In a Vase, on Monday – Birthday Bouquet

Chris Mousseau

Two things coincided to help create this week’s vase (or jar, in this case) of cut flowers: a friend’s birthday and the emergence of Colchicum flowers. My friend didn’t realize a few people know his birth date – it’s not something he likes to impose on folks yet somehow, like magic, it’s there in my phone’s calendar. And in the middle of a handful of tall Zinnia stalks I spied the creamy white crowns of Colchicum flowers just starting to poke through the soil surface. I needed to cut back some Zinnias (Gasp! Horror!) to make way for the giant autumn flowering beauties. Into a jar went the Zinnias, soon joined by a few Agastache stalks, a wayward Rudbeckia stem and a handful of not quite open garlic chives.

I rescued the bunch of garlic chives from this very spot before stacking firewood – toasty warm winter nights are in my future!

I often trim the stems and arrange my vases outside, with the container on the ledge of a raised bed in my kitchen garden. There’s usually lots of bees in the vicinity and one rather large bumbler landed for a pollen fill-up while s/he had the chance…

My friend was happily surprised by the birthday flowers, and in a week or two we’ll be enjoying large purply Autumn Crocus flowers. Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who hosts the weekly garden meme In A Vase On Monday, featuring flowers from our gardens. Click the link to join or see what others are sharing. Have a great week everyone!

My main Zinnia patch, looking good in this dry summer thanks to a dishpan in the kitchen sink I use to capture rinse water instead of letting it go down the drain into the septic system. The Zinnias in today’s vase is from a smaller, secondary patch.

22 Comments

  1. What a thoughtful Birthday surprise! We save water, too. When I boil eggs & cool them & save the water till it gets to cold, to fill a 1/2 gallon jug for the fridge, with filtered water from an under the sink filter. Saves gallons!

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  2. Your water-saving technique reminds me of my cruising days. When you’re on a boat, limited to the water in the tanks you carry, conservation is as important for your life as yours was for those gorgeous flowers! I do love the zinnias’ bold colors: such appeal!

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    1. We’re at a level three water warning here…the most severe…meaning people on wells, like me, are asked to take extreme measures to conserve, the water table is so low. So I’m glad to have Anything to water the garden with!

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  6. Your dahlias are wonderful Chris and I am trying not to be envious! Your friend will have been delighted as well as surprised. I checked this last week to see if there was any sign of my colchicum too, but there isn’t. It’s interesting hearing about your water situation

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  7. A lovely bouquet for a friend. Great colours! And the perfect excuse to cut lots of zinnias too! The Colchicums were probably also happy with the extra water they got in that patch.

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