Golden Pearls.
I chose this title because I started the arrangement with a spray of the lovely little rose.’Perle d’Or’. The flowers are pale peach but the buds are much darker; I think they would make a perfect buttonhole rose if people still wore such things.
The tail end of Gonzalo tore a branch off my little Medlar tree and so I have these tiny golden fruit to carry on the golden theme. The tree is very young, I only bought it this Spring. It is covered with tiny fruit, it is a good thing that I don’t want to blet them because they really are too small. Never mind, I have never bletted anything in my life so I am not going to start now. In case you haven’t heard the term , bletting is what you do with medlars to make them edible. Basically it means letting them get rotten. I can’t imagine what they taste like unbletted if you have to wait until they are rotten to make them palatable.
Above the medlars is the pretty -shaped David Austin rose ‘Grace’.
The large, single flowers of the rose ‘Sally Holmes’ have been blooming all summer. I love it.
I used two Asters in the arrangement; the white sprays of tiny flowers are from’ Monte Cassino’ which is a flower-arrangers dream. The purple Aster in the second picture is ‘Purple Dome’.
The other purple flowers are Salvia ‘Purple Majesty’and Verbena bonariensis.
More gold, well orange really is to be found in the Pyracantha, (the most vicious plant on earth, in my opinion) Chrysanthemum ‘Dixter Orange’ and Dahlia coccinea which I love for its bright, orange flowers and its lovely foliage. It just keeps growing and growing and is really tall now.
Next to Aster ‘Purple Dome’ I have used the last flowers of my Not-quite-a-hollyhock, Alcalthaea suffrutescens ‘Parkallee’. They are getting a bit dirty, peach colour now but they have been flowering for weeks. I like the way the purple stamens match the Aster ‘Purple Dome’.
The grass seedheads are Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’ which I love but unfortunately it is not hardy so you have to save seeds. To match the Alcalthaea, and the Sally Holmes rose, I used a spray of Hesperantha. (Maybe you are still calling it Schizostylis? Keep up.)
I used a Chinese jug which is orange, gold and purple to pick up the colours of the arrangement. Or rather I used the flower colours in the arrangement to match the jug.
‘In a Vase on Monday’ is the popular meme hosted by lovely Cathy at ramblinginthegarden. Do go and see what other people have been finding in their gardens to put in a vase. And why not join in?
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Chloris
The Blooming Garden 
You did find a lot to put in your vase today Liz; they all work beautifully together and with the vase too! I too wonder about medlars, I’ve never been tempted to grow or taste one.
Thanks Christina. The Medlar is a pretty little tree. The blossom is lovely too. So the tree earns its place even if you don’ t want to blet Medlars. . And why would you when you have luscious fruit like persimmons and pomegranates?
I’m surprised at how well the orange works with the shell pink, but it is all lovely together.
Sally Holmes is the very palest pink and the hollyhock Parkallee is actually peach coloured so they go quite well together.
How good that you have enough flowers to match the vase – it all looks lovely.
Thank you Annette. Thanks to this mild weather the flowers go on and on blooming. It was 17 degrees again today and sunny.
The flowers and vase complement each other beautifully. I’m surprised to see that you still have so many roses in bloom. I’m glad you explained “bletting” as I hadn’t a clue in the world what that meant, although, based on your description, I don’t think it’s something I’d find myself doing either.
Thank you Kris. Even if you never need to blet anything, at least you have a nice new word now. It could come in handy for scrabble.
We have had such mild weather here that the roses just go on and on blooming. I can ‘t remember them ever looking so good in late October before.
It makes for a very rich arrangement. The various oranges make it seasonal.
I would like very much to taste a medlar, but I have never seen them on this continent. Bletting is not as strange as it seems. For instance, persimmons also have to be bletted to be edible.
I didn’ t know that you blet persimmons but I did think it odd that there is a transitive verb which is solely used for softening medlars. Maybe you can blet all sorts of things.
It is such a pretty tree with lovely blossom, but the fruit isn’ t very nice. I found one lying about once which had bletted itself, it was almost rotten. It was revolting.
