Tag Archives: Hydrangea macrophylla

In A Vase On Monday – May Blooms

In A Vase On Monday – May Blooms

Every Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase with materials selected from our gardens.

The vases more than the flowers were to be the focal point today. My daughter gave me a wonderful pair of modern sculptural vases for Mother’s Day.  The oval shaped donut vases interlock and can  be uses singly or paired.

Mother’s Day Vases 2023

I wanted to introduce them with a more stellar design but I will need to experiment and get to know the vases better. I stubbornly chose the wrong materials this morning, knowing the stems were too stiff to work well with the curving lines of the vases. So after much brute force, I manipulated the flowers enough to have something presentable, but only after adding a third vase into the mix.

In A Vase On Monday – May Blooms

In A Vase On Monday – May Blooms

The oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’) is doing great this year, unlike last year. It likes the rains we’ve had this spring. I was determined to use it today.

In A Vase On Monday – May Blooms

It took a lot of years and trying (and eventually, buying plants rather than seeds) to establish Bachelor’s Buttons in the garden. These are Centaurea cyanus ‘Blue Boy’ in their second year.

In A Vase On Monday – May Blooms

I included two yellow snapdragons that surprised me this week and a pink Hydrangea macrophylla, just coming into flower.

In A Vase On Monday – May Blooms

Materials
Flowers
Centaurea cyanus ‘Blue Boy’ (Bachelor’s Button, Cornflower)
Hydrangea macrophylla
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Snapdragon
Foliage
none
Containers
Modern oval donut vase pair. Large vase – h: 8.4” w: 6.3” caliber: 1.7”; Small vase – h: 6.8” w: 5.4” caliber: 1.3”
Textured, incised ceramic pedestal vase, rice or bone color. 5×6-inches.

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting each week. Visit her blog to see her vase and check out those of other gardeners from around the world.

In A Vase On Monday – A Posy For Nine

In A Vase On Monday – A Posy For Nine

In A Vase On Monday turns nine today! Every Monday for the past nine years Cathy at Rambling In The Garden has shared a vase highlighting blooms and foliage from her garden and she has encouraged other garden bloggers to join her. I’ve joined with her 452 weeks.

In A Vase On Monday – A Posy For Nine

Yesterday Cathy hosted contributors from around the world to meet each other on Zoom. I was excited to meet with this dedicated group of gardeners. By now we are like old friends really and it was very special to be able to connect gardens and names with faces and voices.

Last week Cathy posed an anniversary challenge to create a hand-held posy. We shared our posies with each other yesterday during our get-together.

In A Vase On Monday – A Posy For Nine

My posy was created during a hurried wandering through the garden. Consisting of zinnias, cerinthe for foliage, angelonia for filler, two white semi-cactus dahlias and fragrant ginger lily added in back at the last moment, the bouquet is a colorful achievement for so late in the year.

In A Vase On Monday – A Posy For Nine

In A Vase On Monday – A Posy For Nine

In A Vase On Monday – A Posy For Nine

Materials
Flowers
Angelonia ’Serena Blue’
Button Chrysanthemum
Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’ (Semi-cactus)
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)
Hydrangea macrophylla
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Zinnia ‘Cactus Flowered Mix’
Zinnia ‘Cut & Come Again’
Foliage
‘Pride of Gibraltar’ Hummingbird Cerinthe
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)
Hedychium coronarium (Ginger lily)
Hippeastrum (Amaryllis)
Container
Glazed ceramic vase

In A Vase On Monday – A Posy For Nine

Happy Anniversary to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden and thanks to all Monday vase aficionados, arrangers and readers.

In A Vase On Monday – Savory And Tang

In A Vase On Monday – Savory And Tang

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 – Savory And Tang

In A Vase On Monday – Savory And Tang

Temperatures Saturday and Sunday were around 80 F°, a lovely weekend. White, semi-cactus type Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’ produced several nice blooms this week and I found one pinkish D. ‘Great Silence.’ There are still a few buds on the plants. Skippers and bees are finding their way to the few zinnias scattered through the beds. I was excited to notice a couple of hydrangeas that still have some nice color. Most flower heads turned brown long ago.

