I hadn't intended to go overboard on floral arrangements again this week but I started clearing out my cutting garden and, rather than dispatching with some perfectly presentable dahlias and zinnias, I cut a lot of them. When I was done with that, I gathered other materials from the larger garden to serve as fillers and I ended up with this:
My process of composing an arrangement is usually very different. I pick a bloom as my inspiration and wander the garden to search of suitable companions so, when I bring in a jar of plant materials into the kitchen, all that's left to do is to choose a vase and arrange the contents. This time, I had a hodge-podge of loosely-connected materials to pull together into something, or rather several somethings.
Vase #1 was inspired by two 'Belle of Barmera' Dahlia blooms and a couple of late blooming roses.
 |
This dahlia bloom and the 'Medallion' roses won't hold up long but they were too pretty to ignore
|
 |
Back side: The second 'Belle of Barmera' bloom had only just opened and was much pinker in color so I played that up with other pink flowers. I placed this side facing the wall in the front entry but, when the flowers shown in the front view wither, I'll turn this face forward.
|
 |
Top view
|
 |
Clockwise from the upper left: The older 'Belle of Barmera' Dahlia bloom followed by the more recent bloom, Abelia 'Kaleidoscope', Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre', Rosa 'Medallion', noID pink Zinnia elegans, and Zinnia 'Senora'. Did you notice the droplets of water on the dahlia and roses? We got 0.02/inch of rain yesterday morning. Pitiful, yes, but our first rain since April.
|
Vase #2 is a rehash of one of last week's arrangements.
 |
There were more blooms on Dahlia 'Gitts Crazy' this week, although once again I had to sacrifice well-developed buds to get stems long enough to work in a vase
|
 |
Back view, showing off more 'Queen Lime Blush' Zinnias and the first flowers of Senna bicapsularis, another of my favorite fall bloomers
|
 |
Top view
|
 |
Clockwise from the upper left: Dahlia 'Gitts Crazy', D. 'Labyrinth', noID Lonicera, Senna bicapsularis, and Zinnia elegans 'Queen Lime Blush'. (Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' was included in this arrangement too.)
|
Vase #3 is also a version of one of last week's vases, fashioned to show off the last
'Iceberg' Dahlia.
 |
| The vase itself is different but the contents are the same as last week's arrangement, albeit with somewhat different proportions |
 |
Back view: The bush violet shrubs are now densely covered in flowers
|
 |
Top view
|
 |
Clockwise from the upper left: Barleria obtusa (aka bush violet), Dahlia 'Iceberg', Eustoma grandiflorum, and Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata'
|
Vase #4 was all about the purplish zinnias.
 |
Shown here clockwise from the top left are: front and overhead views of the arrangement, noID pinkish-purple rose, Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant 'Lilac' and 'Benary's Giant Wine', and Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'
|
I expect to have cleared out all the mildewed zinnias and all the dahlias with the exception of 'Gitts Crazy', 'Labyrinth' and 'Rancho' within the the next couple of days. I'll be sowing seeds and planting bulbs for my cool season flowers soon afterwards but I expect my choices for future flower arrangements will be limited for the next two to three months.
All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Such splendour, Kris, your vases never fail to bring a smile on my face. :) Correa pulchella has caught my eye today - it's delightful and I must check it out straight away. Hope you've got some rain. Have a great week xx
ReplyDeleteSadly, no more rain beyond that 0.02/inch we received Sunday morning, Annette. Our Santa Ana winds (aka "devil winds") returned today, sparking yet another mass evacuation to our southeast.
DeleteRich intense colour in all your lovely vases this week Kris. Actually, it was ever thus, but somehow these really seem to shine and maybe that's because they all appreciated being shown to the world instead of composted before their time! Very beautiful, all of them, and I expect they also felt refreshed from the welcome rainfall. I hope it falls again soon! Amanda
ReplyDeleteI hope we get more rain soon too, Amanda! What we got wasn't a very fulfilling appetizer and now we have wildfires burning again so we could REALLY use the moisture.
DeletePerhaps I will do a last cull in my cutting beds soon and see what vases I get out of them - that would be an intersting exercise, and one which you have carried out with your usual panache, making good use of your available blooms to create three different but equally appealing vases. Thanks for sharing them with us - such vibrant colours in contrast with the downturn in our UK gardens
ReplyDeleteI cleared two of the three raised planters in my cutting garden today and put still more flowers - all zinnias this time - on the street for neighbors to take home.
DeleteI must say that although I'll miss my flowers when a killer frost comes, I am always ready to go inside and hibernate for the winter. I always feel like I need a break and winter gives me permission to rest. I'm not sure what I'd do if I had flowers that go on and on like yours. Even during the winter you seem to have more than I have at the height of summer. I have no idea how you take care of them all without you or your back wearing out. You are made of stronger stuff than me. Their beauty must keep you going, and maybe it's your job to keep us all looking at loveliness the whole year round. I'm glad you have so many to share with all of us.