You always do lovely arrangements with a terrific variety of flowers & foliage. You have inspired me to make more effort to do something worthy once or twice a week all summer. I would love to join in sometimes, however I have no idea how to do so. Any suggestions or would I need someone techie to show me? I do have an iPad which I use for quick photos these days.
Hi Meriel – this Cathy who hosts the Monday vase meme. If you want to email me at the email address which you should find with this comment I can explain how you would go about doing it.
Many thanks Chloris. I will ‘try’ to contact Cathy. No I don’t have a blog. I don’t know how you & other very prolific bloggers have the time to live life, do the gardening, read others blogs & do all the writing & photography! You have my unbounded admiration!
Do you have a blog Meriel? If not it is easy to set up a free WordPress blog. I did it and there is no one less Techie than me.It would be lovely if you would join in. If you do I shall be one of your first followers.
You’ve collected very interesting materials, all thoughtfully arranged, for this pretty vase. I haven’t wanted to grow Pyracantha because of the size and thorns but I do love it in someone else’s yard.
Thank you Susie.
I would never plant Pyracantha, in fact I have got rid of a couple of them. But I have left one because the berries are lovely. But ouch, those thorns are truly terrible.
I love your vase, Chloris, and whichever came first doesn’t really matter as they complement each other beautifully. What a lovely selection of flowers and fruit you have been able to include – I am especially taken with ‘Grace’ who has such pretty shaped petals, and once again I am eyeing up your salvia. I have to confess that I very quickly adopted the name ‘Hesperantha’ – who wouldn’t, instead of that Schizostylis mouthful?! Fascinating to read about the use of the word ‘blet’, and whether it applies to other fruit. Thanks for joining in today – I know you have enjoyed doing so!
Thank you Cathy, Yes I did enjoy it and it becomes even more fun when there is the challenge of not having so much material available. I don’ t seem able to do a minimilist arrangement even though I admire them when other people do them.
Grace is exquisite in colour and form.
I love the Medlar berries. Is Medlar from the genus Sorbus? We call Sorbus Mountain Ash.
We call Sorbus, Mountain Ash too, at least people who are less pedantic than I am do. I prefer Latin to avoid confusion.
The medlar is not a Sorbus, it is Mespilus germanica. If you prefer a vernacular name, in the 16 th and 17th centuries, the fruits used to be called ‘ open arses’ because of their shape. There are many bawdy references to the Medlar in early literature which I am far too delicate to mention.
Well I would expect nothing less than delicacy from you. I wonder if the Victorians draped the Medlar fruit in tiny petticoats. Also, do you know if the fruits are berries or drupes? If drupes, then bawdy botanists could refer to them as droopy arses.
I love the image of the medlars all wearing little petticoats. I think I might choose my Medlar for next year’ s tree following meme. I shall ask Betty to do a picture of the medlars all decently clad in petticoats.
I am afraid the Medlar is a pome not a drupe. What a pity. Let’ s pretend that it is a drupe.I like your new botanical name for them.
A sumptuous vase, Chloris, with lots of beautiful colours. I love the addition of those golden medlars. I am intrigued by your medlars and what they may taste like once bletted. Hmm – an acquired taste maybe? Rose “Grace” is stunning!
Thanks Ali. I think that medlars very much an acquired taste, and one that you may not want to bother acquiring. But the tree is very pretty.
Grace really is gorgeous.
Chloris, this is really lovely and full of wonderful plants, I love the combination its so extravagant and generous. I was just about to google the word blet, in an attempt to say something intelligent and thankfully you explained it beautifully! Yes I was still attempting to say the tricky word Schizostylis. Fortunately Hesperantha is much easier to pronounce.
Thank you Julie. It is worth growing a Medlar so that you can talk with great authority about bletting.
Yes, Hesperantha is one name change that we don’ t mind. I’ m not so thrilled about Symphiotrichum or Dendranthema.
What a great collection of flowers and fruit you have put together this week Chloris – it looks lovely in that beautifully coloured jug. Also thank you for explaining bletting – I thought it was a typo at first but should have known better!
Thank you Julie. Actually I thought that blet was spelt with double T on the end, so it could well have been a typo but I checked it first. I still think it looks wrong with only one T.
