In A Vase On Monday – Vintage
Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement using materials collected from our gardens. Today’s vase is filled with a selection of old-fashioned flowers, all rescued from the heat on Saturday.
The starting point was a fading border of shasta daisies. The shastas were nice for a few weeks but now most are wilting in the hot sun. I have lost interest in keeping them deadheaded and watered, so picking the freshest blooms to enjoy indoors seemed a good idea.
To accompany the daisies I cut some stems of Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower), whose yellow petals are just beginning to unfold this week.
Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)
I wish I had taken a picture at that stage. The Green-Headed Coneflower paired with the daisies made a winsome combination and I had planned to stop there. The arrangement ended up distinctly different though when I tested to see what would happen if I added some of the other flowers I had gathered, starting with Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers.’
The panicles of this oakleaf hydrangea sported quite a bit of red color this summer, but without enough rain they recently began to turn brown.
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’
Other flowers added were small clusters of Hydrangea macrophylla, Liatris spicata (purchased as ‘Alba’ yet not white after all), and some under-performing calla lilies.
Shasta Daisy and Coneflower With Addition of Liatris, Calla Lily, and Hydrangea
In A Vase On Monday – Vintage
The container for today’s arrangement is a cream-colored, crazed ceramic urn on which “Vintage 4” has been stamped. Why “4” is unclear but I like the vase’s shape.
In A Vase On Monday – Vintage
In A Vase On Monday – Vintage
Materials
Flowers
Calla Lily
Hydrangea macrophylla
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)
Liatris spicata (Gayfeather)
Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Foliage
None
Vase
Ceramic Urn Stamped “Vintage 4”
In A Vase On Monday – Vintage
In A Vase On Monday – Vintage
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower designs across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place In A Vase On Monday.
pbmGarden 
What a charming collection and intriguing vase.
Thanks Sandra.
The rudbeckia looks great with the shasta daisies, Susie – my rudbeckia are just opening but weren’t ready for a vase this week. I understand what you mean about not wanting to bother deadheading wilting plants. This is the longest dry period we have had since I finished work in 2011 nad really began focussing on the garden so I am unsure how some things will cope. Love to see that liatris which as yet I have failed to get as far as flowering!!
Thanks Cathy. Deadheading is not something I enjoy in any weather after the first or second time. We’ve had a lot of drought periods in recent years. Many of my perennials survived just by shutting down and trying again next year.
That’s what I would hope…
Sorry about your heat and hope you get some relief soon. Your arrangement is gorgeous as always!
Thanks Peter. Usually the fireworks get rained out but even that may not happen this year.
I love the crazing and the vase works nicely with your flowers. Many of us are suffering extremes of weather…bon courage.
Thanks Noelle. Yes, the weather picture is dreadful in many places it seems. Take care.
Very pretty. Unusual and intriguing vase. All the best. Karen
Thanks Karen.
Lovely. Daisies are always so cheerful and brighten the day. I think they look good all in together but it can make such a difference if you add and take away a few things, can’t it?
Thanks Alison. The daisies and rudbeckia were simple and nice together, but couldn’t resist the temptation to fuss with the arrangement a bit.
What a beautiful display of old-fashioned flowers…..I love the choices and how you arranged them…..my favorite is the Rudbeckia laciniata especially including those that had not opened fully added such a unique look. Mine are only half as tall as normal and I wonder if they will flower this year. We shall see. Hoping you get a break in your weather soon….they are predicting a break for us maybe midweek or end of week.
Hope your Rudbeckia will open and bloom happily for you Donna. Keeping fingers crossed for all of us to get rain this week. Seems dry all over blogger-land.
You’ve created a summer celebration! I love the Rudbeckia, flowers that I’ve all but given up trying to grow here. It seems odd that you’ve been dealing with such heat while it’s still cool here, although I hear we’re in for our first real blast of heat this coming weekend.
I meant to cut back the rudbeckia this year to see if the stems would be stronger, but didn’t get around to it. For now it seems fine anyway. Certainly feels like summer here and it’s not that unusual to have strong heat by now (Fourth of July is always 100F it seems).
Liatris spicata is an odd cut flower because it seems to be blooming upside down. Is it still only in two colors? I remember it only as that bright pink or white, with nothing else. I ‘almost’ grew it years ago because the bulbs would have been inexpensive. I would have gotten mostly white but also a few of the bright pink, just because they are more traditional.
This Liatris spicata was labeled ‘Alba’ but turned out purple anyway.
But are they only purplish pink or white? I mean, are there only two colors to choose from?
Google “liatris spicata” and click on images. There is a range of pink, violet, purple.
The arrangement has a distinctly vintage feel- four plants in there? Ah, 5. Oh, well I like it and my grandmother would have as well.
Thanks. I think my grandmother would have been pleased that I garden a bit.
LOL. I think you have exceeded a bit…and (if possible) she would love your blog..the possibility of our grandparents loving our blogs leaves me puzzled.
Ha! That is a funny thought!
I know it is..hard to imagine. Though I think the true gardeners among us would enjoy sharing ideas.?
A perfect summer arrangement. I love the cheerful white and yellow daisies and the vertical accent from the Liatris.
Thanks Jason. Liatris is something I really like. It’s not very happy in our dry summer.