In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer Color Burst

39 Replies

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer Color Burst

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement using materials collected from our gardens.

The zinnias are again the highlight of the garden this week, so I went out to gather a colorful bunch.  The foliage is looking spotted after August’s heat and dry spells, but there is no powdery mildew as would normally be seen by now.

But a surprise awaited—Iris germanica ‘Immortality’ was blooming, slightly past its prime, blooming nonetheless. I thought it would be nice to include it in today’s vase.

A second surprise was seeing the Clematis ‘Niobe’ is finally back in bloom. This red clematis is supposed to bloom throughout the summer, but mine sulks, its foliage scorches to a deep brown. September’s cooler nights and shorter days has awakened Niobe and I was able to collect several flowers and buds and was able to weave the fresh foliage up and through the display.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer Color Burst

The native beautyberry is growing too tall, spreading too wide and its offspring are sprouting up in inappropriate locations. It is full of magenta-purple berries and I grabbed a couple of stems for today’s vase.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer Color Burst

Rather begrudgingly I selected a flower from another native, Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant) that has overtaken the north border.  This passalong is something I have enjoyed for decades, but in the last couple years it has become nuisance-grade.Natives are not always well-behaved. I found a spot for it on the right-hand side of the design.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer Color Burst

The final selection for this week’s vase is another passalong Purple Heart, from a friend and former colleague Kathryn. The dark purple foliage provided just the right color accent and its form added a quirky, off-kilter spark the design needed.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer Color Burst

I regret not taking a photograph to share of the container (a birthday gift from my sister earlier in summer), but it is visible in the images above and below. The underpainted glazed ceramic dish features a floral decoration on the interior.

Flowers adorn the glazed platter’s interior.

Materials

Flowers
Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry)
Clematis ‘Niobe’
Iris germanica ‘Immortality’
Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)
Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’ (Purple Heart)
Zinnia ‘Cut and Come Again Mix’
Zinnia elegans ’Cactus Flower Blend’

Container
Glazed platter with floral decoration

Mechanics
Small black plastic Solo bowl – vase insert
Assorsted 2 and 3-inch florist’s frogs (floral pin holders)
Black stones

The white iris was supposed to be the focal point of today’s vase. I designed this arrangement from the left side, imagining it would not fill the dish completely. So from this angle the iris is most visible.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer Color Burst

I had not planned to use many zinnias, only one large orange cactus zinnia, but the design evolved as I added more and more, moving further toward the other end of the platter. Flowers were inserted into two florist’s frogs so I had some flexibility to negotiate their positions within the dish and as the arrangement grew I was able to just add a third frog.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer Color Burst

I love the way the garden rallied this week with a colorful burst of energy.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer Color Burst

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer Color Burst

As always a big thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us a chance to express our flower arranging passion. Visit her to discover what she and others found this week in their gardens to place In A Vase On Monday.

39 thoughts on “In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer Color Burst”

  3. Cath

    How gorgeous! I love the way the colour in the dark centres of the Zinnia echo the purple -black of the clematis and the dark leaves around the base of the dish.

    Reply ↓
  4. Cathy

    That’s something I have not thought of doing, using more than one frog – do you do anything to stop them moving about on the platter or toppling over with the blooms? You have used the frogs and your lovely zinnias to great effect and your other additions balance the display perfectly, especially the clematis

    Reply ↓
    1. pbmgarden Post author

      The frogs are weighted and since I wasn’t transporting the flowers I didn’t take time to secure them to the dish. There is a product called Floral Sticky Clay that could be used. I used a circle cut from a non-slip PVC fabric between the frog and the dish instead…don’t know the name of it. I always admire your many clematis. Wish I could keep them going better during summer.

      Reply ↓
      1. Cathy

        Thanks for that, Susie – I have checked on eBay and it is available, but coming from the US! Postage is reasonable though. Clematis jouiniana is a herbaceous clematis and quite late flowering. I do have some others in flower, but only a couple on the clematis colonnade whereas the idea was to have one in flower on each post. I have tried to keep that bed watered over the summer as the foliage from the spring clematis keeps some of the rain off!

  11. Kris P

    An arrangement that allows each bloom to shine is both unusual and wonderful, Susie. You did a great job striking a balance between the warm colors of the zinnias and the reddish purples of the clematis flower and the Callicarpa berries. Every year at this time I kick myself for having failed to plant the ever useful beautyberry somewhere in my garden.

    Reply ↓
    1. pbmgarden Post author

      Thank you Kris. Was happy to find the clematis flowering again. I would like to get rid of my Callicarpa and admire it from afar, but at least the birds do enjoy it.

      Reply ↓
  13. Eliza Waters

    I like the way this feels like a miniature garden, Susie. I love zinnias (I know I’ve gushed about them before)… the beautyberry matches the ‘Niobe’ nicely, which looks sweet trailing off. What a nice surprise to have a new iris bloom.

    Reply ↓
    1. pbmgarden Post author

      Thanks Cathy. It was lucky my zinnias did well this summer or I’d be scrambling for vase material. That will happen soon enough though as fall is noticeably present now.

      Reply ↓

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