Tag Archives: garden photography

In A Vase On Monday – Great Silence

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In A Vase On Monday – Great Silence

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

I managed a quick assemblage for today from among the very few flowers not beaten down by the dry weather. The featured dahlia is my favorite this year, D. ‘Great Silence.’

In A Vase On Monday – Great Silence

In A Vase On Monday – Great Silence

In A Vase On Monday – Great Silence

The color of this zinnia makes me smile. It’s from a second sowing that proved to be a good idea. My neighbor Eileen gave me some ferns from her garden last week, so I’ve included some for textural accent along with glossy gardenia foliage and feathery, silvery artemisia.

In A Vase On Monday – Great Silence

In A Vase On Monday – Great Silence

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia ‘Great Silence’ (Decorative dahlia)
Zinnia ‘Cut & Come Again’
Foliage
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood)
Fern (noID)
Gardenia jasminoides
Container
Textured, incised ceramic pedestal vase, rice or bone color. 5×6-inches.

As my husband continues to recuperate at home, we’re grateful for caregivers coming in to work with him to get stronger. I appreciate your many kind wishes and look forward to catching up with your garden posts again eventually.

As always thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for providing this opportunity to to share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are offering this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Ikebana With Spider Lily

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In A Vase On Monday – Ikebana With Spider Lily

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

In A Vase On Monday – Ikebana With Spider Lily

We’re still in the throes of health issues but finally back home. A quick skip around the garden today yielded some nice flowers but I had only a few minutes to arrange them. I knew I wanted a tower of spider lilies and the other flowers fell in line.

Lycoris (Spider Lily)

In A Vase On Monday – Ikebana With Spider Lily

Materials
Flowers
Angelonia ’Serena Blue’
Angelonia ’Serena Purple’
Dahlia Decorative ‘Great Silence’
Lycoris (Spider Lily)
Zinnia
Foliage
Container
Black metal suiban. 4 x 9.5 x 6.5 inches. Japan.

Dahlia ‘Great Silence’ (Decorative dahlia)

Dahlia ‘Great Silence’ (Decorative dahlia)

As always thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for providing this opportunity to to share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are offering this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’

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In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’

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

Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’ is classified as a decorative. Its flowers are expected to range 6-8 inches. Mine are smaller, about 4 inches across, but as promised this dahlia is a prolific bloomer.  New to the garden this summer its color is variously described as butterscotch, peach, even copper-orange. These petals have some soft peachy tones.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’

But as I study it the color shifts.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’

Once placed in today’s vase, the flowers appeared more bronze or maybe a bit like butterscotch—either way, a bit too reminiscent of fall for these hot August days.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’

I went back and forth as to whether these zinnias with their pure bright hues work as suitable companion flowers for the subtly-colored dahlias. In the end I stayed with them.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’

Though I had picked many more flowers in different sizes and colors for today I never got back to experimenting with this arrangement.  I suspect switching the vase color to blue might make it feel more summery and in turn would make me feel less distressed at seeing summer’s end inching closer. The heat, I know, will be with us a long while, but every day I sense the change in light.

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia Decorative ‘Noordwijks Glorie’
Zinnia ‘Cactus Flowered Mix’
Zinnia ‘Cut & Come Again’
Angelonia ‘Serena Purple’
Cosmos ‘Bright Lights’
Foliage
Italian Oregano
Container
Glazed ceramic pottery vase, circa 1980.

As always thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for providing this opportunity to to share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are offering this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Nature’s Pulse

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In A Vase on Monday – Nature’s Pulse

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

After a sere month, the rhythms of nature were heard and felt during the last week of July as storms at last brought rain into the garden. Sometimes pounding, thunderous. Often, hurried and incomplete. Yet, rain did come.  Sensing nature’s quickening pulse, the garden’s response was a swift burst of color—pace, pattern and purpose all restored for a time as we enter August.

In A Vase on Monday – Nature’s Pulse

I first planted dahlias a few years ago and had enough success I came to believe they were easy to grow, only to discover it was beginner’s luck phenomenon. Each season now they become more of a mystery. Some have returned, some are new, some old and new failed to appear.