In A Vase On Monday – Savory And Tang

In A Vase On Monday – Savory And Tang

In A Vase On Monday – Savory And Tang

Materials
Flowers
Button Chrysanthemum
Dahlia ‘Great Silence’
Dahlia ‘Tsuki Yori No Shisha’ (Semi-cactus)
Echinacea ‘Sombrero Flamenco Orange’
Hydrangea macrophylla
Zinnia ‘Cactus Flowered Mix’
Zinnia ‘Cut & Come Again’
Zinnia ‘Senora’
Foliage
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood)
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Ellagance’ (Ellagance Lavender)
Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage)
Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald’ (Arborvitae)
Container
Textured, incised ceramic pedestal vase, rice or bone color. 5×6-inches.

In A Vase On Monday – Savory And Tang

In A Vase On Monday – Savory And Tang

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 Swords

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

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

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 – Royal Sunset

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.

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

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

The July flowers in today’s offering are the last of the gladioli, old-fashioned nostalgic flowers that remind me of my maternal grandmother.

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

A drift of fading hydrangeas around the neck of the container anchor the sword-like spikes of silken-textured Gladiolus ‘Espresso’ and two other beauties bought without identification, one red, one white.

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

A couple of anthurium used in a Monday vase four weeks ago still in good condition add a shift in color and form to the arrangement.

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

Materials
Flowers
Anthurium
Dahlia Border Decorative ‘Gallery Pablo’
Gladiolus ‘Espresso’ and two no-ID gladioli
Hydrangea macrophylla
Foliage
Container
Ceramic Urn Stamped “Vintage 4”
6-inch clear Lomey dish
eco-friendly Oasis floral foam

In A Vase On Monday – Vintage Bouquet

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 – Daisy Days

In A Vase On Monday – Daisy Days

In A Vase On Monday – Daisy Days

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

Today Shasta daisies fill a handmade pitcher decorated with color bands of white, green and blue.

In A Vase On Monday – Daisy Days

In A Vase On Monday – Daisy Days

Happy summer days and daisies go together.

In A Vase On Monday – Daisy Days

Years ago I purchased Leucanthemum × superbum ‘Alaska’ and ‘Becky’ and based on the heights I believe this group to be ‘Alaska’. This is the shorter, 2-3 feet tall, and more vigorous of the two.

In A Vase On Monday – Daisy Days

In A Vase On Monday – Daisy Days

Materials
Flowers
Hydrangea macrophylla
Leucanthemum × superbum ‘Alaska’ (Shasta daisy)
Foliage
Container
Stoneware pitcher. Pringle Pottery, North Carolina, circa 1977.

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 – Red In Glass Vase

In A Vase On Monday – Red In Glass Vase

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

Since April 1 I have been watching with anticipation as a large pot of Asian lilies developed greenery, then buds, then buds revealing color.

April 1, 2021 Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)

May 29, 2021 Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)

June 2, 2021 Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)

Finally this past week the first flowers opened on June 7, quickly followed by many.

June 9, 2021 Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)

Having planned all spring to use the carmine lilies in a Monday vase when they appeared so quickly at mid-week I was unprepared to spend time arranging them. After trying out several vases without success, I opted for a cylindrical straight-sided glass container to hold the simple bouquet.

In A Vase On Monday – Red In Glass Vase

In A Vase On Monday – Red In Glass Vase

In A Vase On Monday – Red In Glass Vase

Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)

Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)

Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)

Materials
Flowers
Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)
Foliage
Container
Straight-sided glass cylinder

Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)

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 – Gardenias In Blue Pitcher

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenias In Blue Pitcher

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 – Gardenias In Blue Pitcher

The gardenias are the prettiest and most prolific in years. I packed a blue stoneware pitcher full of fresh cuttings.

Gardenia jasminoides

The gardenias could have stood on their own but I needed to use the last of the saved peonies that have been stored in my refrigerator for too many weeks.

Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Charm’ (Coral Charm Peony)

Next a piece, then maybe two, of hydrangea added because it just looks its best this week.

Hydrangea macrophylla

Materials
Flowers
Gardenia jasminoides
Gardenia jasminoides ‘August Beauty’ (Cape Jasmine)
Foliage
Hydrangea macrophylla
Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’
Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’
Container
Stoneware pitcher glazed with bands of cream, green, blue. (pitcher and 4 cups, Pringle Pottery, North Carolina, circa 1977)

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenias In Blue Pitcher

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenias In Blue Pitcher

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenias In Blue Pitcher

In A Vase On Monday – Gardenias In Blue Pitcher

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 – Gardenias In Blue Pitcher

Thursday Journal

The crinum lily began opening this week. Here’s a closeup from yesterday.

