Tag Archives: 2020vase

2020 Garden Retrospective

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Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)

Looking Back At 2020 In The Garden

The first two months were dominated by hellebores and winter daphne. Then I posted Middle March 2020, mentioning how much I missed seeing my Gentle Yoga students that morning.

Middle March Blooms

It was a changed world. The wellness center where I taught closed that week temporarily and I used my reawakening spring garden as backdrop for several meditation videos.

Southwest Corner – Iris, Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

Days turned into months.  Although the wellness center eventually re-opened with some virtual and some limited in-person classes, out of caution I have not yet returned to the studio.  And though for now my yoga classes no longer exist I have kept my teaching schedule on my calendar. Nostalgia? Optimism? Inertia?

Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’ (Autumn Sage) and Stock

With teaching on hold I turned more fiercely to the garden and, as probably true for many of you, it became my refuge.

Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)

The garden brought frustrations but those were greatly outweighed by rewards. Growing and nurturing seeds and plants connected me with nature and beauty.

Hemerocallis (Daylily) from Mercers’ in Fayetteville, NC

And sharing the garden through this blog kept open an avenue for relationships—keeping me grounded, bringing in joy. Thank you for playing along.

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

In A Vase On Monday

Throughout the past year searches in my garden sometimes yielded precious few flowers from which to fashion weekly Monday vases; however, frequently there were ample flowers—even a choice; and occasionally an armful of flowers made for a joyous bounty. This is one of my favorites.

Mother’s Day – May 11, 2020

I have assembled a gallery of In A Vase On Monday contributions for the entire past year. This is one other favorite.

Purple And Other Flora -June 8, 2020

Butterflies

Between May 30 and November 16, 2020, a variety of butterflies graced the garden, beginning with this gorgeous male monarch.

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

The butterflies I saw this year are not particularly unusual in my area but some I observed for the first time, including this Viceroy.

Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)

I was particularly thrilled to see this Pipevine Swallowtail. Last year (2019) was the first time I had seen one.

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

More butterflies and other pollinators were featured in Garden Benefits, Butterfly Sightings Today, October’s Beginning, Garden Delights and other random posts, as well as on  iNaturalist.

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

A Week Of Blooms

In November I began creating a retrospective of sorts for this past gardening year, sifting through hundreds of photographs so I could join Cathy at Words and Herbs in sharing in A Week Of Blooms. She suggested it might be just the thing to dispel the gloom of increasingly dark days as we headed toward winter—and it worked. It was fun seeing flowers from other gardens and I enjoyed creating these seven daily entries.

  1. Anemone from February 27, 2020
  2. Snapdragons in the northern border and penstemon in the meditation circle
  3. Southern Side Path in April
  4. Three weeks of Peonies
  5. Shasta daisies
  6. Dahlias May to November
  7. Irises

I especially enjoyed looking back at the irises, the floral highlight of my spring garden.

Iris ‘Helen Collingwood’

So many plants have yet to be mentioned but they will come around again. The cycle of the garden begins again.

In A Vase On Monday – Late December

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In A Vase On Monday – Late December

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

After some very cold nights with temperatures as low as 19°F. still on Sunday morning I managed to find my patch of alyssum still blooming at the base of a couple of large flower pots.

Alyssum – December 17, 2020

I imagined filling a tiny container with the miniature purplish-magenta blooms to finish out the year of Monday vases. The alyssum didn’t prove easy to collect or work with so I was glad I had also checked out the Yuletide camellia. Though many blooms were browned by the cold blasts of the past week, a few fresh flowers had opened.

In A Vase On Monday – Late December

Alyssum

Today’s resulting vase strayed from my initial concept—more of a hodge-podge—making a quick wrap-up for this year of vases. See the entire 2020 collection of Monday vases.

