Tag Archives: late summer blooms

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

In A Vase On Monday – Last Of Summer Orb

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

In A Vase On Monday – Last Of Summer Orb

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

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

In A Vase On Monday – Last Of Summer Orb

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

In A Vase On Monday – Last Of Summer Orb

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

One more vase today

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

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

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

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In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

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

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

This Week’s Garden Bounty

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

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

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

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

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

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

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

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

In A Vase On Monday – Posy Poses

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In A Vase On Monday – Posy Poses

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden encourages us to share a vase highlighting what is growing in our gardens.

This week I pondered what else to do with dahlias and zinnias, the two summer staples of my still very dry garden this year. Both have a “cut and come again” nature that keeps the house filled with fresh flowers.

Zinnias had the limelight last week so I limited today’s offerings to simple monochromatic posies using my two most productive dahlias: Dahlia ‘David Howard’ and D. ‘Gallery Art Deco.’ Without producing rain, cloudy overcast skies have teased relentlessly, making it a challenge to capture the flowers at their best, but I hope you can see the earnest expressions of beauty on their faces.

In A Vase On Monday – Posy Poses

I admire D. ‘David Howard’ for its apricot-orangey color range and the subtle softness of its rounded petals. Its dark foliage is also an asset. This matte-glazed vase in complementary blue came from an Eno Festival artist many years ago.

In A Vase On Monday – Posy Poses

Dahlia ‘David Howard’

D. ‘Gallery Art Deco’ is pretty as a sunset. Its petals are slightly twisted with pointed tips.

Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’

For this quick arrangement I placed a spray of gaura into the floral pin of a favorite Ikebana vase, followed by a few stems of D. ‘Gallery Art Deco’ and a Sedum ‘Autumn Joy.’

In A Vase On Monday – Posy Poses

Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’ and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Foliage
Container
Small matte-glazed blue ceramic vase
Porcelain Ikebana vase. Rectangle Blue Zen (6.75L x 3.75W x 2H inches)

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 – Late Summer In A Basket

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In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer In A Basket

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden encourages us to share a vase highlighting what is growing in our gardens.

First an update from last week: Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’ was indeed mislabelled. The vendor suggested Dahlia ‘Labyrinth’ mistakenly was shipped instead. In spring I will receive a replacement for the order. Thanks for your helpful comments and suggestions about it.

This week’s vase is a mixed bouquet of late summer flowers presented in a basket. Reflecting the shape of the basket, I fashioned a (mostly) round table design.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer In A Basket

Zinnias predominate.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer In A Basket. This dark wine-colored zinnia is a stand-out.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer In A Basket. A dahlia peeks out in front among a sea of zinnias.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer In A Basket

Most of my vases are designed to be viewed in front. That takes less time and requires fewer flowers. But there were lots of dahlias and zinnias available this week, so it was a good chance to experiment with creating a view all around.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer In A Basket

I should have considered stem length of the materials on hand in relation to the size of the basket and cut longer stems, especially dahlia stems. In trying too hard to preserve future blooms, I had skimped. The result is most of the dahlias I gathered were too short to be included, so they are scattered in little vases outside of today’s feature. They are still enjoyable but my thrift left me shy of flowers needed to assemble the design easily.

I had to compensate by using all the zinnias in bloom with less choice about color. Some of the zinnias were also too short, but I think in the end the basket of flowers turned out fine—an explosion of seasonal color.

The irregular heights lend a more casual, informal quality to this week’s vase, in keeping with the basket theme. That’s my story anyway, though I see no reason to resort to using a Sharpie to prove it.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer In A Basket

I purchased baby’s breath for use as a light and airy filler. Included along with it from my garden are sky blue salvia and rosy gaura. Underpinnings of silvery artemisia and lavender serve as concealer foliage.

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer In A Basket

Materials
Flowers
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘Tsuku Yori No Shisha’
Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)
Gypsophila (Baby’s breath)
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)
Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage)
Zinnia
Foliage
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood)
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Ellagance’
Container
Round woven basket with handle

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer In A Basket

Wordless Wednesday—September Flowers

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Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’

Zinnias

Freshly Cut September Flowers

Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ and Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

Iris germanica ‘Immortality’

Top Ten Blooms – August 2019

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I enjoyed seeing Chloris’ Top Ten August Blooms this morning and decided on a whim to join in this month. I have not spent enough time in my garden this year. I knew there would be zinnias and dahlias but honestly was relieved to walk around and find I could meet the requirement of sharing ten different blooms. These are what I saw today.

