Last week I noted a couple of signs that summer might be winding down, readying to turn the seasonal reins over to fall. One sign was the early appearance of
spider webs throughout my garden. The other was the emergence of
Japanese anemones at my local botanic garden. I know that not everyone looks forward to the end of summer but many Southern California gardeners do. Our long hot, dry summer wears out its welcome well before the calendar registers the change of season and, more often than not, summer conditions hang on into late October. As it stands, our temperatures this week are projected to run a little higher than last week's but at least there are no major heatwaves in our forecast.
With colors of ripe fruit, my first vase sings of summer.
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| Grevilleas and zinnias shoved the dahlias to the side this week |
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| Back view |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Dahlia 'Labyrinth', Grevilleas 'Superb' and 'Peaches & Cream', Tanacetum parthenium, and Zinnias 'Queen Lime Orange' and 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose' |
In contrast, my second vase has a fall-like feel.
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| Although still relatively short in height, my first full-sized sunflower just opened |
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| Back view: I paired the sunflower with Gloriosa daisies added to my cutting garden as plugs last month |
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| Top view |
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| Clockwise from the top left: Helianthus annuus 'Panache', Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey', noID Lantana, Rudbeckia hirta 'Denver Daisy', and Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' |
Summer and fall both have something to bring to the party it seems. For more IAVOM creations,
visit our gracious host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
A lovely duo of vases Kris! I have noticed that the palette has changed in the garden, even my really tiny garden! You can swap zinnia notes with Cathy this week! I love zinnias. I must try and grow some next year! You will see in my post today that I have found some wild aster, very like the flower you had in your vase last week. Such a pretty soft colour. I love it! Have a good week. Amanda https://therunningwave.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-wild-flower-vase-on-monday.html
ReplyDeleteZinnias are easy to grow here, at least if the seeds are sown on a timely basis (which I don't always manage to do). I hope you can get them to grow for you too, Amanda - they're terrific and long-lasting flowers.
DeleteBoth your arrangements are lovely this week. I am especially drawn to the second one with the dark burgundy accents. Definitely a Fall look. I envy your heat as we are expecting frost tonight so will be out covering what I can. The summer that never was here. Elaine
ReplyDeleteFrost! I wouldn't want the seasonal switch to take things that far, Elaine. Frost is a rare occurrence here but I realize your climate is very different.
DeleteYour zinnias look great. Clever idea to use some Lantana as an accent. Must try that.
ReplyDeleteStay cool!
Lantana flowers fall apart all too quickly in the garden so it remains to be seen how well they'll hold up in a vase, HB. They were just the right color for this vase, though.
DeleteIt is noticeable how more autumnal colours are beginning to creep into vases now... Indeed, it makes for a refreshing change and your vases look both warm and cosy somehow
ReplyDeleteI was jazzed to actually get a decent bloom out of one of my sunflowers, Cathy. Fingers are crossed that I get half a dozen or so more. I don't have to worry about not being able to reach mine as none are taller than 3 feet thus far ;)
DeleteThat's funny you should say that as on Friday I went out and there were cobwebs everywhere covered in dew. You couldn't walk about without getting them in the face. Your vases certainly have an autumnal colouring. I adore those zinnias and dahlias.
ReplyDeleteIt's very early for peak spider season here, Alison. My garden was covered with webs a week ago but at least the dew from our morning marine layer helped us see them before we walked into them face first. That hasn't been true for the last several days...
DeleteKris your autumnal vase is wonderful. I really love the Grevilleas and zinnias together.
ReplyDeleteThose Grevilleas actually bloom year-round so I can't honestly associate them with a change in the season but the complementary zinnias do give them extra bit of pizazz I think.
DeleteI think both of your vases have that fallish look. In my eyes that is beautiful. I always look forward to fall. We have had one nice summer so far. August has been crazy nice. Usually it is the worst month with drought and heat. Neither has been bad at all. Matter of fact it rained again today. Maybe we will have an early fall.
ReplyDeleteRain! I'm envious, Lisa. We won't see any of that until late October at best. We've had a decent summer too as that season goes here but we look forward to the cooler temperatures of fall from July on, if not earlier.
DeleteWe're having our first taste of fall as well, last night's low was 47 - eek!
ReplyDeleteYour vases are fabulous and such beauty softens the blow that autumn is close at hand. I esp. love the Zinnias, D. 'Labyrinth' and the Pennisetum fronds, so autumnal.
Have a great week ahead!
47F at night sounds heavenly to me, Eliza, although we're counting ourselves lucky to have nighttime temperatures in the 60s at the moment - we've had runs of midnight temperatures in the 90s during the late summer in the past.
DeleteJust lovely, feeling fall, especially with the grasses.
ReplyDeleteThe ornamental grasses are all coming into their own now, Amelia. I wish I had more of them.
DeleteBoth displays are beautiful but I am totally in love with the first vase....thanks for visiting my blog, Cath@Home, and leaving such a lovely comment. Such a shame you can't grown hydrangeas anymore.
ReplyDeleteI've tried to get 2 small florist-variety hydrangeas to hang on in my shade house but they're both fairly pathetic and probably bound for the compost heap. I don't have any blooms as splendid as those you shared.
DeleteOf course the summer vase really appeals to me, but the so called fall one is nice too. I have to roll my eyes when I hear people around here point to the falling and blowing (it’s been windy) brown leaves as a sign that fall is on the way. No, those leaves are “fall leaves” they’re dead leaves because that tree hasn’t been watered all summer!
ReplyDeleteHa! Leaves don't provide much of a clue here either, Loree - the spiders are better forecasters.
DeleteLooks like we are on very parallel tracks with weather and seasons in spite of the spatial separation! Your grevilleas are lovely and Dahlia 'Labyrinth', with its blushing petals, is gorgeous. I've made a note of your dark pennisetum for next year. - Allison @Frogend
ReplyDelete'Labyrinth' is definitely worth growing, Allison!
DeleteThe contrasting feel of both vases is wonderful - I especially love the feathery fronds. I always look forward to fall by this time of year, but I have to say, our temperatures have been downright beautiful as of late with most days being in the low 20's. My only complaint is that this perfect weather doesn't last longer!
ReplyDeleteWe've had a nice stretch of summer weather here overall but it's still too warm to do much in the way of planting and I'm itching to get into some bed renovations. We probably won't get substantially cooler until November.
DeleteI have noticed you often use the colour palette of the top arrangement and I love it. I wish I had grevilleas, they make it. I do have gorgeous Dahlia 'Labyrinth' though. I love the late summer colours of the second one too.
ReplyDeleteI do tend to stick with complementary rather than sharply contrasting color schemes, Chloris. I do the same thing with my clothes...
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