I had to bite the bullet late last week and drastically prune back a lot of Zinnias and Prairie Coneflower – Ratibida pinnata – in order to give some room to a few rapidly growing dahlias and make passable the pathway leading to said dahlias. I wound up with an armful of flowers on long stems and, instead of tossing them onto the compost pile or snipping them up to act as a green mulch in the garden, I stripped off the lower leaves and put together one of my taller vases of cut flowers. Every Monday, Cathy at Rambling In The Garden encourages us to share a vase highlighting what is growing in our gardens. For me, this week, Zinnias are one of the colourful stars of the garden, much loved by butterflies such as the above swallowtail. Here’s the vase:
Wow, what a great shot of your swallowtail on the zinnia! I love your vase Chris, and the woodpile as a backdrop is perfect. 😃
Thanks Cathy! I think I’m enjoying finding the right background for my vases as I much as I enjoy growing and arranging the flowers!
Love the vase and the butterfly, which Swallowtail is that? I have been watching them all summer. My vases often are a result of pruning…wish I could grow Zinnias and Rudbeckia like yours. The color and texture of the firewood is a great accent.
At one point I knew which it was…I’m waiting for a guide to Ontario butterflies to arrive in the mail…a Real Colour Printed on Paper Guide!!!😁
There are a lot of Swallowtails, surprising how many we have in common. I have a printed butterfly book (inherited from my mother) I use it a lot.
Wonderful — flowers and swallowtail alike. In the third photo, is that yellow and white flower near the center also a zinnia? It’s beautiful — my favorite of the whole bunch.
It IS a zinnia! There’s a yellow and a white, both with red splotches – my faves as well!
‘Escape from the compost pile’ seems to describe those vegetables that grow from a compost pile, and then get taken to the kitchen as if someone put effort into growing them. Okay, so the kitchen is not much of a situation to escape to, but at least they are useful.
Prairie coneflower is a delightful wildflower. Laura Ingalls probably brings some into her home.
Good yo waste these lovely bright blooms Chris, and I like their airiness amidst the solid colours of the zinnias…reminds me, must have a vase of zinnias soon!!
It’s lovely to have those nice long stems to play with. Your butterfly “prop” is impressive too.
😁😁😁
I can never throw away any possible blooms for a vase, either. Vase first, compost second. 😉
Love your butterfly shots – the head-on one is wonderful!
Thank you! It was a very lucky shot, the butterfly was moving so quickly!
Nice zinnias and great photos of the swallowtail. Your garden is really doing great this year.
Thanks! We’ve been really fortunate, weather-wise.
Your photos are breathtaking. Thanks for sharing your lovely vase as well.
Thank you so much!