
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!!
Two wonderful, happy arrangements. Your garden seems bountiful indeed, I’m a little envious as everything here is turning into straw. Do the begonia leaves keep well in the vase?
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In places, the grass in the yard is very straw-like indeed. Thank goodness for clover, dandelion and plantain for keeping it looking green! I’ve added Begonia leaves to a vase in the past and as I recall they do keep well, although the stems in water can get mushy…
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even the plantain and dandelion are starting to die here 🙈
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😟
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Gorgeous summer flowers Chris. Love that tithonia, must try it, and especially that pale pink glad. Have a good week.
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Thanks – you too!
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That’s a good idea to always have some winter on hand when you are deadheading, just in case – although admittedly I am very lax in thinking of that when I am intentionally cutting for a vase… That pale pink gladiolus at first looks unusual – but then I saw the yellow one! I suppose I am more used to seeing red ones – I do like your pink one though. Oh to have a patch of echinacea – but I do have my first ever tithonia bloom, which I am sure will appear in a vase soon. Aren’t zinnias glorious? Thye just keep on giving, don’t they? Thanks for sharing, Chris
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The wonderful thing about buying a mixed bag of bulbs (or seeds, I guess) is the surprising results!
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I suppose so – but it is rare for me to buy plants or seeds in mixed colours (except sweet peas and Busy Lizzies)…not that I don’t like surprises, just preferably not in my borders!
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I can only imagine “self-sown Echinacea.” The gladiolas are stunning and seem to be the “plant of the week” this IAVOM.
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Here a glad, there a glad, everywhere a glad glad..😆😆😆
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Wonderful summer vases. They really allow you to appreciate your work in the garden at close range. I love the begonia foliage with the flowers. I wonder if you will root some new begonias?
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No..one of those giant begonias is enough! The rhizome, that I store in a paper bag over winter, is the size of a small dinner plate!
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And there’s another common name that’s been applied to several plants: Mexican hat. I always think of Ratibida columnifera, aka the prairie coneflower, when I hear ‘Mexican hat.’ I’d not been aware of Tithonia until a couple of years ago, when I saw it in a Chicago-area blogger’s garden, and I didn’t realize it carried that name. It’s a beautiful plant. I’m not always fond of orange, but I do love those.
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Well….I has been calling these Tithonia Mexican sunflowers, and then I read someone else call them Mexican Hats. One of the seed packets call them Mexican Torch. So. Ratibida columnifera looks a lot different, doesn’t it? Interesting, we have something called Ratibida pinnata. I think, though, I’ll stop calling them Hats, from any country.
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Ah, more gladiolus! They seem to be the flavor of the week!
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I’ve noticed!
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