ReplyDeleteAre the LA fires anywhere near you? I hope you are safe and your air quality not too bad.
I've often said I wouldn't mind something of a winter break from the garden, Cindy - year-round gardening can indeed be exhausting. But I'd also want to limit the duration of that break to about 4 weeks!
DeleteUnfortunately, there are two new fires in Orange County to the southeast of us. The largest of the two has already prompted an evacuation affecting 60,000 people. The ash is blowing our way and our air quality had gone back into negative territory, although I haven't actually smelled smoke yet.
Lovely arrangements, Kris. Seeing your dahlias and zinnias brings me back a month or two when the same was blooming in my garden. They are gone, but seeing yours does my heart good. A few straggling salvia, nicotiana and calendula are left, which can take a light frost. They will go this weekend when temps are predicted in the low 20s. Sigh. Life goes on, right?
ReplyDeleteEvery climate poses its challenges it seems, Eliza. It's a lot cooler here but of course nowhere near your version of cold. Sadly, the Santa Ana winds came back today, leading to two new wildfires in Orange County, new evacuations, etc.
DeleteEach arrangement and every flower is perfect. I'm struck by how beautiful D. 'Belle of Barmera' is with your roses. Lovely together.
ReplyDeleteThat particular 'Belle' was far paler and contained more orange than any of the other blooms I've cut from that plant, which was serendipity when it came to selecting something that coordinated well with those roses.
DeleteVase#2 makes me smile! I adore your Gitt’s Crazy and Belle of Barmera dahlias! The colors of Lonicera match perfectly with Gitt’s Crazy! Is that planned when you select your dahlia tubers? Yellow colors speak of brightening happiness. Once again, the colors Queen Lime Blush Zinnias match perfectly. I have put this on my Floret wish list when the seeds become available in January. In addition, Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre' is so pretty. Do you remember where you purchased it? In the end, I think I desire more coral pinks in my yard along with softer yellows. I have always loved various purples, and it is easy to love vase#3.
ReplyDeleteThe advantage of being a day behind in looking through your blog is I begin the day uplifted seeing your beautiful floral arrangements even though the air quality is already unhealthy at 165. I’ll need to get out in the next 10 minutes and appreciate today’s sunrise. I wish you a great Tuesday.
I wish I could say I'd planned my dahlia and other flower selections in advance, Kay, but I can't make that claim, although I did file a mental reminder to consider which zinnia seeds I sow next year with respect to how they might embellish next year's dahlia blooms. My Correa 'Pink Eyre', planted in 2011 according to my records, came from Roger's. Armstrong frequently carries Correa 'Wyn's Wonder' and 'Dusky Bells' as part of their Monterey Bay Nursery collection. Both of those also have coral pink flowers but a looser foliage structure than 'Pink Eyre'. My own current favorite Correa is 'Sister Dawn', which has pale pink and yellow flowers. That one is harder to find - I've only seen it at Seaside Garden Center in Carpinteria.
DeleteI bet you could have made a half dozen bouquets with all the flowers you have to choose from. Happy IAVOM.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, Lisa, but even I'm not that crazy! Actually, I do have a few tiny vases scattered about the house at the moment as I clear out my cutting garden - and I put more zinnia blooms out for the neighbors last night too. So, maybe I AM that crazy after all ;)
DeleteI expect your limited selection will still exceed my biggest bloom time, but I look forward to seeing what you each week. Whether it's dealing with too many blooms, or not enough, you always do it well.
ReplyDeleteThanks Loree!
DeleteOMG, they're amazing as usual! So stunning! I have to say that the 'Belle of Barmera' Dahlia is my favorite. Wow.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, 'Belle' has especially ugly foliage so I'm not sure she'll be part of next year's party, Beth.
DeleteWhat an array of colourful petals! I love those dahlias Kris! The first arrangement wins hands down this week.The combination of pink and orange is a favourite of mine. :-)
ReplyDeleteI like that combination of colors too, Cathy. It reminds me of sherbet!
DeleteWonderful vases, Kris. I looked everywhere for a source of Eustoma this year, as a result of looking at one of your previous vases - no luck (I thought to buy seed or young plants). And I do love flashy 'Gitts Crazy'! Have been thinking of you in the fires. Glad you had a touch of rain - hopefully there's more to follow
ReplyDeleteLisianthus/Eustoma can be hard to find even here, Cathy, and I understand that the plants can be difficult to grow from seeds although I've yet to try that myself. Unfortunately, the new fires are still burning out of control and our air quality remains poor. No rain in sight at the moment.
DeleteOh the 'Medallion' rose is a beauty Kris. No wonder you were unable to resist it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful rose indeed, Anna. I should give it more care so I'd get more blooms!
DeleteSuch an enticing medley of subtle warm shades!
DeleteThanks Diana!
Delete