In late summer, our fields are full of several types of Goldenrod (Solidago sp.), laid out like a huge buffet for pollinators. Goldenrod pollen is high in protein, just what bees need to prepare for the cold season ahead. An armful that had flopped over a path was picked to clear the trail, providing a base for today’s arrangement.
Helianthus annuus ‘Lemon Queen’
‘Lemon Queen’ Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are providing lots of pollen as well; they’re covered with various bee species and once the seeds develop, American Goldfinches drop from the sky to noisily devour them.
Dahlia ‘Outta Da Blue’ has proven to be a strong producer, covered with loads of buds and blooms. Providing a perfect match is Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which is an invasive species here that I dig up when I find them, particularly along our river. I keep the blooms and when spent, put them in the trash and not the compost.
I like to keep small vases on my kitchen windowsill to enjoy while working there, so here is a little combo that appeals to me.
Feverfew, Nasturtium
A simple combination of Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) and Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) ‘Alaska.’ I particularly like their variegated leaves that look like someone splattered them with white paint.
In A Vase on Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. Click the link to see arrangements made by other gardeners around the world.
Eliza Waters 
Ah! Goldenrod! I have never met it directly before, but always wanted to because it seems that everyone else is acquainted with it. However, I never wanted to grow it because I would not want it to naturalize. THEN, I recently found that there is a native species! It is neither common nor very colorful, but it is native, so would not be a problem if it naturalized here.
It is an important native plant as it supports a large number of species, as I’m sure your local species does. Natives rock!
The species that is native here is not at all prominent, which is how I missed it, and never learned about it before. It may seem to be relatively unimportant within the ecosystem. However, there may be insects that rely on it exclusively. I really do not know; but I do know that many obscure species are like that here. Every species of Yucca relies on a specific species of yucca moth, and every species of yucca moth relies on a specific species of Yuccca.
Lovely to have colourful fresh flowers in the house.
Truly, they feed the soul! 🙂
Absolutely Eliza
You are a visual artist Eliza დ
Thank you so much, Cindy. ❤ I like that moniker! 😉
I probably say this every week: I thoroughly enjoy your bright flower arrangements. They feed into my dreaming of a spring and summer garden – if we get rain.
Glad to know that, Anne! I hope we both get some rain soon. It seems it is all or nothing these days when it comes to precipitation. 😦
Beautiful vases Eliza and I too love the Goldenrod – such an uplifting colour for late Summer 💛
Thank you, Xenia. Autumn is starting to work her magic. 🙂
The greens and golds are simply beautiful and match the vase perfectly! ❤
Thank you, Joanne! 🙂
Yellow and purple are such an unusual combination, but they work well together!
Easter colours! 😉 Thanks much, Anita. 🙂
Lovely 👏
Thank you, Karen! ❤
Gorgeous! I completely forgot about the golden rod I intended to use this week, so lovely to see yours! I grew Lemon Queen sunflowers last year and am pleased for the reminder to add seeds to my list for next spring. The dahlia is a beauty. And your Nasturtium too. 😃 Have a great week Eliza!
Thank you, Cathy! I do love LQ, probably my favorite because of that strong clear lemon colour.
The purple and gold of our autumn is one of my favorite combinations, and you’ve certainly combined the colors well. I saw some goldenrod in bloom yesterday for the first time, and it was such pleasure. We have at least three native species here, so every part of my world has some in bloom. I came across ‘Lemon Queen’ in another blog, and wondered if it was a cultivar of H. annuus. You’ve answered the question!
Thank you! Lemon Queen is a lovely hybrid, though rather tall. I hope they come up with a dwarf version, which would fit better in more garden spaces.
Such vibrant colors of late summer. Beautiful! You are also honoring the anniversary of the women’s vote with this one as their colors are purple & gold.
Thank you and for pointing that serendipity out to me! x
Beautiful Arrangements Eliza! Brightened my day!
Thank you, Reed, glad to hear it!
That vase of goldenrod is a glorious burst of yellow. And those small vases are both sweet and jaunty.
Thank you, Laurie. There is an abundance of goldenrod this year (but I say that every year)!
Beautiful and hardy. A great combination.
Lovely shares Eliza 💝
🙂 Thanks, Val. ❤
I love those gold colors with the purple.
Thank you very much!
Goldenrod was an early floral gift from America to Britain, where people were fascinated by it.
And they’ve bred a few fine hybrids from it as well.
Also, Thomas Edison looked for a practical way to extract latex from various plants to make rubber. He found that the plant which produced the most latex was goldenrod:
https://sternrubber.com/blog/rubber-wizard-menlo-parkhttps://sternrubber.com/blog/rubber-wizard-menlo-park
It’s frothy and dainty and then there’s the wow of the sunflowers and the lovely purple accents.
Thank you, Andrea. Much appreciated!
I really love that tiny arrangement. It packs a big punch!
Thank you, Sandy!
Welcome, Eliza.
I love the contrast in both your vases this week, Eliza, the yellow and purply blue in the first and the orange and white in the second, both really striking in their different ways and on a different scale. Thanks for sharing
Thank you, Cathy.