In A Vase On Monday – Late December

Camellia, Alyssum and Berries

Silvered Lichen

Materials
Flowers
Alyssum
Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’
Foliage
Crape Myrtle stem with lichen
Liriope
Container
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Rectangle Blue Zen (6.75L x 3.75W x 2H inches)

In A Vase On Monday – Late December

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.

A Christmas Card

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Front of card

Since I was a child I have loved the custom of sending Christmas cards.

This year it seemed especially important to extend this tradition, to reach out to say hello to a few family and friends and wish them “Peace and Good Health In The Coming Year.”

Each holiday season I think I should design and send out cards featuring something from my garden, but many Christmases have come and gone without that happening—until this year, 2020.

I used a watercolor effect on a photo from an “In A Vase On Monday” arrangement for the cover. Inside the card opposite the message, I used the actual image.

Inside

For the back I chose a gladiolus, lilies and a dahlia in holiday colors.

Back

I am sharing the card today to send you and yours traditional wishes for the season.

“Peace and Good Health In The Coming Year“

In A Vase On Monday – Christmastide

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In A Vase On Monday – Christmastide

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

Prepared on Sunday during pouring down rain, many ingredients in this week’s offering may look familiar. Instead of trekking outdoors to hunt for materials I salvaged what I could from last week’s vase: winter daphne, lavender, dogwood. Refreshed with the addition of several anthuriums gleaned from a house plant, along with a couple of stems of poinsettia,  the vase has shifted into holiday mode. I also added leaves from a beefsteak begonia.

In A Vase On Monday – Christmastide

Placed into a silver tray dotted with red and silver holiday ornaments and paired with an orchid full of rich purple, the repurposed arrangement celebrates winter solstice* today and is ready for the countdown to Christmas.

In A Vase On Monday – Christmastide

Despite the strangeness of this stay-at-home year and the challenging family health issues we faced in recent month, we find ourselves full of gratitude and joy. My husband is improving. During his illness and recovery we have been the recipients of an outpouring of generosity, love and kindness—cards, emails, calls, meals, offers of assistance, and as the holiday season swings ’round, delicious desserts. The poinsettia and the orchid are new this year, each gifts from neighborhood friends, as was the anthurium last year.

In A Vase On Monday – Christmastide

In A Vase On Monday – Christmastide

In A Vase On Monday – Christmastide

Amidst the foliage I included one tiny symbolic sprig of balsam fir at the base, clipped from a lovely door swag wreath sent by former across-the-street Wave Road neighbors.

In A Vase On Monday – Christmastide

Materials
Flowers
Anthurium
Orchid
Poinsettia
Foliage
Balsam fir
Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia)
Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)
Daphne odora (Winter daphne)
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Dutch’ (Dutch Lavender)
Lathyrus latifolius (Everlasting sweet pea)
Container
Silver Gallery Tray with holiday baubles

In A Vase On Monday – Christmastide

It is a gift also to have you visit my blog. I appreciate your interest, advice and support throughout the year. Hope you are making or finding reasons to smile each day.

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.

*December Solstice (Winter Solstice) is on Monday, December 21, 2020 at 5:02 am in Chapel Hill. In terms of daylight, this day is 4 hours, 53 minutes shorter than on June Solstice.

 

In A Vase On Monday – December Etude

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In A Vase On Monday – December Etude

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

At mid-December the temperatures are mild again, nearly 70 degrees. In my garden a fall-blooming iris strangely has developed fat buds again, but only camellia sasanquas are flowering.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’

Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ and Daphne odora

Having relied heavily on camellias for vase material for the past many years I am finding them decidedly uninspiring this year. Nevertheless I collected a few Yuletide flowers Sunday morning, but then changing directions I challenged myself to focus on foliage for a vase study this week.

Colorful oak leaves and dogwood buds were the main focus supported by fresh green Winter Daphne form the basis of the design.

In A Vase On Monday – December Etude

In A Vase On Monday – December Etude

With the addition of the red flowers the arrangement took on an offbeat holiday look.

