In a Vase, on Monday – Mid Summer Vases

Chris Mousseau

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!!

17 Comments

  1. 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?

    1. 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…

  3. 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

      1. 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!

  4. I can only imagine “self-sown Echinacea.” The gladiolas are stunning and seem to be the “plant of the week” this IAVOM.

  5. 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?

  6. 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.

    1. 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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