Eight-spotted Forester
Alypia octomaculata (Fabricius, 1775)
Apparently common in Eastern United Staes, this moth was hanging out on leaves of Salvia guaranitica this morning.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
In A Vase On Monday – Accent On Green
Each Monday Cathy from Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase assembled from materials collected in our gardens.
In A Vase On Monday – Accent On Green
The garden has moved on from irises and peonies, bringing a temporary lull in color. Dahlia tubers are coming up; zinnia seeds need to be planted. Meanwhile, the garden is greener, quieter, subtler.
Greens form the foundation of today’s vase. With Verbena bonariensis being the exception, flowers in this floral design are just coming into bloom.
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
The design is a base of green with accents of color from the violet-hued verbena and from red leaves and stems of Husker’s Red.
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
The soft gray-green of lamb’s ear is specked with a few pink blooms.
Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ear)
Rich blue flowers will soon appear on Black and Blue salvia. Its tender young lime-green leaves form a stark contrast.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
The salvia’s leaves echo the light green inflorescence of Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers.’ Ruby Slippers will evolve its color into pink and burgundy.
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’
Materials
Flowers
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ear)
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Foliage
Container
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Black Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)
Happy gardening!
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 – 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 – A Little Lime
Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement using materials collected from our gardens.
After hot days in February and cold snaps in March, the old-fashioned mophead hydrangeas again this year lost their buds. Disappointed, I determined it really was time to invest in a couple of hydrangeas that bloom on new growth.
So in early April I added a dwarf ‘Limelight’ hydrangea called Hydrangea paniculata ‘Little Lime’ and another dwarf, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Bobo’. Both received plenty of rain this year and appear to be adapting to their new home.
Little Lime is the stronger of the two so far and I was able to trim several stems for today’s vase. Bobo is not blooming as profusely so I cut only one stem. It is barely discernible in the lower left portion below. It has whiter, more delicate petals.
In A Vase On Monday – A Little Lime
For accompaniment there are gladiolas. My glads have faded quickly in the summer heat but I was able to salvage the top portions from several stalks that had mostly dried up. The tips were still very fresh.
In A Vase On Monday – A Little Lime
In A Vase On Monday – A Little Lime
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ adds a striking bit of color to one of the vases, especially directly against the greenish hydrangea.
In A Vase On Monday – A Little Lime
Materials
Flowers
Gladiolus
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Bobo’
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Little Lime’
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Vases
Two porcelain Ikebana, rectangle and triangle
In A Vase On Monday – A Little Lime
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 – Vivid Color
Each Monday brings the chance to join Cathy’s In A Vase On Monday to share an arrangement using materials gathered from the garden.
I will be returning home later today from a weekend yoga retreat at the beach and so have prepared this week’s flowers ahead of time.
In A Vase On Monday – Vivid Color
This is a quick and simple bouquet set into a small blue ceramic vase. The flowers are a stem of pure white phlox ‘David’ contrasted with rich colors of Black and Blue salvia, garnet red dahlias at their peak and purple Angelonia.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ With Angelonia ‘Serena Purple’ and Phlox paniculata ‘David’
Materials
Angelonia ‘Serena Purple’
Dahlia, spp.
Phlox paniculata ‘David’ (Garden Phlox)
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Small matte-glazed blue ceramic vase
Angelonia ‘Serena Purple’
Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly chance to express our flower arranging passion. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday. Feel free to join in.
In A Vase On Monday—Gardenias With Blue And Red
On this Memorial Day I am joining Cathy’s In A Vase On Monday, a weekly opportunity to share cut flowers from one’s garden.
Gardenias grow 7 or 8 feet tall along the north side of our house. They began blooming this past week and their first fresh, fragrant blossoms were a clear choice for today’s arrangement.
Gardenia sp.
Gardenias
Companions for the gardenias are deep red antirrhinum and Black and Blue salvia.
In A Vase On Monday—Gardenias With Blue And Red
In A Vase On Monday—Gardenias With Blue And Red
The vase for today belonged to a special neighbor and friend who passed away last year. A brilliant, well-travelled and well-read woman, Linda had a warm smile for everyone, an unforgettable laugh and a fascinating story for every occasion. From time to time I helped her with technical issues with her no longer extant WordPress blog. On her blog she interspersed recordings of her daily life in Chapel Hill as a writer, with accounts of experiences growing up in Seattle and her time overseas as an American Foreign Service spouse where one of her official duties in 1990 was to greet Pope John Paul II during his tour of Africa. Among many things, we shared a penchant for Ann Patchett novels and anything related to Julia Child. A few years older than I, she kindly took me under her wing a bit, which was touching. I am grateful to have this lovely keepsake of our friendship.
As befitting its former owner, the vessel holding today’s flowers is unique. Made of blown glass, the form is asymmetrical with alternating bands of blue and green color. The top is loosely pinched together leaving just a small narrow opening, yet it accommodated quite a few stems.
In A Vase On Monday—Gardenias With Blue And Red
Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon)
Gardenia sp.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
In A Vase On Monday—Gardenias With Blue And Red
As always, 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.
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
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’
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
I also used a small hourglass-shaped vase to feature several of the more perfect flowers.
Gardenia, Camellia and Salvia
Materials
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’
Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’
Gardenia jasminoides
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’
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.