In A Vase On Monday – December Etude

In A Vase On Monday – December Etude

Buds of Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)

Materials
Flowers
Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’
Foliage
Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)
Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)
Daphne odora (Winter daphne)
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Dutch’ (Dutch Lavender)
Lathyrus latifolius (Everlasting sweet pea)
Quercus (oak)
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Container
Solimene Vietri ceramic bowl

In A Vase On Monday – December Etude

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Reduction

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In A Vase On Monday – Reduction

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

The camellias in last week’s vase were short-lived but the remaining materials persist and reduction leads to simplicity. Shifted into another container the arum and gardenia foliage provide shape and structure for a new design, accented by two stems of anthurium. A single white cyclamen flower is the only new element.

In A Vase On Monday – Reduction

In A Vase On Monday – Reduction

Materials
Flowers
Anthurium
Cyclamen
Foliage
Arum italicum
Gardenia
Container
Hand-thrown ceramic piece from Seagrove Pottery (olive-artichoke), artist unknown

In A Vase On Monday – Reduction

In A Vase On Monday – Reduction

In A Vase On Monday – Reduction

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Camellias

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In A Vase On Monday – Camellias

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

There are two sasanquas in my garden along the north side of the house. They were planted a couple years after we moved here as replacements for wax myrtles (part of the original landscaping package that came with the house.  The wax myrtles had unceremoniously become upended after a minor wind storm.) These camellias just happened to be the ones I found at the nursery the day I went to shop: Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’ and ‘Yuletide’.  At the same time I bought one hybrid Camellia ‘Coral Delight’ (C. japonica × C. saluenensis) that blooms early spring. I had beginner’s luck with these three camellias—none I have planted since have survived.  The rest of the garden is too sunny and harsh and probably too dry.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’

Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’

Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’

The two sasanquas provide flowers for the Thanksgiving table and continue well into January. ‘Hana-Jiman’ began this year around October 24, 2020 and ‘Yuletide’ around November 4, 2020. I find them difficult to arrange. Often they are simply floated in a shallow dish where the entire flower can be easily viewed, but this week I attempted to mix them with greenery and force them into a more complex design.

In A Vase On Monday – Camellias

In A Vase On Monday – Camellias

Look quickly. Twice already I have found the floor covered with camellia petals. Soon the foliage and anthurium harvested from a house plant may be all that remains.

In A Vase On Monday – Camellias

In A Vase On Monday – Camellias

In A Vase On Monday – Camellias

Materials
Flowers
Anthurium
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’
Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’
Foliage
Arum italicum
Camellia sasanqua
Gardenia
Vase
Black-glazed ceramic square, floral pin

In A Vase On Monday – Camellias

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Zinnias With Ginger Lily

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In A Vase On Monday – Zinnias With Ginger Lily

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

This past week brought below freezing temperatures for the first time this autumn, a couple of weeks later than usual. I rescued ginger lily and zinnia flowers ahead of the big event and tucked them into an Ikebana vase.

In A Vase On Monday – Zinnias With Ginger Lily

In A Vase On Monday – Zinnias With Ginger Lily

In A Vase On Monday – Zinnias With Ginger Lily

In A Vase On Monday – Zinnias With Ginger Lily

In A Vase On Monday – Zinnias With Ginger Lily

Materials
Flowers
Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily)
Zinnia
Foliage
Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily)
Container
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Blue Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Three Weeks Ago

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In A Vase On Monday – Three Weeks Ago

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden encourages garden bloggers to share a vase of cuttings gathered from our gardens. I haven’t had time to put together even a quick one this week so I’m sharing one from three weeks ago when the dahlias and zinnias were overflowing. That week I prepared two vases from among the same materials and settled on a calm Ikebana-style vase titled Autumn Mood. This one is the opposite, unrestrained, spilling from an egg basket I wove years ago.

