After last Monday's pink roses, I had plans for an all white arrangement today.
But The Alnwick Rose is now in full bloom.
And there were some luscious reds from William Shakespeare 2000.
As well, an additional shot of pink from James Galway.
White did arrive, thanks to The Generous Gardener.
And the vase is white. It is one of my older pieces, handthrown in stoneware clay. The glaze uses tin oxide to create the classic soft white hues.
I was happy to be able to add just-open plumes of Muhlenbergia capillaris "Regal Mist". It was nice to drape the roses in a haze of grass flowers.
Along with the muhly grass, I used a few sprigs from the newly-purchased grass Bouteloua gracilis "Blonde Ambition". They added a second vertical element, which was good as the muhly grass stems are rather tall.
There is some additional white supplied by clusters of lantana.
Other elements include a stem of Penstemon pseudospectabilis "Coconino County", still with a few blooming stems in October!
There is also a stem of Jasmine foliage, and a large cluster of culinary oregano, complete with tiny white flowers amid the curiously heavy bracts.
So the queen of flowers redesigned the vase entirely!
Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden! Do check her blog to see what flowers have graced other vases from gardens around the world today!
Weather Diary: Light rain; High: 89 F (32 C)/Low: 68 F (20 C); Humidity: 26%-45%
Joanna (Tuesday, 25 October 2016 01:27)
A real work of art. The roses behind the grass fronds remind me a lot of old-fashioned netting draped over a beautiful wedding hat.
Cathy (Tuesday, 25 October 2016 02:48)
Oh - those roses!! They look absolutely divine, especially framed with the airy-fairy grasses and other snippets , and you always make me want to have each and every one of them! When is peak season for roses in Arizona?
Cathy (Tuesday, 25 October 2016 10:25)
These roses are all beautiful! I am rather glad you didn't go for the pure white version, although that would probably have been lovely too! The names of your roses are wonderful too - William Shakespeare and James Galway are particularly fetching! :) Do they always flower so well at this time of year?
danger garden (Tuesday, 25 October 2016 11:13)
WOW! Those are the most voluptuous, peony-like roses I've ever seen. As if they weren't enough on their own you've gone and paired them with the absolute perfect grasses and other players. This is just gorgeous Amy!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Tuesday, 25 October 2016 11:25)
Thanks so much, Joanna! And your description of the grass and roses is perfect! :)
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Tuesday, 25 October 2016 11:58)
Cathy @ Rambling in the Garden - I wish I could work out what the peak season is for roses here! There is definitely a good bloom time in spring. Then this year I encouraged them to go a bit dormant during the summer in hopes of getting a really good showing in autumn. On some, it's worked a charm; on others, I'm not seeing the results I'd hoped for. It's still very much a learning process! I've begun experimenting with the once-blooming old roses as well; hoping to have my first blooms from my old favorite Communis next spring :)
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Tuesday, 25 October 2016 12:07)
Cathy @ Words and Herbs - They do a lovely job with those names, don't they? This is actually the first really good flush I've gotten from The Alnwick Rose and William Shakespeare. Both had trouble with spider mites early on, and WS also endured a move after its first summer in a front patio planter. So I'm thrilled to get to use them at last...! I'm seeing mixed results so far in terms of autumn bloom (see also my comment above). Some are blooming robustly; others, not. I'm not sure whether it was feeding or watering that made the difference - I got off schedule a bit - or something else altogether. Hopefully I can get it sorted over the next few years so bloom is really reliable!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Tuesday, 25 October 2016 12:14)
Loree - Thanks so much! The grasses have really come into their own this year, and I think they are fabulous with roses :) This is my first time using the oregano bracts - probably not the last! I loved your use of the purple basil in your vase, though I didn't manage to leave you a comment... And am still trying to figure out how your comment comes listed two hours later than our time here lol?!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Tuesday, 25 October 2016 12:16)
Loree - It looks like the joke's on me. All my comments have wrong time settings... will have to check this out... ;-)
Kris P (Tuesday, 25 October 2016 12:18)
It's a beautiful composition, Amy. The grasses add just the right airy touch and the roses are, as always, gorgeous. I'm counting you responsible for breaking down my moratorium on roses - I mail-ordered a David Austin rose, 'Golden Celebration', yesterday. I'm going to put it in a large pot in the hope that I can keep it properly watered there.
rusty duck (Tuesday, 25 October 2016 12:54)
Absolutely gorgeous. Oh how I wish I could find 'Blonde Ambition' in the UK. Maybe next year.
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 26 October 2016 02:13)
Kris - Now I will feel so guilty if the rose doesn't work for you... ;P But I certainly hope it does! My cousin has done well with 'Golden Celebration' in the San Diego area. I've not grown it myself, and I'll look forward to any pictures!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 26 October 2016 02:18)
Jessica - 'Blonde Ambition' seems to be wending its way rather slowly through the gardening world. When buying mine at our not-quite-local-enough nursery, I asked the saleslady whether it would survive our summers well. Her frank admission was, "This is the first year I've seen it here...." with encouragement to go ahead and try it, of course! Well, I am trying it... I hope it will show up in your nurseries soon as it is fully winter hardy, at any rate!