Late-summer bouquet: summer flowers come to a quiet close

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When summer gathers up her robes of glory, and, like a dream, glides away.
— Sarah Helen Whitman, American poet, essayist, transcendentalist, spiritualist

We’re coming to the end of August and also the end of the summer bouquets. It’s been a strange season in a year we can all say we wish would end. One pleasant discovery is that with the demise of the dahlia garden, I’ve had to rely on other flowers and I’ve had to be more creative in building out my bouquets. David always told me I needed more greenery for balance. As you know, I’m all about stuffing the vase with flowers and more flowers. This time around, I have been using branches from the camellia tree — setting them up in the vase and building the bouquets around the branches. And here are the results.

Being creative here, I pull from many different flowers — from the top going down, orange alstroemeria, black scabiosa atropropurea, cornflower blue Centaurea cyanus or bachelor’s button, dianthus “pinball wizard,” red straw flower, white echinacea, chocolate cosmos, salmon-colored zinnia, and a perfect yellow miniature rose.
A close-up to highlight the zinnia, rose, chocolate cosmos, and red straw flower.
Close-up of the pretty brilliant-blue Centaurea cyanus, white echinacea, and dianthus “pinball wizard.”
The variegated camellia leaves add interest to this bouquet. I’ve learned to make symmetrical arrangements!
The other side of this bouquet looks like a completely different arrangment.
A close-up of one side of the arrangement: scabiosa atropurpurea black, a small yellow dahlia, red gerbera daisy, cream-colored scabiosa ochroleuca, yellow rudbeckia hirta “Chim chiminee,” and the pin cushion-looking trachelium caeruleum “perennial blue lace flower.”
The blue Centaurea cyanus and a pair of rudbeckias, Sahara and hirta “Chim Chiminee.”
Here’s a new favorite of mine: Scabiosa atropurpurea “Florist’s Pink.”
More Scabiosa atropurpurea “Florist’s Pink,” cream-colored scabiosa ochroleuca, and chocolate cosmos.
So while the sweet peas expired in July (see empty trellis to the left), I discovered that if I kept watering where the alstroemeria grew in abundance wth the spring rains, I would keep getting alstroemeria (not as big as in the spring and early summer, though). So that’s how I’ve been able to beef up my dahlia-less bouquets this August.
It took a few months, but the different varieties in this flower box of scabioas are finally blooming.
One of the rare variegated pink dahlias in the center of this small bouquet.
Close-up of the pink dahlia, scabiosa ochroleuca, Centaurea cyanus, and salmon-colored zinnia.
I love this horizontal bouquet with its abundance of scabiosa.
The rudbeckia Sahara is surrounded by scabiosa and Centaurea cyanus.
Close-up of the cream-colored scabiosa ochroleuca and red zinnia.
A mostly scabiosa bouquet, reminding me of a Rembrandt painting.
A blue Cupid’s Dart nestled among the scabiosa atropurpurea “Snowmaiden.”
A mostly scabiosa and alstroemeria bouquet.
Close-up of a rare orange miniature dahlia.
Now blooming – trachelium caeruleum “Hamer Pandora”! This is the deep-purple version of the “Perennial Blue Lace Flower” trachelium caeruleum.
Top view of this bouquet. White, chocolate, and bright blue colors really pop out in this arrangement.
The second-to-the-last bouquet of August. I love this one. There’s a nice balance to it.
Close-up of alstroemeria, zinnia, scabiosa, and rudbeckia.
Other side of the bouquet.
Close-up of the zinnia, rudbeckia, and scabiosa.
This is looking more like a fall bouquet than the last of two bouquets from August. Scabiosas, zinnias, gerbera, dianthus, and rudbeckia.
Close-up where the red gerbera daisy and the Rudbeckia hirta “Sahara” are ushering in September.
An interesting shape made by the twisting stems of the scabiosa atropurpurea “Florist Blue.”
Another view of this tall bouquet of mostly different kinds of scabiosa and alstroemeria.
Ah, the irrestible scabiosa atropurpurea “Fama Blue.”
White daisies and some differentiation to this scabiosa and alstroemeria bouquet.
Close-up of three different kinds of scabiosa – atropurpurea “Florist Blue” and “Florist Pink” and white ochroleuca, along with the bachelor’s button or cornflower.