Today is Labor Day, officially a date to observe the advances made by workers or, more specifically, the achievements of labor unions on behalf of workers. For most people here in the US, the date is more closely associated with the end of summer than with the labor union movement, which I personally find sad. But that's not a topic for this blog or this post, which celebrates bouquets assembled from what's available in the garden. In my garden, some of the flowers that bloomed earlier this summer have produced a fresh flush of blooms, including the beautiful
Eustoma grandiflorum 'Borealis Blue,' which I've used as the centerpiece of this week's vase.
I've combined the
Eustoma (aka Lisianthus) with other summer reruns, some of which are also enjoying a new flush of blooms:
- 4 stems of Angelonia augustifolia
- 3 stems of Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'
- 2 stems of Hebe 'Wiri Blush'
- 2 stems of Pelargonium peltatum (ivy geranium)
- 5 stems of Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'
- 3 stems of Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star'
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| White Angelonia, from a mix purchased as part of a 6-pack in June |
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| Variegated foliage of Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star' in close-up, accompanied by Coleonema and Pennisetum plumes |
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| Vase photographed from the back |
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| Hebe 'Wiri Blush' is still flowering, although the blooms are fewer and smaller than those produced earlier this summer |
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| I brought this trailing ivy geranium from our former house but have no ID on the variety |
The vase I selected this week didn't keep the blooms in place, even after an inordinate amount of fussing, so I used a rubber band to tie the heavier stems together. I placed the Pelargonium and Angelonia stems in separately so I can remove them easily when they tucker out. I've previously discovered that the Pelargonium petals fall apart after a few days in a vase.
As usual, I ended up with a vase of leftover elements. The stems of these materials were either too stiff or too short to work in the larger vase.
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| The leftovers include Cuphea 'Starfire Pink,' a bee and hummingbird magnet, Pentas 'Nova,' Salvia 'Mystic Spires,' and Plectranthus zuluensis |
The vases are in position.
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| The larger vase sits on the dining room table |
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| and the smaller vase ended up in the guest bathroom |
