Tag Archives: gardenia jasminoides

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 – Fragrance And Pink Petals

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In A Vase On Monday – Fragrance And Pink Petals

Each Monday Cathy from Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase assembled from materials collected in our gardens.

I am not a fan of pink but it often dominates the blooms in my garden and commands today’s vase as well.

In A Vase On Monday – Fragrance And Pink Petals

Hydrangeas I adore, even in pink, and especially at this fresh young stage.

Hydrangea macrophylla

Hydrangea macrophylla

Pink persists. Cleome (spider flower) freely self-seeds in the meditation circle and is just beginning to bloom.  All parts of the the plant display interesting architectural features.

Cleome Hassleriana Details With Hydrangea Macrophylla

Cleome Hassleriana Floating Above Hydrangea Macrophylla

To my mind the stars of this early June vase are gardenias.  They have scented the garden for several weeks, blooming magnificently this year. When temperatures blazed upward the gardenia flowers pouted and turned brown, but a few new buds continue to open. Their fragrance is unparalleled, inviting one to breathe—deeply inhaling sensuous joy and exhaling, letting go with a sigh.

Hydrangea and Gardenia jasminoides

Gardenia jasminoides

Materials
Flowers
Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)
Gardenia jasminoides
Hydrangea macrophylla
Foliage
Container
Small matte-glazed blue ceramic vase

What color prevails in your garden this week?

Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower designs across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday – Fragrant Pair

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In A Vase On Monday – Fragrant Pair

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement using materials collected from our gardens.

Recently I identified a peony that has been perplexing me. When it bloomed for the first time several years ago I expected to see the dark red flower of Paeonia lactiflora ‘Black Beauty’ (Nightlife Peony). A rich pink double bloom, lovely in its own right, greeted me instead.

The plant, I believe, turned out to be Paeonia ‘Madame Emile Debatene,’ hybridized by Dessert-Doriat in 1927. I cut this and several other peonies in bud and have been storing them in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. Today this one appeared eager to make its way out of cold storage and into the world.

Paeonia ‘Madame Emile Debatene’

The peony is paired with a branch of gardenia, laden with promising buds.

 

In A Vase On Monday – Fragrant Pair

Materials

Paeonia x ‘Madame Emile Debatene’
Gardenia jasminoides

Vase
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Rectangle Blue Zen (6.75L x 3.75W x 2H inches)

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us a chance to express our flower arranging passion. Visit her to discover what she and others found this week in their gardens to place In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday—November Medley

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In A Vase On Monday - View From Above

In A Vase On Monday – View From Above

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

There was a light rain yesterday when I gathered a few flowers for today’s vase. For the past week I have been keeping tabs on a favorite pass-along Chrysanthemum. I have grown this plant for at least two decades and am always pleased when its soft buttery yellow flowers return.

Passalong Chrysanthemum

Passalong Chrysanthemum

I decided to make these small button-shaped chrysanthemum the focus of the arrangement, but then some other flowers caught my attention.

Nearby were a couple of pink Achillea filipendulina (Fern-leaf Yarrow). They bloomed off and on during the summer and have just begun another round. I found a single red zinnia to include today also.

In A Vase On Monday - View From Above

In A Vase On Monday – View From Above

The outdoor display from this year’s Camellia sasanquas is outstanding and I could not resist cutting a few. Despite the rain they were in good condition. I envisioned the yellow centers and pinky-white petals of Hana-Jiman camellia coordinating with the pink yarrow and yellow chrysanthemums.

Camellia sasanqua 'Hana-Jiman' and Chrysanthemum

Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’ and Chrysanthemum

Camellia sasanqua 'Hana-Jiman'

Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’

With only a few gardenias blooming this week I wanted to include them again while I could.

Gardenia

Gardenia

I used florist’s foam in a small plastic dish to hold the arrangement. I started by placing the chrysanthemums as outlines for the overall shape. This type of formal design always takes more material than I think it will.

It quickly became obvious more flowers were needed, so I headed back into the rain for a few more camellias and gardenia foliage to fill out the spherical design.

All along I had planned to display the flowers atop an urn-shaped container. While working I thought I was being careful to conceal the plastic dish with foliage, but once I set the flowers in place it was obvious the lower edges needed additional concealer material.

In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

Outdoors it was still raining, so I decided to change course and try out several shallow containers. This blue and brown pottery bowl worked well.

