Tag Archives: cosmos

Eastern Amberwing

Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera)

The garden has been full of dragonflies and damselflies this summer. While watching for butterflies on Sunday I spotted this attractive Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera). I first saw one here in 2018 and again in 2019, skipping last year. So welcome back little pretty!

Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera)

Here is what I found out about this dragonfly species.

It is very small, reaching a total length of no more than 25 mm. The males have orange or amber wings. Both sexes have a red pterostigma. The eastern amberwing dragonfly is one of the only types of dragonfly that actively mimics a wasp. The yellow and brown stripes on its abdomen encourage predators to stay away. When perched, they will wiggle their abdomen and wings in a wasp-like fashion to deter other animals from eating it. Males have an elaborate courtship ritual. When a female approaches his territory, the male will lead her to his selected egg-laying site and hover above it with wings whirring and abdomen raised.

The common name refers to its eastern range, although this dragonfly does extend westward well into the central part of the United States. The scientific name, tenera, means delicate and alludes to its small size.

(Eastern amberwing, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eastern_amberwing&oldid=1002301961 (last visited Aug. 23, 2021).)

Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera)

In A Vase On Monday—A Starter Kit

Flowers Awaiting

Flowers Awaiting

Monday brings the chance to share cut flowers from the garden by joining in Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

Although I had gathered flowers yesterday and placed them in glasses of water to condition overnight, today started out too hectic for me to work with them any further.

I never found time to prepare a vase, but the blossoms looked eager and full of promise and it seemed a shame not to share them. So I slipped the glasses onto red wooden trays.

Here is a floral design starter kit—flowers and foliage. Just add a vase.

(Click to view the slideshow.)

Materials
Dahlia
Cosmos
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)
Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage)
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (Herbstfreude)
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Zinnia
Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’ (Gold Dust Aucuba)
Dracaena deremensis warneckii ‘Lemon Lime’
Iris leaves
Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower) seedpods

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower addiction. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday and feel free to join in.

In A Vase On Monday—Gardenias

In A Vase On Monday - Gardenias

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenias

Monday brings the chance to share cut flowers from the garden by joining in Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday.

I had planned all week to feature Zinnia ‘Profusion Fire’ in my Monday vase, but as I walked through the garden I was tempted by other choices. At last the cosmos is in full bloom.

Gardenia, Cosmos, Zinnia 'Profusion Fire', Chrysanthemum

Gardenia, Cosmos, Zinnia ‘Profusion Fire’, Chrysanthemum

Cosmos

Cosmos

On the north side of the house Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’ is newly blooming, but upon inspection I saw the weekend rain had damaged its first few flowers. I brought them indoors anyway to enjoy the fragrance.

Growing beside the camellia I was surprised to find so many flowers on the two passalong gardenia shrubs. They must like the rain and the cooler weather. They won me over and I collected the nicest ones for a simple table arrangement.

In A Vase On Monday - Gardenias

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenias

The container is a small green Seagrove pottery vase given to me in 2007 by a dear friend.

In A Vase On Monday - Gardenias

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenias

Materials
Gardenia jasminoides

In A Vase On Monday - Gardenias

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenias

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower addiction. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday and feel free to join in.

In A Vase On Monday—Rich Seasonal Color

Cosmos, Dahlias and Zinnias - In A Vase On Monday

Cosmos, Dahlias and Zinnias – In A Vase On Monday

Monday brings the chance to share cut flowers from the garden by joining in Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday.

Rain has been a rare occurrence at my house since last spring so I was delighted to have a rainy weekend. I gathered flowers during a break in the showers yesterday.  Today’s informal vase features three types of red dahlias that are just beginning to bloom.

Cosmos, Dahlias and Zinnias - In A Vase On Monday

Cosmos, Dahlias and Zinnias – In A Vase On Monday

One is a cocoa-tinged cactus-type dahlia that is newly purchased this year. The other two I would classify as formal decorative dahlias. One from last year that overwintered successfully is dark red with blue-violet overtones. The other, a passalong from friend Libby at An Eye For Detail, has smaller, bright scarlet flowers and nice long stems.

Dahlias and Zinnias - In A Vase On Monday – Version 2

Dahlias and Zinnias – In A Vase On Monday

Cosmos is finally starting to flower a little  in my garden while Zinnias continue to bloom profusely. Both are used today to fill out the arrangement.

Cosmos, Dahlias and Zinnias - In A Vase On Monday

Cosmos, Dahlias and Zinnias – In A Vase On Monday

Dahlia and Zinnia - In A Vase On Monday

Dahlia and Zinnia – In A Vase On Monday

I experimented with a variety of containers today before finally settling on a large lime green latte/soup mug.  The first vases I tried were too tall to suit the stem length of most of the dahlias, so I trimmed the all the flowers much shorter than I had planned. I used a 2-inch flower frog to hold the stems in place.

The cloudy morning had me carrying the vase of flowers all over the house and porch trying to capture some natural light.

Dahlias and Zinnias - In A Vase On Monday

Materials
Cosmos
Dahlia x hybrida
Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ (Shorty Spurge)
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Dutch’ (Dutch Lavender)
Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage)
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (Herbstfreude)
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Zinnia

Dahlias and Zinnias - In A Vase On Monday

 

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower addiction. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday and feel free to join in.

In A Vase On Monday—A Pitcher Of Late Summer

Monday brings the chance to share cut flowers from the garden by joining in Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday. In preparation I gathered flowers Sunday morning. It was a lovely day for enjoying being outside, clear sunny blue skies and 73 degrees F. (23C.).

Late Summer Pitcher

Late Summer Pitcher

For some time now I have intended to feature this rudbeckia—Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)—in a very tall glass vase, as the stems are quite long. But the effect was not as I had imagined. In the end I pared them down and chose a more rustic container.