What a lovely autumn vase, I do love the rose buds. There I was enjoying the flowers then “bletting” came up….goodness me…I haven’t heard of it before but it does sound rather chilling, I was laughing at the idea of having to let something rot before it can become edible!!!
Now if you check your post you will see a couple of squirrels in there, only their tails mind, they must have snuck in when you weren’t watching….xxx
How observant of you to notice the squirrels. They are nice red ones from Formby, of course. Not the nasty grey ones that you find round here.
Of course they are…and they crept into your posy on pic four! I think I spend FAR too much time around animals….xxx
Well, it is a bit worrying when you even see animals in vases of flowers. But I thought I’ d better humour you. To be absolutely honest no animals were involved in this vase of flowers at all, not even squirrels. Sorry.
Lovely … as always =)
And thanks for the laugh about the medlars!
Thanks Debra. It’ s Jason at Garden in the city you have to thank for the laugh, his comment is hilarious.
Chloris the Chinese jug is perfect with the flowers/fruit and so many flowers. I agree the bud of your rose is stunning.
Thank you Donna. It was the jug which inspired me to seek out these colours. That and the fact that there was such a lovely spray of Perle d’ Or roses still in bloom.
It’s so pretty! It looks like it took so much time and effort, but you’ve achieved an amazing live work of art! Lovely!
Thank you Beth, to be honest, it is only plonked. I only ever plonk my flowers into vases.
Your vases are always beautiful…I have to remember to pick my flowers and put them in a vase. I mostly do it,when I have company / a party-lol. It should be a habit every day:-)
“A tidy house is the sign of a wasted life”I was reading Cynthia’s blog + I saw your quote—LOVE IT!!!! You are welcome to stop by my house- anytime if you come to USA—-I will answer the door for you:-) YOU are a “true” gardener….right now my kitchen is filled with seeds drying, harvesting, and getting ready for fall gardens! It is clean but not tidy-lol
Thank you Robbie, I would love to visit you if I ever come to your part of the world and I hope you will visit me if you come to England.
You bet, but my daughter just moved to Sweden so have to go there first:-)
The medlars and pyracantha really add to the autumn feel and the overall effect is quite joyful! You still have some beautiful roses. This is a vase I would love to have in my house too and smile every time I pass it. Lovely!
I like the deep coloured Purple Dome aster – is it a tall one?
Thank you Cathy. I still have roses in bloom, this warm weather goes on and on. Aster Purple Dome is a nice compact one.
You’re so right: no one wears buttonhole roses anymore. Perhaps a campaign to bring them back would be in order? Love the way the Verbena bonariensis echoes the Salvia and the asters.
It would be nice to wear a buttonhole to match your outfit and why not?
I like the purple shades with the peach.
Oh what riches Chloris. Your flowers, fruits and berries pick up the colours of your vase perfectly.
I hope that the medlar tree recovers from the storm damage and that you will be bletting before too long. I’m intrigued as to the origins of the word. Off in search for the dictionary.
Thank you Anna. The word ‘ blet’ comes from the French verb ‘ blettir’ = to become overripe.
No I’ m not going to blet. I don’ t fancy rotten fruit.
The colors in your vase are so unexpected, I’m so stuck on the bold modern colors that I think I forgot what subtlety looks like. Soft oranges and pinks have never looked better, and I love the medlar fruit. Someday you’ll be bletting, I’m sure it’s one of those things you’re never too old to start…. yet I’m sure some hearty stout drinker will have to be the one who tests the finished medlar, since I feel you will always have enough sense to steer clear of that experiment.
No, I’ m not going to get into bletting. You know they say’ life is too short to stuff a mudhroom’ ? Well I think life is too short to blet as well.
That is stunning! It looks very professional. I had to Google ‘bletting’. I know a few people who would benefit from bletting. Instead they’re just getting more and more sour as they age. Maybe the US should adopt this practice. 🙂
Thank you Tammy. I haven’ t heard the term ‘ bletting’ applied to people. Perhaps it should be. Perhaps we should all be well bletted as we get old. The trouble is, that it may make us sweeter, but it would make us rotten as well.
What a stunning display, and the vase you’ve chosen is really beautiful too.
Thank you Paula, it is great to have so many flowers still in bloom to choose from so late in the year. The weather is still so mild.