My arrangement this week looks a bit like an ice cream cone, but since I can’t eat that wonderful confection, this will suffice!
In the vase: Pink spires of Chinese astilbe (A. chinensis var. taquetii ‘Superba’), spider flower (Cleome hassleriana), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), globe thistle (Echinops ritro), longleaf speedwell (Veronica longifolia), flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata), one pale zinnia (Z. elegans ‘Aurora’) and a few green sprigs of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis).
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who hosts the weekly garden meme In A Vase On Monday, featuring flower arrangements from our gardens. Click the link to join the fun or see what others are sharing this week.
Eliza Waters 
Again, that is a lot of bloom. The Echinops looks big enough to be a small Allium.
The first flush of Echinops is always bigger than the secondary buds. They are at the peak of perfection right now.
Oh, of course; the terminal bloom is bigger than the subsequent axillary bloom. I should know that; but I had not grown them since 1986, and even then, I only harvested and processed them.
This is like kids with crayons isn’t it Eliza. Give them a blank sheet of paper and let them go. Create to your hearts content. Lovely 🤗❤️🙏
Thank you, Mark. Sums up me in my garden pretty well!
Haha, indeed kind lady. When you do something you love, it takes on a whole new way of being 🤗🤣❤️🙏
😀
Delightful
Thank you, Sheree!
Wonderful colors indeed, Eliza! Among my favorites and arranged in a beautiful composition. Loved it! Thanks for this beautiful share! Light and blessings your way 🙏✨
Many thanks, Susana! 💖
Thr Cleome is wonderful and adds a touch of mystery to the vase. The thistles? So huge! Twice as big as any I’ve grown here!
Thank you, Chris. A little bit of compost goes a long way with those thistles, and they are having a good year. I’ll be dividing them again next spring, it seems!
Beautiful! A tribute to Summer light…even as it slowly fades.
Thank you, Carrie. Yes, time passes quickly, August is almost upon us!
I love purple, so this one is one of my favorites!
Thank you, Debra. Glad to oblige! 🙂
Oh that is lovely Eliza! The Echinops is huge compared to mine! And the Astilbe is so pretty and frothy, like candy floss! (I can see a food theme here!) A shame you can’t eat ice cream. I do like to indulge now and then in summer, but haven’t done so yet this year… I am now thinking about ice cream!
Thank you, Cathy! The garden is having a good year, loving the heat with just enough rain. Plus I added a bit of compost this spring, too. 🙂
Sadly, I’ve become intolerant to cassein (in dairy) and sucrose. No more sweets, wah!
Gorgeous arrangement and you don’t need extra steps to balance the carbs. 🙂
Haha, you’re right there! Thanks, Judy. 🙂
super beautiful colors and variety. The Lemon Balm is a perfect green with the pinks and purples.
Thank you, Alice. Lemon balm is so successful in my garden, I’m forever pulling out seedlings and hacking back the mother plant. There is only so much lemon balm one can use!
WOW!!!! Love it!
Thank you, my dear! 🙂
Once I got past contemplating the question “is anything better than ice cream?” and really looked at your bouquet, I was as happy as I would have been with a bowl of mint chocolate chip. It’s beautiful, and distinctly summery!
Thank you, Linda. I do miss Cherry Garcia especially, but I’ve had to make peace with my diet. My body has drawn a line in the sand!
What a stunner! Wowsah.
Lots of good nondairy ice cream out there. We especially like So Delicious. Have you tried any of them?
No cane sugar, alas. I’ve resorted to making my own yogurt and use it to make pops and fruit. The fermentation in yogurt eats up the sugars in milk, so I’m thankful that there’s a window for me. Thanks, Laurie!
What an absolutely GORGEOUS bouquet! Wow…
Thank you very much, Dale! 🥰
What an explosion of blooms you have, Eliza! I don’t know why but I always forget to add Cleome to my summer line-up of flowers. A lost opportunity to say the least.
https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/
Thank you, Kris. I’ve got to the glorious stage of more flowers than I can use. Something on offer everywhere I look!
🧡💛💜🩷🤗 glorious!
Thank you, Susan! 🙂
All shown off wonderfully in that beautiful vase 😊
Thank you very much, Belinda!
A lovely confection indeed – I particularly enjoyed seeing the veronica, one of my current favourite plants. Still no success with cleome though, but perhaps I should look out fr some plug plants
Thank you, Cathy. Cleome self-sow in my garden, really getting going in the heat and sun, which they are getting a lot of this year!
Sadly I have mo idea if they would do well here, although I have seem them in UK gardens so there is no reason why not
So many colours. Simply lovely. (Suzanne)
Merci, Suzanne!
Oh, I empathize with your inability to tolerate ice cream. I’m lactose intolerant, but fortified with Lactaid, I can indulge now and then. What a stunning bouquet, though, and I find it most summery!
Thank you, Debbie. I miss cheese especially, there are so many good ones!
That is better than ice cream! I am drooling over the flowers, especially the Astilbe.
Thank you, Amy. The gods have been good to me this year. 🙂
The Astilbe gods especially
🙂
Who need ice cream?? These are just as delicious.
Thank you, Sandy! 🙂
Much prettier than an ice cream cone but probably not as tasty. 😊
Thank you, Pepper. Simply eye candy, lol!
😂
What a gorgeous vase Eliza, much better than ice-cream! 🩷 xxx
Ha, thanks, Xenia– glad you agree! 🙂
Beautiful arrangement, Eliza! I actually saw it last night, on my phone, right before dozing off and I remember that I smiled! Thanks for that!
Aw, sweet comment, I’m glad… Thanks, Tina!
The colors are great and go together so well.
Thank you!
Stunning – love the colours
Thank you very much, Karina! 💖
It does look good enough to eat! Very pretty, yummy colors. 🙂
Thank you, Barbara! Hope you’re staying cool down there, this summer has been so hot!
Staying inside, dashing from house to car to store to car and home again. The TV weather people said July was the hottest month ever in North Carolina.
🥵
So gorgeous Eliza
Thank you, Eunice!
So classically summery. LOVE the addition of the Globe Thistle-a personal favorite of mine.
Thank you, Monika. So many great flowers this time of year!
Stunning bouquet !
Thank you!
So very pretty!
Thank you, Maria!
Your colours are magnificent Eliza! Cleome has such a fascinating and sticky flower doesn’t it?! I empathize about the smoke and I apologise for it floating your way! I saw you mentioned elsewhere! It is so choking and spoils those fresh summer mornings. Luckily fingers crossed, so far, our corner of B.C. has been better this year.
https://zonethreegardenlife.blog/2025/07/28/in-a-vase-monday-july-28-2025/
Thank you, Jenny. No apology needed, not your fault and no blame. Climate change is a worldwide problem, alas. Unhealthy air is rather alarming as it is hard to avoid, nowhere to go! Thankfully, the winds do change and things get better.
I’ve had some great ice cream cones, but I don’t think any compare to this gorgeous arrangement of favorite colors, love the second photo!🙂
Thank you, S! 🙂
These are lovely.
Thank you, Rupali!
Luscious colors – individually and in these pretty arrangements. Wow!
Many thanks, Tom! 🙂