In a Vase, on Monday – Mid Summer Vases

Every Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase highlighting what is growing in our gardens. August first is almost exactly mid-summer here, and the garden is bountiful. So bountiful, in fact, that when I make my morning rounds, deadheading and snipping back where necessary, I have a tin of water on standby in case some of my snipping results in a flower or two that might be added to my back porch vase – waste not want not, right?

In any event, I filled two vases this morning, the heavy-bottomed back porch one, plus a tall crystal vase, perfect for gladiolas now in bloom.

First, on the back porch, Zinnias from the cutting garden, Echinacea from a large self-sown clump that was shading out a small shrub and tops of a humongous Begonia Fimbriata – I had to cut the stalks back by half to avoid the whole thing from falling over. I love the shape and texture of the leaves.

My more ‘intentional’ vase has the glads, Tithonia (Mexican Hat – what an incredible flower!!), some of the Begonia leaves plus a few Verbena bonariensis stalks that had to be snipped out of the way. Thanks to a few of Cathy’s readers who mentioned tying flower stalks together before adding them to a vase – keeps them from falling all over themselves. That trick worked well for the three glads! Have a great week everyone!!