The red maples (Acer rubrum) seen above are starting to show their signature colors as the cool temps of the past couple weeks have brought us an early fall, but luckily, no frost. We officially celebrate the Equinox today, ushering in autumn. However, Nature has given us a short reprieve these past three days with highs in the 80sF (upper 20sC). A cool front passes through this evening, so we’ll be back to more autumnal temps tomorrow.
My favorite aster (also seen above lower right), the lavender Heart-leaved aster (Symphotrichum cordifolium) is peaking and I used it as a base for today’s arrangement in my vintage Art Deco vase.
With the garden still producing lots of annuals, I’ve added purple Angelonia (A. angustifolia), Zinnias (Z. elegans), pink and white Spider Flower (Cleome hasslieriana) and perennial pink Phlox (P. paniculata) and a few Christmas fern fronds (Polystichum acrostichoides).
Another simple vase of cherry-red Zinnias begs to be included. I love these colors!
Thanks to our In A Vase on Monday host Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. Click the link to see what other gardeners the world over are arranging this week.
We’ve been experiencing cooler weather, but my garden doesn’t seem deterred. Zinnias (Z. elegans) are being mobbed by Monarch and Painted Lady butterflies as they fuel up for their southern migration. Many of the seasonal birds, including hummingbirds, have already left.
After some recent rain and wind, several sunflower stalks broke under the weight of their heavily seeded heads (courtesy of those busy bees), so the best of them were put in a vase. I’m savoring every bloom in my garden while I can. With the Equinox arriving soon, the inevitable frost won’t be far behind.
With the abundance of flowers available in my garden right now, it is hard to stop at creating just one vase, so today, I’ll showcase three. All too soon, my gardens will be knocked down by frost, so I’m relishing them while the parade of blooms lasts.
Moving on to yellow and orange, this vase features two different sunflowers (Helianthus annuus ‘Ivory Queen’ and a birdseed volunteer), yellow and orange Cosmos (C. sulphureus), orange Zinnia ‘Cactus’ and purple Angelonia angustifolia for accent.
A look at my main garden below with its sunflower ‘trees.’ It always amazes me how fast these grow from tiny seeds to more than 10 feet tall.
Eliza Waters 