Cathy at Rambling In the Garden, host of the weekly meme showcasing arrangements created from our gardens, is celebrating five years of IAVOM. Her requested theme this week is anything NOT in a vase, so I created a wreath. The vine base is made from invasive Asian bittersweet that I’m glad to cut to get rid of, a losing battle at best.
Red Oak leaves (Quercus rubra) and dried bracts of Oak-leaved Hydrangea (H. quercifolia), along with fluffy seed heads of Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis) form the body.
A few stems of wild Goldenrod (Solidago) seed heads and seedless Coneflower calyxes (Echinacea purpurea) are tucked in, with bright purple berries of Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) completing the wreath.
Click the link to see what gardeners all over the world are arranging for this week’s special anniversary. Thanks to Cathy for tirelessly hosting every week for the past five years!
Eliza Waters 
What amazing work! I’m quite impressed at the creativity here. 🙂
Thank you very much, Debbie!
Those purple berries add life to your already beautiful wreath. You are very talented in this respect.
Many thanks, Anne!
Lovely!
Thank you, Cynthia!
Monday already?! Well, it will be Monday here in a bit more than two hours.
Red oak that is so popular within the native range is uncommon here. It happens to be an excellent street tree because the roots are complaisant with concrete. It does not get too big in our climate. Beautyberry is something that I have yet to see in a local garden. I am so intrigued by it, that I just might try to grow some at work.
Beautyberry is heat and humidity tolerant, but not sure about drought tolerance. It might be worth experimenting. It’s a great plant.
There are many plants here that are not drought tolerant. (Many people here are not at all concerned with conserving water.) On this side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, just a few miles from the chaparral climate of the Santa Clara Valley, we can grow plants that are not at all tolerant to drought. Much of what we grow here is the same that grows in the Pacific Northwest.
Wowed by this! 😍
🙂 Thanks, Isha!
Oh my gosh!
Your most amazing yet!
You have the gift.
You are a very kind,
and special person.
🙂 Thank you very much, Cindy! xx
What a beautiful arrangement on those vines. Very creative and visually pleasing to my eye.
Thank you, Vicki!
Wow Eliza, you are an artist. It is beautiful.
Thank you kindly, Chloris.
Lovely Eliza!
Dank je, Noortje!
So lovely Eliza. A real flavour of autumn.
Thank you, Karina. We’re down to the grays and browns!
More lovely arrangements
Thank you, Derrick.
Beautiful fall arrangement. I always love when you make lemonade out of lemons because it takes creativity and skill to find a positive use for invasive bittersweet. 🙂
Thank you, Judy. The rate it is spreading and its killing of trees is alarming. Eradication is all but impossible, I’m afraid.
Beautiful!
Thank you very much! x
…..delightful….
Thank you, Alice!
That beautyberry is stunning! I am so happy to enjoy mine here – now picked over by the birds. Wonderful arrangement Eliza!
Thank you, Kathy! How is your new garden coming along?
Rather slowly – been hot here and the “lawn” is full of sand burs. I have yet to weed around the trees but have planted a few things. I’ll have an update soon. ( ;
This is beautiful Eliza. I love the use of the Red Oak leaves.
Thank you, Susie. Since my entire yard is covered with leaves, I had to use at least a few! 😉
Lovely and a very creative take on Cathy’s challenge. It is going to be a lot of fun to see what everyone does this Monday.
Thank you, Linda. I’m esp. looking forward to seeing what everyone has created this week!
eliza, you are so creative!
🙂 Thanks so much, Kim!
Beautiful!
Thank you, Laurie!
What a knack you have!
🙂 Thanks!
…your wreath is whispering Autumn thoughts…love it, Eliza!
Thank you, Jane. Happy Autumn to you!
Such lovely creations. You are one artistic lady!
Thank you very much, Sandy! I’m blushing. 🙂
I really love this, and the callicarpa against all the neutral tones stands out beautifully. Great job! I think you may have insired me…
Thank you very much, Karen. Glad to inspire!
It’s beautiful Eliza, rustic, autumnal and graceful.
Thank you kindly, Andrea.
The perfect response to Cathy’s challenge Eliza; executed to perfection too!
