Yard to Vase - Summer 2009 series

My lone white gladiolus. I have slowly lost most of my glads to thrips.

And all of them in a vase. I added a few gardenias (they really contirbute to the fragrance of the bouquet), a couple of white chive blossoms (I think they are chives Terri - but I may be wrong). The leaves of the H. festalis makes good greenery. Also added a few leaves from the Japanese anenome.

A closeup of a few of the blooms. The H. festalis(aka Ismene) is supposed to be fragrant, but the smell on these are very subtle and light. You have to get close to it to smell it.

hmmm - heating the outer galvanised bucket with hot water should be safe enough.
Galvanised iron is commonly used for roofing & fencing here & the sun heats it up with no ill effect - but I guess you can't get better ventilated than the great out doors :)

This is a hardy hibiscus and the bloom is 8 inches across. The leaves on the plant are dark red.

Love the white flowers. I love white gardens and white arrangements. Just so elegant looking.


Hope I have everyones name correct.
Diane are you Soilsandup?
Terri are you terriculture?
I am so bad at names.

This message was edited Jul 21, 2009 4:22 PM

Hi Joyce - that is a lovely hibiscus. Red is my favorite color and that vase is gorgeous.

I had a really hard time with DG names and real names too.

So to recap some of the regulars here in this forum:
Soilsandup = Dianne (I work in the soils department, hence the "soils")
Terriculture = Terri
Haighr = Candee (is Haighr your last name?)
dalfyre = Teresa
Weed woman = Sue
Karma = Karma (is that your name name?)
Happgarden = Joyce
Blossom, Zany, Elle - I don't know them by any other name.
Sorry if I left anyone out - add yourself to the list!!

LOL - is soilsandup you last name Dianne?
I have the hymenocallis as well and thought it is usually bloomed and finished by now, but still waiting. Your white arrangement is stunning, it is just picture perfect!
Nice hibiscus happgarden Joyce, I really like the way it looks in that vase such an unusual presentation, but quite lovely.

Hi Joyce! Gorgeous Hibiscus, wow, it's huge. Love the modern vase and layered leaf.
Terri !

Mix match of a few of each, dahlia, lilies, echinacea, zinnia (one anyway).

They came from here!

More colors

haighr, that is so pretty, love the different types of flowers.

Oh I missed this one! Beautiful mix there Candee, so nice and airy! Your flower beds look full and colourful too.

Hi Joyce!

I found this Begonia!

A vase of Crocosmia..

Crocosmia in the flowerbed.

Nice arrangement, Candee. What is the orangy flower in the back of the arrangement? I see that your lilies are still growing strong! And do I see some swamp hibiscus growing in the midst too?

Terri - my crocosmia is long gone. You have a really nice patch there. Is that a black millet? I grew one a couple of years ago, but it did not come back nor did I collect any seeds so it did not get a second chance in my yard. But I do like them because they are so dramatic.

I can't remember the name of the plant Dianne! It sounds like Penicillin , I remember thinking at the time I bought it.
It's getting quite big, and has some off shoots at the bottom of the plant. I thought it would grow a flower, LoL!

I'm up late watching football! Hubby's team are playing the MLS All Stars in America. We are watching on the internet live from Salt Lake City Utah. It hasn't started yet.. lol, any excuse to stay up late eh?

GOAL!!!

it's a Pennisetum glaucum. So penicillin is a good memory tool, Lol

the sad part is that it is considered somewhat a noxious weed and I can't get it to come back.

Game over yet?

Thanks for the plant name. The game just finished, the English team won! Goodnight..

I don't know how you do it terri, I went to bed at 8:15 exhausted from doing nothing!
Dianne, I'll have to get an ID for you. It is a little lily looking thing that I got from Troy, a DGer a long time ago at the first RU we hosted. Thanks for reminding me to get the ID.

