate here although everyone grows them for their long period of flowers. I even succumbed and bought a white one for a pot on the terrace. The balance of colours works brilliantly, I echo Joanna’s comment – you are a real pro!
So nice–thanks Christina! I was afraid the achillea would get lost in the hydrangeas because its texture is similar but much finer, so decided to try bunching it together. I liked the way it turned out. Your white hydrangea sounds like a nice accent for your terrace. Smart to put it where you can enjoy it and close for watering. Mine needs lots of water.
I’ve also been given some cuttings of H. Annabel, they are small but already have flowers that I think I should remove to help the plant develop. I’ll be able to use them in a vase too!
Sounds lovely. I tried H. Annabel once but it was during one of our drought years. Should give it another go.
Your creations are always a lovely way to start the week off. 🙂
So glad you enjoy them Judy. Thank you.
Beautiful confection – the hydrangea are so fluffy and the deep reds really work so well with them. The crystal vase is perfect – I have a thing for cut glass, you know! 😉
Thanks Eliza. Some years I wouldn’t have bought that deep red pelargonium but it has such a richness I’m really enjoying it.
My goodness Susie….I love your transition to summer vase….especially the hydrangea.
Thank Donna. Very quickly the garden has moved into summer blooms now.
Seeing your list of contents really surprised me as it doesn’t look as if there are so many different ones in the vase – which shows how well they work together and how balnce the ararngement is. The foxglove is an amazing colour – never seen one like that before. Your rate of success with ranunclus as a little better than mine – I shall try them in pots next year. I looked on eBay and Amazon for the Perfect Arranger when you showed it before but didn’t see it then; must have another look. Thanks for sharing, as always.
Thanks for hosting Cathy. Lots of flowers were beginning to bloom this week. There weren’t enough to make much impact so I should probably have left them out for another time. Isn’t that foxglove great? Strongest color I’ve been able to find around here.
It will be increasingly hard to make the decision on what to include, won’t it?
You did a great job adding snap to the pale pink hydrangeas, Susie. The foxgloves are a perfect addition. I have the same (or similar) Achillea, just now coming into bloom, but I’ve yet to find a good match for it. For what it’s worth, I’ve had similar luck with ranunculus – and they’re supposed to be practically made for SoCal gardens.
So ranunculus must be more finicky than I realized. I suspect the voles ate most of mine but can’t be sure. That apple blossom achillea has a nice color range that might work well with blue.
These lovely plump blobs of colour add up to a vintage style bouquet with their subtle shades.
Thank you. Certain flowers like hydrangeas seem right at home in a vintage look.
There are lovely tones in your arrangement and your careful crafting with the achillea has paid off marvellously. I’m still loving that foxlove.
Thank you. This is my favorite foxglove I’ve grown ( purchased in pots in early spring) and I don’t know how long to expect it might bloom but I’d love for it to keep going through summer.
Beautiful! At first I thought it was the shapes I liked best, but as you showed the flowers closer up I realised how well you have combined those gorgeous colours to create a magical composition. So well done Susie!
Cathy, thanks for this nice comment. In person noticing the color subtleties might be easier, so I’m glad they came across the pictures.
Love the combination – very dramatic
Thank you.
Love the mixture of color and shape – the soft pink and deep red.
Thanks Jason. Grew up hearing you can’t mix pink and red, but turns out you can.
Who is going to stop you?
Love the colors and the idea of banding the yarrow together. Definitely made the arrangement much better. Beautiful as always.
Thanks Stephi. That yarrow has some nice colors in it but maybe is overwhelmed by the pink and red, except when viewed close up.
Nicely done! That vase is stunning. I think I have one like that … somewhere. All the flowers you used compliment the exquisite vase.
Thanks. That vase belonged to my maternal aunt and so its especially nice to fill it with summer flowers.
Hydrangea already in your garden!Beautiful!
Thanks Anca. This is the first year the hydrangeas have bloomed so well.