Monday is the day to share a vase of flowers picked from our own gardens to enjoy in our homes.
My vase was actually created on Friday as we had friends for dinner. So I hope Cathy (Rambling in the Garden) won’t mind that it wasn’t made especially for today.
Madonna Lily
I never know how the Madonna lilies have any flowers at all because of the battle with lily beetles.
Crimson Antirrihnums, Cotinus and crimson Lichnis and dwarf gladioli
Rosa ‘Sally Holmes’
Iris germanica ‘Rustic Jewel’
The delicate pink flowers of Rosa ‘Old Blush’
In a vase on Monday
Do visit Cathy to see what she and many others have found for their vases today.
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
I love the combination of delicate colours here, especially the roses.
China roses are the only roses that actually do really well in my garden. Sally Holmes also likes the heat, she would prefer heavier soil but I can’t do much about that.
I love the gorgeous colors of your vase Christina….that iris just blends right in. I have been battling the lily beetle the last couple of years. It attacks my lilies and Fritillaria.
Lily beetle has stopped many people growing lilies; I find the Madonna lilies attract them more than any of the other lilies so I treat them as a sort of protection for the other lilies that’s why I’m surprised that have grown so well this year.
Lovely colour combinations, Christina. The iris is beautiful. It’s a gorgeous, vibrant collection.
Thanks Sam, I don’t usually use such a mix of different flowers but I am pleased with the result.
What a pretty range of colors. The richly-hued Antirrhinums are especially beautiful and I love how you placed the ‘Rustic Jewel’. The Madonna lily is lovely too.
I’m pleased with this vase because it has the airiness I was striving for. All the roses are retaining their petals which I didn’t expect; seems I’ve been picking the wrong roses all this time!
So nicely crafted. Beautiful.
Very kind.
It’s a beautiful collection of flowers, Christina. I’m in love with that Iris ‘Rustic Jewel’ and I’m envious of all your roses.
This year I’ve picked 3 roses that I wouldn’t have expected to do well in a vase and they’ve out performed the others by days.
I enjoy that mellow mix of subtle colours
The iris was a great addition to the pinks and whites – it really blends in perfectly and I always like to see your rectangular vase. Those antirrhinum still look stunning! Only a few lily beetles here this year, but there again they have seen off most lilies in the past and I should really only put them in pots and keep a closer eye on them in the future!
If you put the pot of lilies near a strongly perfumed plant like rosemary or lavender I find it helps a bit or grow a variety of lilies that the beetles love most (Madonna) and then keep a very close eye on those and kill the beetles and of course the disgusting larvae.
Beautiful colours and a lovely shape too. The iris at the centre is really highlighted by the other pinks and reds, and I like the use of Cotinus at the edges. I hope your guests were suitably impressed!
I don’t think my guests even noticed the flowers Cathy, but I was able to sit an admire them all evening!
The flowers and the arrangement are particularly lovely this week, Christina. So nice to see a rose like ‘Sally Holmes’ used – I don’t know it, but as it’s single I wouldn’t have tried to use it and it has lasted so well. You have a great selection of roses in the garden, don’t you? I particularly liked your use of pebbles in the bottom to help support the stems. What a good idea! The delicate little gladioli stem was the icing on the cake, for me.
Most roses don’t grow well in my very free draining soil. China roses seem to be the best. R. Sally Holmes was hybridised in Britain but does better in a hotter climate. It is very free flowering and the fist flowers are produced in a spray the could be a bouquet on its own. In your heavy soil it would flower all summer, do look for it. Mine came as cuttings from a friend, it is a very popular rose here, and rightly so.
I certainly will look out for it Christina – very pretty rose.
What a nice combination of colors in this vase, and the individual flowers all really stand out on their own as well.
Thanks Frank, I’m glad you liked the vase this week.
Christina choosing flowers, their colors and their distribution is masterful; creating a balanced and wonderful bouquet of flowers. It’s beautiful Iris germanica “rustic gem” as break magnificently Rose “Sally Holmes” with its white color. Bright. Greetings from Margarita.
Oh, Christina…I’m guessing your guests did notice the flowers, even if only on a subliminal level. The use of Cotinus anchors the whole arrangement (otherwise it might have drifted heavenward)