I've been watching and waiting for my Coreopsis 'Redshift' to start its bloom cycle. In my garden, these blooms take over as the blooms on the Agapanthus taper off. I have a total of 8 of these perennial plants in the back yard, 5 of which I added in March of this year. The buds began appearing a month or more ago but, at the time of my July Bloom Day post, only a few buds had opened. A day or two after Bloom Day, the 3 original plants were covered in blooms, making them a suitable choice to use "In a Vase on Monday," the meme sponsored by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden. As the Coreopsis are rather wispy, they needed a centerpiece with greater impact, which was provided by Helianthus annuus 'Valentine,' but the Coreopsis dictated the overall color scheme.
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The bouquet includes:
As the following picture shows, the color of the Coreopsis varies. At the start of the bloom cycle in summer, the flowers open with butter yellow petals and a deep red halo around the center. The red streaks at the center gradually radiate to the tips of the petals. The flowers are temperature sensitive and, as the weather cools in the fall, the red color will dominate.
I added the coleus at the last minute in an effort to lighten the heaviness created by the burgundy-colored annual Amaranthus.
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While the daisy-like shape of the Gaillardia is similar to that of the tickseed and sunflower, the color was just a little off, so it ended up tucked into the back of the bouquet.
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Other floral rejects - 2 stems of Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit,' 3 stems of Bulbine frutescens and a small piece of Coreopsis - ended up in a small vase consigned to the guest bathroom, where all my rejects seem to end up at present.
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And the larger vase ended up in the front entry, as usual.
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Go to Cathy's blog at Rambling in the Garden to see her creation this week. You'll also find links to photos of vases created by other participating gardeners.
The bouquet includes:
- 2 stems of Amaranthus cruentus 'Hopi Red Dye'
- 5 stems of Coreopsis 'Big Bang Redshift'
- 1 stem of Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Goblin'
- 2 stems of Helianthus annuus 'Valentine'
- 3 stems of Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'
- 1 stem of Solenostemon scutellarioides 'Coleus Inky Fingers'
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| A fuzzy photo showing some of the color differences in the Coreopsis |
I added the coleus at the last minute in an effort to lighten the heaviness created by the burgundy-colored annual Amaranthus.
While the daisy-like shape of the Gaillardia is similar to that of the tickseed and sunflower, the color was just a little off, so it ended up tucked into the back of the bouquet.
Other floral rejects - 2 stems of Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit,' 3 stems of Bulbine frutescens and a small piece of Coreopsis - ended up in a small vase consigned to the guest bathroom, where all my rejects seem to end up at present.
And the larger vase ended up in the front entry, as usual.
Go to Cathy's blog at Rambling in the Garden to see her creation this week. You'll also find links to photos of vases created by other participating gardeners.