Fall 2019 bouquets

Posted on December 22, 2019 by Patty

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and fall a mosaic of them all.
– Stanley Horowitz, American poet

Another late blog post, but better late than never. Some of the flowers that bloomed in the fall were holdouts from summer – the hardy alstroemeria, a few brave dahlias, and even a few of the peachy gladiolas. The rudbeckias were a little anemic this year, as were the yarrow. But nonetheless, they persisted. I have been trying very hard to curate carefully, but then I can’t bear to leave many photos out, even if they are the same flowers over and over again. I guess you could say I’m just being positive and optimistic and as light as summer and say this is really just a happy, contagious propensity toward color and beauty and nature. And how can we edit that?

Today, David and I went to Annie’s Annuals because it’s time to plant sweet peas and aguilegia, or columbine, two of my new favorite flowers that bloomed in the garden this year. I’m looking forward to seeing the patio explode in color and to be able to see it from our family room window. Something to look forward to, yes, but for now, a remembrance of autumn, and how quickly it passed.

The gerbera daisies were not only hardy this year but also perennials! The baby’s breath was very late this year, but in time for the fall bouquets. I’ll admit that the zinnias disappointed this year.

The blue Cupid's Dart was a prolific summer flower. — The blue Cupid’s Dart was a prolific summer flower.

The chocolate cosmos were also happy campers this season.

Feathery ferns managed to grow in the dark corners of the garden.

The stately gladiola anchors this flower-sparse bouquet.

The Shasta Daisy was a bust this year, but we still had a few dahlias into fall.

Some red yarrow. Nothing special about this bouquet, but I liked the way the light created some hot spots on the flowers.

A close-up of chocolate cosmos, yellow and cherry brandy rudbeckia, zinnia, blue Cupid’s Dart, baby’s breath, and blue scabiosa.

Late autumn afternoon light warms the last fall bouquet.

A view from the top. Last look at fall. Until spring, my green thumb.

Summer 2019 bouquets

Posted on December 22, 2019 by Patty

We should enjoy this summer, flower by flower, as if it were to be the last one we’ll see.
– André Gide, French author and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature

On this winter solstice, yes, I’m posting about summer bouquets. They’re a buried memory, dampened by required winter rains. But I couldn’t let the year end without posting my bouquets of the summer season. It was my last year of donating weekly bouquets for Korematsu Middle School. Now I’ll be delivering bouquets to unsuspecting friends throughout spring, summer, and fall. For now, remembering this past season’s bounty. Enjoy!

The dramatic, dinner plate-size white dahlia.

The reliable, early spring through fall alstroemeria.

The pink and magenta version of alstroemeria.

A new-form favorite – flowers that are taking flight like the love-in-a-mist, yellow butterfly-like columbine (aquilegia), and red geums, anchored by my favorite striped Chomley Farran dianthus on the left.

Another version of this taking-flight bouquet.

I decided to use this celery-type greenery along with wild-growing purple flowers (upright). I’m forgetting their name.

Up-close view of the yellow aquilegia, Chomley Farran dianthus, and a white straw flower in the middle, supported by love-in-a-mist and light purple scabiosa.

I love how the pale yellow dahlia petals curve out and spike, while the white dahlia is more fluted and layered.

Close-up of the fluted petals of this cream-and-orange (like a creamsicle) dahlia.

A stringy but beautiful flower sprung up, and I became an opportunistic gardener! I love the pink, blue, and purple colors of this bouquet.

Dahlias, Cupid’s Dart, scabiosa, love-in-a-mist, and Chomley Farran dianthus.

White and blue scabiosa frame this bouquet, but the star is the delicate, pointy-petaled pink-and-cream dahlia.

Ah, my short-lived Orlaya grandiflora “Monoan Lace.”

The grand dame white dinner-plate dahlia.

Dahlias, Cupid’s Dart, aquilegia, and alstroemeria.

These miniature lilies have been growing in the side yard for years. They play well with the alstroemeria and dahlias.

Yellow dahlia fireworks along with lilies, alstroemeria, and other dahlias.

The most beautiful colors and deep perfume. I kept them on my desk all summer long.

The purple color turned to this beautiful cornflower blue.

Even when the sweet peas were expiring, their colors were still exquisite.

I made a lot of monochromatic bouquets this summer, much to David’s chagrin.

I used stems from some of our bushes to add variety to the bouquets.

The white scabiosa, with its pinpoint centers and ruffly petals.

Mixing up yellow and blue flowers in a bouquet.

The peach-colored gladiolas are naturalizing in our front yard. Lucky me, lucky bouquets.

The red geums have also been proliferating in the front yard this year.

The beguiling blue scabiosa. I’m mesmerized by this close-up. Such delicacy and detail.

The purple dahlias didn’t come up as much, so they were at a premium when they did, and much beloved in a bouquet. And I’m still in love with the cream-and-orange, fluted-petal dahlia.

A couple of years ago, a gardener thinned out her garen of bearded irises. We planted a lot, but our landscape architect’s work thinned ours out! So when the two or three plants bloom, we rejoice.

And we worship the multi-bloom purple iris.

The joy of cutting flowers, including the purple and white echinacea, which looks beautiful throughout his blooming from straight petals to lowered petals and bulbous centers.

The rare red dahlia, paired with the white dahlia.

Orange zinnia, fuchsia and yellow dahlia, and Cupid’s Dart.

Blue scabiosa nestled in-between an orange and yellow alstroemeria. Look at the stripes of the alstroemeria up close. Amazing!

My cherry brandy rudbeckia wasn’t as hardy as it has been in past years. But here’s a beauty.

The reliable red-and-white dahlia, below a wispy white scabiosa and fuchsia dahlia.

I planted this new flower in a pot in our side yard. What a delicate beauty, a beautiful blue color with little antenna tipped in white, almost like straight sewing pins. But they look like they belong undersea.

A big sprawling bouquet with everything in it.

Flower gathering before making bouquets.

Zinnias, rudbeckia, and Cupid’s Dart grace this end-of-summer bouquet.

The last close-up of this late-summer bouquet.

Hawaiian family vacation

Posted on December 21, 2019 by Patty

Hawaii is not a state of mind, but a state of grace.
– Paul Theroux, American travel writer and novelist

It’s nearly the end of the year, end of December, and I’m just now getting to our family vacation and Rossi Family reunion on the Big Island of Hawai’i? Call me stubborn. It had been on my list forever, and now I’m finally getting to it. I won’t give much in the way of narration. In my haste, I offer photographs and captions. I will say that this was a family trip to honor David’s father, Jerry, who turned 80 years young in June and retired just a few months ago. A life well lived. And a nice place to celebrate. I spent a summer and Christmas in 1989 on the main island. It was great to be able to see another side of the beautiful islands of Hawai’i.