In A Vase On Monday – Three Weeks Ago

In A Vase On Monday – Three Weeks Ago

In A Vase On Monday – Three Weeks Ago

In A Vase On Monday – Three Weeks Ago

In A Vase On Monday – Three Weeks Ago

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia sp.
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’
Foliage
Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)
Container
Egg Basket

The dahlias are no longer blooming but a few zinnias are still going. These last pictures are digital painting using Waterlogue.

In A Vase On Monday – Three Weeks Ago

In A Vase On Monday – Three Weeks Ago

In A Vase On Monday – Three Weeks Ago

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Anniversary Foliage

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In A Vase On Monday – Anniversary Foliage

For seven years Cathy at Rambling In The Garden has encouraged garden bloggers to share a vase of cuttings gathered from our gardens. A friendly community has grown up around these Monday vases nurtured by Cathy’s efforts. To mark the seventh anniversary of In A Vase On Monday she challenged us last week to create today’s vase using foliage alone.

I am more naturally drawn to flowers but there is much to learn and admire about leaf shape, texture, and color. Despite some overnight temperatures in the low 30s Fahrenheit we have yet to have frost this autumn. I took advantage of a mild afternoon and some rare free minutes Thursday to choose foliage for this week’s vase.

Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)

Fresh mounds of light green basal leaves are still forming on the columbine plants beneath older stems of reddened ones. The leaves are divided into groups of 3 leaflets; the triple lobes are rounded.

Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)

Shape, vein patterning and color shifts enhance columbine’s delicate leaf form.

Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)

My initial concept of the foliage vase this week centered around an Ikebana container filled with dramatic greenery of Hedychium coronarium (white ginger lily).  The leaves on this plant can be 2 feet long. I selected a couple of stems with leaf lengths between 9-13 inches.

Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily)

Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily)

But how could I leave behind the surprise of a raceme with fresh flowers forming—at this stage it seemed like greenery too and its bold form would add interest.

In A Vase On Monday – Anniversary Foliage

Hedychium stalks went in first toward the back, followed by the columbine in front. Liriope and marigold foliage were used to fill in around the base of the stems. With the materials arranged into place I was struck by how simple yet effective a dish of foliage selections can be.

In A Vase On Monday – Anniversary Foliage

[Imagine the white ginger lily flower buds as anniversary celebration candles.]

In A Vase On Monday – Anniversary Foliage

Materials
Flowers
Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily)
Foliage
Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)
Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily)
Liriope spicata (creeping lilyturf)
Tagetes (Marigold)
Container
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Blue Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)

I had not planned to bend the foliage-only rule so flagrantly but first alerted by the jasmine-like fragrance, unexpectedly I noticed Saturday afternoon the flowers had begun opening and by evening they had come into full bloom.

Hedychium coronarium Inflorescence

Doesn’t this look like a delicious ice cream cone?

In A Vase On Monday – Anniversary Foliage

By Sunday afternoon the flowers had faded, leaving behind a foliage-only display. Happy seven years of In A Vase On Monday, Cathy and to the many participants and readers through the years!

In A Vase On Monday – Anniversary Foliage

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

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In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

A friend who grows roses has shared several vases with me this autumn. She stopped by again Saturday with more lovely, fragrant flowers. A few days earlier our next-door neighbor had dropped off a mixed bouquet from her grocery store outing that contained 3 roses. The only rose I grow is a passalong that blooms only in spring, so I took advantage of this rare opportunity to work with roses for this week’s vase.

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

Aiming for a traditional round design I began by gathering dark foliage of camellia and gardenia to contrast with the roses. Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’ has been flowering for several weeks and now is in full bloom.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’

The Hana-Jiman camellia has white crinkled petals edged in pink with deep yellow centers. These had been battered by Sunday morning rain and several lost their petals before I could finish the arrangement. For those that lasted their coloring complemented the yellow and pink roses.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’

A couple of early C. sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ have opened as well. As I turn the vase around, one is visible in the second view along with a sunflower from my next-door neighbor’s mixed bouquet.

