After the excitement of 5th anniversary of this meme and a challenge of not using a vase, this week we are back using a vase or of course anything that will hold water!
I have mentioned on several occasions that Italians don’t usually bring Chrysanthemums into their homes but other cultures don’t have this problem. I have a Buddhist, friend who bought huge amounts of flowers almost all of them Chrysanthemums for a festival that occurred last weekend. Very kindly, several bunches were given to me when the main celebrations were over.
So today’s vases aren’t from my garden but are a gift. As there were some different tones of similar colours I decided to try to use them in different ways.
For the white and purple tones I used my silver vase.
This was rather solid and heavy so I added some Pennisetum villosum and Lemon Grass foliage
In a vase on Monday
I wanted to try another Ikebana style arrangement, although there maybe rather too many flowers for it to be considered as such. But I used my Ikebana vase and the florist pins to hold the arrangement.
It would be good to look for some plants like this to plant for another year
I love the different textures of the different varieties
An Ikebana- style arrangement using yellow and orange
The following vase was made a couple of weeks ago when we had house guests. This is my over sized carafe, so the arrangement was quite large, about a metre high.
I created this vase almost two weeks ago when I didn’t have time to post
To add a different texture to the Chrysanthemums I used Pennisetum and Pampas Grass plus White Leonitis
I put some Zinnias into the base of the vase, the condensation cleared and this vase is still going strong now
With Thanks to Cathy for continuing to encourage us with our flower arranging skills and showing us the pleasure of having our own flowers in our homes. Do visit to see what everyone is sharing this week.
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
These vases are all glorious. I love the huge one with zinnias inside the vase. And especially the white purple and silver. Inspirational – mostly here its piles of raked leaves!!
I’ve been collecting up leaves too. Especially from the walnut whose leaves poison the soil.
Did you see my post yesterday?
Christina, it’s fun to see your variations with chrysanthemums, each unique and engaging. You know me—I love your Ikebana- style arrangement Very nice design. Using flowers inside a vase is effective. I’ve been trying to find an opportunity to emulate that idea.
I’d like to try an arrangement just inside a vase and I’m going to look for some new vases too!
How nice to receive all those flowers. Your house must be looking very festive.
It’s always nice to have lots of flowers in the house 😊
How pleasant to have such a wealth of blooms to use. Those white spider mums really lighten up arrangements with lots of flowers.
Yes, it was fun to have some different blooms to use. The spider blooms definitely add lightness as you say, Chrysanthemums can be quite heavy.
Oh yes, I’m definitely turning into a chrysanthemum fan – yours are fab especially the first vase, love the colours and different shapes. They’re so varied, quite fascinating!
The only down side is they take up quite a lot of room in the cut flower beds for a very short flowering period.
Think I’m going to plant some into the borders as they’re so easy going.
I can’t do that because I don’t irrigate my borders. I am thinking of creating a small area that is irrigated to make a little oasis of flowers even in summer.
Think they’re pretty tough, I’ve had them in pots so far and didn’t treat them too well, shame on me, but they still thrive!
There but not here! Only evergreen natives survive the summer here without irrigation.
I must admit I water some bits when it starts to look seriously bad but in future I may have to reconsider. Thing is that the climate is not strictly mediterranean. If it was it’d be so much easier but it can get very cold some years and wet which makes it difficult.
Mine’s not really Mediterranean either. Last year temperatures of minus 12 for more than a week. It’s not often wet although this year has been an exception.
All of your vases are wonderful. I love chrysanthemums but have had little success growing them – visiting animals, not my lack of greenfingers, being the problem. They are such long lasting flowers and I like the addition of the lemon grass to your first vase.
I love the purple and white…it is so fresh looking! Adding the grasses was an inspired idea, they really soften up the stiff mums and give the arrangement some much-needed movement.
That is the problem with Chrysanthemums! I’m glad just adding some grasses helps.
Chrysanthemums are such interesting and long lasting flowers with so many different forms. You’ve used them well in these lovely arrangements!
Thank Peter, there are so many different forms now, I particularly like the two coloured ones.
What a range of chrysanthemums your friend gave you – I especially like the white spiky ones and the 2 tone purple/white. Your ikebana style one works especially well and looks really well balanced, but the vase itself must be quite heavy to take the weight of them all – they are so hard to come by and I keep looking out for any like the gorgeous ones Susie has. And your last vase – my goodness, it is hard to conceive of having an arrangement as large as that outside of a stately home (but then again, perhaps yours is stately)! It looks wonderful and the leonotis flowers look fantastic close-up. Thanks for sharing, Christina
No, certainly not a stately home, Cathy! But I have space for large arrangements on the sideboard. I was amazed by the different forms of Chrysanthemums available as cut flowers. Those sold in pots seem to be much simpler. I like the two tone purple white as well, I would buy a plant like that if I saw it.
Would you be able to take cuttings from the stems, do you think, or have they been completely stripped?
They’ve been stripped but you’re right I could look another time. I was given 3 large pots by one nursery when I bought some violas – just proves that they only sell before All Saints day.
I’m so impressed by how well the mums grow in your area. Maybe I should give them a try here, although the flowers on the plants usually sold here aren’t anything special (and I think most come straight from greenhouse growers). My favorite from this week’s post is the yellow and rust combination but I’d be happy to have any of these vases in my home. Well done, Christina!
I’m not sure that the bought cut flowers were grown here, most likely they came from Holland. Most of the cut flowers sold in Europe are either grown in Holland or pass through the market there. It’s one of the reasons I prefer to grow flowers to cut for myself. I hate the thought of all the needless transportation. I’m flattered that you like all the arrangements, I do enjoy putting them together each week.
Christina you have created stunning vases….the gifted mums are just gorgeous and I love how you arranged them. A very special gift you were given and now you have given us the gift of these amazing vases to view.
I’m very happy to share them with you Donna.
Christina your Buddhist friend I give you some divine Chrysanthemums. All your vases are magnificent. The silver vase with white and purple Chrysanthemums I like very much. The Ikebana style arrangement has some Chrysanthemums that are a beauty in yellow and orange. I have never seen them so beautiful or such a wonderful arrangement: I love it. How long the Chrysanthemums last in the large jar. Almost two weeks and they are wonderful! The pink zinnias at the base of the jar are divine. The pink and white chrysanthemums are very beautiful. The Pennisetum, the Pampas and the White Leonitis give a very special touch to the bouquet. It is an incredible and gorgeous vase. Christina the three vases are lovely. Congratulations for them. Have a very good and happy week. Greetings from Margarita.
I’m glad you enjoyed the vases Margarita. The chrysanthemums di last a long time in a vase so for that reason I like them and that they flower in autumn when most other blooms have finished. The only negative side is that they take space for 12 months of the year and are only productive for one!
A lovely set of arrangements, Christina. A great windfall of mums from your friend!
And so different from the ones I’ve seen sold as plants.
Wonderful to have all these gorgeous chrysanths and what lovely arrangements you have made. I particularly love the first one with the white flowers and pennisetum but they are all gorgeous. Did you find any cutting material amongst the flowers?
No sadly not. They had been stripped by my friend.
All three are gorgeous arrangements. I do love seeing your silver vase now and then – it is ideal for these purple and white shades and I like the use of the grass to add some green. 🙂