Today's vase celebrates the arrival of the large-centered flowers of midsummer, in this case Echinacea and Rudbeckia.
In this vase, it is a mix of garden flowers (Echinacea purpurea 'PowWow Wild Berry') and wild flowers (Rudbeckia triloba). But E. purpurea grows wild here, and R. triloba can be grown in garden beds, so there is not much difference! Both are sturdy native plants that are standing up well to the current rapid alternations of rain and sunshine.
The Rudbeckia is flowering freely in the horse pasture now (see my last post) so there was plenty to cut.
I was intrigued by combining the simple daisy forms...
...which of course are not so simple if one looks more closely at the centers!
I have used a handthrown stoneware vase that was part of a glaze experiment, hence the unusual texture...
...and I used only the two types of flowers as they seemed quite enough of a statement by themselves.
Linking, as always for my vases, with Rambling in the Garden, where Cathy encourages us to celebrate the garden by bringing some of it inside!
Weather Diary: Fair; High:81 F (27 C)/Low: 64 F (18 C); Humidity: 42%-94%
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Kris P (Monday, 24 June 2019 22:40)
The two colors mix surprisingly well, Amy. I think your dark vase helps ground them by echoing their dark centers. I love both Echinacea and Rudbeckia. Even if neither grows particularly in my climate, I'm always tempted to pick some up for use as seasonal annuals.
Sandra (Tuesday, 25 June 2019 01:27)
What drama! Gorgeous photos.
Amy@SmallSunnyGarden (Tuesday, 25 June 2019 10:32)
Kris - Yes I think they all combine well even if the effect is a bit eye-popping! Seems like you might get a lot of good color from either plant even grown as an annual. R. triloba itself is generally listed as a biennial in any case so... ;-) ;-)
Amy@SmallSunnyGarden (Tuesday, 25 June 2019 15:54)
Sandra - So pleased you enjoyed them! Thanks very much!
Cathy (Wednesday, 26 June 2019 15:36)
How lovely to have both these as natives! I grow rudbeckia from seed, but only as an annual although R triloba is classed as a perennial but mine does not often return. Yours are especially gorgeous in that dark and rustic pot - I love the whole combination
Amy@SmallSunnyGarden (Wednesday, 26 June 2019 19:30)
Thank you so much, Cathy - this is the first time I have 'grown' Rudbeckia, but I now understand why it is so common in wildflower seed mixes for this region. It is certainly in its element here!
Cathy (Sunday, 07 July 2019 05:03)
How lovely to combine these two in a vase. And it must be a wonderful sight seeing the Rudbeckia growing wild! :)