View 2 (Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ and Sunflower)

View 3 reveals my favorite of my friend’s locally grown roses. Its large wide open form makes a nice feature flower for the design. The darker pink rose below it is one of the store-bought roses–sturdy and attractive but without scent.

View 3

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

This vase is meant to be viewed from all sides. This is View 4. The bottom pink rose on the right-hand side is the most fragrant flower in the bouquet. I do not know the names of any of the roses.

View 4

My late season zinnias are tiny, but make a cheerful addition to the arrangement.

Zinnia

Zinnia

Materials
Flowers
Alstroemeria (gifts, not from my garden)
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’
Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’
Carnation (gifts, not from my garden)
Lavender
Roses (gifts, not from my garden)
Sunflower
Zinnia
Foliage
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’
Gardenia jasminoides
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’
Marigold
Container
Ceramic Urn Stamped “Vintage 4”
6-inch clear Lomey dish
eco-friendly Oasis floral foam

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

After enjoying working with arranging dahlias all summer and fall they have suddenly stopped flowering. The gifts of roses came at an opportune time.  As my husband continues to recuperate from a serious health issue (non-covid), our family, friends and neighbors have lent much support with flowers, meals, emails, calls, cards, errands and even lysol spray. We are nourished by their care and good wishes. We are so grateful he is back home and getting stronger.

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Mood

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In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Mood

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Mood

Yesterday, on a rainy Sunday morning, I actually gathered zinnias for today’s vase, but only one shows up in this Ikebana design.  Featured are dogwood branches with berries. A large dinnerplate dahlia whose name I do not know makes an interesting foil for the colorful autumn leaves.

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Mood

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Mood

The dahlias which have carried the garden through the summer and fall are finally , sadly, slowing down. Only one D. ‘Cafe Au Lait’  was usable for today but it was perfect in the way it relates to the color of the berries and its subtle stripes of pink connect to the leaves and larger flower.

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Mood

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Mood

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Mood

The small red zinnia is a somewhat daring addition but I tried it and liked it.

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Mood

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia sp.
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Zinnia
Foliage
Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)
Materials
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Black Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)

In A Vase On Monday – Autumn Mood

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

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In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

I planned to showcase zinnias today but after a heavy day of rain on Friday the dahlias needed trimming back and re-staking. I collected so many dahlias I never made it back around to the zinnias. I passed along some flowers to neighbors and then spent a few peaceful moments arranging.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

Later I spent a few minutes chasing daylight, even resorting to artificial light in the dining room.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

Finally I placed them by a sunny window in the living room where we can enjoy them all day. The sunlight exaggerates the color of the left-most white Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’ to nearly lemon-yellow.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

A wedding present not used often enough, the Paul Revere bowl measures 11 inches in diameter by 5-inches tall. The flower arrangement is approximately 21-inches wide by 14-inches high.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

Objectively speaking I think some careful editing would allow breathing room and would enhance the design, but overall I am happy to see this huge bowl of dahlias brightening the house.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia sp.
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’
Foliage
Asiatic lily
Materials
Paul Revere bowl, large

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In A Silver Bowl

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Glow With Pink and Creme

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In A Vase On Monday – Glow With Pink and Creme

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

In A Vase On Monday – Glow With Pink and Creme

In A Vase On Monday – Glow With Pink and Creme

Prepared a few days ago two jars of Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’ brighten our home on a rainy Sunday afternoon as remnants of Hurricane Delta pass through North Carolina.

In A Vase On Monday – Glow With Pink and Creme

The dark blue jar is 6.75 inches tall, the botanic one is just under 6 inches.

In A Vase On Monday – Glow With Pink and Creme

In A Vase On Monday – Glow With Pink and Creme

The dahlias range from 4 to 6.5 inches in diameter, some with hints of yellow.

