Monday is here again and it is time to rise to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden challenge to pick flowers from our own gardens to enjoy in our homes.
Again this week there are masses of flowering in the cut flower beds screaming to be picked. There is a fine balance between having enough flowers in suitable colours to fill a vase and having so many that some will end up on the compost heap. Perhaps this is another good reason to make the cut flower beds in the secret garden the place see flowers when little else is in flower in the garden.
Again this week I have three vases for you.
My large rectangular vase with shades of hot pinks and deep mauves
It is a shame that this is too large and heavy to move into natural light to be photographed but at 110 cm x 110 cm it would be impossible to move; I admire florists who can make and then transport large arrangements without dame to the flowers.
Ami visnager , Ami major and Daucus carrota add a lighter touch
the main component of the vase is actually tall stems of Cleome spinosa ‘Violet Queen’. After nearly deciding that they weren’t worth growing they are now producing huge long stems of flowers. Interestingly seed pods are already forming lower down the stems which may actually be quite good in a vase even without the flowers.
The Silver vase with crimson, Dahlias, Zinnias and some pale pinks
At least this vase is a manageable size to be carried outside so you can see the colours of the flowers more naturally.
Top view
From the mixed pack of Antirrhinum seed some nice pinks have grown; although I like having some named varieties it is also good to have some surprises to add interest to the colour themes I planned for.
Just various Dahlias and Ami
Peachy Orange for the kitchen this week
Do visit Cathy to see what others have found for their vases this week; it is always a pleasure to see what is chosen and how it is arranged.
Have a good week.
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
I like that silver vase full of rich pink flowers shining in the sun- sunshine here too!
Glad you have some sun too Linda. I think most flowers look good in a silver vase.
Three lovely vases… I like your comment about seed heads. They have grown on me since doing these vases, and as in the instance of Nigella have great form and add interest to vase.
Nigella have fabulous seed heads, I would grow then for those alone.
All three are wonderful vases Christina, but I especially love the last one. Those colours are so pretty!
You never really know how the colours will turn out when you buy dahlias. I thought these would all be more orange.
That is quite a vase with so many stunning flowers especially the Cleome. I tried twice to grow these in spring and weather thwarted me. The second group of flowers are also lovely in that vase, but the peachy one is a favorite as I have few peachy blooms that I cherish!
I like the few blooms I have growing in the cutting bed and containers as they give me a bit of variety when I have only certain blooms left in my garden.
The large central Dahlia is a very striking colour; I’ll have to list the names of the Dahlias in a future post Donna; I didn’t have time this morning.
Again, simply stunning arrangements, Christina! Love the peachy dahlias and I so admire your silver vase. 🙂
Thanks Eliza, I wish I could find more silver vases (I’m not even sure what this one is made of – not silver for sure!). I like the forms and different sizes in of the Dahlias in the peachy arrangement.
You could always spray or paint another vase silver, Christina…
That’s a great idea Cathy, why didn’t I think of that. Have you ever painted glass.
I haven’t painted glass before but have inadvertantly bought a couple of vases that have been painted with glass paint and it has a tendency to scratch off. As it would no longer be translucent I wouldn’t bother with glass paint but just use a brush and silver enamel, as a spray is hard to get an even finish with. And of course it could be a pottery vase rather than a glass one.
True, I was just thinking that I don’t like clear glass all that much and so would be happy to experiment with some of the cheap Ikea vases I have.
And of course you could cover the glass with plaster of paris or similar for a textured effect before painting it…
I can hardly imagine making an arrangement of the size of your first one Christina – but perhaps that could be a challenge for another week, that or a teeny tiny one… Seeing the amaranthus in it makes ne realise how effective that would have been in mine! How did you get your stems to stand so straight and tall with them being placed individually in the container? The overall effect is sumptuous – but then so is that in the second two vases with all the zinnias and dahlias.When I picked for my vase yesterday I was thinking of all the blooms I hadn’t yet picked but reminded myself just how much pleasure we got from seeing them in our cutting beds even if we didn’t cut them – so your secret garden will be a delight if you can keep things blooming there during the summer
The large vase has pebbles to help keep everything upright. The Cleome were like branches so they went in first so they helped hold everything else up. The great thing about having so many flowers is that I can cut really long stems (using 2 or sometimes 3 flower side stems). Some of the Zinnias I cut are about 80 cm or more long. I think rather than the table which is too large for the space I’ll look for a small bench, which was my original idea anyway.
I am aghast at the height of your zinnias – mine are still only a few inches tall but I would never have imagined they could even grow so tall and I shall have to consult the packets to see what they say although I know you have said things do tend to grow taller than they did in the UK. I take your point about cutting the stems long when you have enough blooms to risk some of the some stems not flowering. With the godetia there were lots of unopened buds on the stems I cut but I don’t know whether they will open now they are in the vase
I usually cut off the side shoots as I think they stop the flower lasting as long in water. I remember Sarah Raven in one of her videos talking about Cosmos and how low to cut to keep getting new long stems. It seems to me that if you cut down to the next pair of side shoots or buds (but not past them) the stems become progressively shorter; if you cut lower the stems get longer – I don’t think I’ve ever read that anywhere but there must be a method for obtaining long stems that they use in the florist industry.
That’s really interesting if that is the case – I know you said you cut your cosmos stems long and it definitely seems worth giving it a try. Must google the ‘long stems’ when I have a moment… The minor godetia buds on the picked stems seem to be opening, by the way
That’s good, I find most side buds don’t open so it is good to know which plants do.
That silver vase shows off any flower combination, but the one you chose looks like it ought to be in a coffee-table book on flower arranging. Really special and classic.
Hope this wp contract I took out will make your page accept my comments. Fingers crossed.
I’m really flattered that you went to all that trouble to be able to comment, I really appreciate it.
Wonderful arrangements from you as always. I love the huge vase and even photographed from inside it looks spectacular.
It definitely makes a statement
Now, a vase too large to cart about is not a problem I can ever expect to have, Christina! All 3 vases are wonderful. I saw Cleome in full bloom yesterday at my local botanic garden and that sighting and your inclusion in your vase today has me kicking myself I didn’t plant some of these this year. Your third vase with its peachy colored dahlias is my favorite today, though.
Some of your vases look quite large in your images Kris. This large rectangular vase is almost too heavy to heavy to move easily even when it’s empty.
Bountiful and just gorgeous, all of them.
Christina me encantan los tres jarrones. Cada uno tiene un estilo diferente. El que más me gusta es el último jarrón. Todo de Dalias y ese color tan bonito que tiene. Aunque el de plata es precioso. Y el primero es un arreglo increíble por su belleza y su tamaño. Todos son hermosos¡¡¡ Saludos de Margarita.
Love the height provided by the Cleome and Ami in the first and fourth vases.
The Ami visnaga has surprised me with how tall and thick its stems have grown, so proving very useful in my vases.
You must be having lots of fun gathering blooms from the cut flower beds. Your flowers all look so fresh and sparkly. I especially like the way you’ve put together the zinnias and Antirrhinum in that silver arrangement. Nicely balanced placement and the flowers have plenty of room to breathe. They look so perky and summery. My zinnias are just beginning to bloom now. The first couple were pink (and small), but I planted 3 kinds so hope to have a good variety for vases also.
It is fun to have so many flowers to cut; I need to be careful to not think of it as a chore as there are so many and if I don’t cut them they need dead heading. One great pleasure is that when I visit friends I can always take a bouquet with me.
Love the colours, abundance again.