Usually advertised as buff or cream color in my garden the well-known dinnerplate Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’ more often throws out pinkish with purple striped petals. (A version of this streaky form is sold as ‘Café au Lait Royal’.) My D. ‘Cafe Au Lait’ does occasionally produce the classic coloration, but not so far this summer.

Dinnerplate Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’ with white D. ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’ and reddish-orange ‘David Howard’

With nice color and form Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’ is a fresh addition to the garden this year.

Dahlia ‘Noordwijks Glorie’

Also newly purchased this year, Gladiolus ‘Flowering Performer’ popped into bloom this week. Brushstrokes of white along the center of each petal are punctuated here by tiny flowers on sprigs of Italian oregano.

In A Vase on Monday – Nature’s Pulse

As an aside, I’ve never had pests attack gladiolas but I blame the rabbits for this shocking treatment of a beloved summer mainstay. These would have been deep red.

Zinnias are blooming with more vigor after a slow start. More seeds sprinkled early in the week germinated within two days.

White ball-type Dahlia ‘Petra’s Wedding’ peeks out between a pair of Zinnias

In A Vase on Monday – Nature’s Pulse

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia Decorative ‘Noordwijks Glorie’
Dahlia Decorative ‘Great Silence’
Dahlia Semi-Cactus ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’
Dahlia Ball ‘Petra’s Wedding’
Gladiolus ‘Flowering Performer’
Zinnia ‘Cactus Flowered Mix’
Zinnia ‘Cut & Come Again’
Foliage
Italian Oregano
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage)
Container
Black metal suiban. 4 x 9.5 x 6.5 inches. Japan.

As always thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for providing this opportunity to to share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are offering this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Cuttings

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In A Vase On Monday – Summer Cuttings

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Cuttings

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement of materials gathered from our gardens. Dahlias and zinnias, usually my go-to summer flowers, are lagging behind my expectations. For today I trimmed a little bit of this and some of that to put together what turned out to be a happy, colorful summer vase.

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Cuttings

Recently my sister surprised me with two lovely and well-chosen floral books. I am looking forward to exploring From Seed To Bloom by Milli Proust and have already delved into Floret Farm’s A Year In Flowers by Erin Benzakein. I have enjoyed Erin’s luscious designs for years and have taken several of her free mini-courses. In creating today’s vase I was inspired by her book to experiment with looser foliage and a variety of textures.

Dahlia ‘Gallery Pablo’ and Zinnia

Dahlia Ball ‘Petra’s Wedding’

Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Cuttings

Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Cuttings

Materials
Flowers
Angelonia ’Serena Purple’ and ’Serena Blue’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Pablo’
Dahlia Decorative ‘Noordwijks Glorie’
Dahlia Ball ‘Petra’s Wedding’
Iris domestica (Blackberry Lily)
Liriope muscari
Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)
Salvia nemorosa ‘Blue Hill’
Tagetes ‘Durango Red’ (Durango Red French Marigold)
Zinnia -Cactus Flowered Mix
Foliage
Angelonia ’Serena Blue’
Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) Seed heads
Salvia nemorosa ‘Blue Hill’
Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy)
Container
Textured, incised ceramic pedestal vase, rice or bone color. 5×6-inches. Red wooden platter.

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Cuttings

Have a great week in the garden. Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what is blooming in her UK garden and across the globe this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Resilience

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In A Vase On Monday – Resilience

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of materials gathered from our gardens. Summer in North Carolina is always hot and humid but this past week felt like summer was being served deep fried. Dahlias buds are drying up or developing malformed flowers, but zinnias are just getting started and enjoy the heat.

Oppressive humidity, temperatures above 100 and heat index warnings several days amplified the severe drought conditions. For weeks while some areas nearby were getting severe storms with plenty of precipitation, we had none. Then Friday night, at last, a strong steady rain poured out from the clouds.  Although I have hand watered frequently the results of my efforts cannot compare to the refreshment this rainfall brought. Early Saturday morning I relished in the garden’s rehydrated state. Nice rain fell again on Saturday evening and all through the day on Sunday, a soft watering.  Ahh!

