greentapestry : In A Vase On Monday ~ 'Spice Up Your Life'

Monday 24 August 2015

In A Vase On Monday ~ 'Spice Up Your Life'


The last task before leaving the allotment this afternoon was a pleasant one of picking some flowers for 'In A Vase On Monday'. It more than made up for all the vigorous weeding that had been going on earlier on. In this week's vase are the following trio :




  • Crocosmia - I've no idea on the variety as I inherited a clump of these when I took over the plot. They make a welcome splash of colour each summer and are not as vigorous as croscosmia 'Lucifer' which grows in the garden. They are on the now on the wane but still clinging on to some colour.
  • The emminently fluffy dianthus 'Green Trick'. I bought three plug plants of this earlier in the summer from Sarah Raven. One faded away but I've been delighted with the other two which have produced plenty of flowers. They are planted near dahlia' Arabian Night', the sultry dark red antirrhinum 'Black Prince' and nasturtium 'Blue Bepe', which will be a combination that I might well repeat next year.
  • Tagetes patula 'Cinnibar' which I've grown from seed. This variety was obtained by Christopher Lloyd in the gardens of Great Dixter. Apparently he selected seeds from taller plants to end up with this beauty which flowers from July to October. It will definitely be on next year's seed list. Unfortunately the molluscs also found them attractive and ate all my seedlings bar one which lived to tell the tale! I'm so pleased that it did.
The vase has appeared before. It contained seasonal pickle in a former life. A decision was made to relove it.

With thanks to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' who is our gracious hostess today.

41 comments:

  1. I do like the dianthus and tagetes. Did you get the tagetes from Sarah raven too?

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    1. The tagetes seeds came from Great Dixter's online shop Helen and I think that 'Special Plants' sells seeds too.

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  2. Anna I absolutely love this and the color of glass is perfect. The orange flowers with the dianthus 'Green Trick' is beautiful.

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    1. Oh thanks for your comment Donna which is much appreciated :)

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  3. That combination of Dahlia, nasturtium, dianthus and antirrhinum sounds delightful - and well done for succeeding with Green Trick. Perhaps I will have another go with it... How large are the tagetes flowers themselves - are they bigger than ones like Paprika? Compared to the crocosmia they look as if they must be. You may say your blooms were plonked but they have been plonked very stylishly, Anna!

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    1. Thanks Cathy. I've been pleased with the dianthus despite the fact that one plant just withered away and would definitely grow them again. I would say that the bigger tagetes flowers are a couple of inches across in diameter. Have not grown 'Paprika' or similar so can't really compare.

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  4. A bright and cheerful arrangement. I love that Dianthus (but I think I've said that before).

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    1. Thanks for your comment Kris and it really doesn't matter if you've said it before :)

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  5. What a stunning combination! I did think about getting that fluffy dianthus and wish I had now - maybe next year. It all goes so well in a pickle jar. Well done for getting on with the weeding - I really need to follow your lead.

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    1. Thanks Julie. With plants it always seems to be a case of much wants more and you always regret something that you resisted every year :) It was a case of needs must with the weeding at the allotment. They seem particularly prolific this year.

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  6. What a beautiful arrangement, and it looks so good against that background too! I love crocosmias with the wah the colour of orange goes to more reddish, and the Green Trick are amazing!

    Thanks for your identifications of the plants on my blog photos, and also the offer of Cerinthe seeds. Newby Hall has am amazingly diverse collection of Salvias and has made me much more aware of how interesting they are, and it a heavenly place to visit.

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    1. Oh the background was just the must convenient spot for a photo Ingrid - just by the back door when the vase was on its way in :) Glad to be of assistance with the identification. I would like to visit Newby Hall one day. I've seen it featured in many a garden magazine over the years and the gardens look most attractive.

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  7. PS: Please excuse typos in previous comment - I've cleaned my glasses now!! :)

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    1. I know exactly what you mean Ingrid. They can really fog up sometimes.

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  8. Love your spicy colors. The dianthus is great.