I loosely combined them with pink and orange zinnias, lantana and cosmos into a matte putty-gray jug to create an informal late summer arrangement.

Late Summer Pitcher

Late Summer Pitcher

While the lantana and zinnias are very sturdy, these rudbeckia petals behave just the opposite—flowing and draping and acting all dramatic.

Late Summer Pitcher

Late Summer Pitcher

Late Summer Pitcher

Late Summer Pitcher

The colors in the lantana, a bright medley of red, orange, yellow, reflect those of all the other flowers in the arrangement. Meanwhile the umbels or flower clusters of the lantana contrast with the composite form of its companions.

Lantana Echoes Colors of Zinnia and Rudbeckia

Lantana Echoes Colors of Zinnia and Rudbeckia

Materials
Cosmos
Lantana camara (Common lantana)
Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)
Zinnia

Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)

Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)

This should be a long-lasting arrangement, bringing the golden glow of late summer sunshine to the indoors.

Update: The Phalaenopsis orchid blossom used in my vase two weeks ago is still looking fresh.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower addiction. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday and feel free to join in.

Cosmos

The self-seeding cosmos were late this year but are making up for it by continuing to bloom even as daylight saving time has ended. The identification is not certain but this may be Cosmos bipinnatus (garden cosmos).

Cosmos

A Few Days Into Autumn

Fall 2011 began September 23 and the time since has been filled with many rains. The moisture has encouraged continued flowering in the garden. After a brief shower early this morning, the sun has been in and out of clouds all day. The temperature is currently eighty-five degrees.

Blooming In Mid-September Part 4

This completes a series illustrating the variety of blooms found in this garden in mid-September.  Once extreme heat and drought set in during July the garden looked browned and parched. Now, eight weeks have passed with little maintenance, and the garden has awakened. Cooler temperatures and some key rainfalls have brought out a burst of blossoms.

Echinacea

Echinacea (purple coneflower) is planted throughout the garden and these perennials have remained in bloom longer this year than usual. As the petals drop the seed cones provide food for the American goldfinches. Most of the Echinacea have dried up now and the brown stalks and cones are being left for winter interest and for the birds.

Crape Myrtle

A pair of pink dwarf Crape Myrtles at the front entrance took forever to bloom this year, while these Southern favorites were coloring the landscape all around town (and even in this neighborhood). The peak flowering period seemed to be about mid-August.

Periwinkle (Vinca)

Because this annual is so commonly used, bringing it home was merely an afterthought at the garden center in early summer.  During the worst of the dry, hot July days though, it added happy spots of color (both pink and magenta) to the border.

Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

Only a few cosmos self-seeded from last year’s effort to fill the side border with feathery greenery and delicate blossoms.  Usually these are very simple to grow but last year neither these nor the zinnia seeds produced a reward.  The deer still graze down this side garden and seem to be attracted to the cosmos.

Cleome

Cleome or Spider Flower is a magnificent accent in the border. The complex structure of the blooms and the long seed pods forming below the flower give this annual an architectural look.  This is an old-fashioned flower that is remarkable.

More In the September Garden

Ending the tour of blooms in this mid-September garden, there are several flowers blooming for there are no accompanying photographs, but they have been featured before: Pink YarrowDianthus, and Verbena bonariensis. The pink yarrow bloomed profusely in the spring before browning in the heat.  Only a couple of these are in bloom now.  The dianthus was planted this spring and did well with deadheading though early summer before fading in the heat. It has revived somewhat but is not significantly showy. Verbena bonariensis, a tall plant with small flower clusters on long stems, has been blooming since mid-May.  Yellow American goldfinches love them and love to sit on them, bending the stems eventually. Several new ones added to the garden in late spring survived.

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)

While this Asclepias tuberosa is not actually blooming now, the seed pods are interesting. Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch butterfly. The caterpillar is feeding on the leaves and storing energy for the pupa stage.

Spring Cleanup

Weeds surround iris

For the past week weeding the garden beds has been a main focus of activities.  There are other important tasks, such as pruning and transplanting to attend, but catching the weeds now will save labor later.

This season weeding has proven to be as much an opportunity as a challenge, as it allows a chance to spend hours at a time listening to the birds and succumbing to moments of reflection. And sure enough, it is satisfying to see the results of of one’s labor!

There is another pragmatic and immediate benefit of this week’s weeding.  Mulch is scheduled for Saturday delivery and I want to inspect every inch of the beds to avoid stepping on or covering up emerging plants.

Cosmos Oct 16 2010

Lots of little seedlings were visible in the side garden yesterday, where last year’s largely failed project to fill the bed with annuals – zinnias, bachelor buttons and cosmos – occurred.

This combination should have been a sure-thing, but results were disappointing.  Some seedlings do appear to be zinnias.

Cleome June 26 2006

I will be on the lookout to protect any volunteering cleome (spider flower) as well, which in previous years had overflowed that garden bed.

The cleome’s flowers are so appealing that for a long time it did not matter the cleomes eventually obstructed the path and dominated everything else.

Cleome July 9 2006

Disciplining plants is not primarily important in my garden when they offer reliably luxurious bloom and color, but eventually I took action to suppress the seeds.  Now I hope a few of this old-fashioned plant survived.  Originally they were passed along to me for my previous garden by a friend who purchased seeds during a visit to Monticello.

Rain fell all night and at 7:15 AM it already is 56 degrees (on its way to 65).  More rain and storms are predicted during the day, so there may not be much chance to weed today.  It’s a sure bet the warming temperatures and last night’s rain will encourage even more weeds.  Will the weeding continue to feel more like opportunity than overwhelming challenge?