Today’s flowers were prepared Friday prior to the nourishing rainfall, thus the title Resilience to emphasize respect for those garden stalwarts that carry on under dire hot, dry conditions. I’m curious what you count on to carry the garden through tough times.

In A Vase On Monday – Resilience

In A Vase On Monday – Resilience: Clusters of tiny yellow Tansy flowers and fernlike foliage with cactus zinnia

In A Vase On Monday – Resilience

In A Vase On Monday – Resilience

Materials
Flowers
Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush)
Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’
Gladiolus ‘Purple Flora ‘
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)
Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)
Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy)
Zinnia -Cactus Flowered Mix
Foliage
Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy)
Container
Dark blue matte ceramic jar

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what is blooming in her UK garden and across the globe this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Swords

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In A Vase On Monday – Summer Swords

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of materials gathered from our gardens. Many gladiolas, known to some as sword lilies, opened throughout the week, allowing me to keep vases of them scattered throughout the house.

The ones I grow are mostly rich jewel tones. The stems are quite tall and heavy, a little awkward to balance. I chose a heavy, substantial Ikebana vase in which to display a few of them today.

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Swords

Crinum lilies are just beginning to form bulbils  on the flower heads now that the flowers are finished. I realized after cutting them they will be more interesting when allowed to develop further, but I included a couple at this stage anyway for textural contrast.

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Swords

Materials
Flowers
Gladiolus ‘Espresso’
Gladiolus no-names white and bright red
Gladiolus ‘Purple Flora ‘
Foliage
Crinum × powellii (Crinum lily) head
Container
Black metal suiban. 4 x 9.5 x 6.5 inches. Japan.

In A Vase On Monday – Summer Swords

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what is blooming in her UK garden and across the globe this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Gladiolas In Red Vase

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In A Vase On Monday – Gladiolas In Red Vase

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

During summer days a closed-in back porch at my maternal grandmother’s was the hub of activity. The porch separated the kitchen from the main portion of the house. Just inside the back door in other seasons, we would pass by pots of out-of-bloom geraniums and begonias. But in summer those would have been set outside and in their stead would sit a carefully tended vase of gladiolas in mixed colors.

When I was five or six often I stayed overnight with my  grandmother. After breakfast, still early, she would get her flower clippers and we would go outside to see if any more of her glads had opened. The mystery of what colors they would be held such excitement for me.

Gladioli From My Garden With Grandma’s Vintage Flower Clippers – 2015

Grandma always wore an apron and would tuck up a corner just so, to hold whatever she was gathering. On these mornings she would come back indoors with an apron full of glads and proceed to groom the flowers already in the vase, removing the spent blooms from the bottom of the stems, making fresh cuts, adding clean water and finally arranging the newest stems into the vase. The rainbow array never failed to delight my young self and must have made her happy as well.

I still adore gladiolas but have drifted toward white ones and deep, intensely rich colors like G. ‘Espresso’. Its silky petals begin as nearly black and open into a sultry crimson.

Baptisia Foliage, unopened Gladiolus ‘Espresso’

Gladiolus ‘Espresso’

Gladiolus

The bright red glad came without a name but has distinctive inner markers and rich color.

In A Vase On Monday – Gladiolas In Red Vase

Keeping company with the gladiolas, Beebalm has begun flowering after several years of nearly disappearing. The spot of blue at upper left is bachelor button.

Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)

The mophead hydrangea in today’s vase is a pass-along that came from a reader when I first began this blog. She was a volunteer at the JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC and the hydrangea was one her father grew.  My grandmother also had a hydrangea by her back porch step (my cousin still grows it). Hers and everyone’s flowered blue due to the acid soil conditions in our small town.  I would much prefer blue to pink but haven’t in all these year taken time to add aluminum sulfate.

Hydrangea macrophylla

Materials
Flowers
Centaurea cyanus ‘Blue Diadem’ (Bachelor’s Buttons)
Gladiolus ‘Espresso’
Gladiolus no-names white and bright red
Hydrangea macrophylla
Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)
Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)
Foliage
Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’
Container
Red/black raku vase, Charles Chrisco, Chrisco’s Pottery—Seagrove Potters

I hope this lily bud will create a focal point when it opens front and center in a few days.

