Tag Archives: Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

In A Vase On Monday – June Song

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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

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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

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In A Vase On Monday - Vivid Color

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

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'

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'

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

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In A Vase On Monday—Gardenias With Blue And Red

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.

Gardenia sp.

Gardenias

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

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

In A Vase On Monday—Gardenias With Blue And Red

Materials

Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon)
Gardenia sp.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

In A Vase On Monday—Gardenias With Blue And Red

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.

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—Featuring Gardenias

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Trio of Vases - Overhead View

Trio of Vases – Overhead View

Trio of Vases - Overhead View (B&W)

Trio of Vases – Overhead View (B&W)

Monday brings the chance to practice flower arranging by joining in Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday, where the goal is simply to fill a vase using materials gathered in one’s own garden.

Yesterday I gathered a variety of flowers and foliage and placed them into glasses of warm water for conditioning. There were Zinnias, Dahlias, Perovskia, Lantana, Pink Muhly Grass, even a single, long-awaited Cosmos.

But of these, only a few of the Zinnias made it into this week’s arrangement. I never finished working with most of the flowers I collected, but did complete a trio of vases—two small and one large ceramic containers.

Trio of Vases

Trio of Vases

The prized blooms this week are gardenias from bushes on the north side of the house. Their fragrant, waxy white flowers and deep green leaves are the main focus for the large vase, accentuated by a few boldly colored zinnias.

Gardenias and Zinnias

Gardenias and Zinnias

Gardenia sp.

Gardenia sp.

In one of the small vases are an Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown,’ a gardenia with greenery and several sprigs of Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue.’

Black and Blue and Sundown

Black and Blue and Sundown

In the other small green vase are five pink and orange Zinnias, simply arranged.

Vase of Pink and Orange Zinnias

Vase of Pink and Orange Zinnias

The vases were interesting to photograph from above. I seldom include props but today I used one of several pieces of decorative molding salvaged from my father’s cabinet shop to play with the composition of the largest vase. (I had planned to use this molding with last week’s orchid but as it turned out it detracted from the integrity of the flower. Here it just is used to add weight to the bottom of the composition.)

Doecorative Molding

Decorative Molding

Gardenias and Zinnias - Overhead View

Large Vase – Gardenias and Zinnias – Overhead View

Large Vase - Gardenias and Zinnias

Large Vase – Gardenias and Zinnias

I like the black and white version of the last image.

Large Vase - Gardenias and Zinnias (B&W)

Large Vase – Gardenias and Zinnias (B&W)

Materials
Echinacea ‘Big Sky Sundown’ (Hybrid Coneflower)
Gardenia sp.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Zinnia

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting. Discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday and feel free to join in.

In A Vase On Monday—Summer Spectrum

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In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

Monday morning is time 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.

After watering the garden Sunday morning I gathered flowers for a vase. Choosing as many Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ as I could find, I clustered them together in the center of my grandmother’s glass floral frog as the starting point for an arrangement. The container is a hand-thrown ceramic glazed picece, about 9 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches tall.

Cluster stems of Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' in center of glass frog

Cluster stems of Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ in center of glass frog

I added a few stems of Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) to help define the outer edges of design.

Add Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) to help define outer edge of design

Add Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) to help define outer edge of design

For filler flowers I used a stem of Alstroemeria and different colors of Angelonia.

Add Angelonia to fill in design toward outer edge

Add Angelonia to fill in design toward outer edge

Next I deconstructed a gladiolus to use the individual blooms around the base of the arrangement.

Descontruct Gladiolus. Use to add color and hide mechanics.

Descontruct Gladiolus. Use to add color and hide mechanics.

A single Dahlia ‘Firepot’ and an Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly weed) were used as focal flowers.

Dahlia ‘Firepot’, Gladiolus

Dahlia ‘Firepot’, Gladiolus

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly weed), Gladiolus

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly weed), Gladiolus

In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

I can quibble with the design proportions—the materials need to be extended out wider and the shape is uneven. As I rotate the vase I realize the arrangement looks very different from front to back and from overhead it is askew.

In A Vase On Monday. View From Above

In A Vase On Monday. View From Above

And yet, I love this vase of flowers. The flowers are fresh, the textures are interesting together.

The rich vibrant hues in this assortment speak to me of summer itself. At first the colors contrast and shock, then they blend and meld.

In A Vase On Monday

In A Vase On Monday

Dahlia ‘Firepot’, Gladiolus

Dahlia ‘Firepot’, Gladiolus

Materials

Alstroemeria x ‘Tesmach’ (Inticancha® Machu Peruvian Lily)
Angelonia ‘Alonia Big Indigo’
Angelonia ‘Raspberry’
Angelonia ’Serena White’
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly weed)
Dahlia ‘Firepot’
Gladiolus sp.
Gomphrena globosa (Globe amaranth)
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' and Gladiolus

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ and Gladiolus

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly weed)

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly weed)

Angelonia ’Serena White’

Angelonia ’Serena White’

Angelonia ‘Raspberry’

Angelonia ‘Raspberry’

Gomphrena, Angelonia ‘Raspberry’, Gladiolus

Gomphrena, Angelonia ‘Raspberry’, Gladiolus

Thank you to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for welcoming everyone to join her in this opportunity to share a vase each week. Please visit her to see what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.