Crinum × powellii (Swamp Lily)

After some overnight rain the garden seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief.  My early morning stroll around the garden yielded nice surprises.

I’ve been checking this salvia all week and today found flowers at last. The petals are a luscious blue.

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

Ascending from among iris leaves and verbena bonariensis is a patch of lavender in the southern side garden, its first flowers drawing an attentive bee.

Lavender

Lavender

I knew the gardenias in the north-facing border were loaded with buds this year but discovering them today just opened in early daylight was a wonder. The fresh petals and irresistible scent are a winsome combination.  There are about 3 bushes, grown up about 7 feet high. My former next-door neighbor rooted them in little yogurt cups and shared them with me soon after we moved in. (We just passed our twenty year mark having closed on our house May 31, 2021.)

Gardenia jasminoides (Gardenia) loaded with buds and the first flowers

Gardenia jasminoides (Gardenia)

Gardenia jasminoides (Gardenia)

Gardenia jasminoides (Gardenia)

Gardenia jasminoides (Gardenia)

Gardenia jasminoides (Gardenia)

Gardenia jasminoides (Gardenia)

Gardenia jasminoides (Gardenia)

Gardenia jasminoides (Gardenia)

I added three new salvia plants this spring. One has formed spires, the first of which revealed itself this morning.

Salvia nemorosa ‘Blue Hill’ (Meadow Sage)

I adore hydrangeas but have not had success with them. This passalong H. macrophylla  is having perhaps its best bloom year yet, despite a late cold snap.

Hydrangea macrophylla

Hydrangea macrophylla

Yesterday I spotted and chased around a tiny butterfly trying to capture its image. This morning I stumbled upon it (or maybe a cousin) in a much more cooperative mood. I was able to see this Eastern Tailed-Blue much closer up than yesterday. It was surprising to see one active early on such a cloudy day.

Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas)

Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas)

Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas) on artemisia 

It was thundering like it meant it this afternoon as I began to write, and soon a heavy much-needed rain began to fall. Reverberating claps followed bright streaks of lightning the likes of which we hadn’t experienced in a long while. There is now a steady rain which I hope will continue for a while and return as needed to provide moderate and regular intervals the rest of the summer.

Looking ahead, I still have a few dahlias to plant out and new seed packs as well as saved seeds to do something with. I finally have a handful of zinnia seedlings the rabbits have not found. A tomato volunteered in its spot from last year and a friend passed along two Tiny Tim tomatoes he grew from seed.

The first of the shastas is open and lilies (daylilies and asiatic) look promising. Thanks for sauntering along through the garden with me today.

Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)

Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)

 

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

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 – Last Day In May

May flowers. I began with brilliant orange Asclepias tuberosa, leaving plenty for any monarchs that might show up. (The umbel is a variegated form of Aegopodium, an attractive groundcover but unfortunately invasive.)

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

The color emphasis shifted when gathering other flowers I came upon a second and final bloom of Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’, the only one of the peonies that did not produce lots of flowers this year.

Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’

The other peonies in today’s vase, two ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ (below) and one ‘Festiva Maxima’ (lower left corner above), have been stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks. It was time to bring them out.

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

The first of the returning dahlias, along with achillea, snapdragon, gaura, hydrangea, dark red clematis and even a bright orange nasturtium all were enlisted as companions to bridge the gap between orange and pink.

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

Materials
Flowers
Achillea filipendulina (Fern-leaf Yarrow)
Aegopodium podagraria(bishop’s weed)
Antirrhinum majus ‘Speedy Sonnet Bronze’ (Snapdragon)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)
Clematis ‘Niobe’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten Rose)
Hydrangea macrophylla
Nasturtium ‘Vesuvius’
Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’
Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’
Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
Foliage
Dahlia
Peony
Container
Ceramic Urn Stamped “Vintage 4”
6-inch clear Lomey dish
eco-friendly Oasis floral foam

In A Vase On Monday – Last Day In May

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 – Dinnerplate Serving In Pink

In A Vase On Monday – Dinnerplate Serving In Pink

My maligned dahlia

Update. July 14, 2020

Note:  I am red-faced as I make this confession. After fussing below about this dahlia not looking like Cafe Au Lait, I think I simply forgot that I planted another variety alongside the replaced dahlias.  I’ll have to check back to see if I can find a label for it.  Meanwhile the “imposter” has opened into a lovely form (semi-cactus?) with a white center.  I actually love it. Apologies for my confusion.


Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase using cuttings from our gardens. After what seems like a month without rain passing us by, we finally had a fierce, full-blown thunderstorm Friday night. Temporarily refreshed, the garden must brace for extreme heat this week.

I am not a huge fan of pink but with fewer flower choices today I decided to showcase a couple of dinnerplate dahlias in an Ikebana vase. 

Last year I ordered 9 Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’ tubers.  I was disappointed when they bloomed. Not all but most seemed imposters—so unlike the photos of the soft coffee cream blush ones I have admired. The company where I purchased them suggested I might have been sent D. ‘Labyrinth’ by mistake and offered a refund or replacements this spring. I chose to receive replacements.

Now dahlias that overwintered from last year along with some replacements planted this spring are in bloom.

The replacements so far look even more distantly related, although I’ve heard from some of you there can be a range of color variation in the flowers of ‘Cafe Au Lait’ and also there are pink ones such as Café au Lait Rosé  and Café au Lait Royal.   

This is from the new tubers. Since the photograph was taken this flower has begun opening to a somewhat paler center. I am curious to see how the other replacements turn out.

Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’ (replacements planted this spring)

Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’ (replacements planted this spring)

Ironically this one is from last year. Still not the iconic look I seek, but beautiful and definitely less pinky. It is about 6 inches in diameter. I will keep feeding.

Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’ (planted last year)

Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’ (planted last year)

A small hydrangea cluster, pale pink in color, became the third element in today’s design. Would I prefer it be blue, yes, but I haven’t taken on the task of adjusting the soil pH.  The hydrangea is perfect for today’s study in pink.

Hydrangea macrophylla

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Hydrangea macrophylla
Foliage
Baptisia ‘Purple Smoke’
Vase
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Black 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 she and others found to place in a vase this week. Peace. Be well.

In A Vase On Monday – Fragrance And Pink Petals

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-Mass Of Pink And White

In A Vase On Monday – Mass Of Pink And White

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

It feels like summer now complete with high humidity, soaring temperatures and little rain. Today’s mass design relies on two hydrangeas that are enlivening the garden this week.

In A Vase On Monday – Mass Of Pink And White

Featured are white flowers of H. quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ and pink flowers from a passalong H. macrophylla.  I am not such a big fan of pink and would prefer to be sharing this mophead hydrangea in blue, but the soil at my house is too alkaline. I know it’s possible to increase the acidity of the soil to get the blue I desire but I’ve never gotten around to it.

In A Vase On Monday – Mass Of Pink And White

The hydrangeas are joined by more pink and white, courtesy of my last peonies for the season.

I had stored a few peony buds in the refrigerator for several weeks before bringing them out in time for a visit from my sister-in-law last Tuesday. Some buds opened immediately, while others opened unhurriedly and ended up in today’s vase. Both Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’ and P. ‘Festiva Maxima’ are deliciously fragrant.

Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’

Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura), Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’ (Peony), Hydrangea macrophylla

Seeing Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’  in the garden this week was a surprise and I could not resist tucking a bit into this Monday vase. Gaura has never thrived here and I thought it had disappeared completely.

Gaura and Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’

Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)

Materials
Flowers
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)
Hydrangea macrophylla
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’
Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’ (Peony)
Foliage
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’
Container
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Black Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)

In A Vase On Monday – Mass Of Pink And White

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 – Pink Florals

In A Vase On Monday – Pink Florals

Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement every Monday using materials collected from our gardens. After weeks of hot, dry weather there finally were rain sprinkles on the Fourth of July just as everyone was getting excited about fireworks. The rain quickly moved on that evening, hurrying north toward town. Since then there have been several other showers, none bringing much precipitation.

Indifferent to the preceding, long dry spell, Cleome hassleriana has opened in the meditation circle and throughout portions of the borders. I gathered a dozen or more stems to feature in today’s vase.

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) With Liatris

Some of the flowers come out white.

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

Companions include fresh cuttings of Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea) along with several clusters of Hydrangea macrophylla left over from last week.

