September 13, 2021

Wistful About Summer Vases

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About this time of year, the reality of summer's end hits me. September in Southern Wisconsin is a very comfortable, pleasant experience. But the moodiness of summer drawing to an end always catches me a bit. It's in the spirit of that wistfulness that I lovingly place bright blooms in vases and realize their days are numbered.

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Unless I have a special occasion to arrange for, I tend to create very simple combinations. In this case, I simply plopped a mix of Mistflowers (Conoclinium coelestinum and Ageratina havanensis) into a decorative garden pitcher and called it a day.

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Awesome qualities about these cut flowers: They have a long vase life and the foliage is lush enough to add structure to a simple arrangement.

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I love, love, love the color of the blue ones.

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I also added a few sprigs of Blue Mistflowers to this group, which also contains 'State Fair Mix' Zinnias (Z. elegens) and 'Sensation Mix' Cosmos (C. bipinnatus). I was happy with the mix of colors, and in this particular glass vase.

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It complements the stained glass lamp next to it.

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I will miss these cut flowers during the long winter months ahead. For now, I'm enjoying them indoors in vases, and in the garden covered in pollinators...until the first frost in October.

You can join the "In a Vase on Monday" meme by posting about your arrangements and linking to Cathy's meme at Rambling in the Garden.

24 comments:

  1. Lovely, Beth. I can certainly feel the sense of getting wistful as summer ends and fall approaches, especially here in Quebec. Enjoy these last milder days! We had a cold wind this afternoon that reminded me that this isn't always totally wonderful!

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    1. Thanks, Lisa. We've had nearly perfect weather lately, which I'm trying to savor. The weekend will be hot, and then next week will be cooler. Fall is nice, but the transition is hard for me.

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  2. Your mistflowers make such a wonderful vase. I love the cool summer blues in the garden. Hopefully winter will take its time arriving!

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    1. Thanks, Amy. I agree: The blues are lovely; especially the cornflower blue of the mistflowers. I'm trying to look ahead hopefully to the beauty of autumn ahead.

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  3. Both vases are lovely Beth, but that blue one photographed in the garden is my favourite! Enjoy them while they last! 😃

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    1. I do like that particular blue of the mistflowers. It blooms best behind a fence in my garden because the rabbits eat it when it isn't protected. It's a beautiful flower. :)

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  4. I really love your misty blue flower vase! Just lovely, and a real contrast to the zingy colours of the zinnias in your second vase. I love them all! Amanda

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    1. Thanks, Amanda. The Zinnias are always a favorite, and I really liked the way they worked in this particular arrangement, near the lamp. Happy autumn. :)

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  5. Your Mistflower arrangements are so pretty! I love the colors!

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    1. Thanks, Lee. It's nice to have a mix of many colors in the garden, isn't it? :)

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  6. Beautiful.. hanging on to summer with you.

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    1. Thank you, Carla. The transition is a little smoother than some years, but we had such a hot summer that this 70s/80s weather in September is really special. I wish it would last longer.

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  7. I'm always impressed by Conoclinium coelestinum, which looks so much more vigorous than the annual Ageratum we grow here. I adore blue flowers and can never get enough of them.

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    1. The blooms of the Conoclinium and Ageratum are so similar. Sometimes when I see one or the other in a garden I have to stop and look closer. Of course, Ageratum is grown as an annual here.

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  8. Gorgeous arrangements, Beth! Your Blue mistflower are blooming! Mine are just beginning--we've been a bit dry, but I always look forward to the show. I've never cut them for a vase, but they're very nice in yours.

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    1. Thanks. :) They last a long time in the garden and in a vase. Mine are still blooming like crazy in the garden, too. This is a good reminder to pick some more. Enjoy yours, too!

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  9. You have a great eye for color combinations! Love your vases as well. Enjoy your transitioning days!

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    1. Thank you, Karin. The September weather, so far, has been glorious. Cooler next week, but still comfy. The tree foliage is just starting to color...

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  10. Hi Beth, what beautiful flower arrangements you have made. I love both the flowers and your vases. Winter has just ended here in New Zealand and we are now enjoying all the Spring flowers coming up. I always mistook conoclinium for ageratum. No wonder the garden centres give me puzzled looks when I ask if they have any tall ageratum lol.

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    1. Thank you! Yes, the two you mention look so much alike--the flowers, anyway. Both great for pollinators, but I love the Conoclinium because it's native nearby and a perennial, even in my cold climate. :)

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  11. Oh what a glorious lamp! - to enjoy year round.
    My mother used to grow and love that blue mist flower.

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    1. I am relatively new to Blue Mistflower, but I really love it, for so many reasons. :)

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  12. A few weeks ago I cut some flowers and plopped them into a vase on the kitchen table. They were lovely. As we were eating later, I noticed inch worms moving around in the foliage. It ruined my appetite since I didn't know if they had fallen onto the food. I didn't want to say anything because my family would have quit eating also. I sat there in silence and then tossed them as soon as we finished. Don't tell them what I said!
    Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry

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    1. Oh, yes, this has happened to me in the past, too. Oh well, no harm done. LOL.

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