A week ago, we had our first frost. Beforehand, I spent several hours in the garden harvesting what I could and ended up with five arrangements, the first of which I posted last Monday. Here is the second one, a mix of several hybrid Zinnias, Mealy Cup Sage (Salvia farinacea) and somehow, only one Calendula (C. officinalis)! Can you find it?
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.
Zinnias
Hope you have a good week. I’ll post the other arrangements in the weeks ahead.
Eliza Waters 
Strangely enough, in all the years (when there has been enough water) I have grown zinnias, I have never thought of them as ‘cut flowers’ and placed them in a vase. Perhaps I will get an opportunity to do so this summer.
I certainly hope you do. They are such a cheerful part of my garden and the pollinators love them.
What a beautiful burst of colour.
Thank you, Sandra. I’m holding onto summer!
Calendula in disguise in the lower right corner of the first picture.
Yup! 🙂
Pure joy is what I see in these colors combined. Thank you for bringing it to my day.
Thank you, Ali. Glad to share the joy! ❤
What a splendid last hurrah of summer!
Thanks, Laurie. Yes, it is. I’m enjoying spreading these out over the next few weeks, making summer last a wee bit longer. 😉
Yes, an excellent idea! I sure do enjoy seeing those bursts of color.
Thank you, Laurie, with the red maples and sumacs blazing, we’re getting lots of bursts of color these days. 🙂 Fall here is extraordinary.
A glory!
Wonderfully colourful
Thank you, Sheree!
What a beautiful and colorful display of flowers.
Thank you, Sangita!
Lovely Eliza. I adore zinnias. Mine are useless this year!
Thank you, Cathy. Zinnias are a must-have!
Fresh and Perfect 🙂
Thank you, Karen!
Gorgeous colours. The blue sage really sets off the vibrant zinnias. 😃
Thank you, Cathy. I find them irresistible!
Such a cheerful vase! Happy Monday, my dear Eliza! 😘
Thank you, Marina! ❤
💐😘
I have never noticed before just how cute zinnias are… those deep red ones with the golden coronet in the centre are lovely!
Thank you, Anita, and for reblogging. Zinnias are a summer favorite in my garden. Love those bright colours!
Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie ~ Authors.
Summer beauties. The light-rust colored calendula looks like a straw flower. Interesting zinnia between deep pink and orange. (In top photo). Zinnias bloom for so long!
Thanks, Alice. So long as the stems don’t rot, they do last long as a cut flower. While I go through them every day or so, culling and trimming, most of these are still blooming after a week. I do love zinnias!
I love all the colours! They look amazing together. 🙂
Thank you, Joanne!
Beautiful Zinnias. I have my seeds for next year. 🙂
Thank you, Judy. There are so many great zinnias, it is hard to choose!
Beautiful blooms, rich colors. Using the salvia among the zinnias is very effective Eliza. Glad you were able to preserve a bit of summertime.
Thank you, Susie. Those bright colors begged for a contrasting color to create some balance. 🙂
Rusty calendula in lower right hand corner? I love zinnias— so reliable and cheerful!
You got it! Thanks, Ellen. 🙂
Zinnias offer such a range of rich colors. Love ’em!
Thank you, Sandy!
Welcome, Eliza.
It took me a minute but I found it.
Glad you did! An unintended puzzle that I saw once the photos got loaded. 🙂
Gorgeous jewel colours.
Thank you, Dorris. The lovely generosity of nature. 🙂
Beautiful!
Thank you, Lily!
I am guessing the calendula is the buff coloured one? I love your bright dahlias, accentuated by the gorgeous blue sage (and the solitary calendula!) and I wonder what treat you have for us next week…?
Thank you, Cathy. Not sure how that one calendula got in there with the rest of the zinnias… a spare that needed to go somewhere? Next week will be very different, good for the first week of October… hint, hint.
Hmm, I am wondering…
I caught sight of the pretty Calendula right away. For a brief moment, when I first saw your vase, I thought: “it looks like the frost didn’t carry all the blooms away.” Then I remembered your statement that you planned to spread what you collected before the freeze over several weeks. Did anything make it through that weather shift?
Luckily, it was a light frost, but for several nights in a row, so the zinnias and basil are done, but the hardier annuals like calendula and gloriosa daisies still have some blooms, along with the perennials like phlox and coneflower. It’s not all completely gone, but quite diminished from its former glory.
Hi Eliza. A riot if colour – going out with a bang! Is the calendula an orange one, on right? I bought pansies today for le shack and daffodil bulbs- more interesting than plumbing bits that Michael got!
Yes, you got it. 🙂 I’d definitely agree that pansies and daffodils are much more interesting! Looking forward to learning more in your next post. x
What a magnificent palette of colour! : )
Thank you! x
So cheerful! Jewel colors at this time of year are so special ❤️
Thank you, Val. Glad you liked them – zinnias are such great annuals– so many to choose from!
Another beauty!
Thank you, Belinda! 🙂
Wow – vibrant beauty!
Thanks, Fi. A bit of an eye-popper! 😉
You consistently produce gorgeous arrangements, Eliza. Summer hath returned. We lost a bunch but some hung in there and Mary Beth covered the dahlias. Our Larkspurs continue to bloom but this year we had no butterflies visiting them…at least when I was looking.
Thank you, Steve. I’ve noticed fewer butterflies this year, too, all species. Kind of worrisome, I hope it is just an off year. Fingers crossed!
I am rather pessimistic about the direction our world is traveling.
Sad to say, I feel the same. 😦
So beautiful and bright!!!
Thank you, Brandi!
Adding that rich blue to the mix of earthy colours works wonderfully.
Thank you, Carol. The eye loves contrast. 🙂
Beautiful selection of colors and flowers!! Love the variety of hybrid Zinnias, I usually always see the same one on my walks.
Thank you, there are so many great zinnia hybrids these days. Tough to choose just a few!
Beautiful arrangements Eliza! Enjoyed seeing them!
Thanks much, Reed!
Zinnia are my favorite!
Nice! They are such cheerful flowers!
I love Zinnias, and these are so pretty!
I really love the giant Zinnias !
Thank you, one of my favorite summer flowers. 🙂
So beautiful
Thank you!
What a medley of colors!
I love zinnias best because of those bright colors!
What a happy colorful bouquet. I love your zinnias!
Thank you, Denise. It’s not a garden without them! 😉
Beautiful Flower, Great Colour Combination… ❤ ❤ I Love it 🙂
Thank you!