In A Vase On Monday – Gladiolas In Red Vase

In A Vase On Monday – Gladiolas In Red Vase

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what is blooming in her UK garden and across the globe this week.

In A Vase On Monday – A Basket Of Pink

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In A Vase On Monday – A Basket Of Pink

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

The hydrangeas are more beautiful than in past years, despite some late cold snaps in early spring. I planned a simple vase, but this one went off on its own. Finding a container was a major challenge. After testing out a number of vases I settled on a basket I made some years ago. A few fresh lilies along with recycled ones from last week’s vase.

In A Vase On Monday – A Basket Of Pink

In A Vase On Monday – A Basket Of Pink

In A Vase On Monday – A Basket Of Pink

Materials
Flowers
Centaurea cyanus ‘Blue Diadem’ (Bachelor’s Buttons)
Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)
Hydrangea macrophylla
Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Foliage
Container
Handmade potato basket.

In A Vase On Monday – A Basket Of Pink

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are enjoying this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Vases With Red Lily

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In A Vase On Monday – Gardenia With Red Lily

In A Vase On Monday – Red Lilies

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of materials gathered from our gardens.  I prepared two vases this week.

Vase 1 – Gardenia With Red Lily

This week’s first vase holds two standouts from the garden. Gardenias are having a stellar year. The shrubs are covered with flowers. This arrangement was made Thursday as I rescued the flowers from the week’s series of extremely hot days.

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenia With Red Lily

Lilium ‘Black Out’  was first planted in 2016 and never fails to thrill. 

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenia With Red Lily

The flowers were pristine and fresh but I found the lilies less impactful and the gardenias more difficult to arrange than expected. Eventually the vase sort of took shape and I lost interest in fiddling any further. Supporting florals are Oakleaf Hydrangea and a (rather too small) Snapdragon.

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenia With Red Lily

The gardenia fragrance, divine at first, became overpowering and I had to move the arrangement outdoors.

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenia With Red Lily

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenia With Red Lily

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenia With Red Lily

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenia With Red Lily

Materials
Flowers
Antirrhinum majus ‘Speedy Sonnet Bronze’ (Snapdragon)
Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’ (Gardenia)
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)
Foliage
Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’ (Gardenia)
Container
Textured, incised ceramic pedestal vase, rice or bone color. 5×6-inches.

I’m not usually sensitive but definitely reacted to the flowers. I saved the lilies from the vase and tossed the gardenias.

Vase 2 – Red Lilies

In A Vase On Monday – Red Lilies

By Saturday the majority of L. ‘Black Out’ had opened fully so I gathered them and made a second arrangement using the same vase as the first. There were 15 red lilies but many more would have been nice.

In A Vase On Monday – Red Lilies

It was challenging to find enough material in flower to complete the design. I recycled the fading Royal Sunset lily from last week to help fill in and cut the available stems of Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’ and a few sprigs of Angelonia.

In A Vase On Monday – Red Lilies

In A Vase On Monday – Red Lilies

There are not many Bachelor’s Buttons in the garden but I am thrilled to see any. They probably won’t last much longer in this weather so I cut most of them to provide an airy contrast in color and texture.

In A Vase On Monday – Red Lilies

In A Vase On Monday – Red Lilies

Materials
Flowers
Angelonia
Centaurea cyanus ‘Blue Diadem’ (Bachelor’s Buttons)
Dahlia Anemone ‘Totally Tangerine’
Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)
Lily ‘Royal Sunset’
Foliage
Container
Textured, incised ceramic pedestal vase, rice or bone color. 5×6-inches.

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are enjoying this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Royal Sunset

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In A Vase On Monday – Royal Sunset

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

In A Vase On Monday – Royal Sunset

As the garden transitions toward summer lilies are oh so close.  L. ‘Royal Sunset’ is the first to venture forward into flower.

