Category Archives: in a vase on monday

In a Vase on Monday – September Crazy Quilt

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September brings all types of flowers to my garden. I cut several varieties and slipped (plonked) them into a mason jar. A crazy quilt is the most apt description I could come up with for this array of very different flowers. This jar reflects late summer in my South Florida garden. The selection runs from very tropical bromeliad flowers to the more familiar cottage garden stalwarts, the Salvias.

Bromeliads flower year round in the tropics, but I think summer is the peak; some lasting for months. I have at least five in flower, mostly Aechmeas from Brazil. The odd man out is in the vase, Billbergia pyramidalis, common name Flaming Torch or Hurricane Flower. Last week was the peak of hurricane season (which has been blessedly quiet) So I think either name is appropriate.

The close up:

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The patchwork of colors include: Hurricane Flower (Billbergia pyramidalis) in pink. ‘Mystic Blue’ Salvia, the blue spike. The final pink zinnia of the summer. Yellow spikey flower is a side shoot of a much larger flower from ‘Pinot Noir’ Aechmea Bromeliad. White Sweet Begonias (B. odorata) hang over the edge of the jar. The yellow flower in the center is a side shoot from ‘Little Harv’ Aechmea Bromeliad. A few white Salvia (S. coccinea) are in the back with Asian Sword Ferns and Coral Vine (Antigonon leptopus) in pink.

That’s all from my garden this Monday. Thank you to Cathy for hosting IAVOM. Visit her blog http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Zinnia Finale

This has been a glorious summer for zinnias. Heat, humidity and generous downpours have provided a bouquet of pink zinnias weekly. The plants seem to know (the weather doesn’t) this is the last official weekend of summer and the flowers are getting smaller by the day. I am getting a bit tired of pink and just planted some Green ‘Envy’ and ‘Aurora’ zinnia seeds. We shall see what colors fall brings when the plants get going.

One of many bouquets from the garden this summer. The plants are easily four feet tall with 1/2 inch thick stems.

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This weeks mix. The yellow leaves and spikey flowers are from ‘Java White’ Copperleaf (Acalphya wilkesiana ‘Java White – a large tropical shrub that has returned with a vengeance from our February freeze. Pink viney flowers are from Coral Vine (Antigonon leptopus) currently growing in the very thorny lime tree, causing a pruning dilemma. Zin Master Zinnias in pink. Coral and white Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) and a few invasive ferns for foliage. The container is from an orchid gift from a neighbor. I think I killed the orchid…oops.

Happy Labor Day to those celebrating and a big thank you to Cathy for hosting IAVOM. Follow this link to see more vases http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

In a Vase on Monday – Pineapples, Unplonked

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For reasons that elude me, the miniature pineapples are having a stellar year. I usually get one fruit once in a while and this year I have three and one has pups (the one on the left). I am not exactly sure what to do with a multi pupped miniature pineapple? I guess I will figure it out, suggestions are encouraged.

A friend gave me this pineapple years ago. I think it’s a “Lava Burst” Miniature Pineapple.

Why unplonked? I dropped one on the trip inside from the garden. The pineapple popped off and was eyed suspiciously by Handsome Rob, the Greyhound, who would eat it in a heartbeat. Consequences of that I do not want to contemplate. The leather gloves came out – the baby pineapples are as sharp as they are cute, and the pineapples were secured into a dog proof arrangement. A fruit loving dog? Weird, but true. This dog eats oranges and adores pineapple. More Greyhound weirdness, but we love him.

Here’s Rob wondering what happened to that delicious pineapple.

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What else is in there?

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Note the pups on the left. I added some foliage from the “Lava Burst” Pineapple. The big tropical leaf is from Split Leaf Philodendron (Philodendron selloum). Creamy spikes flowers are Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa)

As always, visit Cathy to see more vases. Here’s the link RamblinginthGarden

In a Vase on Monday – A Plonk & The Photo Shoot

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I’ve been plonking my zinnias into glass jars as they appear and enjoying them by the kitchen sink. I cut the stems at the lowest point on the plant to encourage more flowers. The V shape of the flowers is a happy coincidence of different stem lengths.

I decided to elevate my Plonk by adding Asparagus ferns and Juba Bush flowers.