Camellia sasanqua 'Hana-Jiman' and Chrysanthemum

Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’ and Chrysanthemum

Finally I settled on a delicate blue and white porcelain dish for the final display.

In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

Camellia sasanqua 'Hana-Jiman' and Chrysanthemum

Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’ and Chrysanthemum

 

Materials

Flowers
Achillea filipendulina (Fern-leaf Yarrow)
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’
Chrysanthemum
Gardenia jasminoides
Zinnia

Foliage
Gardenia jasminoides

Mechanics
Floral foam
6-inch plastic Lomey dish
Various containers

In A Vase On Monday - View From Above

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—October Delicacies

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October Delicacies

October Delicacies

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

Yesterday was a lovely day to explore the garden and gather materials for a vase. This weekend the weather was ideal and foliage in our area is vibrant in hues of red, orange and golden.

On the north side of the house pure white Gardenias continue to scent the air, crinkly pink and white Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’ begins its second week of blooms and several eager red Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ flowers are off to an early start.

Gardenia jasminoides

Gardenia jasminoides

Camellia sasanqua 'Hana-Jiman'

Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’

Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide'

Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’

For this week’s arrangement I lined a colorful multi-stemmed vase with delicate blossoms from these three flowering shrubs and punctuated them with a few sprigs of ‘Black and Blue’ Salvia. For display I placed the container upon a bright red tray.

October Delicacies

October Delicacies

I also used a small hourglass-shaped vase to feature several of the more perfect flowers.

Gardenia, Camellia and Salvia

Gardenia, Camellia and Salvia

Materials
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’
Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’
Gardenia jasminoides
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

There were many more of the Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’ available than I used, but they are a favorite of ants this year. It was a tricky locating some flowers that the ants had not yet visited.

Camellia sasanqua 'Hana-Jiman'

Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’

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

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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—A Late Vase

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In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

It is late at night but I want to join Cathy for In A Vase On Monday, a weekly invitation to fill and share a vase using materials gathered from one’s garden.

I gathered flowers early this morning and parceled them into a variety of containers until I had time to work with them. Time got away from me. When I finally caught a moment late this afternoon to photograph one vase for a quick post, I really should have taken time to grab a container to that would better complement the color of the flowers.

Cleome hassleriana was supposed to be the star of this arrangement. The cleome has opened up in the past week and is doing well despite the lack of rain and the high heat. It self-seeds and I let it go mostly wherever it wants. My original Cleome hassleriana seedlings came years ago from my friend, Chris, who bought them at Monticello.

Cleome and Echinacea

Cleome and Echinacea

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) and Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ are also tolerating this hot weather. These two flowers prove that pink and orange can coexist, but they may have stolen the limelight from the cleome.

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ (Hybrid Coneflower)

Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ (Hybrid Coneflower)

A few sprigs of Dutch Lavender complete this quick vase.

In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

Materials

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)
Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ (Hybrid Coneflower)
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Dutch’ (Dutch Lavender)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

A big thank you to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for welcoming everyone to join her in this addictive Monday diversion. Please visit her to see what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday—Easy Delights

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In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

Once again I am joining Cathy for In A Vase On Monday, a weekly invitation to fill and share a vase using materials gathered from one’s garden. The pass-along gardenia featured in last week’s vase continues to be the main source for cutting.

Gardenia jasminoides

Gardenia jasminoides

We had guests visiting on Sunday and at the last minute I ran outside to gather a few fresh flowers. With no time for me to arrange them, the flowers practically settled themselves into a small blue ceramic vase. The blossoms looked content and I was too.

Gardenia jasminoides

Gardenia jasminoides

Gardenia jasminoides

Gardenia jasminoides

A few extras fit easily into the colorful multi-stemmed vase my daughter gave me. I adore this vase, which seems to work with any type or color of flower.

In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

Materials

Flowers
Gardenia jasminoides
Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for welcoming everyone to join her in this addictive Monday diversion. Please visit her to see what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.

Wednesday Annotations

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Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ (Hybrid Coneflower)

Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ (Hybrid Coneflower)

Echinacea are opening up all around the garden this week, mostly the species E. purpurea. Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ is a hybrid coneflower with a rich red center. At first it seems to be all cone, but eventually petals emerge.

Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ (Hybrid Coneflower)

Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ (Hybrid Coneflower)

Over the past several weeks I have removed all the red snapdragons and most of the ‘Husker’s Red’ penstemon from the meditation circle and replanted it with annuals that should perform well through the summer. I was happy with the labyrinth this spring, its walls planted in taller, fuller plants, but stepping to the next stone became like navigating an obstacle course.

