
I walked around the garden yesterday morning, secateurs in hand, wondering what on earth might fill a vase that a) wasn’t half shriveled by drought (here’s looking at you, Rudbeckia!) b) wouldn’t drop a ton of pollen on the table (still love ya, sunflowers…) and c) I haven’t already displayed, at least too many times (hmmm..can you ever see too many Zinnias?). This is what I ended up with:

Goldenrod (Solidago sp) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium), growing wild in the yard and not terribly bothered by the lack of rain over the past six weeks, plus a few red-hued Zinnia for a splash of colour. The yellow and white combo almost makes it look like a spring arrangement, doesn’t it?


All I could hear, while looking for a spot to photograph the arrangement, was the buzzing of bees having a morning cup of nectar from nearby sunflowers and Sedum:
There’s goldenrod all over the place here in fields, along the sides of roads, edging the yard. I love it, and encourage a few patches in strategic spots within the garden beds themselves. Adds a great touch of cheeriness to a gardening season nearing its end. Here’s the patch I raided for today’s vase – it’s about seven metres from the front door and adds a nice bit of perspective when looking out at the front yard.

If you’re interested in cut flowers or flower arrangements, check out Cathy’s blog – Rambling in the Garden. She hosts this weekly theme. Thanks Cathy!
Great to see you on Saturday morning, Chris. What a beautiful arrangement! An idea for a small business in retirement?
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Ha! Never say never, I guess!
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Chris, the achillea and goldenrod make a perfect vase this week, and you know I still using zinnias as long as possible too. Sorry you’re still experiencing drought. The coast had rain when Dorian hit North Carolina but actually very little came to my garden.
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The only downside to goldenrod is that it’s a harbinger to autumn, which means winter is coming…..(Did I use ‘harbinger’ correctly?)
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Already so dark in the morning. (I would use “harbinger of autumn.” Good word though. )
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Haha – I liked the reasoning behind your choices Chris! Definitely hard to judge the season of the final result – thanks for sharing it
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Kinda fun process eh?
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Yes indeed!
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Lovely vase and mixture of colors. I have never seen a zinnia in such a true deep red. It is really stunning. And I love those beds of golden rod. It looks like fall at your house.
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Heavy sigh…yes, fall is upon us…
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Yes, it’s definitely a bee vase! Lovely mix in your daring green vase, Chris. Delighted to see yellow too 😀
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Wow, yarrow is cool as a cut flower. Goldenrod is too, but I am not familiar with it.
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You don’t have goldenrod??? Many folks consider it a weed, here.
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The native goldenrod is rare and docile. Garden varieties became avilable only recently, and there is still some concern that it can naturalize and become a weed. (Those who sell it do not seem to be concerned.)
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I would not be surprised if it did naturalize
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There are already too many naturalized exotics here.
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