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I like the colors of these Zinnias .. orangey fuchsia red! I think.

Cathy asked me to fill you in on the photo shoot in my garden a couple of weeks ago. It was actually a lot of fun. A lovely young couple appeared at my door. She was the photographer and he was the stylist.

Of course, it was pouring down rain!

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It had not rained in weeks, we were 24″ low for rain in a year and the skies opened when the photographer arrived.

The magazine is Homecooked a food and travel magazine. They found me by reading my blog and asked for dessert recipes using fruit from my garden. They wanted to take pictures of the garden and the kitchen and dessert. We started talking about a sour orange pie and ended up with vegan mango filled cupcakes with mango buttercream frosting. I warned the editor I would bake rustic desserts!

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Staging the cupcakes in the kitchen:

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The rain let up a bit and we went outside and my husband and I were photographed eating cupcakes in the garden. She took a lot of photos of the soggy garden that I will be really interested to see!

The magazine will be out in September. I left some ‘fall’ leaves and rakes around for autumnal ambiance. LOL. In South Florida.

I will share whatever appears and hopefully love it. Until then, visit Cathy at http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Tea in the Garden?

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So far, June has been oddly cool. I could cheerfully have tea in the garden. Me being me, I decided to arrange some flowers reflecting the form of the teapot. Design school is a lifelong curse. Where else would these ideas come from?

The teapot is vintage 1950. The year my parents married and one of their wedding gifts. My mother always used it to brew the basis for sweet iced tea, a beverage that is a Southern staple. The tea stained patina on this teapot makes me smile. I remember this teapot as a constant companion to family dinners. I am terrible about not making iced tea, even though I enjoy it.

The closer and more complicated view. While Southern sweet tea is pretty simple water, sugar, tea, and mint and lemon on the side, if you like..there is a lot of stuff in this vase.

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The big, pink flower is a ZinMaster zinnia. White flowers are Sweet Begonias (Begonia odorata ‘Alba’). Blue flowers are Plumbago, likely Plumbago auriculata ‘Blue Imperial’, or just darker than usual. Purple flowers are the wonderfully scented Heliotrope. There are a few Mystic Blue Salvia and Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa) above the zinnia and a trimmed palm frond provides a green backdrop. It has a delicious, sweet fragrance from the Heliotrope, Begonias and Juba Bush

Thank you to Cathy at RamblingintheGarden for hosting this weekly meme and bringing gardeners together to see what is blooming where. Follow the link to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Zinnias, Actually

After several false starts in 2026, I am pleased to post my first zinnias of the year! I usually have zinnias much earlier than this, nearly year round. I think they were worth the wait. The longest stemmed flowers I have ever grown. As usual, no clue why!

The first batch of seeds I planted – frozen. The second – eaten by unknown varmints. The third time was the charm. I have planted so many zinnia seeds, I am not sure what these are. ZinMaster, I think. I really wanted Cactus Zinnias, but I think I have gone through all those seeds

The closer view:

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The vase is a jar that held specialty tea. The small green flowers at the base are seed heads from Pentas, an annual flower, I am not sure what kind. Creamy white flowers are from Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa). Ferns are from the invasive Asian Sword Fern.

Simple pleasures from the garden.

Thank you to Cathy at RamblingintheGarden for hosting. Follow the link to visit her garden and see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – A Paloma Posey

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More than 30 years ago….my parents went to Mexico. I know this because when they returned, I received this bird, a Paloma, with strict instructions from my mother. It was a dove “a symbol of love and fidelity in Mexican culture”. I had recently married when I received this gift and after the Mexico trip my parents went through a Paloma phase. I had not realized it was also a cocktail!! It is difficult to picture my father drinking tequila with grapefruit soda..but maybe it happened?! There was some parental giggling about tequila. Hmm.

My parents have been gone for over 15 years. This little bird always brings a smile to my face. It resides in my kitchen with the cookbooks, so I see it often. The flowers reflect the colors in the Paloma.

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The orange flowers on top are ‘Dwarf Maui Red’ Ixora, a shrub. The orange tubes are Firebush (Hamelia patens var patens) Blue and white spikes are Salvia, White Flame and Mystic Blue. The blue flowers are Plumbago auriculata. The little white vase had a tiny orchid in it that is still floating around the front garden.