For the new simplified planting scheme I used several shades of Angelonia (Summer snapdragon) to add color without blocking the path. I wanted blue and white, but when I was ready to buy the blue plants were scarce. From the penstemon at 11 o’clock around clockwise to 5 o’clock I used Angelonia ‘Serena White’.

Meditation Circle

Meditation Circle

Angelonia 'Serena White'

Angelonia ‘Serena White’

With the hot dry weather in May, it was difficult to get these established, and I had to break my rule and water nearly every day in the month. We finally had a little rain yesterday and today is overcast, a welcome reprieve.

To complete the plantings on the other side, I used Angelonia ‘Lavender’ (in bloom on the far left path) and Angelonia ‘Raspberry’ on the interior path (not blooming yet).

Angelonia 'Lavender' and Angelonia 'Raspberry' In Meditation Circle

Angelonia ‘Lavender’ and Angelonia ‘Raspberry’ In Meditation Circle

Angelonia 'Lavender'

Angelonia ‘Lavender’

At the labyrinth entrance with larger and darker flowers are Angelonia ‘Alonia Big Indigo.’

Angelonia 'Alonia Big Indigo'

Angelonia ‘Alonia Big Indigo’

I could not resist slipping in another gardenia to show. A single flower of  ‘August Beauty’ is blooming for the first time. Three of five bushes survive that were planted in August 2012.

Gardenia jasminoides 'August Beauty'

Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’

 

In A Vase On Monday—A Sweet Fragrance

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In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

Once again I am joining Cathy for In A Vase On Monday, a weekly invitation to fill and share a vase using materials gathered from one’s garden.

With a large pass-along gardenia starting to flower last week, what to use in my vase this week was an easy decision. Gardenias are quick to brown and I find them difficult to photograph, but these minor flaws are easily overlooked with one whiff of their sweet perfume.

Gardenia jasminoides

Gardenia jasminoides

The entire experience of gathering, arranging and photographing these gardenias was accentuated by the remarkable fragrance of the flowers.

Gardenia jasminoides

Gardenia jasminoides

Three stems of Verbena bonariensis inserted into a small, one inch floral pin holder doubled as  an armature around which the gardenias were added.

In A Vase On Monday - View From Above

In A Vase On Monday – View From Above

Today’s container is a traditionally-shaped pressed glass dish that had belonged to my aunt. Rarely used, it is the perfect size for the number of flowers I collected. The arrangement adds an graceful detail to the dining room buffet.

In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

Materials

Flowers
Gardenia jasminoides
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)

Gardenia jasminoides

Gardenia jasminoides

A big thank you to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for welcoming everyone to join her in this addictive Monday diversion. Please visit her to see what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday—Camellias And Gardenias

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In A Vase On Monday-Cameillias and Gardenias

In A Vase On Monday-Cameillias and Gardenias

Each Monday brings an opportunity to join in Cathy’s weekly challenge called In A Vase On Monday where the goal is to fill a vase using materials collected from the garden.

I had planned a quick arrangement today of newly blooming chrysanthemums, but a traditional design seemed more appropriate to honor the flowers I selected instead. My delicate pink-tinged Camellia sasanqua is blooming. While I was collecting some of these fragile flowers I noticed the neighboring Gardenia jasminoides had offered up 4 or 5 more blooms.  What a fragrant pairing these flowers made.

Camellia sasanqua

Camellia sasanqua

Gardenia jasminoides

Gardenia jasminoides

A few pink and white Echinacea are used to fill out the arrangement. Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ (Coneflower) is still going strong after many, many weeks in flower, but I have not used it much indoors this summer.

Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan' (Coneflower)

Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ (Coneflower)

Gardenia leaves are dark green and shiny, making them a perfect background to accentuate the flowers in this week’s vase. For this traditional round design, I first established a spherical shape using the foliage, before adding the flowering materials. Eventually I removed some of the foliage as the initial quantity made the arrangement seem too heavy.

Foliage of Gardenia jasminoides was used to establish the round shape of the design.

Foliage of Gardenia jasminoides was used to establish the round shape of the design.

The goal of today's vase was to create a traditional round design.

The goal of today’s vase was to create a traditional round design.

