I picked this little bouquet as I walked along our trail by the river, gathering a few pretty flowers I saw, ending with some chartreuse flowers of Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) from the garden.
It started with a stem of Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), an invasive wetland species here, that I pull whenever I see it on our land. Seeds often are washed downstream and germinate, so they show up occasionally.
Matching its pink color, I picked some native Flowering Raspberry (Rubus odoratus), a stem of yellow Fringed Loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata), and a cheerful bunch of Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus) to finish.
Below is more eye-popping color from two arrangements I created for a talk I gave on herbs this week. Can you believe these are mostly edible? 
I’ve teamed up with my yoga instructor to create a series of outdoor, socially-distanced workshops entitled ‘Yoga in the Garden.’ As you can see from the wet background, the weather was intermittent showers with mist in between, reminding me of UK weather. We were somewhat soggy by the end, but it was fun all the same. We haven’t met since March, so it was nice to see some of the other regulars. There will be two more workshops to come and hopefully, the weather will be better.
The Mason jar on the left was a hostess gift for the woman who shared her backyard for the class and the right held small, bunched ‘favors’ tied with raffia for the participants.
Bright red Beebalm (Monarda didyma) predominates, joined by yellow and orange Calendula (C. officinalis), purple Mealycup Sage (Salvia farinacea) and Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia). White umbels of Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) and Dill (Anethum graveolens), Poppy seedheads (Papaver somniferum), along with sprigs of Spearmint (Mentha spicata) and Garden Sage (Salvia officinalis) for greens. A bit of Lady’s Mantle was added as filler.
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.
Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea), white Cleome (C. hassleriana) and dark purple Angelonia (A. angustifolia) are the major players in this week’s arrangement.
Eye-popping color creating contrast between bright yellow Sundrops (Oenothera fructicosa), yellow and orange Calendula (C. officinalis), purple Angelonia & Mealycup Sage (Salvia farinacea) and blue Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus).
Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa) are bright and beautiful in the garden right now. In a contrasting cobalt blue jug, their gold color just pops.
My ‘New Dawn’ rose is having its best year yet– a tumble of delicate pink blooms cascade down its canes, covering the arbor.
Eliza Waters 