Category: Photography
In a Vase on Monday – Abraham Darby and Friends
I started with Abutilon, white and a rich strawberry colour, which have scrambled up into the trees and are flowering madly, but it all wilted before I could get it into the vase. Instead I picked Rose ‘Abraham Darby’ and Erysimum for scent, Penstemon ‘Hidcote Pink’, a few stems of Sisrinchium, Hydrangeas, Tree Dahlias, and a lot of the bright green chrysanthemums which have aged to an attractive orange – pink shading to green – yellow.
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In a Vase on Monday – Roses with Hebes and Dichroa
I picked some Hebes to remind me to plant more of them. At this time where the days are short and flowers are disappearing they are welcome food for bees and other pollinators, which made a *beeline* for the Hebes and Chrysanthemums in the bouquet.
Hebes are a native NZ plant, so they are tough in our environment, growing well in windy sunny places. They do well on a bank, but don’t cope with wet soggy soils or too much shade. There are hundreds of different cultivars – from the little green balls of the tiny Tom Thumb to large shrubs with exuberantly waving branches and long white flowers such as I have picked.
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In a Vase on Monday – Jugful of Sunshine
Mother’s Day this year it seems potted chrysanthemums are back in fashion. Finally, as I have been trying to buy them for years. So I bought five big pots, each of which turned out to be holding five smaller plants. Three different yellows with green centres, a white with green centre, and a pink which contained 2 different pinks.
In a Vase on Monday – mostly Salvias
Salvias and Chrysanthemums are the most prolific flowers in the garden now, and are beloved by the pollinators.
Salvia confertiflora made it clear that she would not share the stage with anyone in pink, so I have 2 vases, one with the pink Salvia involucrata ‘Bethellii’, ‘Boutin’ and ‘Mulberry Jam’ as well as the lovely scented rose ‘Nahema’.
In a Vase on Monday – Mixed Sweets
There are flowers still amongst the growing number of brown seedheads. Salvia and Chrysanthemums are still covered in blooms. A few Penstemons, a few Roses, and the last of the standard Dahlias are sprinkled around. Fuschias have flowered all through the summer and are still making new buds as well as fresh green leaves. The Hydrangeas are finishing gracefully in shades of purple, brown and turquoise.
In a Vase on Monday – Mostly Pink
I had just picked a vase of flowers to grace the brunch table and celebrate C’s Dad visiting, when a friend dropped by returning my rose pruning gauntlets and bringing a stem of Rose ‘Compassion’.
In a Vase on Monday – Autumn Glory
Well, I ran out of light tonight, which I thought might happen so I took a few photos in the bright morning sun before leaving the coast. After years of carrying flowers back in jars and buckets and milk bottles, I finally realised the chilly bin (esky) is an obvious solution to keep them cool and prevent spills in the car. So I emptied all the feijoas and peppers into a box and packed in the flowers.
Absent Gardener 