Monday, September 23, 2019

In a Vase on Monday: No time for fussing

With our remodel suddenly speeding up and my husband down for the count with vertigo, I didn't have much time to fuss with flowers on Sunday.  The foliage on my dahlias is getting ugly but the plants continue to provide a nice supply of flowers so picking more of those for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, was an easy choice.

I used a mix of the purple-colored dahlia varieties this week 

I threw in a few zinnias to flesh out the vase

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Agonis flexuosa (aka peppermint willow), Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew), Dahlia 'Enchantress', D. 'Hollyhill Karen Lee', Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Wine', Dahlia 'Bluetiful' and, in the center, Dahlia 'Diva'.  (I tossed out the arrangement created using 'Diva' 2 weeks ago yesterday.  She withers beautifully.  If only I can age as gracefully.)


I also cut a few stems from the Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) as it's finally flowering again.  It's flowers don't usually last long  so I just threw together what was handy to fill out the vase, creating something of a mish-mash.

The Japanese anemones I inherited with the garden are blooming surprisingly well this year

The back view of the vase is a mess

Top view

Clockwise from the upper left: Abelia x grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Anemone hupensis var. japonica (possibly 'September Charm'), Cosmos 'Double Cranberry', Eustoma grandiflorum (aka lisianthus) 'Cherry Sorbet' and noID white variety, Cuphea hybrid 'Starfire Pink' and, in the center, Bauhinia x blakeana (Hong Kong orchid tree)


Photographing my vases this week was made harder this week by my cat's interest in participating.

Outtakes of Pipig persistently checking out the flowers as I tried to photograph them in a spot on the floor in the corner of my home office


Both new vases are currently in the master bedroom but, as I was keeping the light low there to allow my husband to rest, I couldn't take any decent photos.  Instead, I offer these shots of the completed vases sitting on the unfinished cabinets in our new kitchen.

Even with no electrical light operating here yet, the new kitchen space has good natural light

View of the cabinets after installation.  We still have to paint and install countertops, backsplash and flooring but installation of the new roof is first up on the docket this week. 


For more IAVOM creations, visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.


All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

24 comments:

  1. Your new kitchen looks great. It will be such a treat to work in it when it is all complete. I like both your vases. Am partial to saturated purples at this time of year. Hope your husband feels better soon.

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    1. Thanks Elaine. I'm looking forward with great impatience to completion of our renovations.

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  2. So glad to hear the construction seems to have speeded up a bit. Sorry your husband is having an attack of vertigo, hope it doesn't last long. Your new kitchen looks wonderful, it isn't hard to imagine it finished! You say the back view of your second vase is a mess but it looks just fine to me. Loved the shots of Pipig checking it out.

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    1. Pipig gets jealous when I ignore her to focus on flowers, Alison. She often tries to knock them down or eat them. The fact that I was trying to photograph them at her level on the floor was asking for trouble.

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  3. I just love those deep pink shades of the first vase, and then you spoil us by including them in your second vase too - thank you! Good to see the bare bones of your new kitchen too

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    1. I never know how long the Bauhinia and Japanese anemone blooms are going to hang around so I didn't feel I could ignore them, Cathy.

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  4. Oh I do like those sultry dahlias Kris along with the idea of "withering beautifully".Pipig certainly seems intrigued by what is going on. I hope that your husband is soon on the mend.

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    1. It seems that some flowers, like some people, age better than others, Anna! 'Diva' definitely holds up better in a vase than most of my other dahlias.

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  5. Very smart looking kitchen Kris, and it won't be long before you have some of the amazing array of flowers from your garden adorning a worktop or two! I love your Japanese anemone, so pretty at this time of year. The dahlias and feverfew, well I was picking those today in a local flower farm, where I have just started to help out on Mondays! Lovely to see them pop up in your vase too. Amanda https://therunningwave.blogspot.com/2019/09/in-vase-on-monday-tale-of-two-seasons.html

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    1. I adore Japanese anemones but they want more water than I generally have to give them, Amanda. Our heavier-than-usual rain earlier this year may have made a difference.

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  6. Lovely dahlias and accompanying rich shades of burgundy/rose/purple. Pipig appreciates them as well, I see. ;)
    Your cabinets look great and I'm sure the view is terrific. I'm guessing fridge is to the left, stove straight ahead, dishwasher to the right. Where will the sink go?
    Hope your spouse is feeling better. Vertigo is the worst feeling, he has my sympathies.

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    1. You're correct about the kitchen's layout, Eliza. The sink will go just left of the dishwasher in the middle of the counter under the window.

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  7. Progress! I hope your husband gets to feeling better. I like the messy bouquet best. Happy IAVOM.

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    1. Unfortunately the messy bouquet is already falling apart, Lisa. I wish I had a trick to keep those Hong Kong orchid tree blooms from shattering so quickly.

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  8. Looking pretty in pink this week Kris, and kitchen cabinets...yay!

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    1. After a very slow period with remodel activity, it seems we've now moved into hyperdrive, Loree. I'm not sure what shape my garden's going to be in once the roof work is done.

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  9. Your dahlias are still looking lovely and I do like that combination with the feverfew. :) Aren't Japanese anemones pretty - yours is a lovely soft delicate pink. I only have a white one in my new garden so far... must correct that soon. Glad to hear the kitchen is coming along - it sounds like an awful lot of work to be done, so hope it continues to move along rapidly.

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    1. The white anemones are actually my favorites, Cathy. This garden came with a small patch of those in the back garden but they've never been as robust as the pink ones, probably because they're planted in a less hospitable spot.

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  10. Your kitchen is looking great. Hope the last segment of the project goes smoothly and hope your husband feels much better. Vertigo is horrible. And those dahlias are gorgeous. I am swooning over the lovely Hong Kong orchid. What beauty in your arrangements.

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    1. The Hong Kong orchid tree is very pretty but unfortunately the cut flowers only hold up for a couple of days at best.

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  11. Very sorry to hear your husband is not feeling well. I hope the vertigo clears up quickly.

    Kitchen looks great! Happy for you that progress is getting speedy. Seems like the layout will flow really well and it looks much more spacious. Roofs don't take that long--those guys really hustle.

    All the deep magenta flowers this week are a good way to say adios to Summer.

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  12. I'd like to think we're saying adios to summer, HB, but I'm not sure Mother Nature is on board with that plan. Assuming we don't get any rain (NOT a leap of faith!), the roofers should be done by the end of the week. I gather the new roof sections over the kitchen and around the living room fireplace take extra time because it's not simply a matter of laying on another layer of roofing.

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  13. Mike has had vertigo so I know just how horrible it can be. Please pass on my best wishes for a speedy recovery. The kitchen is looking fabulous!

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    1. Thanks Jessica. My husband's had a running bout with vertigo for more than a week now, which is unusual. I suspect the stress of the remodel and his insistence on pushing himself is at least part of the problem.

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