Lily ‘Royal Sunset’

Supporting florals come from an anemone dahlia, a passalong hydrangea and an overwintered snapdragon. Tips of a redbud tree that has volunteered in the south border provide foliage while softly echoing the hues of the lily and other flowers.

In A Vase On Monday – Royal Sunset

Dahlia Anemone ‘Totally Tangerine’

Hydrangea macrophylla

Lily ‘Royal Sunset’

In A Vase On Monday – Royal Sunset

Materials
Flowers
Antirrhinum majus ‘Speedy Sonnet Bronze’ (Snapdragon)
Dahlia Anemone ‘Totally Tangerine’
Hydrangea macrophylla
Lily Asiatic ‘Royal Sunset’
Foliage
Cercis canadensis L. (Eastern Redbud)
Container
Black metal suiban. 4 x 9.5 x 6.5 inches. Japan.

Lily ‘Royal Sunset’

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are enjoying this week.

Notes On May

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Iris (from Kathleen)

May’s abundance of irises, peonies and roses exceeded my expectations.

Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’

Virgie’s Rose (possibly R. ‘Seven Sisters’)

Beyond these beauties this month has had other highlights. Hummingbirds arrived a couple of weeks ago. Too quick for this photographer, yesterday’s zipped by and headed straight for this red salvia.

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

Lamb’s Ear is overly plentiful and needs to be cut back, but bees love the flowers. There is more bee activity now that penstemon is in full bloom.

Reports suggest butterfly sightings are up this year in North Carolina, but few have stopped by here so far. I hope monarchs will be as excited by this asclepias as I am.

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)

Verbena bonariensis is a popular flower for butterflies and American Goldfinches like the seeds.

Little Glassywing (Pompeius verna)

Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)

This month I’ve seen some interesting insects and lots of Carolina anoles and this week I was startled when trimming back some of the irises by a treefrog.

Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea)

Stealing moments from another errand this week I bought tomato plants at Southern States, a nearby garden center I’ve frequented for decades. There was only time for a quick browse, but I managed to pick up English thyme, Italian oregano, angelonia and marigolds. I have seeds for marigolds but haven’t got them planted.

Tagetes ‘Durango Red’ (Durango Red French Marigold)

Angelonia for the Meditation Circle (after some weeding)

The tomatoes went in the garden yesterday but thunderstorms and heavy rains today have kept me from finishing the planting. No doubt the garden needs the rain.

Garden View Between Storms (looking west from the screened porch)

From a distance the garden seems subdued. Despite the open plan which appears to reveal everything at once, it manages to keep secrets to discover when wandering around the borders.

Centaurea cyanus ‘Blue Diadem’ (Bachelor’s Buttons)

ClematisJ ‘Jackmanii’

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

Lily Asiatic ‘Royal Sunset’

There is more to see now and there is more to come,

Black and Blue Salvia, Chrysanthemums, Daylilies, Tansy

…but for now the first dahlia of the year has awakened.

Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’

Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’

In A Vase On Monday – Flowering Purple

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In A Vase On Monday – Flowering Purple

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

It was a banner year for irises and peonies, but now with the garden in a transitional stage, filling a vase today was challenging. Eventually I settled on pansies which will soon be pulled up and the very last of the irises.

In A Vase On Monday – Flowering Purple

In A Vase On Monday – Flowering Purple

Iris ‘Fabian’ was the last iris to bloom. I’ve had this iris since the late 1970s. The flowers are dusky purple and rather small.

In A Vase On Monday – Flowering Purple

In A Vase On Monday – Flowering Purple

In A Vase On Monday – Flowering Purple

In A Vase On Monday – Flowering Purple

Materials
Flowers
Iris ‘Fabian’
Pansy ‘Delta™ Premium Pure Light Blue’ (Viola × wittrockiana)
Pansy ‘Panola® Purple’ (Viola × wittrockiana)
Verbena bonariensis
Foliage
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Dutch’ (Dutch Lavender)
Container
Textured, incised ceramic pedestal vase, rice or bone color. 5×6-inches, with floral pin holder.

