Having been away for most of the week (I was taken to the Amalfi coast for my birthday) I returned on Saturday keen to see what flowers had been left standing after a deluge of rain last Monday and strong north winds on Tuesday. A lot of the Cosmos, which has grown very tall (mostly all over 6 foot 1.8 m) had been knocked over but some judicious but rather late staking meant that there were flowers to pick. The Dahlia continues to pump out blooms so it would seem churlish not to continue to include them in my vases. The diverse range of colours made me want to create two arrangements. The first with Dahlia Magenta star is again in the basket covered dish using the same piece of Oasis, trimmed down a little but still providing enough support for the arrangement. I wanted to include some foliage which I seen not to have used in the past and also attempt something asymmetrical which I haven’t quite achieved.
I used some Asters from the triangular rose bed and pink Ostrich plume Asters
I included the silver foliage of Artemisia ludoviciana Valerie Finnis and Micromerie fruticosa; the latter added some airy accents and are foliage is also aromatic.
Cosmos Pink Sensation – I love all the different shades of pink
Knautia adds an interesting texture
The second vase mixes sunflowers, Asters and more foliage than usual. The foliage gives the arrangement a more naturalistic feel, so is something I will persevere with in future vases.
Foliage includes Rosemary, airy stems of Jasmine and some herbs, can you spot them?
Aster Monch, prostrate rosemary and Caryopteris provide blue flowers
In the right foreground (above) you can see the deep burgundy flowers in a tight head, can you guess what they are?
Do you recognise the umbillifer?
The Ostrich plume asters again form the strongest colours complementing the deep yellows and browns of sun flowers
Do visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for more vases from her and the many others who are now regularly joining in this meme where we asked to fill a vase with flowers from our own garden. Thanks Cathy!
Christina these are gorgeous and it seems we are thinking alike with colors. I see lovely gray green foliage that I think is stunning and is that dill or fennel in the second one. Really stunning flowers and variety. I am still thinking of ways to incorporate more annuals in my gardens next year. Such inspiration my friend!!
Thanks Donna, but no, there’s no fennel or dill – try again!
The pink and silver is a really pretty airy combination, the shade of the Knautia ties it all in beautifully. In your second arrangement is that a late sowing of unopened Ammi majus?
No it isn’t Ammi majus, I’m just about to sow some of that for next year but sadly I didn’t have any this year, try again Julie!
This is tricky, I then thought of Sweet Cicely, trying to imagine that you cook with it in Italy, but then its maybe too late.
No, not that either.
Soft silvers and pink go so nicely together. The second vase is an intriguing mix and I really like the rosemary sprigs. Your asters are a lovely colour. Are the herbs parsley seed heads? (A wild guess as they look like wild parsnip a bit too!) And the deep burgundy cluster looks like basil…?
Well done Cathy, you’re right in both cases. My parsley has gone to seed very early this year, maybe because it was planted early usually it goes through the winter and then flowers in spring. The Basil is Thai basil with deeply aromatic leaves and flowers.
🙂
Oh these are wonderful, Christina – and the cosmos comes in such pretty shades. My cosmos is now flowering its socks off on sturdy plants so I plan to grow some others as well as these next year – finally got something right! I am so pleased to see how well these vases have worked so you must be really chuffed – you have used so many different things to great advantage 🙂
Who would ever have known how much pleasure these vases bring. We’ll have to see how long some plants flower, I probably haven’t dead-headed some things enough. Today I planted out my wall flowers for next year, something I’ve not tried in Italy before but I think they’ll do well with enough irrigation through dry spells even in winter.
Both vases are well done but I particularly like the 2nd one – I love those ostrich plume asters, which I seldom see here and have never grown. Your skills in creating floral arrangements continue to blossom (no pun intended!) – at this rate, I expect you’ll be making videos for YouTube soon. Thanks for your e-mail message too.
You can be sure I won’t be making any videos but thank you for the compliment. What I do need to learn is how to treat the flowers proir to arranging them. Some don’t last as well as I think they should.
Both arrangements are so beautiful. I like the pink colors combined with silver foliage in the first, and the natural look of the second is so charming. Have you ever been florist?
Another amazing compliment, I’ll be getting bog headed; no I’ve never been a florist or even had any lessons, I learnt by watching my MIL who I think did have a few lessons. I’ve learnt a lot seeing what others do for this meme. Also with a large quantity of flowers it is fairly easy to produce something acceptable.
Oh both vases are a treat for the eyes Christina. The second is probably my favourite. Hope that the wind and rain steered clear of Amalfi and that your birthday was filled with fun,flowers and sunshine.
Thanks Anna, there was rain at Amalfi but fortunately during the night so we had a great time, with some amazing food too!
Happy Birthday wishes Christina! Your vases have become so ambitious and fully developed. I like your use of the two Artemisias among the dahlia and cosmos. That last photo really shows off the strong use of foliage in the 2nd arrangement. Both vases are great.
Thank you Susie, I am enjoying having flowers in the house so much I wonder why I never made the effort before.
The combinations of pink, lavender, and yellow is gorgeous, and so engaging.
You’re definitely a pink lover and so am I – truly delightful, Christina, you can’t help it but be cheerful 🙂
There are so many lovely pink flowers it is hard not to have pink in the garden or for cutting.
Happy birthday!
Pink has never looked better, I really like it with the gray foliage but even more so with the sprays of aster and other airy bits. I would have been tempted to just do larger flowers with a single filler. Your combo looks much nicer.
I love the shaggy asters 🙂
Thank you for the birthday wishes. The quantity of flowers is just because there are so many in the cutting bed and it seems a shame not to use them.
A belated happy birthday to you!
The colour and textural combinations are really lovely in both of these arrangements – gorgeous!
Thank you Sheryl for your good wishes and for taking time to leave a comment.
They are both lovely Christina, but I particularly like the first, and think it being slightly asymmetrical adds to the charm. The knautia adds a rich accent and helps set the lovely pinks of the cosmos off. One of the reasons I was so happy with the shrubs I added in place of the mopheads was the thought of how well the foliage would work in a vase… Cathy has us all addicted!
She has indeed. I always intended starting the cutting bed this year but having the meme has really focused my mind on picking. I should have dead-headed the Knautia more, it has grown tall and the flowers have set seed so I expect there will be lots more seedlings next year. The one in the rose bed has done well this year too with some extra irrigation from the rain.
I’m just trying to catch up with everyone’s blogs. It’s quite an epic job if you step away for a few weeks. Amalfi for your birthday sounds fabulous. A belated ‘Happy Birthday’. 🙂 Some gorgeous arrangements there.
The few days in the south were wonderful. It is a very beautiful place even if you do virtually nothing. I was treated to a very special meal too in a marvellous restaurant.