Thank you very much, Christina!
This is a great response to the challenge. Eliza, and I love the idea of using a thug for the basis of your wreath! The end result is so subtle and indicative of the season. I have recently dug out my callicarpa as it rarely had any berries at all – I believe now that it is better if you have more than one
Thank you, Cathy. A great meme and a good challenge for the anniversary to keep us on our toes. 🙂
I only have one Callicarpa, but as we are so cold, it dies to the ground every winter. I always figure I’ve lost it, but then it rallies late in the season. Although, it never produces like it does further south.
Thanks Eliza – interesting to read about your callicarpa as some US bloggers seem to have it growing prolifically. I shall have to be thinking of another challenge ready for next year!
Great minds! This is very beautiful and it’s lovely to save the best of the autumn show to enjoy for longer.
Yes! Thank you, Alison. This will get me through until it’s time to hang an evergreen wreath.
Nice response to a too vigorous vine! I tried using my wisteria prunings in a similar way (as rings around a hazel obelisk). The muted colours in your wreath are lovely and the burst from the callicarpa berries works perfectly.
Thank you very much, Allison!
So beautiful, Eliza!
Thank you, Carrie!
It’s a perfect fall wreath, Eliza. I love those Callicarpa berries but the Miscanthus seed heads make it sing.
Thank you very much, Kris!
Well done as always! I love everything about this wreath and especially the pop of purple provided by the Beautyberries!
Thank you, Peter!
So much to admire! Lovely colours and textures.
Thank you, Belinda!
So pretty. How creative of you Eliza. I love the use of the fluffy maiden grass. I cut some to bring indoors at the weekend but the seeds were flying everywhere so it had to go out again! 🙂
Thank you, Cathy. Maiden grass is pretty, but without a liberal dose of hair spray, it has to stay outside!
That is a good idea! I must try it out!
So creative Eliza. I bought a wreath to decorate today so enjoyed seeing yours.
Thank you, Alison. Fall is a great time for wreaths with lots of things to choose from with which to decorate it. Good luck with yours!
Thank you.
Love your wreath. I have trees full of muscadines I could use!
Thank you, Amelia. I love making wreaths, it’s a wonder why I don’t make them more often. I bet with your local selection yours would be lovely.
Yours look way more symmetrical than mine ever do! I tried grapevine baskets – once! I have plenty of material.
I keep weaving the vines round and round, until it looks fairly balanced. The thickest part always goes on the bottom, which helps visually. I’ve never attempted a basket, so good for you for trying. I imagine it would be harder to do than a wreath.
The basket was uninspiring, to say the least.
😀
Absolutely stunning, Eliza! Now you’ve got me hankering to get shots of my flowers with my macro. I just LOVE this wreath!! To me it is soft and sensual. 🤗
Thank you very much, Amy!
Oh Eliza your wreath is stunning incorporating the wabi sabi beauty of fall.
Thank you, Donna! It was fun to make. I wonder why I don’t do more of them?
Oh! This is gorgeous Eliza! ❤
Thank you, Julie!
Stunning creation from your garden/backyard pickings, love the rustic-ness!
Thank you, Donna!
Happy Flower-O-Versary! 😀 … a magnificent collection. 🙂
Thank you!
Wow – gorgeous!
Thank you, Fi!
Gorgeous, Eliza! Love the Calicarpa combined with the more muted colours.
Thank you, Sam! With the all the duller colours now, I really relish the bright berries while they last. The birds will have eaten most by New Year’s.
Love the wreath and photos and am always amazed at the beauty you create!🙂
Thank you very much!
Very creative and lovely, Eliza. The Beautyberries are a perfect complement to the neutral colors.
Thank you, Jane!
Charming and just the right touch for Autumn as the last of the years beauty begins to fade!
Thank you, Jayne!
It is so beautiful your wreath. So perfectly fall festive 🙂
Thank you, Maria!
It gave me some ideas.
So pretty. A lovely take on the theme.
Thank you, Sandra!
These are really Cool Eliza!
Thank you, Reed!
It’s so natural looking!
The color and products of autumn. 🙂
Very beautiful, Eliza.
Thank you, Rabirius.
Beautiful capture !
Thank you!