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  9. I have grown D. Arabian Night in the past, I must do so again.
    Spice up your life!
    Colours of the world
    Spice up your life
    Every boy and girl
    Spice up your life
    People of the world
    Spice up your life

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    1. Oh it's a most attractive dahlia Brian and has done particularly well this year. No prizes for guessing what I'm going to be singing for the rest of the day!

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  10. What is it with slugs & snails and our favourite/expensive seedlings? They seem to know which plants we are jealously guarding and home right in there for a tasty snack don't they? I can tell that you have a designers eye by the way you have combined your beautiful orange flowers with the pale green vase. Absolutely perfect Anna.

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    1. They do not seem to be the least bit discerning do they Gill? Thanks for your kind compliment. I'm blushing.

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  11. The green glass vase looks so good with the Green Trick, and I love the way the Crocosmia fans out and makes such lovely patterns, and goes so well with the darker Cinnibar red. Lovely arrangement!

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    1. In reply to your comment on my blog- I was hoping things were getting under control but some of the fires are very bad, people were flying in from Australia to help. Mons. Tillier is called Archiduc Joseph in Europe, there is some debate on the Antque Rose forum whether they are really the same rose, but I guess similar. I lost a good many other OGR (Antique) roses on that bank, where it is hot and dry and rarely watered. Rugosa roses do well there, a marvelous yellow is Topaz Jewel, and also Ghistaine de Feligonde rambler rose, it looks like it is getting new buds so maybe I can feature it sometime.

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    2. Thank you Hannah. Oh that it's a long way to come to help but Australian firefighters must have expertise of dealing with similar fires. I've not come across 'Joseph' but then there are so many roses out there. I will have to do some research. Sorry to hear about your rose losses but I look forward to hearing more about the ones that are prospering.

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  12. This has warmed me up, love all those warm spicy colours, they are just right for this time of year.

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  13. Very spicy! I love the dianthus 'Green Trick', it will be on my list for next year - the list is getting longer and longer, I will have to be careful!

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    1. Mine too Christina - in fact I think that already need to do some serious pruning.

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  14. I do like the hot colours you've used in this weeks vase. We went on holiday to Cornwall a few years ago and the cottage owner had left us a pretty vase filled with crocosmia, I'd never though about cutting it for a vase before but it's a lovely cut flower.

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    1. We once stayed in a holiday cottage Jo where there was a little flower arrangement on the windowsill which I really liked. I asked the owner about the identity of one of the occupants which was a helenium and came home with the gift of a division :)

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  15. That's a classic colour combo, Anna, and one which I absolutely love. I hope to be growing more flowers for both looking and cutting next year - I'll certainly be adding Dianthus 'Green Trick' to my wishlist (and a big bag of slug pellets!) x

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    1. Thanks for your kind words Caro. I'm not sure what got my 'Green Trick' but am fairly sure that it wasn't slugs. The leaves went yellow and the plant withered :( We had some cold nights though well into June so it may have just been down to that.

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  16. Just such a 'delicious' colour combination. Can just image a nice curry with a green salad!

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    1. I will sit the curry out Noelle not being a lover of spicy food but will try to think of a yummy alternative :)

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  17. I love these hot colours together with the little green pom poms - delightful.

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    1. "Little green pom poms" is a brilliant description Elaine :)

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  18. Not only a lovely vase of flowers to ponder on, but also an introduction to some interesting varieties, which I have taken note of! Love the dark Tagetes 'Cinnabar' and also 'Green Trick'!

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    1. I'm pleased to have bought them to your attention Jane. Thanks for your comment :)

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    2. I'm pleased to have bought them to your attention Jane. Thanks for your comment :)

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  19. Gorgeous combination of colours, works so well :)

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  20. Lovely spicy colours. I grew Green Trick last year and I think it is perfect for vases, I can' t resist green flowers. I love the Tagetes, thanks for introducing me, I will look out for it next year.

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  21. As everyone else has commented that Dianthus 'Green Trick' is fabulous, that might be on my list for next year. That sounds a stunning combination where you have it growing. I've grown some of those taller marigolds before they are sooo much nicer than the dwarf ones that are just slug food as far as I can see, I must grow them again.

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