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  I continue to experiment with the photo location. And the arrangement has a couple experiments as well. I have never used stems from my collection of scented Pelargoniums, nor can I recall ever using Heuchera foliage. It will be interesting to see if these hold up.Last weeks Rose extravaganza lasted way longer than I expected it to so maybe this one will exceed my expectations as well.  The Pelargoniaum is  P. 'Attar of Roses' which I acquired last year on a road trip to Southern California. Highly recommended ! I also included unopened budded stems from the  polyantha rose 'Gourmet Popcorn' ,a few sprigs of Sideritas Cypria, and the umbel is Cenolophium denudatum..   Don't know which Huechera this is, and frankly who can keep track of the seemingly  endless new cultivars that seem to be rolled out every year.I have 6 of this one, whatever it is and if it passes the vase life test I'll be using it often .  The vase is vintage...

 I have reduced the rose population in my garden (from roughly 70 to about 30) and a big bowl of roses is not as frequent an event as it used to be. I love a bowl of roses, and since the first flush is winding down it was now or never.  I'm still struggling with my location  for the photos-this will have to do, out of focus though it may be.  The pink in the center is the floribunda 'Our Lady of Guadalupe'  and I expect it will have a vase life of about two days. Below 'Our Lady' is 'Eden' aka 'Pierre Ronsard' which is already blackspot bound-I expect this to be a particularly bad year for that affliction.  The white is Sombreuil ,  most of the yellows below are  'Molineux.' a David Austin Rose that is so outstanding I have three.  'Golden Celebration' in the middle.  The vase is a Bauer Hi-Fire thrown by either Fred or Jim Johnson in the mid 1930's.  Be sure to check out  all the vase offering...

 I finally have something to put in a vase from my own garden after the grey winter months of nothingness. I confess that I purchase flowers from about December til April , though I use foliage from my own garden as filler. My biggest challenge is finding a suitable location with enough natural  light to get a decent photo. I'll be experimenting with that issue.    My roses are just coming into bloom, but the climber Sombreuil had lots of vase inventory since I barely pruned it this winter. Middle left  is Cenolophium denudatum  an umbellifer whose blooms are still mostly green , but still makes a nice addition .  Also a bit of Geum 'Totally Tangerine'   assorted Hueuchera , chives and Spirea 'Ogon.'  The vase is a vintage Bauer pillow vase.  Cathy at Rambling in the Garden is our hostess for this weekly vase-fest !

 I haven't grown Zinnias in a couple of years, and the last time I bought 4" plants instead of growing them from seed. and the results were not impressive. I went back to seed-grown again this spring , sowing them in 4 very large containers on my patio since I was in the process of renovating the only garden bed where I had enough room and enough sun to put them into the ground. This has been such a success that I am going to add two more pots next summer.  I also picked some of the almost flopping Shasta Daisys-might as well head that behavior off at the pass, though I have to say the removal of a very large tree in early spring improved things significantly and the flopping is minimal this summer.   Also stuck in some Trachelium 'Hamer Pandora' , a couple pieces of Angelica stricta pupurea and some Nigella seedheads.  The vase is Bauer Ringware, manufactured in Los Angeles from the late 1930s to the very early 1960's . The color is much mor...

 On Saturday (my traditional vase building day) I was not at home , but instead happily installed in a small inn adjacent to the headlands on our north coast. I decided to take my clippers (always a pair in my car) and create a small vase of the wildflowers and grasses that carpet  fields along the bluffs.  Sadly, the only things I can identify are the Briza maxima  and our native Achellia. I am going to try to find a guidebook to the grasses and wildflowers of this area -a place I visit at least twice a year- so that I am not so ignorant.  Here are a few photos of the vase ingredients in situ.     Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting this weekly floral fest !

 I thought it might be fun to limit the flower choices to the umbells this week. I wish I had a nice spot outside to do these arrangements , but instead I make a big mess on my diminutive kitchen counter . At least it's close to the coffee.  I like my result, but I can tell you that the Pulmonaria leaves lasted about an hour before they started to wilt.   I used Achellia 'Moonshine' , Trachelium 'Hamer Panodora' (not open all the way so I am interested to see if it develops in the vase) Orlaya, Cenolophium denudatum and Angelica strica purpurea.  The vase is Rumrill.  Be sure to stop by Rambling in the Garden to find links for more floral offerings !

 This was my weekend to perform my version of the Chelsea Chop, which in my garden involves cutting back all the spent spring stuff and deadheading the roses. Yard waste toters are full.  I  cut a lot of odds and ends for this weeks' vase- the Nigella seedheads are plentiful and in the dead middle I stuck a Allium christophii that had an encounter with (I suspect) a racoon, and along with a blob of chicken wire it provides the support for the arrangement I  decided to try a few blooms I don't usually cut for vases-it will be interesting to see how they hold up. I'm especially interested to see what happens with the Phlomis -I have allowed that plant to get completely out of control and if the bloomed out flowers perform well they will make a good structural element all summer and into fall. The Phygelius 'Moonraker' is another of which I always have an ample (sometimes too ample) supply. The flowers on the plant don't hold that long, so I picked stems ...

  My 2nd Vase on Monday post ! I'm on a roll.  This vase, plus another mono arrangement that I have in the dining room, used almost the entirety of one Achillea 'Moonshine'  which as you can see below, had melted out in the center and splayed itself about .   I subsequently dug the plant out and replaced it with a Salvia muelleri 'Purple Robe' . I have three more A. 'Moonshine' in the garden so it they will continue to be available as vase content, and there was too much yellow in this spot in any case. I also used budded sprays of the polyantha rose 'Gourmet Popcorn' , a few stems of Oregano, Nigellia seedpods (of which I seem to have an unlimted supply) and Orlaya which is a bit of a white blur behind the Oregano.  The vase is Bauer from the Monterey Moderne line which was manufactured beginning in 1948. Rimming the lip are seedpods from Lunaria annua  'Rosemary Verey'.  Be sure to stop by Rambling in the Garden ...

 It will always be a Saturday edition in reality-I've been cutting boquets for my house every Saturday morning for as long as I can remember, so why it took me so long to set sail on the VOM meme is anyones guess. I also have a vase collection habit. So here is my inaugural post, and hopefully I can at least manage to participate a couple times a month.   There is plenty of inventory in the garden right now. Included with the roses are Watsonia, Orlaya, Achillea 'Moonshine' , a few sprigs of Eucalyptus 'Moon Lagoon' and a bit of Callistemon 'Tom Thumb' that hangs over a low wall from my neighbors yard. The vase is a vintage Bauer pillow vase .  The white rose is Bolero , an impulse buy several years ago that I have never regretted , and the yellow is Molineaux , a David Austin rose that outperforms just about any other in my garden-but not in vase life. I will expect to see a puddle of petals on the table within a couple of days.  And who doesn...