In a Vase, on Monday – Dry Season

Happy September! Cooler temperatures, fewer tourists at the beach and, finally, a bit of rain overnight! I think most people prefer August. They’re always chattering on about summer vacations, weekend getaways, ripening tomatoes… I’m ambivalent. As much as I love the hot temperatures (and the tomatoes), I know that it comes with price: a distinct lack of rain clouds. This year has been no exception and my garden, until this morning, was looking very droopy and very brown. We’re conserving our well water like crazy as we hear about more and more of our neighbours going dry, having to purchase bulk water to fill cisterns. We don’t have a cistern (yet), and we don’t risk using the well to water plants. I rely on a few rain barrels and the mulch I liberally applied throughout the kitchen and cutting gardens in the spring. Thank you, rotting Basswood Tree, for giving your life so that my shrubs, perennials and tomatoes may live!

Today’s vase started with a colour – blue – because I wanted to showcase the deep blue flowers of Nigella ‘Midnight’ – I started it from seed in May and it now looks like a small shrub with both intriguing flowers and alien looking seedheads. Bonus: it’s surprisingly drought tolerant! Hardly any supplementary watering after they sprouted! I wanted a blue vase and brought out this glass Hyacinth jar. Then I thought I needed something white or creamy to offset the blue and chose a few Zinnias that are often overlooked. Nothing showy or flashy.

My Nigella shrub – looking forward to see how hardy it is.

And then I spotted the yellow rose – ‘Friesia,’ a floribunda from Kordes. It was planted in the early spring two years ago in what I thought was a perfect spot. Alas, several perennials in the general vicinity also think it’s perfect and now it’s hemmed in too closely by Hemerocallis and Sedum spectabile. I’ve only glimpsed a few blooms this year. It will be moved! So it wouldn’t be lonely, I also snipped a late flowering ‘Crimson Bouquet bloom – also from Kordes.

‘Friesia’ has a delicate fragrance, bringing cobwebby memories of…Freesia.

I guess the Zinnias have too much stem, or someting. As a whole I’m not too happy with the effect, although I like the individual components.

That’s my last vase from a dry, August, Canadian garden. Next week I imagine it’ll be autumnal Goldenrod and Asters! Thanks, as always, to Cathy, who hosts this weekly cut flower meme on her blog, Rambling in the Garden.