In A Vase On Monday – Flowering Purple

In A Vase On Monday – Flowering Purple

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are enjoying this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Pink Flowers In A Black Vase

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In A Vase On Monday – Pink Flowers In A Black Vase

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

In A Vase On Monday – Pink Flowers In A Black Vase

Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ was the last of my peonies to open just as unsettled weather came into the forecast. Friday’s predicted rains fizzled, but on Saturday morning we had a storm that finally brought some precipitation. To prepare for this week’s vase I gathered peonies early and set them aside for conditioning in cool water. Although a few flowers gently shed their petals before I could use them, there were plenty more, this having been an abundant year for peonies.

In A Vase On Monday – Pink Flowers In A Black Vase

I had a specific shape in mind composed of mostly greenery dominating on one side and pink peonies on the other, but the design drifted from the concept as I began working. It seemed a shame not to use all the peonies so I continued finding places to tuck them.

In A Vase On Monday – Pink Flowers In A Black Vase

Joining Sarah are other pinks, P. ‘Madame Emile Debatene’  and P. ‘Pink Parfait’, and a few pieces of perennial sweet pea I recently noticed was suddenly blooming. The arrangement is large as one might predict knowing the peonies span 5-9 inches across.

Cerinthe, nearly finished blooming, created a bit of mystery. My daughter was visiting this weekend and she kept hearing noises in the house. I walked down the hall to investigate and found cerinthe seeds had been released all over the floor.

In A Vase On Monday – Pink Flowers In A Black Vase

Materials
Flowers
Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)
Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’
Paeonia ‘Madame Emile Debatene’
Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’
Foliage
‘Pride of Gibraltar’ Hummingbird Cerinthe
Container
Black metal suiban. 4 x 9.5 x 6.5 inches. Japan.

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are enjoying this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Paeonia

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In A Vase On Monday – Paeonia

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

The garden has been intoxicating recently, full of color and fragrance as peonies took their place among roses and irises.

Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’

Paeonia ‘Madame Emile Debatene’

Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’ (Peony)

Simple vases of peonies in the house this week have meant pure delight.

Thought it looks appropriate for Valentine’s this red pitcher with heart decoration was just right to emphasize Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’ in all its flouncy fluffiness.

Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’

A second pitcher features P. ‘Festiva Maxima’ along with two pinks, P. ‘Madame Emile Debatene’  and P. ‘Pink Parfait’.

In A Vase On Monday – Paeonia

Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’ (Peony)

Paeonia ‘Madame Emile Debatene’

Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’

Materials
Flowers
Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’
Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’
Paeonia ‘Madame Emile Debatene’
Foliage
none
Container
Stoneware pitcher glazed with bands of cream, green, blue. (pitcher and 4 cups, Pringle Pottery, North Carolina, circa 1977)
Red pitcher with white hearts

We had some rain this weekend and Sunday the temperature was back down to 54F during the day after reaching into the upper 80s earlier in the week. The rain was much needed but it did leave the peonies tousled and soggy. There still are more buds and one other type of peony yet to open.

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are enjoying this week.

In A Vase On Monday – This Moment

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In A Vase On Monday – This Moment

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

In A Vase On Monday – This Moment

In my garden the pinnacle is when the irises and roses come together, enjoined for a brief time in gentle perfection.

While irises have been flowering since late March, this week brought out the roses. And there it was—the garden hit its peak—as much a feeling as a visual. Every glance out the window, every step along the borders, brought the knowing sensation, this is the moment.

In A Vase On Monday – This Moment

The garden has many different irises but only one rose. Passed down through several generations, this rose is cherished mostly for the memories it carries, of dear ones who grew it before me. It blooms only briefly so selecting the rose as today’s centerpiece was a natural choice.

Virgie’s Rose

After the arrangement came together I realized the roses’ companions in this arrangement reflect the garden’s moving timeline.

Hellebores began appearing late in January, Cerinthe in early March. Dianthus came along early this month (April), Iris virginica ‘Contraband Girl’ popped out a week ago,  Verbena bonariensis and Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’ opened just three days ago. Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’ is full of buds and soon will explode into its glory.

In A Vase On Monday – This Moment

In A Vase On Monday – This Moment

In A Vase On Monday – This Moment

In A Vase On Monday – This Moment

So the garden keeps moving. But there’s something unique about this moment when the irises and roses meet again that makes the garden feel like my garden.

