In a Vase, on Monday – August Annuals

Chris Mousseau

The forecast for the next two weeks is seasonal temperatures (mid to high 20’s) and loads of sunshine, which will be a change from the past two weeks, which have been unseasonably cold and wet. It was so chilly last Friday night that we awoke to the sound of the furnace clicking on – somehow the thermostat hadn’t been turned off a few months ago when nights started to stay above 10 degrees or so. The garden has, of course, been loving the rain, and all the annuals I started from seed back at the end of March are now in glorious full bloom. I started collecting stems for this vase last Wednesday, and it sat on the dining room table for a few days. Then on Saturday I brought it outside again, discarded a few wilting blooms (Calendula doesn’t seem to last that long, in the garden or in a vase…) and, as I puttered around, added this and that to it. As a result, this is one of the fullest vases I’ve had, I think.

Here’s the first version, featuring a purple Echinacea, Zinnias, Calendula, Straw Flowers, Ox Eye Daisies (reblooming after the initial flush of flowers were cut back a month ago), Stock and Keeled Garlic (Allium carinatum):

Then I decided to relocate a large clump of white Echinacea. Before digging it up I cut off the flowers that were blooming and added some to the vase. Here it is now:

And from the other side:

Every Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase highlighting what is growing in our gardens. I hope your gardens are floriferous and you have a great week!

14 Comments

    1. Thank you! I found the vase, along with a mostly dead Peperomia plant, on a ‘giveaway’ table. Let the plant grow but didn’t like it much, but the pot is interesting!

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  2. Great collection of annuals Chris. Glad you’re back to more seasonal temperatures. We’re hot and very dry (although it seems to be raining all around us!) I like how adding the taller white echinacea in the center help lift up the design and I adore those straw flowers.

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    1. Thank you! I cut a few dozen straw flower stems this morning; they’re hanging in a closet, drying, for a friend’s wedding on October. It’s going to be cool seeing them on the tables!

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  4. I love it, including the very cool vase. I’m growing strawflower for the first time this year and wondering why it took me so long to get on the bandwagon.

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