In A Vase On Monday – Glow With Pink and Creme

In A Vase On Monday – Glow With Pink and Creme

In A Vase On Monday – Glow With Pink and Creme

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Foliage
None
Materials
Dark blue matte ceramic jar
Portmerion- Botanic vase made in England

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise

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In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.  Blooming since June, dahlias continue to light up the garden.

In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise

The apricot orange is D. ‘David Howard’, the white is D. ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’ and D. ‘Gallery Art Deco’ is the sunset red. After weeks of sharing these dahlias it is challenge to find a new way to present them, so I am staying with a tried and true traditional design.

In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise

In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise

A maroon chrysanthemum from last year’s purchase adds a touch more red richness.  Added at the last moment Adonis blue Butterfly Bush contributes a bit of surprise.

In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise

In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise

An autumn addition to this week’s vase is an aster that overtook an entire garden bed years ago.  I continue to try to eradicate it. I thought at least I could put it to good use this Monday, but I find I it hard to fix this bad relationship. I’ll continue to get rid of the aster. The garden does not need the chaos.

In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise

In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise

Materials
Flowers
Alyssum
Aster (Symphyotrichum)
Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush)
Chrysanthemum
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’
Foliage
Gardenia sp.
Itea virginica ‘Sprich’ LITTLE HENRY (Virginia sweetspire)
Materials
Ceramic Urn Stamped “Vintage 4”
Lomey plastic dish insert, eco-friendly floral foam

In A Vase On Monday – October Surprise

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Ikebana Study

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In A Vase On Monday – Ikebana Study

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

Foliage was my starting point for this design. Ginger lily is blooming beautifully this year. It is sending up many new stalks, some of whose tips I harvested for today’s vase.

The dahlias are thriving in the cooler weather and seemed unfazed after quite heavy rain Friday. For this Ikebana-style arrangement I chose creamy white Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’ paired with a purply pink one whose name I do not know. The latter was included as a bonus with this year’s spring order and I failed to record it.

Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’

Dahlia sp.

Both flowers and foliage went in easily and I was satisfied with the placements until I began photographing. The flowers themselves were grand but the overall effect was underwhelming.

In A Vase On Monday – Ikebana Study

I kept coming back to them during the next hour and finally began experimenting with adding to the vase.  Eventually I was happy again with the design. The color of the deep pink zinnia adds surprise. The zinnia stem arches gently away toward the back left.  An added piece of ginger lily foliage continues the curving line down through the right corner, where a few sprigs of gardenia leaves help anchor everything.

In A Vase On Monday – Ikebana Study

With the movement created by the changes I think the design is more graceful.

In A Vase On Monday – Ikebana Study

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia sp.
Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’
Zinnia
Foliage
Gardenia sp.
Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily)
Vase
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Rectangle Blue Zen (6.75L x 3.75W x 2H inches)

Zinnia

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Last-Of-Summer Orb

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In A Vase On Monday – Last Of Summer Orb

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

In A Vase On Monday – Last Of Summer Orb

Tomorrow fall officially begins. Autumn equinox arrives on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, at 9:31 A.M. EDT.

Today, on the last day of summer, this spherical floral design features zinnias and dahlias circling round a supportive framework of gardenia stems and a sheaf of oakleaf hydrangea leaves.

In A Vase On Monday – Last Of Summer Orb

Although summer is ending, I expect dahlias and zinnias to serve as the mainstay of color in the garden first frost.

In A Vase On Monday – Last Of Summer Orb

In A Vase On Monday – Last Of Summer Orb

In A Vase On Monday – Last Of Summer Orb

In A Vase On Monday – Last Of Summer Orb

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush)
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’
Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’
Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower), Seed heads
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Zinnia
Foliage
Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Vase
Melon Bowl, Vendanges (Blue Trim) by Ceralene, A. Raynaud et Cie, Limoges, France

One more vase today

This is a different arrangement I prepared especially for my husband who is recuperating after an illness. Increasingly he has admired my In A Vase On Monday posts and over the past months he has commented many times how nice it is to have flowers in our house all the time. While the materials used are nearly identical in both arrangements, I actually prefer this one. The proportions and scale feel more balanced, the flowers are looser and more energetically placed, the supporting gardenia foliage buoys and lifts the design. As these are imbued with healing and love I hope these flowers serve to cheer and uplift everyone today.

