Posted on by Donna

In A Vase On Monday-Purple Haze

DSCN4494Gardening, I told myself, is the most sociable of hobbies.  The very nature of one’s field of activities demands an audience.  No one wants flowers to blush unseen or waste their sweetness.  ~Barbara Cheney

 

 

I do not remember my garden being so predominantly purple in late spring, but when I turned around recently to look at what was blooming, there it was.  Purple everywhere….irises, Tradescantia, hardy geraniums, clematis, lupines, Baptisia, salvia.  All blooming at once with a bit of orange, yellow and white here and there.

Of course balancing out the purple is the green.  Green in every shade filling in every space of the garden and lots of it weeds still looking to be pulled.  So I thought what better way to show off what is blooming, than to cut the abundance of purple blooms and make several vases to share.  I was surprised it only took me about a half hour to cut and arrange several vases.

I am joining Cathy@Rambling in the Garden for her wonderful meme, In a Vase on Monday where we are challenged to make vases from what is growing in our garden weekly.  And as this is the 15th of each month, I am joining Carol@May Dreams Gardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

 

 

 

lrg purple vase

The incredible numbers of irises this spring was a joy.  Some came and went quickly especially the bearded irises that did not like the hot, then cold and then hot, wet weather.  But many of the Siberian irises and other unnamed irises were wonderful as they lasted for days in the vase.  Here and in the picture a the top of the post you can see a couple of iris with Baptisia.  I have purple, yellow and bicolor Baptisia, ‘Starlite’ Prairieblues, that also lasted long in the vase. 

 

 

 

chive vase

Ox-eye daisy seems to seed all over from the meadow where it grows prolifically.  And it is wonderful in a vase as it is long-lived.  Here I plunked it in a vase with purple chive flowers and Korean lilac ‘Miss Kim’.  I was going to arrange this more, but liked the way it looked.

 

 

 

sm purple vase

And in this small vase is an unnamed iris, salvia, Ajuga flower and clematis ‘Bell of Woking’.  Sorry I don’t have specific varieties for these flowers.

 

 

 

pink vases

The peonies started to just bloom.  Mine seemed to bloom later than others around me.  I think that is because mine are not in full sun.  This fragrant pink bloom looked perfect with just a bit of Baptisia.  And the roses began to flower too.  The first to bloom is this ‘Rainbow Knockout Rose’.  I love the pink, peach and yellow of the flower.  I can’t get over how well it is blooming this year.  The purple flower with it is Field Scabious or Knautia arvensis.  It seeds around adding color everywhere.

 

You can bet that with the peonies beginning to open I will have more vases starring their blooms next week, as they don’t last long in the torrential rain we have been having of late.

 

I am joining in with a couple additional memes this week as I prepare these vases:  Today’s Flowers hosted by Denise@An English Girl Rambles and Judith@Lavender Cottage who hosts Mosaic Monday.

 

 

pw15logoFINALbAnd don’t forget it is National Pollinator Week.  You can find an event in so many spots or create your own.  I hope to get some great shots of native pollinators to feature later.  Don’t forget that pollinators include bees, birds, butterflies and bats.

Big pollinator favorites in my garden now are Baptisia, salvia and chive flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

Are you seeing lots of pollinators in your garden?  Do you do anything special to attract pollinators?

 

 

 

As I feel summer’s call, and celebrate this new season, I hope you will join in the celebration. I welcome those Down Under who will be celebrating the coming of winter to join in too.  

All you have to do is write a post between now and June 21st telling me how you are celebrating the new season.  Then leave a comment on this post with your link so I can include your link in my summary post on June 22nd.  

I do hope you will consider joining in the Seasonal Celebrations meme as we celebrate the new season in your corner of the world.

 
 
 
And as always, I will be collaborating with Beth@Plant Postings and her Lessons Learned meme at this same time.  What lessons have you learned this past season of spring here in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.  Write a separate post or combine your lessons with your Celebrations for one post.

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Next up on the blog:  

Monday, I will have another vase.  And the Seasonal Celebrations round up will be next Wednesday, giving you a few more days to join in.

I am linking in with Michelle for her Nature Notes meme at her blog Rambling Woods.  It is a great way to see what is happening in nature around the world every week. 

