October first brought more rain, chilly temperatures, and gray skies, but I did attend a nice wedding and arranged some flowers. It was hard to believe that all these bright flowers came out of my drenched, flattened, dying garden, but they did! Someone asked me how I still had the perfect Zinnia? My trick was accidental, but I cut every single flower off these plants two previous times, once at the end of July and once at the end of August. They shot up again for another round at the end of September and as I look out they might just come one more time before it frosts. Most of these flowers are annuals I started from seed and this is certainly the time when annuals keep on giving after many perennials close up shop.
A very fall arrangement with Miscanthus blooms, Anemone, Euonymous, and the annuals holding fast.
This was the fourth very hard cutting of Cleome spinosa and the blossoms still look so fresh. There is also some blue Argeratum 'Blue Horizon' and Salvia farinacea 'Gruppenblau' (a terrific cut flower!) and at the very bottom corner, some deep brown pink Sedum 'Autumn Joy.'
Hey ho to the Verbena bonariensis, so beloved and blogged about, but it is obvious why. I mixed it in with white Cleome and Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Lime.' I particularly loved this color Zinnia and hope to grow twice as much next year.
Striaght up hot colored Zinnias with the Salvia and leaves from Anemome 'September Charm.'
My Scabiosa seedlings took awhile to take off, but now they are going for broke before frost. They are an excellent cut flower with very thin, twisting stems that adds interesting shape and form the the arrangement. I suppose if you staked them, the stems might be straight, but who wants straight and perfect all the time?
Helen these arrangements are stunning!
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