This week’s flower colors reflect the yellow and red-orange autumn foliage in the background. I’m using another of my hand-painted, pocket vases made in Ecuador by Artesia. Each side offers a different color, either cobalt or turquoise. I think the cobalt looks better with these flowers, but there is enough gold flowers to carry either side. Do you have a preference?
With the weather staying above freezing (hurrah), I continue to enjoy my tender annuals.
Gold and burnt orange zinnias (Z. elegans ‘County Fair Mix’ and Z. ‘Apricot Profusion,’ which are no longer apricot-colored due to cooler temperatures), along with yellow nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus), contrast with rich, cobalt salvia (S. guarantica) and lavender heart-leaved aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium).
I’ve used pointy-leaved blue star (Amsonia tabernaemontana) foliage, which is turning to gold and common spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis), a fresh shade of green that matches the leaves on the vase. Vertical accents are fountain grass seed heads (Pennisetum alopecuroides).
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In the Garden, who hosts a weekly meme to showcase what is blooming in our gardens. Wander over to see what gardeners all over the world are arranging this week.
To my Canadian followers, I wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!
Eliza Waters 
Both sides of the vase are so pretty! Yellow Nasturtiums look very large. The turquoise side is my favorite.
Thank you, Alice. The nasturtiums languished in the drought, but came along at the end of August and have really been beautiful only in the last month.
Both sides are lovely, but I like the darker blue. “Maya” blue, I call it.
Thank you, Laurie. Hope ‘Maya’ is coming along smoothly. 🙂
It’s coming. Not sure whether it’s smoothly or not 😉
I’d say either side is a winner. Beautiful flowers and gorgeous vase. 🙂
Thank you very much, Judy!
I agree with the previous comments; both sides look great and reflect the flower colors beautifully. Artfully done as always!
Thank you so much, Peter!
Both sides are beautiful, but I’m with you on the cobalt. It makes the colors in the flowers pop. Another amazing and gorgeous arrangement, Eliza. 🙂
Thank you kindly, Robin!
That Ecuadorian vase is a real find – I love it! It must be brilliant for accentuating blooms in complementary colours as it does in today’s arrangement. I like both sides, but I agree that the cobalt side probably works best this time. Your selection of blooms has ensured it is a real winner – thanks for sharing
Thank you very much, Cathy. I have four different vases with this motif, one slightly larger with a narrow bottle-top opening, a flared cylinder and a huge ming-style that I use to put dried hydrangea in. My spouse used to rep the company, so there is a fair amount of Artesa pottery in our house!
Oh what a joy it must have been to have access to these when your husband was a rep!! Not quite the same thing as being a Tuppeware rep…
Haha, not at all! 😀
They’re both beautiful sides, but I prefer the cobalt as well!
Thanks, Sarah! Oh, btw, I was harvesting ‘Grandpa Ott’ morning glory seeds today, do you still want some? I can send them to your work if you’d like. Wasn’t there something else, too? Cleome?
You are so so good at this! I am always drawn to turquoise lately so I prefer the teal/turquoise side.
Thank you, Kathy. It’s an interesting vase. You can have a different arrangement every day just by turning the vase!
It sure is a fantastic vase!
Thank you. 🙂
I think they’re both nice, but I prefer the cobalt side too. 🙂
Thanks, Bun. Cobalt is such a rich color.
I love vases with two sides. Amazing how different the bouquets look from each side with that dramatic difference in vase color. I like the turquoise side with the cobalt edge as the deep blues nicely repeat that little cobalt line.
Thank you very much, Linda.
Great arrangement Eliza. Clever vase. The darker blue pulls everything together really well I think.
Thank you, Susie. 🙂
The vase is another perfect pick for the flowers you selected, Eliza! I love the contrast between yellow/orange and cobalt blue so I have a nominal preference for the second view but it’s a wonderful composition from all directions.
Thank you, Kris. I don’t know as there are very many turquoise flowers out there that would create a match!
Beautiful! The darker blue brings out all those golden shades so well, but both sides are very pretty. Our temperatures are still just above freezing overnight too… keeping my fingers crossed! 🙂
Thank you, Cathy. We’re due to get a frost tonight. 😦 I think this is the end of my annuals!
Wow! It’s a knockout. Both sides look great.
Thank you so much, Marian!
How cheerful! Both beautiful but I slightly prefer for this bouquet the turquoise too!
Thank you, Noortje!
Wow, I think I just like the cattails on the vase, either side. The Salvia guarnitica picks up the blue and the Zinnias the yellow – very pretty all the way around.
Thank you very much.
Another spot-on vase containing spot-on flowers. You really do have an unending supply of perfect matches! The cobalt side is a better match colour-wise, but the turquoise side is my favourite, perhaps because it’s not quite so obvious.
Thank you, Joanna.
The cobalt blue is my favourite but with a display like this both are wonderful!
Thank you, Belinda!
Another thought: the cobalt color makes the vase and flowers a unity, the turquoise makes each an entity.
🙂
Vase and flowers – a perfect match! 😀
Thank you!
The turquoise vase is so lovely, I like its round shape and I assume a long narrow opening that would facilitate flower arranging, and the design of the cattails, which really picks up the yellows in the flowers. But then I saw the cobalt side and it makes all the yellows, oranges and reds really explode with color. But both are lovely.
Thank you, Hannah. It’s an unusual vase, for sure!
Beautiful vases and Salvia guaranitica. The cobalt looks very nice too.
Muchas gracias, Maria!
Lovely flowers and those pocket vases are beautiful!
Thank you, Fi!
Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie.
Thank you for reblogging!
I’m happy you haven’t had a hard frost yet so that you can still enjoy all the lovely annuals in your garden. I love the vase; both sides work beautifully with your blooms this week, if I had to pick a favourite is would be the cobalt – but only if I had to choose!!
Thank you, Christina. I think the cobalt gets the winning vote.
We had a frost last night, so that’s the end of the tender annuals. Que sera, sera.
That vase is exquisite. What I like is how different flower colors pop depending on the colors on the vase side colors. .
Whoops. That should be “depending on the vase side colors.” Or maybe I should have left it as is, double periods and all.
Thank you, Brenda. Good observation about how the eye sees differently depending on which is the predominant color. I always find optical illusion interesting.
Lovely arrangement and vase.
Thank you, Brian.
I like that neither the vase nor the arrangement are the same on the opposite side. Hooray for invention!
🙂 Symmetry stifles creativity.
What colour! Gorgeous vase, so cheerful.
Thank you!
So much beauty! Thank you for sharing
Thank you, Jaya!