In A Vase On Monday – Pink October
Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement composed of materials collected from our gardens.
I look forward to preparing a Monday vase each week and had planned to round up the last of the zinnias for today, but wow they really are past now. Time to pull them out and finally plant the pansies I bought a few days ago.
No frost yet but suddenly the air is chilly, clean and brisk. Yesterday’s sky was deep blue as neighbors gathered near the playground for an annual community BooFest, celebrating Halloween and harvest.
It seems strange but pink flowers seem to dominate this October.
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’ is full of buds. Not many flowers are ready yet but I found two to use as a starting point for an arrangement. Oops! One dropped all petals as I began to work.
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’
A pass-along from my neighbor Nancy, Chrysanthemum ‘Sheffield Pink’ is just opening as well, with only a few flowers available.
Chrysanthemum ‘Sheffield Pink’ (Hardy Chrysanthemum)
Yarrow is having a second flush of flowering recently. All the fancy Achillea hybrids in beautiful colors die out quickly in my garden, but this pass-along pink is aggressively loyal.
Achillea filipendulina (Fern-leaf Yarrow)
The three mixed Dahlia ‘Fireworks’ plants bought early in summer are looking stronger, but they have not been noteworthy. I cut two of the pinkish cherry red for a different pop of color. Another dahlia from this series is yellow with red markings, which I strongly dislike and did not cut, and the third is a salmony-apricot that I do like, but its produces the fewest blooms.
In A Vase On Monday – Pink October
For filler I used a few stems of Perovskia, which is also staging a nice comeback this month in the side garden. I found two stems of Arum italicum to use for foliage.
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) and Chrysanthemum ‘Sheffield Pink’ (Hardy Chrysanthemum), Arum italicum leaf
The container is a triangular black Ikebana vase that I used many times. It is a perfect size to hold and highlight just a few flowers.
In A Vase On Monday – Pink October
Materials
Flowers
Achillea filipendulina (Fern-leaf Yarrow)
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’
Chrysanthemum ‘Sheffield Pink’ (Hardy Chrysanthemum)
Dahlia ‘Fireworks’
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Foliage
Arum italicum
Vase
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Black Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)
In A Vase On Monday – Pink October
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 
Your pinks are pretty and since you mentioned it, I realized I have quite a few pinks too. I really liked your use of the the large leaves, they have a great green color.
The arum had only these two leaves and I can’t decide if it’s coming or going. Seem too fresh to be at end of the run so maybe I’ll be able to use some another time. The large size gives a nice background.
What a lovely camellia! I love the single ones almost more than the very luxuriant double ones! Lovely colours, and still summery and pretty. I am still summery too! https://therunningwave.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-vase-on-monday-summers-last-hoorah.html
Amanda, your flowers are so richly colored…just lovely. I’m having a hard time leaving comments on blogspot so hope you’ll see this.
Alas my only pink October flowers are frosted and I think probably done for. That mum is beautiful. I wasn’t even sure what it was until you named it. And that Camellia. Such beauties.
Oh those silly frosts! It soon will be our turn–average first frost is Oct 21-31.
I like pink in October – it gives a break from all the orange and gold.
I’m always amazed how often pink crops up in my garden. I don’t actively plant a lot of fall tones.
A beautiful flower, Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’ . And I love the way you mixed the other colors with the pink. A lovely fall vase with flowers long gone from my garden. Already frosted and frozen here.
Thank you Donna! Instead of calling these flower colors clashing, I prefer to call them eclectic.
I love how your arrangements celebrate and feature the form and color of each flower and leaf while creating a delightful whole! Thank goodness for Camellia sasanqua, arum, and the few others just starting to put on their winter show now.
Thanks Peter. I like to give the flowers a little breathing room. Yes, so glad some new plants are taking over the bloom production.
This is my favourite Ikebana vase, and the type I had hoped Richard would buy when he was in Japan! My Zinnias are holding on – just but with a strong cold north east wind today and tomorrow they may well decide it’s too cold here too. Your vase doesn’t look like the end of October, much more high summer, I love the colours you’ve chosen today.
I do love using this vase, but I swooned over that heavy black one from Japan. It’s lovely and very traditional. The pinks in my garden surprise me because I honestly love blues and purples so dearly. Sometimes I’m grateful for whatever blooms though!
I must try again, but Ikibana shows all the mistakes! I definitely need to practice.
The paucity of flowers in late season suits your spare, elegant style. Another winner is no surprise.
Oh, thanks so much. I’m starting to look at little tiny vases for the next few months!
Your post had me running outside to see if my Camellia sasanqua are blooming. I found a single bloom but there’s no sign that’s the start of a stampede and, as there’s another round of Santa Ana winds in the forecast for the end of the week, that’s probably for the best. Mine are nowhere near as pretty as yours in any case. I love those pink chrysanthemums too.
No camellia stampede here either yet but shrubs are promisingly heavy with buds this year. My daughter mentioned the Santa Ana winds during our weekly phone call. I like the chrysanthemum too–kept seeing it around the neighborhood and someone offered to share. Some folks have an apricot one that I have my eye on as well!
‘chilly, clean and brisk’ – that desribes how are mornings have been recently too. It’s a good feeling, an enlivening one. The pale pinks were indeed a surprise and the camellia and chrysanthemum are such pretty shades. As always, the end result is really balanced and pleasing to the eye so thanks for sharing your skills with us
The cooler weather does help perk us up doesn’t it? It’s always fun to see what can be made to work together in a vase. This week there was a little coercion but I describe the color combination as eclectic.
OMG, this is so, so pretty. I do believe this is one of my all-time favorite IAVOMs! The Arum leaf sends it over the top, and it looks so professional. Just lovely.
The overall effect is beautiful, but I have to admit I focussed in immediately on the yarrow…. a lovely colour!
The yarrow is nice when it just starts blooming (or reblooming as it were). It has a bluish cast when seen with the other pinks.
Ah the first of your lovely camellias. Such a lovely arrangement Susie, I love that black Ikebana vase.
Thanks, I didn’t know years ago when I planted the camellias how much I’d enjoy them. I’ve been unsuccessful in subsequent attempts to grow others.
Very pretty, the Arum was a genius touch that ties everything together. I have a lot of pink as well?!
Thank you. Arum is nice in vases and holds up pretty well.
If I need to hunt for an out of season Camellia sasanqua, would that be a ‘hunt for Pink October’?
Exactly😀
I don’t associate pink with October, though to me those Dahlias are more red.
You’re right Jason. They were supposed to be red and there is a ‘cherry’ flavor to the color.