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The Paloma. Still standing sentinel over my cook books, decades later. I can only hope my parents are enjoying a grapefruit cocktail in the great beyond.

Thanks to Cathy for hosting In a Vase on Monday. Follow this link RamblingintheGarden to see more vases.

In a Vase on Monday – Sunday Mother’s Day Madness

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It’s Mother’s Day in the US this Sunday. As I collect flowers, my thoughts are always with my mother, the Greatest Generation Southern Belle, Miss Betty, who would have adored In a Vase on Monday. I am certain if she was still with us (she would be 98 years old) I would be printing out blog posts and mailing them to her. Computers were not happening in her world, ever.

My father’s mother, Blanche (yes) was the Blue Willow collector. I suspect there is a gene as I love the pattern and china. The teapot was found on a shopping mission with my mother.

The Sunday Madness? A Food and Travel magazine contacted me a couple of months ago – soon after the historic freeze, and they wanted to photograph food in my garden. I agreed. And am madly putting things right. This week I am baking! I will share more as things progress.

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A closer view. The white flowers spilling down the side are Sweet Begonia (Begonia odorata). Orange flowers are Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera). Blue flowers are Plumbago (P. auriculata). White spikes are White Flame Salvia. Scent is added by chartreuse culinary dill flowers.

Foliage is ‘Mammey’ Crotons and Asian Sword Ferns.

Please send me positive vibes for the photo shoot. To see more vases, visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden!!

In a Vase on Monday – Fall into Spring with a side of weird

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It is still officially spring in South Florida…but we already hit 90 F/ 32 C and the humidity is rising. There is always some point when the heat and humidity hit critical mass and I begin pining for fall. We are definitely not there yet, however, the colors in this vase reminded me of my future fall aspirations early.

There are some strange things going on in the garden. The mango trees that were hit by frost in early February have all come back, seemingly from the dead and are producing flowers. This usually happens in early February followed by fruit in June. We have dead foliage, new foliage and flowers on the same tree. I am puzzled, but think I should fertilize them. So weird. Creatures are eating the buds off the zinnias I planted in tall pots for cutting – giraffe rabbits??

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The closer view. This is mostly flowers from trees and shrubs. I really enjoy cutting from these plants as they are rarely seen in this venue. The white flowers are White Geiger tree (Cordia boisserie). Yellow flowers are Esperanza tree (Tecoma stans). Orange tubular flowers are from the native Firebush (Hamelia patens var patens) Red fruit with foliage is Brush Cherry (Syzygium paniculatum), a common hedge here. The bronze foliage is an unnamed coleus bought locally.

I’m adding to the weird by buying obscure tropical vegetable seeds to grow over the summer. I planted edible Hibiscus (Roselles) recently (the calyx is the edible part, tastes like cranberries) Yard long and winged bean seeds go into pots soon..more weird to come…

That is all from South Florida. Thank you to Cathy for hosting IAVOM for all these years. Follow the link to her blog RamblingintheGarden to take the garden tour.

In a Vase on Monday – Beachcombing the Garden

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There is a strange thing that happens when you live near a beach – you don’t go very often after a while and there are a lot of shells around the house and in the garden.

Perhaps your beachcombing capacity reaches critical mass when your environs are full. Hmm. This is something to ponder. I had no trouble finding a few seashells to go with the Shell Ginger flower for my Monday vase. There are many more shells in the garden, however, when I look around I imagine lining the shell walkways with goddess stones (above circular disk) Then I imagine how many it would take!

Here’s a closer view

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This vase has a whirling dervish vibe. The winding Fern is Asparagus Fern, this particular type of Fern used to be grown for floral arrangements around here. It escaped and is now considered an invasive plant. It is oddly thorny, so I like to get rid of it before it gets out of hand. A win win situation as I also like to use it in flower arrangements. The pink flower is a Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet). White flowers are Begonia nelumbiifolia, Lotusleaf Begonia. A pink champagne bottle is a leftover from a visiting friend.

That’s all from my South Florida garden this Monday..hoping the clouds turn into rain! Visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden to see the garden tour.