Nice flowers
Thank you!
A perfect combination of colors & flowers to start gliding towards Autumn. 88° here, right now & feels like 91° & high humidity
Thank you, Alice. Hopefully, the weather will ease for a few days, but humidity will return no doubt. Fall may be late this year!
Much as I enjoyed your first vase (I love ‘Lemon Queen’!), I appreciate your little kitchen windowsill arrangement even more.
I hope the fires remain a good distance from your son’s location. The situation in NorCal is awful.
Thank you, Kris. I’m fond of those little vases, too. 🙂
Yes, the situation in NorCal is pretty harrowing. The worst year ever.
I think I noticed yesterday you follow Bob Nold. Is that true?
I don’t think so…
Oh I must be confused. How about Panayoti Kelaidis
Both very pretty, but the feverfew and nasturtium one is glorious.
Thank you very much! 🙂
It’s magnificent Eliza. It makes me regret tearing all our goldenrod out of the front garden (but it had world domination tendencies, just like loosestrife). I have a kitchen windowsill vase too, but it is usually filled with broken and nibbled stalks, nothing as coordinated as your pretty combination.
Thank you, Allison. I used to hate goldenrod until I learned how important it was to native pollinators. It does tend to take over (it’s allelopathic).
My kitchen sill tends to gather all the short bits and tattered remnants of old arrangements, but occasionally, I purposely put a combo together. 😉
Lovely, lovely! Such bright, cheerful arrangements, Eliza! ❤
Thank you, Julie! x
Love the Goldenrod, Eliza and it looks great with the complementary purples. And those oranges must be a vibrant touch in your kitchen. Are the sweet daisy-like flowers the Feverfew? Thanks for brightening my day with your creations. 🙂
Thank you, Jane! Yes, Feverfew has branched daisies and makes a sweet little addition to a vase. Daisies seem to be the epitome of good cheer!
👏🏻 You still have lots of color. I must admit there’s not a lot of color outside here so I certainly am enjoying yours. We are under water restrictions so things are pretty burned up and look like the end of the season already. There are a few blooms out there, but I hate to pick them because I see the pollinators checking them out. Thanks for sharing yours. 🙂
Great shots Eliza! The Feverfew Nasturtium is lovely. I like the top angles you used. The Dahlia is lovely too.
your arrangements are extra beautiful! So artistic-did you work in this field?
Oh they are beautiful. You really are so clever at arranging.
Thank you, Jill. 🙂
Lovely arrangements, especially enjoyed the beautiful windowsill vase and flowers!🙂
Thank you, Susan! I love those littles. 🙂
The addition of purple has the effect of softening what is a harsh yellow in the goldenrod. It looks great especially in the pretty jug
The contrast between the yellow and purple is great – really striking. I love the feverfew and nasturtiums – we grow both in our veggie garden and they are so cheerful in an old-fashioned kind of way. Happily both are coming into flower now as spring approaches. (We had 4 mm of rain last night – the first rain for months and the first for this spring!)
Thank you, Carol. I seem to be picking lots of yellow and orange this year. 🙂
So glad you got some rain to start the season off right. We just this afternoon had a good thunderstorm bringing a most welcome inch of rain, after weeks of extreme heat and no more than a few drops of rain. The plants were desperately dry, leaves were turning yellow and dropping a month early. This will help them enormously.
That is great that you have had decent rain that was so sorely needed. Do you have a wet and a dry season where you are?
Rain or snow fall pretty regularly here all year long, but summer seems to be the driest, esp. in the last few decades, along with warmer summers. We average 45″ precipitation annually, so plants have adapted to fairly even moisture. That’s why droughts are so devastating.
Thanks Eliza. I hope as you go into winter that the rainfall reverts to being more in line with what is needed.
Thanks, Carol. It generally does, gratefully.
Your flower arranging artistry is a marvel to behold, Eliza. Cutting back flowers that flop into the path, removing invasives, and then magically bringing it all together in a stunning arrangement–it’s a gift. That dahlia is spectacular, and shows off your gardening skills. I liked reading that the goldfinches noisily eat the sunflower seeds. Also enjoyed the adorable little windowsill arrangement.
Many thanks, Jet! x
What a wonderful combination of shapes and colours. Gorgeous!
Thank you, Belinda!
Reeeaallly love both arrangements a lot (and your accompanying words)! 😃😍🥰☺️
I love seeing your arrangements … always different … always beautiful!
Thank you very much, Denise!
Hi Eliza Waters, the flowers and colors are so beautiful! Join Hive and earn while blogging 🙂
https://peakd.com/register?ref=hivehealth
Thank you, Onie.
Once more you have shown your ability to put certain flowers together in a most enjoyable and artistic arrangement, Eliza. Gorgeous as always. I am happy to see goldenrod used as you have. So many people think it is an allergen like ragweed and don’t appreciate it as an ornamental. Their loss and our gain. 🙂
Thank you, Steve. I try to debunk the goldenrod myth wherever I can. It is a truly important plant for many insects and thus, birds.