A few sprigs of ‘Carolina Sapphire’ (Arizona Cypress) lend an airy texture to the arrangement.

'Carolina Sapphire' (Arizona Cypress)

‘Carolina Sapphire’ (Arizona Cypress)

Today’s container is a piece of crystal that once belonged to my maternal aunt. It seemed like a good choice for this formal floral design.

Crystal Vase

Crystal Vase

The scent of the gardenias and the camellias made assembling this vase such a pleasure today.

Camellia sasanqua

Camellia sasanqua

In A Vase On Monday-Camellias and Gardenias (with Echinacea)

In A Vase On Monday-Camellias and Gardenias (with Echinacea)

 

Materials
Flowers
Camellia sasanqua
Gardenia jasminoides
Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ (Coneflower)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

Foliage
Gardenia jasminoides
‘Carolina Sapphire’ (Arizona Cypress)

Mechanics
Floral foam
Crystal vase
6-inch plastic Lomey dish

 

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting. Discover what delightful things she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday. Perhaps you will be inspired to share your own vase.

Garden Bloggers Foliage Day – September 2014

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Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry)

Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry)

The first day of autumn coincides with Garden Bloggers Foliage Day (GBFD).  The countryside and the garden remain fairly green—very little autumnal leaf color so far. As one sign of the season, stems of the native Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry) are covered in purply ripened berries.

In the Northern Hemisphere the fall season arrives today with the occurrence of the autumnal equinox, September 22 at 10:29 p.m. EDT. It was almost 90°F yesterday, but now at 5:00 p.m. it is a pleasant 71°F. The rest of the week should remain in the seventies during the day, dropping into the 50s at night.

There was a surprise shower overnight, not enough to fill the bird baths but any amount is needed and welcome. A few drops remained on this Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine), decorated with bits of red as it transitions toward fall.

Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)

Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)

Strange as it seems, last week I could detect the fragrance of Winter Daphne. Three of these lovely shrubs serve as hedge at the front of our house.

Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' (Winter daphne)

Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’ (Winter daphne)

Along the northern side yard camellias, gardenias and hellebores add green interest. The camellias are gaining fat buds that will open in another month to six weeks.  The gardenias in this position look healthy, more so than others in the back garden. Stationed nearby Hellebores are full of strong, deep green leaves.

Gardenia and Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)

Gardenia and Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)

For several years I have been monitoring the progress of a small passalong Sarcococca ruscifolia (Fragrant Sweet Box). It requires full shade which is hard to find in my garden. I planted it underneath one of the corner ‘Carolina Sapphire’ Arizona Cypress specimens, where it receives scant early morning sunlight. The plant remains very small but the foliage look great this year.

Sarcococca ruscifolia (Fragrant Sweet Box)

Sarcococca ruscifolia (Fragrant Sweet Box)

Sarcococca ruscifolia (Fragrant Sweet Box)

Sarcococca ruscifolia (Fragrant Sweet Box)

The only featured grass in my garden is Muhlenbergia capillaris (Pink Muhly Grass). Despite it  not being very well situated, this year it looks very nice.

Muhlenbergia capillaris (Pink Muhly Grass)

Muhlenbergia capillaris (Pink Muhly Grass)

A big thank you to Christina at Creating my own garden of the Hesperides for hosting GBFD on the 22nd of each month.

 

In A Vase On Monday—A Memory Onto Your Soul

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Gardenia and Red Salvia

Gardenia and Red Salvia

It is time again to join in Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday. The goal is to fill a vase using materials gathered in one’s own garden.

Last week I passed on using gardenias in my Monday vase as they were a bit past their prime; nevertheless I enjoyed some indoors for a few days.

A few more were blooming Sunday afternoon and though again they are not in perfect condition, even seeming to turn brown before my eyes, I decided to feature them today to honor their delectable fragrance.

Gardenia

Gardenia

Many of you will be able to close your eyes, take a deep breath in and imagine a gardenia sitting before you.

…the scent of gardenias settles like a memory onto your soul.

Gene B. Bussell. “Gardenias: A Fragrance That Captivates“. Southern Living. June 2005.

Gardenia and Red Salvia

Gardenia and Red Salvia

Another reason to display gardenias today is I came across a self-seeded red salvia from last year.  Its first flowers appeared this week and I thought their intense hue would look interesting with the creamy white of gardenias. Despite the reputation of red salvia for being overused, I find them attractive and sometimes just what one needs for a bright punch of color in the garden.

