This week my Monday vase shouts Indian Summer to me, despite the rather cool weather and having picked the flowers in the drizzle of a damp day! As ever on a Monday, I am linking up with Cathy at Rambling In The Garden to join in her challenge to pick something for a vase from the garden every week.
I am sorry that I was not here last week – the day proved just too full to allow the space for flowers. I am very happy that this Monday has been a little more relaxed.
I am starting today by showing you the set up. After I had picked a selection of flowers and foliage I decided I felt like making a full scale late summer arrangement – the large dahlia flowers make these so easy at this time of year. I found this urn when I was spring cleaning the greenhouse – I had bought it before Christmas last year and have somehow managed to overlook its possibilities. It is not water proof, so I put a glass baking dish filled with water inside the urn and then shaped a piece of chicken wire to sit on the top and support the stems.
The finished arrangement is quite wide, and includes asparagus fern, ivy and cedar to fill out the focal flowers, which are dahlia ‘Labyrinth’ and aster ‘Tower Chamois’.
Dahlia ‘Labyrinth’ is possibly my favourite dahlia this year – new to me it has a perfect peach and pink colour combo with the slightly shaggy look to the flowers that I love. She is also producing a huge quantity of flowers.
The smaller flower is the annual aster ‘Tower Chamois’ – again a late summer favourite. I just cannot get enough of these incurved chrysanthemum like flower heads.
As late summer approaches early autumn some of my favourite foliage fillers are starting to make their appearance in my vases again. I think this one below is a type of cedar, but am happy to be corrected if anyone recognises it.
Elderberries look stunning at this time of year – literally dripping from the trees. Do be careful if you use them in arrangements though – these berries stain so keep them away from carpets and pale surfaces. I have stood my arrangement on a large glass table mat so if the berries drop they will do no damage.
The ivy is looking shiny and lush, with the berries just starting to turn from green to a deep purple black.
Do you remember my vase from two weeks ago? I included buddleja ‘Black Knight’ in that jug of flowers and promised to report back on how it performed. I am pleased to say that it lasted almost a week!! This whole combination stood up really well – even the cosmos, which can be quick to wilt in a vase, lasted for about 5 days.
Finally this week I must announce the winner of the Giveaway for my last post Growing Great Vegetables. The winner of this months Giveaway is Sandra – if you email me your address Sandra I will get the seeds in the post to you.
Do have a look at this post and let me know what you think – I will be writing about Growing Great Vegetables on the second Friday of every month and hope to have some lovely Giveaways to go with this new series. If you are interested in growing your own vegetables I would love to have you along!
I will be back on Wednesday to talk about a lovely business called MiaFleur, which is run by two of my readers. MiaFleur has its own beautiful blog which you might like to take a look at tonight.
Thank you as ever to Cathy for all her hard work in keeping us organised on a Monday with her lovely challenge! What a great way it is to start the week, knowing that yo u have a few flowers in the house to pretty things up. I do hope you will pop over to her blog to see what she and the others have made this week and I look forward to seeing you back here on Wednesday.
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Hi Julie, a sumptuous and inspired arrangement. The pink flowers against the black of the elderberries is stunning.
I enjoyed seeing how you put this vase together Julie. Form, colour, contrast and texture are so carefully considered and the final result is outstanding.
That looks most luscious Julie, with the dahlias, asters and elderberries. I love the shaped petals of the dahlia but how big are the blooms? I have decided I don’t want to grow the really large ones (so no Cafe au Lait after all). And how lovely to see ivy flowers again – something I adore, silly though that might seem 😉
Those Dahlias are absolutely gorgeous! You did a wonderful job staging them. I’m impressed by your Buddleja vase with the berries too – I missed it somehow when you originally posted it.
Great colours and contrast, love it! Enjoy your week, Julie!
Your dahlias are spectacular Julie, and beautifully put together with the elderberries, you use fruits in such a great way that always seems ‘right’, whereas I often think they look out of place. As always your photography is perfect.
I love the colours, the asters and the dahlias really complement each other, and the elderberries too! The grey urn works beautifully with the colours.
A very beautiful vase, thanks.
Stunning ! We have dahlia Geri Hoek which is the same colour as yours and captures the evening sun beautifully .
Julie that is one of the most beautiful arrangements I have ever seen…the colors are stunning together and I love the dahlias which still have not bloomed here…so strange. I loved your idea of adding elderberries and was going to but the birds have already gotten to my one bush so i will savor yours. I was wondering about the buddleja vase…a real beauty!
Another beautiful vase Julie and yet another dahlia to tempt me. Perhaps next year I’ll just devote my allotment to mass dahlia production. Thanks for the tip about elderberries staining. I was considering cutting some so your warning is perfectly timed.
What a beautiful dahlia – such a gorgeous shade! I love how you’ve used the elderberries – they really set off the pinks of the flowers, and give texture too. Great idea! The aster surprised me – I did think it was a chrysanthemum!
Hi Julie
Have just returned from a short break to discover that I am the winner of the seeds!
I can’t tell you how excited I am or how much I love to read your posts and see your beautiful garden photographs and arrangements!
I am a keen gardener but lack your knowledge so I use your posts to know what to do and when, plus I have a new (replacement) greenhouse that I am planning to do much more in especially from now and on into winter. I’ve just ordered some chrysanthemums from Geranium Direct as you suggested and I am also waiting for you to tell us when you have planted up your Spring bulbs!
Thanks again
Sandra
Thank you Sandra – I am delighted to know that my posts are so useful to you and that you are using your greenhouse more!! My advice on spring bulbs is too start planting everything apart from tulips now. Tulips are best left until mid October or later. If you are planning on growing Paperwhites in your greenhouse they flower in as little as 5-6 weeks so I leave those until November and stagger the planting for flowers over the winter.
I am waiting for the seeds to arrive and will pop them in the post as soon as they do – you can sow some now & save the rest for February.
Thank you for taking part & do leave a comment if you have any questions in the future!
Happy gardening,
Julie