Materials
Flowers
Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’
Dianthus Ideal Select Mix
Iris virginica ‘Contraband Girl’
Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Virgie’s Rose
Foliage
Helleborus
Heuchera villosa ‘Big Top Bronze’ (Coral Bells)
‘Pride of Gibraltar’ Hummingbird Cerinthe
Container
Black metal suiban. 4 x 9.5 x 6.5 inches. Japan.

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are enjoying this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Pass Alongs

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In A Vase On Monday – Pass Alongs

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

In A Vase On Monday – Pass Alongs

A bright spot in 2020 was a gift of tall bearded irises I had admired on the Instagram feed of petalsandwingsimages. The rhizomes arrived in September but made no flowers last year. This week they revealed themselves, dark inky blue buds opened into delicate lavender confections. I had made a note that the foliage was variegated but it no longer seems to be. The irises are lightly scented, almost sweet.

Tall bearded iris – passalong from petalsandwingsimages. Japanese Roof Iris in background

Iris germanica (Tall bearded iris)

Iris germanica (Tall bearded iris)

Planted nearby are shorter Japanese roof iris. These beardless iris were rescued for me one summer a couple decades ago by a friend whose master gardener neighbor was dividing and sharing his. The fringed crest is white, falls and standards are purple.

Iris tectorum (Japanese Roof Iris)

Through the years my mother’s first cousin, Virgie, shared many garden plants with me and when we moved to this house in 2001 I brought along quite a few. One treasured pass along is a rose that she, my mother, and my grandmother all grew. The first flower opened Sunday, just in time to be included in my vase of pass alongs this week.

Virgie’s Rose

Materials
Flowers
Dianthus Ideal Select Mix
Iris germanica (Tall bearded iris)
Iris tectorum (Japanese Roof Iris)
Virgie’s Rose
Foliage
Helleborus
Container
Stoneware pitcher glazed with bands of cream, green, blue. (pitcher and 4 cups, Pringle Pottery, North Carolina, circa 1977)

Iris germanica (Tall bearded iris)

Iris germanica (Tall bearded iris)

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are enjoying this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Easter Bouquet

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In A Vase On Monday – Easter Bouquet

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of materials gathered from our gardens. Monday here was gray and cold. Great quantities of much-needed rain fell from early morning until late afternoon and I spent the day cocooned under a quilt with a book.

In A Vase On Monday – Easter Bouquet

So here it is Tuesday, sunny yet still chilly. Although a day late I prepared a vase and filled it with Easter hues. The flowers are not at their best after being battered about yesterday, but their colors sing the season.

In A Vase On Monday – Easter Bouquet

In A Vase On Monday – Easter Bouquet

In A Vase On Monday – Easter Bouquet

In A Vase On Monday – Easter Bouquet

Materials
Flowers
Iris germanica ‘Immortality’
Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’
Narcissus ‘Delnashaugh’ (Double Daffodil)
Peony ‘Coral Charm’
Phalaenopsis (moth orchid)
Salvia nemorosa ‘Blue Hill’ (Meadow Sage)
Foliage
‘Pride of Gibraltar’ Hummingbird Cerinthe
Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy)
Container
Textured, incised ceramic pedestal vase, rice or bone color. 5×6-inches, with floral pin holder.

Narcissus ‘Delnashaugh’ (Double Daffodil)

Peony ‘Coral Charm’

In A Vase On Monday – Easter Bouquet

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are enjoying this week.