Red Salvia

Red Salvia

I was curious how these flowers might work in a formal arrangement, but not having time today to experiment, the blossoms were loosely placed into a simple, clear shrub glass. Gardenias have beautiful dark green, glossy leaves so no additional foliage was needed.

Materials

2 Gardenia jasminoides ‘Chuck Hayes’
2 Gardenia sp.
3 Salvia splendens (scarlet sage, red salvia)

Gardenia and Red Salvia

Gardenia and Red Salvia

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting. Discover what delightful things she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.

Gardenia and Red Salvia

Gardenia and Red Salvia

Passing Along Plants, Recipes And Memories

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After a few weeks hiatus my thoughts are returning to the garden, although the bitter cold of January still makes it nicer to be indoors than out for at least a few more days. And in the meantime?

Recipes and Memories

Recipes and Memories

I have always enjoyed cooking and began collecting recipes at about the age of ten. Keeping up with my favorite recipes has always been a challenge. No sooner do I have them organized than the kitchen drawer begins overflowing afresh with newspaper or magazine clippings and hand-jotted instructions from friends for various tasty delights. This must sound familiar?

As the new year began I picked up a project again that I had set aside many times before.  Two of my sisters have birthdays in January and this is the year I finally persisted to create a book for them of some special recipes and recollections about food and mealtimes we shared growing up together.

I had already typed up the recipes and written most of the chapter introductions.  Even so, it took about ten days to organize them, get the layout ready to get printed and proof; seven days later I had the books in hand. Three days later I was able to present the books, part recipes and part memoir, to my sisters and my daughter.  They all seem pleased. I told my sisters if they remembered things differently, they must write their own memoirs.

To illustrate the book I used photographs from the garden, featuring many pass-along plants from our relatives to complement the passed-down family recipes. Hydrangea, everlasting sweet pea, day lily, iris, woodland phlox and views of the meditation garden are some of the pictures included.

For appetizers and salads I used an image of peach-colored Appleblossom Achillea.

Achillea x 'Appleblossom' (Yarrow) and Shasta daisy foliage

Achillea x ‘Appleblossom’ (Yarrow) and Shasta daisy foliage

For desserts I chose the luscious, creamy and fragrant gardenia.

Gardenia Blossoms

Gardenia Blossoms

It was time-consuming, but so satisfying to create this book. Recipes are piling up again though.

After this winter diversion now I am almost ready to get back out into the garden.  Where are those warm days?

Mid-September Blooms

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One week before the autumnal equinox, large puffy clouds adorn the deep blue sky. It is a beautiful, sunny day, 79°F.

This Stargazer Dahlia is a cactus-flowered dwarf variety. Grown from seed and passed-along a few years ago by a dear neighbor, this lone survivor returns annually without any special attention.

Dahlia ‘Stargazer’

Speaking of survivors, this tomato was a surprise, surprise when I discovered it last week growing underneath a bird feeder. My next-door neighbor grows beautiful and delicious tomatoes and I assume a little bird thoughtfully brought this into my garden.

A Tomato Volunteer

A patch of zinnias is finally adding some cheerful color in a back corner of the property. Mixed seeds always seem to be mostly pink but finally a few yellow, coral and orange are blooming now.

Zinnia

Though most have faded by this point in the season, several Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) continue to display fresh blossoms.

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

Tradescantia (Spiderwort) are a very favorite flower but they have become so aggressive I have had to cut back, pull up, and repeat the same removal process over and over throughout the summer. The result is that many Tradescantia are still present and blooming. My former garden has very heavy clay and lots of shade and the tradescantia stayed very well-contained, but here it is too spready. This white blossom is an unusual one, most in this garden are blue or violet.

Tradescantia (Spiderwort)

The gardenia shrubs continue to be welcomingly fragrant. This is one of the Gardenia jasminoides ‘Chuck Hayes’ that grow along the western border of the garden. The newly planted ‘August Beauty’ variety is doing well but it will be some time before it can provide much screening to hide the heating and air conditioner units.

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Chuck Hayes’

Roses are not my forte but this Rosa ‘Iceberg’ belonged to a special friend who passed away a few years ago. Several times I have almost given up on it but it did not give up. So here is this lovely bloom today as a special reminder of a special person. I enjoy that gardens can honor memories and cultivate friendships. Thanks for visiting my garden today.

Rosa ‘Iceberg’