A few unknown Dahlias and a Gertrude Jekyll Rose in a jam jar – we’re going through the new pear and cinnamon jam very quickly.
Rosemary, Geranium, and wild Strawberry leaves make up for the sorry state of the Rose leaves, and a single pink Dianthus echoes the pink in the Rose.
This is the first week for harvesting Quinces, Feijoas, and Kumaras.
Over at Rambling in the Garden Cathy is designing flowers for a wedding.
Absent Gardener 
Lovely simplicity in the arrangement and vase. Simply beautiful.
Thank you 🙂
Lovely Cathy, I’m interested that you have Feijoa fruits, mine rarely make edible fruits and I would have thought your climate was less suited to them than mine, but there you are – that’s gardening!
Hi Christina, that’s interesting, do you have seedlings or named ones? Some of my seedling trees are fine but others have very few fruit, while the named ones are generally reliably loaded. They like a little moisture and/or mulch. I don’t water them but I do mulch with grass and weeds. They are pollinated by birds so maybe that’s an issue? I love them, they are pretty wind tolerant and I think the flowers are very pretty, and of course the fruit is delicious.
Such a pretty jam jar for your blooms – and I thought it was appropriate that you had added Rosemary, Geranium, and wild Strawberry leaves to your blooms as they seemed to fit with the culinary thoughts of jam and new fruit. A seasonal ‘down under’ vase!
They are pretty jars aren’t they? I’ve always used recycled ones before but I splashed out and bought these ones this year and have really appreciated them. You are right, I suppose I am fixated on harvesting right now. I have been drying some herbs, mostly basil so far but thinking I need to do some others.
Do tell us the method you use for drying herbs
Oh what a simple, lovely vase of flowers to adorn that special vase that held a yummy jam!
Thank you Donna.
So nice. The white dahlia is very lovely.
Thank you, it is. I’ve taken it for granted a little since it’s done so well. I hope it comes back.
The fruit is as lovely as the vase!
Thank you Kris. Quinces are lovely and that was a particularly pretty pear.
Harvest time! I love adding herbs such as rosemary and mint to vases and your jam jar of blooms and greenery is lovely.
Thank you :). I think I got the idea to add Rosemary from Christina.
Beautiful little arrangement. It must be the rosemary, but it makes me think of Christmas!
Thank you Eliza. The Rosemary is very like a Christmas tree when you look at it. Something I must remember for Christmas. 🙂
There is a Christmas legend that the rosemary plant once had white flowers, but when Mary was fleeing from Herod with baby Jesus, one night she draped her blue cloak on a bush and in the morning the flowers had turned blue. A dubious story but that’s why rosemary is often associated with Christmas. Your arrangement is red/green/white, so that’s Christmasy to me, too. 🙂
I loved reading about your harvest – I am just watching the blossom on my fruit trees and keeping my fingers crossed for pollination.The roses are still sticks in the ground and I have started potting up dahlia tubers in my greenhouse. Gertrude Jekyll is one of my favourite roses and I love the way you have combined the flowers with the herbs – it must smell delicious!
Oh fingers crossed that your weather is OK during the blossom. We sometimes get winds and rain at just the wrong time for pollination, but there is always something which does well. 🙂
That’s a very pretty vase as you must be in mid autumn now. Are you going to share the recipe for the jam?
Hi CHristina, thank you, it’s still pretty warm, but it looks like we are not going to get the warm dry Autumn that has become the norm. We are still getting little rainstorms every week.
Here’s the jam recipe. I used a cinnamon stick and I think I was a little stingy with it. It was still lovely though. http://foodinjars.com/2011/11/pear-cinnamon-jam/
Thank you I’ll try it soon
I have two new white dahlias coming up. I hope they are as lovely as yours.
These ones have been amazing – just a no name mixed bag and they have pretty much flowered all summer. I hope you have a good year for them.
White looks so pretty with the pinks, Cath. I’m looking forward to Dahlia season this year,mine look like your lovely white ones in form but are pink and peach. Dahlias really fill out a vase.
Oh peach would be lovely. Many of mine ended up very bright colours and a peach would have been a little quieter.
The simplest of vases has made this arrangement quite perfect Cath! Love the rosemary in the background and the dianthus as an extra splash of pink.Gorgeous!