And now another roundup of monthly vases!
This “Study in Purple” has stolen the award this month. It was a “composition”, rather than a “plonk” or an “accident”.
What was available? Well, lots of blues and purples, as you can see, so that was what I selected. The rich purple phlox, “Nicky”, has been flowering for ages now, so I was keen to use it, along with the wonderful, structural flowerheads of Echinops – a gift, so name unknown. They have the most amazing flowerheads – soft purple, when in flower, fading into steely blue orbs, before they become seed heads and disintegrate. I didn’t want to let this flower pass by the vase! And the supporting cast? Dainty, lilac Thalictrum delavayii, dots of purple Verbena bonariensis, and spikes of the grass, Melica “Atropurpurea”. A spire of Veronica features in there, too. The golden flowerheads of fennel were added for contrast, and to soften the overall effect. Foliage provided, courtesy of our good old purple sage!
The other contenders?
Despite this being a definite “Plonk in a vase”, in its defence, the composition was a considered one! Start with the pinky-red rose “Braveheart”, which is the same shade as the pink in the honeysuckle, Lonicera belgica and add a creamy white rose to pick up the other colour in the honeysuckle. I rest my case! Lovely, but a bit wayward!
The sweet peas are still doing their thing.
And, of course, Hydrangea “Annabelle”, still delights us with her presence ….
…. both with and without “Mum”!
And this “vase” is definitely worthy of the “A+E” selection. The story is, that the front of our house is in definite need of attention, so before the painter can move in (i.e. “Mr. Chef”), all the planting had to be hacked back, including a patch of lavender. O.K. it had become somewhat sprawling, but it still grieved me to cut it back and discard it. After all, we have a wood burning stove, and what better way to dispose of it all! However, it’s still a bit early, so I saved some in a basket, to sit in front of the stove, till that “glorious” moment arrives.
And already September is starting to show its promise!
The Long Garden Path 
I love the beautiful colour scheme of your composition. Very pretty.
Thank you, Chloris. I must have some degree of imagination! The Melica grass has been most useful in vases, much to my surprise!
I quite like your wayward honeysuckle and roses – I haven’t manage to include any honeysuckle in my vases yet and may be too late now. Do you think you will detect any hint of lavender smell when you burn your last ‘arrangement’…?
Thankyou, Cathy! I do too! It’s the colour combination. I’m afraid I have already “pruned” the arrangement, when we lit the first fire of the season, on one of the recent chilly days – not just for heat but also for “comfort”! And, yes, you could smell it! We still have plenty more to burn yet, though.
Some gorgeous arrangements there. Love the idea for the lavender. Which reminds me, we must order our wood. 😉 Have a lovely weekend.
Thank you! I can’t bear to waste anything – it must be the Scot in me! Instead of being discarded, it has provided aromatic wood for burning, and an aromatic indoor display in the meantime. Bonus!