Tag: althea

Summer Posy Vase

I’m back for “In a Vase on Monday”

In a Vase on Monday is a meme hosted each week by Cathy on her blog Rambling in the Garden. It used to be my go-to weekly blog post, but not so much in the past year as life temporarily took me away from blogging. I’m glad to be back at it today, and here is my humble IAVOM offering for July 22, 2019.

Flower List

Zinnia

Two years ago, I planted a pack of zinnia seeds, and for the second summer, they’ve reseeded and come back. This hot pink bloom is my first of the season. It appears I have a lot fewer plants this year, so I must remember to re-up on seeds next spring.

small vase of pink, yellow, purple and white flowers, set on a mossy concrete step.
Zinnia, “Limelight” hydrangea, “Blueberry Smoothie” althea, black-eyed Susan, and Buddleja in a Waterford posey vase

“Blueberry Smoothie” Althea

Last summer, my althea bush was overrun with ants. I am so thankful that is not the case this year. I can finally clip some of its ruffly, blueberry-blue blossoms for a vase.

Tip: Handle althea blooms gently because even the slightest pressure will knock them off their woody stems. And just writing that sentence gives me the idea to try floating stemless blooms in a bowl of water. Hmmmm. (BTW, my friend Betty introduced me to althea. Here I wrote about my visit to her garden.)

“Limelight” Hydrangea

Inherited from a co-worker who recently re-landscaped, this particular variety of hydrangea can take the sun, which is ideal for my front yard. Plus, the flowers are so delicate and pretty.

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Black-eyed Susan

I purchased this no-fuss, butterfly-friendly perennial a couple years ago at a Birmingham Botanical Gardens plant sale. Gotta love those sunshine yellow petals.

Buddleja

Also, known as butterfly bush, Buddleja is considered invasive in some parts of the U.S., such as the Pacific Northwest. However, in the summer heat of Alabama, it’s not a problem. Plus, its cone-shaped bunches of tiny blossoms truly do bring the butterflies.

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Vase

Today’s vase is a Waterford posy vase, which previously made an appearance in the post “Sense and Sensibility.”

Thank you for stopping by. To see what other gardeners around the world have put in a vase on Monday, please visit Cathy’s IAVOM post and don’t miss the comments below it.

The Joy of Tiny Things

A friend recently gave me a tiny amber bottle she found at an estate sale. This August, zinnias, cosmos, and althea are in full bloom in my sunny front yard, and I have enjoyed displaying single blooms in this tiniest of vessels. Added bonus: This small arrangement is easy to tuck in visible but out-of-the-way places, such as on top of this canister against the kitchen backsplash. Our cats have not disturbed it at all, whereas a larger arrangement would never survive unattended.

Continue reading “The Joy of Tiny Things”