Flowers in my garden at early morning were still bathed in rainwater after yesterday’s storms. Rudbeckia laciniata is growing in three different parts of the garden. Flowers are giving over to cones, but there are a few fresh blooms.

Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)

Perovskia atriplicifolia has struggled some years, but is doing well in the Southern Path.

Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)

This salvia is spreading slowly through the southern border, but never overreaches. In the past it took breaks before reblooming in cooler days, but this summer it has shrugged off dry weather and heat and kept going.

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ has been given more space and sun this year. It responded to being cut back sharply in early spring. This is invasive in some places and I would not miss having it but it has been difficult to dig out. Despite its butterfly-attracting reputation, it doesn’t seem to draw much attention.

Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush)

Lantana camara has been a magnet for swallowtails and other pollinators, though I saw only one butterfly this morning while I was taking pictures.

Lantana camara (Common lantana)

Leucanthemum bloomed profusely for weeks this summer. This morning a lone flower stood bravely among drying seeds.

Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)

Physostegia virginiana, a passalong from my garden mentor, Virgie, began blooming this week.

Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)

Cleome has bloomed cheerfully all summer. It reseeds freely but is easy to remove.

A new addition to the garden in 2019, Crinum ‘Powellii’ looked promising as I left for the beach at July’s end. When I returned August 4 it had already bloomed.

Crinum ‘Powellii’

You can see I didn’t think through the color scheme when planting the Crinum, just hurried it into the ground before weeds came any closer.

Crinum ‘Powellii’

For my final selection I must share a few dahlias. Many did not survive but I enthralled with the blooms on these plants that made it.

Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’

Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’

Dahlia ‘David Howard’

I invite you to check out Chloris’ top picks for August at The Blooming Garden. You are in for a treat with offering from her Suffolk garden and from others around the globe.

Recent Blooms As Summer Wanes

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Reblooming Iris August 27, 2016

It feels a bit strange, but welcome all the same, to see a bearded iris reblooming. This one is a pass-along and I do not know its name. This image is from August 27. The flowers lasted but a short time under the strong summer sun.

Reblooming Iris August 27, 2016

There’s been essentially no rain for 6 weeks so the garden looks sad. A few blooms here and there lift my spirits, but can do only so much. I do have a few photographs of flowers taken over the last couple of weeks to record and document the waning days of Summer 2016. Today seems to be bloom day so the timing works well. Some of the pictures from September 2 have water droplets that disprove my memory, but the rain was brief, not the quenching, restorative kind.

Zinnia – September 2, 2016

Tradescantia (Spiderwort) – September 2, 2016

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (Herbstfreude) – September 2, 2016

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (Herbstfreude) (Stonecrop) September 15, 2016

Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’ (Autumn Sage) – September 2, 2016

Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower) – September 2, 2016

Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower) – September 2, 2016

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ (Black-eyed Susan) – September 2, 2016

Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant) – September 2, 2016

Marigold

Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)

Periwinkle (Vinca) – September 2, 2016

Gardenia jasminoides – September 2, 2016

Garden Phlox Phlox paniculata ‘Nicky’ – September 2, 2016

Euphorbia ‘Shorty’ (Shorty Spurge) – September 2, 2016

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) – September 2, 2016

Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush) – September 2, 2016

Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood) – September 2, 2016

With apologies to anyone who is sensitive to spiders, this intrepid garden sentry has been a constant presence for several weeks. Just after I discovered it (and almost backed into it), the Yellow Garden spider relocated to its current location from the other side of the tree. It is also sometimes know as Writing Spider.

Argiope aurantia (Yellow Garden Spider) -August 27, 2016

Argiope aurantia (Yellow Garden Spider) – September 2, 2016

With the pressing heat the garden has not been tended for weeks. I made a quick stop this afternoon in search of Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon) to replace Angelonia, the stalwart of the meditation circle from June until frost.

I should have shopped at a better garden center but it is unlikely I will have time to get to one. At this store the available snapdragons were generically labelled and although I had hoped for white ones, the choices were either “unknown” (because no flowers had opened) or yellow or this multicolored one that I chose. It sports mixed flowers of red, pink, coral and yellow and should add some pep to the labyrinth.

Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon) – September 15, 2016

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Tag Archives: late summer blooms

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

One more vase today

In A Vase On Monday – Dahlias In Blue Vase

In A Vase On Monday – Posy Poses

In A Vase On Monday – Late Summer In A Basket

Wordless Wednesday—September Flowers

Top Ten Blooms – August 2019

Recent Blooms As Summer Wanes