Love those Crocosmia.
I am going to have to look up the zone.
I get to stay up late cause I am on vacation (or holiday) for another day. We went on a mini vacation to Oshkosh, Wi for a couple days then back home and playing in the garden.
I may have messed up. I thought the hardy hibiscus the other day was a gonner, but since have noticed in the yard they close at night and open back up the next morning. I am going to have to cut another one and see if they open back up the next day.

Not much blooming right now, hardy hibiscus, roses, and a few daylilies still blooming. Mums getting ready to open, I don't cut them back.

Hi Happgarden - how nice for you to be able to go on a short holiday. I have never been to either Missouri or Wisconsin.

Candee - can that be a blackberry lily? I saw something on another forum that looked lit that - does the opening blooms look like a corkscrew>

Oh I am jealous of your trip to Oshkosh.
Would love to go the air show one day.
And it is not far from there to Saddlebrook Appaloosa's...
one of my other interests along with spotty dogs is spotty horses.
I like variegated plants too :)
Just have a need to see spots before my eyes.

Hi Joyce, Thanks! Good to hear you've been having a nice holiday.

Dalfyre, I found a spotty cup for ya, cheers!

The Zinnia came from here!

love it!!!

Question to you all, do you all have cutting gardens seperate from the "normal" gardens? I see in magazines where people make specific cutting gardens. I have lots of land but darn I would have to weed more if I did that.

What a bright pretty flower, Terri. Love the cup. I purchased zinna seeds but never got them started, now I wish I would of.

I agree with soilsand up, that is a blackberry lily, the leaves remind me of an iris, and the small flowers remind me of a small orchid. I have yellow ones, and one that is a pinkish color.

dalfrye, the air shows last all week and are amazing. The mass of humanity that comes into Oshkosh is also amazing, a small town except for 1 week out of the year....then for one weekend a year it is the busiest airport in the world. I have several friends who have beauiful horses. I love to look at them but darn they are big pets!

Happgarden - I don't have lots of land, that is why I have to incorporate flowers that I use for cut flowers into the regular garden. I don't have the luxury of having a separate cutting garden. I tend to leave the flowers on the plant as long as I can, and just before they peak out, I would cut them for arrangements. Because I want flowers on a year round basis, I can't devote more than 2-3 plants of each kind. So, I don't have the large drifts of colors that you find in landscaping books, but at any one time, there are several spots of color in my garden.

I also bought several packs of zinnia seeds on sale (33 cents!), and sow one packet. I have about 6-7 seedlings now, and hope that they will mature enough to flower before it gets to cold. I guess I'll save the other pack for next year. Keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get some zinnias like Terri there.

You mean I am not the only one with packets of seeds waiting.....LOL

does the opening blooms look like a corkscrew> Yes Dianne so I guess you nailed it and now I remember that is what it is.
As for the separate cutting gardens - used to have one, now just use everything and then some!

Thanks dalfyre!
Joyce, I have a seperate cutting garden this year.My garden at home is quite small, and I didn't like to cut the flowers that often!!! one of the reasons I got my allotment was to grow flowers there for cutting. If you put loads of plants in the flower beds, there isn't room for many weeds LOL!
Thanks! glad you like the cup, I have a green spotty one too, they look like plantpots... (another good find)!

Dianne, I'm sure your seedlings will catch up in no time! Candee started the Zinnia craze last year, I love them now!
The stems are so sturdy and the flowers seem to last a very long time. I love all the vibrant colours they have too.

I do think that zinnias are the best friend of my arrangements, they can be reused long after the other flowers are finished and they come in all colors of the spectrum. Mine are actually starting to come more now.

Oh good you are starting to get more Candee!
More crocosmia with sunflowers..

Crocosmia

Sunflower patch!

I love that watering can what a great idea for your sunnies. That is quite a patch there climbing to the sky. You will have Jack climbing yours next!

Thanks mate! I'm going out, enjoy your eveining!

Beautiful pics. You all are so creative when it comes to containers.
Here are my pics, cactus dahlias, candy lilies, Russian sage, and one rose.