In a vase, On Monday – Cool and Blue

Chris Mousseau

I started this vase wanting to showcase flowers from one particular clump of Echinacea purpurea; species by species, coneflowers are just starting to bloom in my garden. This particular flower has paler than usual flowers, a very soft, pastel purple, similar to E. pallida in colour, but not in form. Then I added some Ox Eye Daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) as a kind of backdrop. Then I saw the Larkspur (or Delphinium) again, this time in two shades. And suddenly it was a pink, white and blue vase. So I added a few snips of Verbena (bonariensis, but the jury is still out on that…) and THEN I heard bees buzzing, looked over, and saw the lavender patch. I couldn’t resist! Pink Echinacea notwithstanding, the end result is, to me, a cool vase, fitting for this hot summer.

Lavender patch…
E. pallida on the left, which is the same pale pink as the E. purpurea on the right.

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden encourages us to share a vase highlighting what is growing in our gardens. I think American gardeners have a holiday today, since yesterday was their July 4 Independence day national holiday (I know that because the English band Coldplay was on a American TV special last night celebrating the festivities…). If you’re in an office, or at the beach, or working in your garden today – hope it’s enjoyable!

22 Comments

  3. Thanks for taking us through your thought process as you chose your flowers. They will be lovely to enjoy when it gets a little too hot to work in the garden.

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  5. I like the colors and the combination with marigolds at the base. It looks like a straight species V. bonariensis to me. I have tried to grow them from seed ..no luck whatsoever.

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  6. It’s a lovely vase and flowers too. Verbena bonariensis didn’t grow well for me until it self sowed in the gravelly soil at the edge of the driveway.

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      3. Well, in regard to ‘this year’, it could be the result of the sudden increase in popularity of gardening as a result of so many people staying at or close to home.

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  9. We had red, white and blue; you have pink, white, and blue. It’s a lovely combination. I see what you mean about the Verbena. We have a tall, non-native species, too: Berbena brasiliensis. It can reach 6′-8′, but otherwise the appearance is just like yours. Here, it’s called Brazilian Vervain.

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    1. I like the name ‘Vervain’ – doesn’t sound quite as medicinal as Verbena. The flower clusters on Brazilian vervain seem to be elongated? There’s another Verbena that springs up in my garden, place to place, with larger leaves and tinier flowers, totally uninvited…I’m going to try and get a photo…

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