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

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In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

I gathered as many flowers as I could Friday during a brief foraging opportunity and left them to condition overnight.

This Week’s Garden Bounty

Dahlias color the garden this month, and especially striking right now are the dinnerplate varieties.  I find these large flowers compelling but I long for more interesting and compatible outline and filler materials to set them off.  Russian Sage and Verbena bonariensis are not vase-happy for long but they’re what I had on hand.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

Stems of Baptisia foliage are energetic and lively but I overdid their use initially and ended up removing quite a lot.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

My late crop of Zinnias needed dead-heading and so were not at their best. I added just a few for a splash of surprise and texture variation, along with one faded D. ‘Gallery Art Deco’.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Dahlia sp.
Salvia yangii (Russian Sage) , previously known as Perovskia atriplicifolia
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Zinnia
Foliage
Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’
Vase
Dark blue matte ceramic jar

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Pinks

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In A Vase On Monday – Pinks

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

I had gathered all the dahlias the garden offered up on Sunday but didn’t have time to arrange them. I left them for our flower-loving neighbor to find. During a lull in activities I took a few quick shots of a clutch of dianthus I’d cut as an afterthought. For a bit of cheer and with a nod to host Cathy’s love of props, I staged the flowers with a miniature sugar bowl from our daughter’s childhood tea set.

In A Vase On Monday – Pinks

Materials
Flowers and Foliage
Dianthus Ideal Select Mix
Vase
Small white, elliptical ceramic vase

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Floral Harvest

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In A Vase On Monday – Floral Harvest

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

Today’s arrangement is an overflow of dahlias accented with a few zinnias. Staging the flowers atop a crystal pedestal vase suggests tradition and formality.

In A Vase On Monday – Floral Harvest

Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’

Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’

Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’

Dahlia ‘David Howard’

Lycoris radiata (Spider Lily)

Zinnias and Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’
Lycoris radiata (Spider Lily)
Foliage
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)
Vase
Crystal pedestal dish

Zinnia

In A Vase On Monday – Floral Harvest

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Bowl

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In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Bowl

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

Dahlias have seemed cheered by a few rains and some slightly cooler days the past couple weeks.

Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’

I cut all available flowers to encourage them to keep up the good work.  These are arranged into a low flat bowl with a hint of columbine foliage.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Bowl

Although I have cut the plants back several times the stems are still quite short.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Bowl

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Bowl

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Bowl (no ID for this dahlia)

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia sp. (no ID on the magenta)
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’
Foliage
Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)
Vase
Black Matte Dish With Red Interior

Stay safe from impending hurricanes and propaganda this week.  Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Orange Deconstruction

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In A Vase On Monday – Orange Deconstruction

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

I chose a surprise late-blooming gladiolus as the focal point for today’s flowers. I find the reddish-orange waxy petals deliciously compelling.

In A Vase On Monday – Orange Deconstruction

With the gladiolus always in the forefront, or a time the design drifted from my original plan for a spare Ikebana look.  Here is the initial work—the first stage.  I liked this but it left exposed a lot of floral oasis.

In A Vase On Monday – Orange Impression

To conceal the mechanics I began adding other flowers. Eventually the design looked totally different and off-balance in composition and weight of materials.  I also thought the gaura stems began to look cluttered, detracting from the flowers.

In A Vase On Monday – Orange Impression

Surrounded by dahlias, clematis, buddleia, salvia and lantana, the gladiolus maintained its presence but looked out of place. The shape of the gladiolus was awkward and heavy in relation to everything else, yet it was beautiful in and of itself.

