It hailed overnight yesterday. That’s not to say that we’ve had a frost yet — it’s been chilly at night but not quite cold enough to upset all but the tenderest of tropicals so far. The temperatures have been fluctuating like crazy, though. The hail melted as soon as the sun rose, but it was still enough of a warning to let me know it’s time to start mulching the perennials and pulling up those summer tubers.
So we’ve come to the “last call vase” portion of the year. When I’m okay with cutting just about anything that hasn’t set seed (and some things that have), knowing that they’ll have a better chance of making it a week inside than out. You can see that the ‘Moonwalker’ sunflowers below have already taken a bit of a beating from being whipped around in the wind and weather the night before. The golden birdfeeder sunflowers are doing better, but they were also on shorter plants. In my optimism, I cut a big dahlia that looked like it might still open, but have since learned that dahlias don’t do much after cutting. So that will probably get removed later today. A couple of ‘Prairie Sun’ Rudbeckia, a little red bedding dahlia, and bunches of viburnum berries round out the bunch. I’m rather sad that the dahlia won’t open, because its big orangey-pink pouf would have been a nice stepping stone between the yellows above and reds below. Maybe next time.
This is a post for Rambling in the Garden’s In a Vase on Monday meme!
Little Blue and White House 
Those viburnum berries are jewel like, and add a zingy feel to the rest of the arrangement. I’ve no experience in cutting Dahlias, but I did think they opened, but maybe it depends on the variety.
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It could be! I was just reading from a florist’s website, which was suggesting the best time to cut dahlias. Although my partly opened bud is moving slowly, it does seem to be opening more day by day, so I’m giving it a bit more time and treating it as a learning exercise.
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The sunflowers are so bright and pristine – and, in the photo, almost paper-like – and the berries are such a glorious shade. Seeing your Prairie Sun reminded me about the ones I grew from seed which didn’t make it to another year but were glorious in that first year and I must grow them again
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Thank you! Sunflowers really are magical. And yes, if there’s one plant that surprised me the most this year, it was definitely that Prairie Sun and its nonstop flower power. I do hope it makes it through this winter, but am saving seed and letting it drop anywhere just in case. My goal is now to get a big patch of red ones going next to it, so I can truly have neverending vases 😀
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I am so pleased you reminded me of Prairie Sun, Angela!! 🌻🌻🌻
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It’s a very cheery vase that practically thumbs its nose at the change of seasons, Angela. I love the Viburnum berries. The dahlia might still open a bit more – mine sometimes surprise me.
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Thank you! I’m glad that both me and my flowers are remaining in denial about winter for as long as possible 😀 Good to know about the dahlias, I’ve let it stay on the advice of a couple of comments including yours. It has opened up a bit more, though very slowly. Will see how it does the rest of the week and take it as a lesson for the future!
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Lovely late season vase. Especially striking with the viburnum berries. It seems we are having similar weather.
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Thank you! If the upcoming cold blasts are coming from the Arctic area, like they say, I suppose that makes sense! It will hit all of us in the north pretty evenly 😦 It does seem like a lot of the zone 7 and lower bloggers are readying for a cold snap next week, us included. Good luck with getting your plants all tucked in and safe!
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Beautiful
Vase Angela, those colours really sing. I love the berries, I think I might try again with viburnum (viburnum beetle saw mine off!) Thanks for the timely reminder too – I’ll start lifting tender things and mulching this weekend I think!
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Yikes, I had to go and look up those beetles because I didn’t even know there was something that targeted them so specifically! Hopefully our weather is too severe for them. We only had the one shrub for years, though it’s a tough little thing, and just this year I noticed that a new baby shrub is growing across the driveway from it, probably with the help of some birds eating its berries. Between those and the aronias, that hedge is becoming a bird cafeteria 😀 Also, I must ask out of curiosity — does the Under-Gardener like to help by mulching himself while you’re working? The idea is just too cute.
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Fingers crossed you don’t get the beetles – I suspect a good blast of cold would kill them. We’ve got good berries on our pyracantha and our leicesteria and the blackbirds just love them. Yes Bosun does enjoy a good mulching! 😂 and he likes to inspect our work and generally supervise. Most of all he likes to make sure we know when it’s break time and he likes to check that any cups of tea or beers are appropriately accompanied by snacks, which of course he must check for quality control!
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He sounds like an excellent supervisor 😍 I would love to have some company in the garden, but alas both our cats only live indoors and one of them is a plant serial killer on top of that!
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The sunflowers look wonderful still, even so late in the year, and the viburnum berries are pretty in a vase too. I hope the dahlia does open, as I am sure some buds I have seen in other people’s vases do. In any case, a wonderful end of season vase and who knows, there may still be a few surprise late flowers to come. 😉
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Thank you! I’m really surprised right now, because all the flowers (including the small AND big dahlia) are still looking pretty decent this far into the week! And yes, the big dahlia actually is starting to spread its petals a little, so who knows what might happen if I freshen the water again 😀
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Brrrrrr – seeing that hail is making me shiver and reminding me that it is getting much cooler here too Amanda. That’s a most lovely autumnal cameo 😀
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The weather is definitely doing its best to inch closer, but still seems to be dragging its feet. We even had actual snowfall a few days ago, but only for an hour and it melted the minute it touched the ground. Part of me wishes it would just get it over with, and part of me is happy it gives me yet more time to clean things up and make things even easier next spring. I hope that they weather is treatng you well too!
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