Silent Sunday – Nature’s Easter Egg

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April 15, 2022 Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Charm’ (Coral Charm Peony)

April 16, 2022 – Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Charm’ (Coral Charm Peony)

7: 44 am April 17, 2022Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Charm’ (Coral Charm Peony)

7: 44 am April 17, 2022 Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Charm’ (Coral Charm Peony)

11:20 am April 17, 2022 Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Charm’ (Coral Charm Peony)

11:20 am April 17, 2022 Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Charm’ (Coral Charm Peony)

11:20 am April 17, 2022 Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Charm’ (Coral Charm Peony)

Wordless Wednesday – MidApril Closeups

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Narcissus ‘Delnashaugh’ (Double Daffodil)

Narcissus ‘Delnashaugh’ (Double Daffodil)

Narcissus ‘Delnashaugh’ (Double Daffodil)

Narcissus (Mixed Large Daffodils)

Narcissus (Mixed Large Daffodils)

Narcissus (Mixed Large Daffodils)

Narcissus ‘Cheerfulness’

Twin Sisters / Cemetery Ladies (Narcissus x medioluteus)

Iris germanica ‘Raspberry Blush’

Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’

Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)

Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)

In A Vase On Monday – Green Urn With Irises

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In A Vase On Monday – Irises In Green Urn

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

As irises begin their spring performance, it seems only natural to feature a group of Dutch iris that popped up next to the driveway this week, just as they have for the past twenty years. Attempts to extend Dutch iris into the main garden borders have been oddly unsuccessful, but this bunch is resilient.  They all opened at the same time so I cut the entire group (more than two dozen) to use in an arrangement.

In A Vase On Monday – Irises In Green Urn

The green container is one my sister chose for me at an estate sale a few years ago. The large, tall and heavy urn easily holds today’s long, sturdy iris stems. With its unique shape the vase itself could be the focal point, but the Dutch irises, all white but for a single blue one, compete with a strong presence.

In A Vase On Monday – Irises In Green Urn

Markings of bright egg-yolk yellow as well as pale hints of lavender give quirky personality to the white flowers.

In A Vase On Monday – Irises In Green Urn

In A Vase On Monday – Irises In Green Urn

In A Vase On Monday – Irises In Green Urn

In A Vase On Monday – Irises In Green Urn

Materials
Flowers
Iris × hollandica (Dutch iris)
Foliage
‘Pride of Gibraltar’ Hummingbird Cerinthe
Container
Large Green Ceramic Urn

In A Vase On Monday – Irises In Green Urn

In A Vase On Monday – Irises In Green Urn (Waterlogue watercolor effect)

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to create and share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are enjoying this week.

Wordless Wednesday – Portraits Of Early April

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Tulipa clusiana ‘Cynthia’

Tulipa clusiana ‘Cynthia’

Tulipa clusiana ‘Cynthia’

Narcissus ‘Cheerfulness’ and Tulipa clusiana ‘Cynthia’

Flowers Catching Breeze With Birdsong

Narcissus ‘Cheerfulness’

Narcissus ‘Cheerfulness’ and Tulipa clusiana ‘Cynthia’

Iris ‘Crimson King’

April 3, 2022 Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) on Cupressus arizonica, the Arizona cypress

April 3, 2022 Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)

Question Mark with Chimes and Birdsong

Dutch Iris

Dutch Iris

In A Vase On Monday – Blue And White

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In A Vase On Monday – Blue And White

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

In A Vase On Monday – Blue And White

In A Vase On Monday – Blue And White

My father took my sisters and me to my first college basketball game at Duke when I was in about the fourth grade (on a school night. We were two hours away). Later when my older sister became a freshman at UNC, we inevitably switched loyalties and have been following the Tar Heels ever since. Today’s flowers are a tribute to Carolina basketball, marking the epic 81-77 win Saturday in the first NCAA Final Four meeting of Carolina and Duke.

In A Vase On Monday – Blue And White

There’s just something about playing Duke. In 1974 I was in Carmichael in the student section with fantastic seats, mid-court about the 4th row, for the great 17 points in 8 seconds comeback when Walter Davis made his famous shot that sent the game into overtime. If you know what I’m talking about, you know what I’m talking about. If not, back to regular garden programming next week.

In A Vase On Monday – Blue And White

Materials
Flowers
White Cyclamen
White Iberis Sempervirens (Candytuft)
White Leucojum aestivum (Summer snowflake)
Blue and White Muscari (Grape hyacinth)
Blue pansies
Foliage
Container
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Rectangle Blue Zen (6.75L x 3.75W x 2H inches)

Thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for encouraging us to share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are enjoying this week.