Having gleaned my garden of all viable blooms two weeks ago ahead of expected frosts, today I share my last arrangements I made at that time. The last of all those flowers I picked went to the compost pile today and I am glad that I get to revisit their fresh beauty once again.
A mix of pink, yellow and orange Zinnia elegans, Dahlias ‘Chilson’s Pride’ & ‘Pinelands Princess,’ dark and light pink cosmos (C. bipinnatus), with a sprig of dill blossom as well. Wren, our dog, photobombs in the background. 😁
A ceramic vase fashioned to look like a milk can holds an assortment of beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis), calendula (C. officinalis) and Zinnia elegans and Z. angustifolia.
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 the fun or see what others are sharing this week.
Eliza Waters 
Thanks for providing such beautiful bouquets all season long. I think our first hard frost will come this week as well. At least the Plumbago is providing beautiful red mahogany color.
Thank you, Monika. I miss my garden already!
So beautiful! And Wren adds a bit of fun to the pic. 🐶💕
Thank you, Julie. She likes to get in on the action. 😉
Time for a long winter’s nap?
Yes, I’m adjusting to the new ‘do even less’ schedule! 😀
Been cleaning up one of Bridget’s large flower beds, but doing it rather slowly. Also, the experimental raised beds in the arena area worked out well this season, so I am building a lot more of them out of rough sawn cedar. She just planted 400 bulbs in a couple of beds by the barn/shop this morning too. Looks like next year – zinnias Lisianthus asters dahlias sunflowers will go in the arena garden. But for now, I am looking forward to my annual winter jigsaw puzzle.
Always busy! That’s a lotta bulbs, but what a show they will put on next spring.
I’m a big fan of jigsaw puzzles in winter, too. Once the ground freezes, I don’t venture out more than for a quick walk, so have to keep my mind busy somehow. 🙂
That is quite a finale, and is more than we got going now, even without frost. The zinnia here performed better than they typically do, but are crispy from a summer of arid warmth. If these were the last blooms last week, what will you get pictures of for the rest of the season?
Thanks, Tony. There are few IAVOM posts in the winter for me. Not much to create with that inspires me. 🙂
A splendid finale!
Thank you, Audrey!
Beautiful!
Thank you, Ilze!
So beautiful and a lovely colour combination in your bouquests Elisa. My garden is now almost depleted of flowers, except the rosemary shrub is in bloom.
Thank you, Agnes. Time for all to rest! 🙂
Lovely, Eliza! It’s always a joy to see the results of your partnership with nature ❤
Many thanks, Susana! 🙏🏼
All of these are so beautiful, Eliza! I appreciate the natural beauty and your creative approach to mixing them and providing us with so much to love and appreciate! 🙏🏻💜
Thank you very much, Carrie! x
Lovely summer memories, a colorful finale!
Thank you, Barbara!
Hi Eliza. The clocks have gone back, the day is shorter,and Eliza’s vases are finished for the year. Winter is coming.
MJ
Ha, it seems that way. Hibernation ahead!
More gorgeous blooms….and it’s a comforting thought, that this years’ blooms will make nutritious soil for next years’ flowers.
Thank you, Alice. Rest and renewal is the reward, I guess. 🙂
Bittersweet to see the last of the season. So lovely.
Thank you, Laurie. It always takes me a while to adjust to a flower-less yard. (sigh)
Lovely combinations! I’m down to large yellow marigolds and a few dark red snapdragons.
Thank you, Ellen. Definitely slim picking these days!
Wow! So beautiful! I love the combinations of color. I’ve got to get my sunroom plants ready for a dormant winter. That’s always a big chore, but worth it for healthy green plants.
Thank you, Robin. I have a sunroom, too, and it really helps get me through the winter.
I especially like the mix of colors in the first bouquet, although the second is a more ‘autumnal’ palette. It was especially fun to see your H. debilis. Ours still is blooming away, along with several other sunflower species, although the coming decline has begun.
Thank you, Linda. H. debilis is a lanky thing, quite the sprawler, but I love those smaller flowers for arranging. I’m likely to grow it again and will be ready for its growth habit going forward.
The texture mixes and colors are all so nice! Also, I like your banner photo!
Thank you, Tina! 🙂
Sad to see these flowers disappear from our views for a season but they will be back soon enough for us to enjoy again. (Suzanne)
Yes, we have to focus on that. 🙂 Thanks, Suzanne!
Fantastic array of colours — perfectly arranged, as always 🤗✨💛
Thank you, Susan!
My preferences lean toward the first arrangement in the clear vase. I guess the explosion of color just appeals to me. And it doesn’t hurt that your pup is in the background! Is Wren a senior pup or just white-faced? I love sugar-coated pups!!
Thank you, Debbie… I agree, the mix of color with zinnia and dahlias are my favorites, too. Wren is 11, getting on in years, but still has a bit of ‘puppy’ left in her. 🙂
The arrangements are a fitting salute to recognize the change of season, Eliza. I was pleased to get a peek at Wren too. I look forward to seeing your autumn/winter adornments as colder weather moves in.
https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/
Thank you, Kris! While there is material for vases going forward, they lack the glory of summer. It is a sad adjustment!