 

sharethelove

I am also joining in I Heart Macro with Laura@Shine The Divine that happens every Saturday.

All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Gardens Eye View, 2010-2015.  Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only. 

 

84 Replies to “In A Vase On Monday-Purple Haze”

  2. Beautiful Donna! I realize I have a lot of purple, too. Love that Clematis flower. My baptisia is loaded this year – that is the plant everyone is gravitating to in my garden. I feel like a compadre – so many weeds I have to pull – but I’m going to put it all out there, ha ha. Always love to visit your garden here.

    1. Thanks Kathy….I hope to get started soon but something is always getting in my way and taking up my time to weed….oh well hoping soon to make a dent in it!

  5. Hello Donna, your vases and flowers are just beautiful. Lovely arrangements! Purple is one of my favorite colors for flowers. Enjoy your day and have a happy week ahead!

  7. Love all your vases, and you have presented them so nicely in your mosaic photos. The two-tone Baptisia is very pretty and goes well with that white iris. My favourite is the vase with the clematis and that gorgeous iris, but the peony is lovely too! 🙂

    1. Isn’t that purple iris lovely Cathy…it grows in my front garden and needs dividing…I need to spread its beauty around.

  8. I love your Vases! I have irises right now and I love them so much in the garden I rarely bring them inside. I’ll have to plant more. Thanks for the reminder that this is National Pollinator week. I’ll get right on it.

    1. You are welcome Pat….and since my irises have grown and multiplied I have loved cutting them for vases….definitely plant more.

  10. I really like your first vase. That iris is such a good link with the whites and blues/purples -and isn’t it rewarding to experiment with different vases and different combinations of things, like adding chive flowers. I have noticed things in my my garden that I had all but forgotten about since doing our vases – there are just so many exciting possibilities, aren’t there?!

    1. There really are Cathy…and each time I am outside long enough, I am finding I must pick a few things and create more vases throughout the week….so very satisfying and addictive.

  11. You’re making up for those bleak winter weeks earlier in the year now, Donna! I love the Baptisia but sadly it doesn’t like it here in SoCal. I look forward to seeing more of the peonies in the coming weeks – they’re my most favorite flower among the vast number I can’t grow.

    1. I sure am Kris….baptisia is a great plant for pollinators and lasts a long time in vases so it is a favorite of mine too. I need to move some new volunteers around the garden as they are beginning to take over one area.

  12. Love your many arrangements this week Donna – you are certainly making up for all those bleak winter months! You are right about your peonies and the shade – my peonies in the Cutting Garden are in full sun and have been flowering for two weeks now – many of my border peonies are in shady positions and are still in bud – it is a good way to extend the season. I was weeding in the Cutting Garden today and it is full of bees – they particularly love the nepeta.

    1. The hummingbirds adore nepeta here along with the bees…a plant I need to divide and move about to share the love.

  14. Why stop at one, when you have the where-with-all to fill several vases. As with jewelry, wretched excess is the name of the game.

  16. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Donna. I am seeing quite a variety of pollinators. I like to mix in native wildflowers with the cultivars. I know it looks a little crazy, but I think it is healthy for the planet. Thanks so much for sharing the love up-close with I Heart Macro ♥

    1. I agree Laura…while my garden is a little wild right now, the critters enjoy it…but I will have to tame it a bit soon.

  17. Fabulous floral arrangement. Similar colours in the garden here although the blue Iris and pink Lilac are well past their best now AND still waiting for several Clematis to do their thing.

    1. I have early clematis here blooming and several later ones budding up….I love when the clematis put on a show in the garden….glad you enjoyed the arrangements Frank!

  18. You created some lovely vases this week Donna, my favourite is the pink and purple collage – so pretty.
    Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday.

  21. I didn’t know there was a Knautia arvensis. It is very pretty. I grow Knautia macedonica, which has smaller, darker flowers. Lovely vases, as usual!

    1. Jason, I also grow Knautia macedonica and love how it seeds all over adding color and seeds for the finches who love it. The Knautia arvensis loves to grow along side the Knautia macedonica making quite a lovely display.