Sweet Pea, Hydrangea and Artemisia

Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)

Soft silvery gray foliage of Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood) mixes into the soft gray-green band of glaze of the stoneware pitcher.

Hydrangea and Artemisia

Materials
Flowers
Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)
Hydrangea macrophylla
Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)
Liatris spicata (Gayfeather)
Foliage
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood)
Vase
Stoneware pitcher glazed with bands of cream, green, blue. (pitcher and 4 cups, Pringle Pottery, North Carolina, circa 1977).

In A Vase On Monday – Pink Florals

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 – Succession Of Three With Gladiolus

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

Along with a small sampling of recent summer blooms, two stems of white gladioli engaged my attention for several hours as I assembled and refashioned. When at last I declared myself done I had created three vases to share with you.

Vase One

Most of my time was spent on this first vase. My mind was set on having the draping Angelonia angustifolia ‘Angelface Blue’ and spidery Cleome as a base for the gladioli. The small peony on the left is from last week’s vase.

In A Vase On Monday – Vase One With Gladiolus

Gladioli have been surprisingly robust this year in the garden, returning from bulbs planted in previous years. Of the duo used in today’s vase, one is very pure and white; the creamier other has purple anthers and a trace of color at the throat of each blossom.

In A Vase On Monday – Vase One With Gladiolus

When I bought angelonia in early spring to line the paths of the meditation circle, I chose purple and white. One bicolor made its way into the flat.

Angelonia angustifolia ‘PAC – Angelos Bicolor’

Vase Two

The idea for the second vase was simply to give home to flowers that did not make it into the first—another gladiolus and several stems of garden phlox that began flowering this week. It was assembled in just a couple of minutes with a curving line of echinacea used to enliven the design.

In A Vase On Monday – Vase Two With Gladiolus

The echinacea is not one of the special hybrids but several of its flowers emerged with deep pink petals.

In A Vase On Monday – Vase Two With Gladiolus

This gladiolus is another with purple accents.

Gladiolus

The magenta of the phlox is a jarring color but its presence is strong.

Phlox paniculata ‘Robert Poore’ (Garden phlox)

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

Vase Three

The third vase is a redesign of the first, with the bicolor angelonia and cleome shifted right, the darker purple ‘Angelface Blue’  brought together on the left and a soft, barely pink (almost white) hydrangea filling the space beneath the gladioli. I find this iteration the more successful of the two.

In A Vase On Monday – Vase Three With Gladiolus

Grouping similar colors makes their impact cleaner and more direct.

In A Vase On Monday – Vase Three With Gladiolus

Here are the two starring gladioli for comparison.

Gladiolus

One with the purple anthers…

Gladiolus with purple accents

…and the pure white one.

Gladiolus — pristinely white

In A Vase On Monday – Vase Three With Gladiolus

Materials

One
Angelonia angustifolia ‘Angelface Blue’ (Summer Snapdragon)
Angelonia angustifolia ‘PAC – Angelos Bicolor’
Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Gladiolus
Paeonia ‘Festiva Maxima’
Foliage: Gladiolus leaves
Container: Ceramic ikebana vase with 3 integrated ceramic tubes, built-in stem holders. 6 x 6 inches.

In A Vase On Monday – Vase One With Gladiolus

Two
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Gladiolus
Phlox paniculata ‘Robert Poore’ (Garden phlox)
Foliage: Gladiolus leaves
Container: Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Ikebana Blue Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H inches)

In A Vase On Monday – Vase Two With Gladiolus

Three
Same as One, plus Hydrangea macrophylla

In A Vase On Monday – Vase Three With Gladiolus

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 – June Song

In A Vase On Monday – June Song

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

June days are swirling past, each day in the garden brings new blooms or promise thereof. Gladiola swords stand tall, ready to step into the limelight in the coming weeks; meanwhile Calla lily, monarda, dahlia, echinacea and shasta daisy all are flowering.

Taking advantage of the variety I gathered such a mix of materials it made creating a vase daunting. To simplify seemed the best solution.

So for today a blue Ikebana vase holds Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ fronted by pink hydrangea, softened by drapes of passalong Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea).

In A Vase On Monday – June Song

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ is a reliable bloomer when there has been adequate rain. It has spread nicely in the southeast border.