Fantastic memories to hold you through the coming months. Similar here too. Final vase.
Thank you, Donna. Hibernation begins!
The pop of the first bouquet is wonderful.
My favourite, however, is the second one. Right up my alley!!
🙂 Thanks, Dale. Had to show some October orange! 🙂
Absolutely! My favourite colour, to boot… 🧡
Wow, loveliness indeed! I love the combinations of the colors, forms, and arrangements. Wren is a cutie, too. 🙂
Beth @ PlantPostings.com
Thank you, Beth!
Such beautiful flowers!
Thank you, Diana!
What a wonderful finale!🙂
Thank you very much! Always a bit sad to see the end of the season. Spring seems a long way off. 💚
Beautiful arrangements, Eliza! The ceramic vase sets off the flowers so nicely 😊
Thank you, Belinda! 🙂
Lovely colors and arrangements. My zinnias are in the compost pile, I have a few snapdragons blooming and a bachelor’s button for an arrangement now.
Yes, we’re definitely at the end. I picked a few stragglers yesterday. Not much left. I’ll have to limit myself to Trader Joe’s from now until spring. 😉
Great way to extend your blooms. I like the dill in that first arrangement of dahlias and zinnias. And the blue “milk jug” is perfect. Hi to Wren.
Thanks, Susie! A second flush of dill was just coming on before the frost. We took the fence down after the frost and the deer finished off anything tasty, including the dill. 🙂
So much beauty! What lovely arrangements!
Thank you very much, Rebecca!
The sunflowers are lovely in your blue jug, but I am drawn to those zinnias and cosmos today, already missing the pastels as autumn takes hold. I have just put in an order for zinnia and cosmos seed in fact, along with a whole lot of other annuals…. the catalogue I order from was already selling out of some I wanted so I struck while the iron was hot, so to speak! Thank you for sharing your lovely flowers Eliza. Hope you still have a few things for your windowsill. 😃
Thank you, Cathy. I ordered dahlias already for the same reason. One can no longer wait until Jan. to order. I learned that last year!
I was driven yesterday to go through my frosted garden once again to see if there was anything worth cutting. Slim pickings, but I ended up with a handful, mostly calendula, nicotiana, yarrow and hyssop. I am such a garden addict looking for a fix! 😀
😁
Wonderful ‘final call’ arrangements Eliza!
Thank you, Denise. I’m going through withdrawals already!
I thought you might be a little melancholy about it!
Yes, it takes a few weeks to adjust, alas. Store bought isn’t the same!
A splendid splash of colour to almost close the season with! Hello Wren, great name! Your flowers still look amazing and maybe one or two will come through for a week or two. I am going to challenge myself all winter to find something each week but I agree store bought flowers are not the same here. They travel so far poor things and I detest the ones they inject with artificial colours!
https://zonethreegardenlife.blog/2024/10/28/in-a-vase-monday-october-28/
I picked over the garden yesterday and came up with a small vase… it is hard to let go at the end of the season. I spend lots of time in summer there and find myself with too much time on my hands and an itch I can’t scratch come fall!
Wonderful small pleasures and treasured moments.
Thank you! ‘parting is such sweet sorrow.’ 😉
Cheerful and lovely!
Thanks much, Donna. 🙂
Beautiful bouquets Eliza, inspirational!
Thank you, Agnes! 💕
A very worthy finale, and a lovely transition from the oranges in the second arrangement into the autumn colours.
Thank you, Andrea. Sad to see the season end, but spring will come before we know it. 🙂
Is that it for the time being, Eliza? What a good idea it was to make several and spread them out over your posts, extending your season, albeit mostly virtually. These last two are such a contrast, one suggesting high summer, the other mid autumn, and both lovely. I hope you will still pop into IAVOM over the colder season, Eliza
Thank you, Cathy. I might post occasionally, if something inspires me. But the fun flowers are over for the season. Is it March yet? 😉
I suppose I am lucky here, as I can grow a number of plants for winter interest so there is always something to inspire me
Your winter is milder and shorter, that definitely helps!
Yes, indeed!
What a lovely end to a lovely flowering season. You (and we) have been able to enjoy so many different shapes and shades of blossoms. Thank you for sharing. 💐
Thank you, Tanja! Time to hibernate. 😉
‘Twas pretty while it lasted—the season as well as the particular flowers. Tomorrow we’ll be back on Standard Time.
Thanks, Steve. Not looking forward to the earlier sunset. Time marches on.
Such lovely colours. It must be an adjustment to say farewell to summer. By contrast we are enjoying our summer’s arrival!
It is a bit sad to head into the dark season for so many reasons, but it is good to know that it has only shifted so that the southern hemisphere can enjoy that good light, too. Enjoy your summer!
Thanks Eliza. I suppose each season’s transience makes us appreciate the good things even more. It is of comfort to know that summer hasn’t gone – it has just moved elsewhere and will return!
Yes!