In A Vase On Monday – Orange Impression

In A Vase On Monday – Orange Impression

In A Vase On Monday – Orange Impression

Cutting the sword into smaller and smaller pieces I finally worked my way back to a design that speaks to the essence of the starring flower. Switching vases made a big difference. In my hand portions of the gladiolus seemed perfect but were still heavy.  Almost satisfied with this stage the jutting piece to the right created too much tension.

In A Vase On Monday – Orange Impression

At the expense of the design’s height, when I trimmed the wayward section and repositioned the stems, the overall result was more harmonious.

In A Vase On Monday – Orange Deconstruction

Against the black glaze the gladiolus essence is on full display.

In A Vase On Monday – Orange Deconstruction

Materials
Flowers
Gladiolus
Foliage
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)
Vase
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Black Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)

In A Vase On Monday – Orange Deconstruction

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Glow

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In A Vase On Monday – Summer Glow

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Glow

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Glow

I experimented with a variety of designs on Saturday morning but in the end I was most happy with a reworking of last week’s vase, which had featured dahlias. Mid-week to refreshen the vase I had replaced most of the dahlias.  For this week I kept the same container but actually only the foliage, Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’ and a few dahlia leaves are original from last week. The dahlias really seemed tired after all and so were replaced completely with white and gold shining discs in the form of Shasta daisies and black-eyed Susans along with flat-topped umbels of miniature suns in the form of tansy.

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Glow

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Glow

The low-profile glazed ceramic vase works well this week, but if I had taken more time I would have switched the flowers into a basket for an even more summery look.

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Glow

Materials
Flowers
Heuchera villosa ‘Big Top Bronze’ (Coral Bells)
Leucanthemum superbum ‘Alaska’ (Shasta Daisy)
Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ (Black-eyed Susan)
Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy)
Foliage
Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’
Dahlia leaves
Vase
Pottery bowls, with Lomey plastic dish inserts, eco-friendly floral foam

Here are a few of my other experiments using reddish orange Dahlia ‘David Howard’ with coral bells and a nice specimen of Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’.

Dahlia ‘David Howard’

Dahlia ‘David Howard’

Dahlia ‘David Howard’

Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’

Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place in a vase this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Duo

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In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Duo

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of cuttings from our gardens.

I didn’t have a notion this week about what shape my vase would take this week but flower choices were limited. On Saturday morning I cut all the dahlias I could and placed them in water for conditioning. Stems were shorter than I wanted despite having cut back the plants a couple times this year. That afternoon just as I was preparing to make a vase for today, I found an email from a friend in the neighborhood. She had left us a still-warm peach cobbler to find by the front door—a soon-devoured, delicious peach cobbler I might add. Finding inspiration in the handmade ceramic dish in which she had baked our treat, I chose another dish of similar size and put together a pair of small tabletop designs. I was happy to be able to return her dish with a few flowers from my garden.

Using Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’ as outline foliage and a few dahlia leaves as concealers I added the freshest dahlias to the first arrangement, along with a bouncy Buddleja and a sprig of tansy. The effect was a little spare but cheerful.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Duo

Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’ worked nicely with the color of my friend’s dish so they all went into her arrangement.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Duo

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Duo

I also included the few  white Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’ I had been able to cut. Bugs seem especially attracted to these and not many are vase-worthy.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Duo

Both vases were quickly assembled, little-fussing or second-guessing. This is the second vase.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Duo

A view from the right corner:

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Duo

This design has a slightly more oval than round shape. This was owing to the fact I had a couple of longer-stemmed ‘David Howard’ to use.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Duo

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia Duo

Materials
Flowers
Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush)
Dahlia sp.
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’
Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy)
Foliage
Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’
Dahlia leaves
Vase
Pottery bowls, with Lomey plastic dish inserts, eco-friendly floral foam

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place in a vase this week.