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

The sweetpea is a sentimental addition—a passalong from my mother’s cousin and garden mentor. It has been in this garden for 17 years and grew at my former home for many before that. It also has appreciated the wet spring.

Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)

Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)

Materials
Flowers
Hydrangea macrophylla
Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Foliage
None
Vase
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Ikebana Blue Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H inches)

I have filled lots of little vases and glasses with the leftover blooms from this week’s foraging, making the house colorful and cheerful.

Some leftovers: Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ and Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)

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 – Vase With Lily

 

In A Vase On Monday – Vase With Lily

Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement every Monday using materials collected from our gardens. I’ve been eyeing these lilies for a couple weeks and finally they are ready to share.

Described as carmine red, these lilies were planted in a patio container several years ago. This year they have responded to the wet conditions with enthusiastic abundance.

Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)

I envisioned today’s design with just two stems of lilies but they seemed to need something more. I added one hydrangea to fill out the shape of the arrangement. The cold killed most hydrangea buds, but a few stoic ones surprised me this week with 5-6 rather small, yet welcome blooms.

In A Vase On Monday – Vase With Lily

Next I added a second stem of hydrangea to the back and right of the lilies and a single, perfect young echinacea to the design.

Hydrangea macrophylla

The echinacea played happily with the pink hydrangea, but not with the lilies.

Hydrangea macrophylla

After trimming the echinacea to different heights and placements, eventually I removed it, deciding it did not contribute to the overall design.

In A Vase On Monday – Vase With Lily

Perhaps it would have worked placed lower toward the lip of the vase and slightly to the left.

The second cluster of hydrangea seemed to be enough on its own to balance out the design.

In A Vase On Monday – Vase With Lily

Materials
Flowers
Hydrangea macrophylla
Lilium ‘Black Out’ (Asiatic lily)
Foliage
None
Container
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Black 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 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 – Putting By

In A Vase On Monday - Putting By

In A Vase On Monday – Putting By

As the week begins it is always fun to join Cathy for In A Vase On Monday. This is an opportunity to share an arrangement using materials collected from the garden.

First I apologize for not responding to comments lately or finding time to check out your posts.  I have been helping my husband through some back surgery and now rehab.  Recovery has been slower than expected but each day is a little better.

Knowing I would not be around to prepare an arrangement for today I took the liberty of putting one by. The phrase putting by usually refers to preserving food but seems appropriate for flowers as well.

In A Vase On Monday - Putting By

In A Vase On Monday – Putting By

These hydrangeas were featured last summer in Monday vases when they were fresh and at their prime. Then they were allowed to dry (or more accurately I stopped remembering to replenish their water). The vases were moved into a window and photographed during a snow storm in early January.

The pistachio-shell colored flowers are mopheads (Hydrangea macrophylla) from my own garden.

In A Vase On Monday - Putting By

In A Vase On Monday – Putting By

 

In A Vase On Monday - Putting By

In A Vase On Monday – Putting By

The more richly colored green, pinky-red and aubergine clusters came from my sisters’ garden and I do not know the variety.

In A Vase On Monday - Putting By

In A Vase On Monday – Putting By

In A Vase On Monday - Putting By

In A Vase On Monday – Putting By

Materials
Hydrangea
Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’ (Gold Dust Aucuba)
Ceramic containers by local potters

In A Vase On Monday - Putting By

In A Vase On Monday – Putting By

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—Welcome

In A Vase On Monday - Welcome

In A Vase On Monday – Welcome

Today brings a welcome chance to share the garden by participating in Cathy’s weekly call to display our cut flowers In A Vase On Monday. My vase was prepared several days ago.

This past week I finally cleared the Southern Side Path of grass, pruned a couple of overgrown shrubs to make it easier to pass by, and deadheaded lamb’s ears, echinacea and more. The fence gate in the photo below belongs to my neighbors. Mine is not visible, but the slate path curves to the right, leading visitors through the gate and into the main garden.

Southern Side Path

Southern Side Path – After clean up

At the right corner guarding the back entrance, a large Green-Headed Coneflower had been taking its job much too seriously, reaching out from the house and blocking traffic from both directions. I cut away and removed all of the overhanging stalks, which were still covered in golden yellow petals and pollinators galore. (Can’t remember the last time I wrote “galore.”)