  26. Lovely vases all, Donna! I particularly liked the one with the unnamed iris and the clematis. And nice to see ‘Miss Kim’ in an arrangement …
    I’m amazed that you still have irises though, I thought you would be hotter than me?

    1. No we cooled down in June Cathy so the irises have been blooming in spurts and some more in shade have waited to bloom.

  28. Thanks for stopping by the Garden Spot. I love your purples. I seem to have a lot of pink going on. Right now I am looking for shades of blue in the garden. Rather hard to find truely blue flowers. We’ve had so much rain tha planting is diffiuclt because the soil is so saturated, so I haven’t been plant shopping much, just pulling weeds.

    1. Ann, I had to resort to raised beds in the veg garden because our soil stays so wet here. 13 inches of rain in June so far here. I have to get my weed pulling done now as I filled the beds and containers. I hope it dries enough so you can get more planting done.

    1. It has been wet and hard to get much done Michelle…when I am ready to weed it is raining and when it is dry I have other things that I have to do….

  31. I love all those pastel blues, violets and pinks in the garden at this time of year. And I love what you’ve done with them as cut flowers.

    1. Thanks Jean….it has really made me more aware of flowers and foliage in the garden, and what looks nice in a vase also looks nice in a garden.

  32. I have found the same thing- there is lots of purple in my garden at this time of year not that I planned it that way. I love the white and purple iris and the cream and purple iris in your vase. Many people like the big bearded irises best, but I rather like these smaller, more dainty flowers.

  34. Thank you for showing the Baptisia with other purple flowers. I had disparaged this poor plant thinking its blossoms looked like bruises – combined with the iris – it is quite lovely. Great arrangements.

    1. I do love the baptisia and glad you have found a new like for them in a vase…they do make quite a show in the vase.

  35. Beautiful Iris … A favorite of mine for ever, but mostly memories now … Tho we did see them in Oregon last spring . I love how you arranged all the different shades of purples.

  36. Donna, I think one can never have enough purples and blues in the garden. Your vases are all colorful and cheery. I love the Baptisia.

    1. I agree Susie…I really was loving all the purple int he garden…amazing since much of it has seeded itself around.

  37. Your blog just gets more and more beautiful, Donna. At a risk of repeating myself, I love your collages. I have some of the same blooms and with the heat and rain they have finished blooming already. After a very late spring came the early summer and everything is ahead. Crazy weather! But I am celebrating anyway and my posting for your meme is at http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2015/06/summers-eve_18.html
    Enjoy the summer season. P. x

    1. Oh how very sweet of you my dear friend….your lovely praise and joining in once again in support of the SC meme….I look forward to reading your post soon. We cooled down and have been getting lots of rain. Now up to 14 inches in June. Have a lovely week and wonderful summer Pam!

  39. I love the creative way you posted your photos. The arrangements in the vases turned out lovely! As I was looking down the side of our yard today, I saw lots of purple as well. Later in the season, there will be lots of yellow.

    Thanks for your comment on my blog post. I was just telling my husband I wish people had clover in their yards like we all used to. He hates it, and has no desire to add any to our yard.

    We took our granddaughter to a concert in a park in an old neighborhood last night, and there were all kinds of weeds in the yards, and some had clover. It was good to see.

    1. Thanks so much Sue….I will tell you clover has saved my garden from many critters destroying it except deer…they do love my plants.

  42. Pretty garden finds, even the peonies which have been gone from here for quite a while. You mentioned on my post on cutting gardens how you cut weekly, I guess the mene encouraged you to do so. I have been cutting for years and years, but only recently found some new long-stemmed plants not so common. They really have been adding to my weekly and daily arrangements. You also are really adding gardening beds. I wonder what it is when folks get into their 50’s they start making more and more work. I know my beds grew after 50. Now each spring I wish they didn’t with the work to keep them neat and the native plants under control and not be so weedy.

    1. Thanks Donna. Actually I am trying to redo many beds to make them more manageable. The cutting beds are defined areas already in beds where I am putting specific flowers, annuals and perennials for easier care. I used to cast seeds in spots but that never was a good method to keep them watered or weeded. Now I can consolidate my efforts better. I agree, as we age we sometimes take on more gardening…good physically to a point, but can be overwhelming too.

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