This plant, Rudbeckia laciniata, grows 6-7 feet tall and begins blooming early to mid-July. Although the trimmings were generously oversized, I decided I could use them for a Monday arrangement if I left them outdoors. Normally left unadorned by the front door, a  large periwinkle ceramic urn made the perfect container.

In A Vase On Monday - Welcome

In A Vase On Monday – Welcome

A tall glass vase of water was placed inside the urn to hold the the rudbeckias. The flowers sit cheerfully at the front door to welcome company. I was too tired to worry about arranging them carefully, but now wish I had taken a few more minutes to pose them.

That the pollinators would not mind being relocated was one thing I had not anticipated. When dinner guests actually did arrive Saturday, dozens of bees and other insects were hanging around. Entering the front door required calculation and prowess.

Bee and Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)

Bee and Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)

I tried to identify this skipper and thought I had found a match on Jeff Pippin’s site, until I read the description: “Indian Skipper (Hesperia sassacus): In NC, this butterfly is rare to uncommon and found only in the mountains. Indian Skippers are single brooded, flying in May/June. The host plants are various grasses, and this species is commonly found nectaring on Red Clover.”

So much for my skipper skills. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong plant. If anyone recognizes this insect, I would like to know what it is.

Unknown Skipper on Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)

Unknown Skipper on Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)

This one I believe is Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus).

Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower) With Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)

Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower) With Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)

Materials
Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)
Ceramic Urn

In summer I love to fill the house inside with flowers as well, not formal arrangements, just colorful blossoms lining the counters and tables, tucked into window sills and corners. These are a few from the weekend dinner party.

More Vases

More Vases

Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy) and Angelonia ‘Serena White’

More Flowers

More Flowers

More Flowers

More Flowers

Many thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly floral arrangement celebration. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and other gardeners are placing In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday – Four For Fourth

In A Vase On Monday - Four For Fourth

In A Vase On Monday – Four For Fourth

Each Monday brings the chance to join Cathy’s In A Vase On Monday to share an arrangement using materials gathered from the garden.

Each July Fourth America celebrates Independence Day, acknowledging the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Eschewing classic red, white and blues I opted for subtler, yet still bold, variations of the traditional colors.  In several attempts I could not get reality aligned with my design ideas, so I ended up with four very different arrangements.

The shasta daisies are the fourth effort and my favorite. Creating this simple grouping was made easy using the colorful multi-stemmed vase.

Shasta Daisies, from above

Shasta Daisies, from above

The third try was a loose display of purple coneflowers, Blue Sky salvia, red dahlia, shasta daisies, and starring a lovely lavender gladiolus.

In A Vase On Monday - Four For Fourth

In A Vase On Monday – Four For Fourth

The second vase was composed of two coral gladioli among two hydrangea blooms. I liked this one also.

In A Vase On Monday - Four For Fourth

In A Vase On Monday – Four For Fourth

The first arrangement of gladioli, phlox, hydrangea and Blue Sky salvia was more formal.

In A Vase On Monday - Four For Fourth

In A Vase On Monday – Four For Fourth

The house is filled with flowers today—four arrangements for the Fourth. Have a happy day wherever you are.

Materials
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Gladiolus
Hydrangea macrophylla
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)
Phlox paniculata (Garden Phlox)
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage)

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower arranging devotion. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday—Hydrangea Gift

In A Vase On Monday - Hydrangea Gift

In A Vase On Monday – Hydrangea Gift

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

I confess the hydrangeas in my vase today are not actually from my garden but still are quite local. They grew just a couple of houses away at my neighbor Eileen’s. She showed up at the back gate several days ago bearing freshly cut blooms.

Eileen said she remembered how much I have admired them in summers past and that, like mine, her hydrangea bushes had not bloomed the previous two years. This is a good year for hydrangeas though and what a wonderful surprise to enjoy these richly colored flowers from a friend.

In A Vase On Monday – Hydrangea Gift

Hydrangeas seem to arrange themselves. They are quite adaptable and pleasing in any vase.  I chose the light mint green ceramic one acquired at the spring neighborhood yard sale. It has a lid with holes, a sort of built-in frog to hold the stems in place.

In A Vase On Monday - Hydrangea Gift

In A Vase On Monday – Hydrangea Gift

Many thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower obsession. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and other gardeners are placing In A Vase On Monday.