These are the very first flowers I have picked for the house since we moved in 6 months ago, so it is quite historic for me. At first there were no flowers to pick and then when I eventually had flowers to pick I couldn’t bear to pick them. I still can’t really; I started off with some parsley which has gone to seed, some fat, puffy silene seedheads and just two cosmos. Obviously, it was underwhelming, so I added a rose which is growing up the wall by the front door, I don’t know which one it is but I am not keen on it, it does keep on flowering though. Then I added one bloom of lovely pale pink Rosa ‘James Galway’ which I grew from a cutting, a couple more cosmos and some zinnias..
I know that the more you pick cosmos, the more they come but I didn’t want to sacrifice any buds. The ones I have grown this year are ‘Double Click Rose Bonbon’ and ‘ Cupcakes Blush’ which is my current favourite. Cosmos are the easiest annuals to grow from seed; they never fail to germinate and they grow like weeds. They don’t even seem to mind too much if you don’t pick them out at the right time.
The dark purple flower stem is the tall growing Salvia ‘Amisted’, at least I think it is, I bought it as Salvia ‘Black and Bloom’ but I think that is more blue. I put a black petunia to go with it but I think I will take it out, it sticks out like a sore thumb.
The zinnias are a bit of a disappointment, they don’t look anything like I expected and they don’t grow very tall. I wish I had put them in a pot now, instead of giving them valuable space in the border. They are supposed to be Zinnia elegans ‘Queen Red Lime’, but they don’t look like any picture I’ve seen of them.
The tips of the zinnia flowers are slightly green and the backs of the flowers are greenish too. Still, I don’t like them very much.
I picked one little marigold, Calendula ‘Art Shades’ and one spray of the perennial antirrhinum which was a seedling from Antirrhinum ‘Pretty in Pink’ which turned out white.
I also added a hosta flower and that was it. I have many more beautiful and interesting flowers in the garden but nothing I can bring myself to pick. I haven’t even unpacked all my vases yet, they are still sitting in boxes in the shed and I am not too keen on unpacking them at the moment as they are carefully guarded by this beautiful wasp’s nest which looks just like a paper lampshade. At one time I would have got rid of it but now I adopt a more live and let live attitude to the creatures in my garden. Unless we’re talking about vine weevils, lily beetles, slugs or snails, and then I’m a ruthless killer.
Anyway, today is a gloomy day and it seemed the right time to bring just a little bit of the garden indoors.
Thank you to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting this popular meme. It is a pleasure to join in again, even though I have only grudgingly plonked a few flowers in a vase ; it is a start, and maybe next time I will spare a few treasures.
Chloris
The Blooming Garden 
I think the zinnias look OK, but perhaps the pink clashes with the Cosmos? You say cosmos are easy to grow, but I have struggled. I do like those deeper pink ones though so maybe I should try again.
The zinnias would probably clash with anything, they are a great disapointment. Cosmos come in such a great range of colours, it is worth persevering with them.
Yes, I see what you mean about the zinnia, and have to say that I avoided any of those slightly odd colourways – that one doesn’t really look like a zinnia at all. However, altogether your blooms are lovely and I am glad you felt able to pick some today, albeit begrudgingly. I have discovered how pretty these silene seedheads are this year and how pretty they are in a vase. I wonder when you will unpack your vases, and if you will take any to France with you… Thanks for joining in today – it has been a long time!
I chose that zinnia because I thought it looked so lovely in the pictures, Sarah Raven said it was her favourite zinnia. But this looks nothing like the pictures. It looks nothing like any I can find, so I am mystified. I shan’t take any vases to France as we have so many essentials to take. I shall have to buy ones there in brocantes.
I suppose with these varieties there is inevitably going to be variation, as they will have had quite distinctly different parents, I expect
I have a hard time picking even a few blossoms from my very small garden. But this time of year there seems to be a bit more for cutting. Love all your little bits. They work beautifully!
Thank you. There is plenty there at last, the trouble is I can’t bear to pick it.
It took me a good long while to just pick one bloom for a small vase. Enjoy your lovely garden.
If I had beautiful Monarch butterflies like you, I’d never be able to pick a single echinacea. What a wonderful sight that must be.
It really is. And why I only picked 2. I still was reluctant.
Congrats on your first bouquet from your garden, Liz. Here’s to seeing many more. And what a beautiful work of art that wasp nest is. It’s a keeper (when they are done with it, of course)!
Thank you Eiza. The wasp’s nest is amazing, isn’t it? I wonder what they make it out of.
Mostly likely they scrape wooden fences to make a paste. I have seen orderly rows of marks on our wooden Andirondack chairs, showing the scraping.
Your vase is lovely and it is nice to have flowers inside on a gloomy day. I like the Salvia you added. It is one plant that grows consistently for me. I could never get cosmos to grow.
Thank you. Yes, the salvia is fabulous and makes such a big plant.
That wasp nest is a piece of art but, having discovered the hard way how mean wasps are, I’m not sure I could live with it – I hope all the wasps leave the premises peacefully. As to your floral arrangement, I think your inaugural creation is beautiful. While I doubt the zinnia is ‘Queen Lime Green’, it’s very pretty and adds a bit of panache to the lovely but subdued rose.
The wasps have ignored me coming and going into the shed. It was a bit different when I had a hornet’s nest in my summer house roof. I got chased down the garden and stung. Ouch! Hornets pack a punch like a donkey kick. It’s funny about that zinnia, it looks unlike any other that I can find.
Oh my, that wasp nest looks scary! Most of the wasps that I am aware of are the aggressively mean sort. Of course, those that are not aggressively mean do not get my attention. Anyway, the zinnia and cosmos, al all of the composition is rad, . . . except for the petunia.
These wasps don’t seem very aggressive, so far they have ignored me. Glad you like my vase, I agree about the petunia, I have taken it out.
OH! I did not mean that it should be voted off the island! I just have mundane taste. I do not expect everyone to agree with it.
A wonderful symphony in pink. I had the same experience with Queen Lime Zinnias, just weirdly not like the package. I hope you are glad you parted with the flowers in the garden.
How odd these zinnias don’t always seem to come true from seed. On the other hand perhaps it is surprising that any of them do. Yes, I am enjoying having flowers on the table, thank you.
The zinnias are a conundrum. I bought expensive seed from a highbrow nursery and got these weird little miscolored flowers.
Oh yes, wise to be careful around that wasp’s nest. Your arrangement is warm and elegant. Great combination of elements in the arrangement!
Thank you Beth. I am being careful; the tin of fish food is right next to the nest which makes me a bit nervous every time I take the lid off. But so far they just ignore me.
My goodness…To have started out with almost nothing you are on a roll. All are beautiful…love them.
Thank you. Yes, I am on a roll, I found it very depressing having no plants to enjoy when we got here, I am used to an abundance of blooms.
I love this arrangement! Like you I find it hard to cut flowers. Every year I intend to raise an annual cutting patch and every year I fail. My cosmos are a complete washout this year!
I even grew some cosmos, zinnias, antirrhinums and sunflowers specially for cutting. But still I don’t want to pick them.
You have found plenty of beauties to sacrifice for your lovely vase Chloris. I remember how I also used to hesitate at cutting flowers when my garden was young. The cupcakes cosmos is really pretty. I might try that next year. And I actually like those zinnias! I had a seed packet of mixed red and lime but they all seem to be coming up ‘green’ – which is actually a sort of dirty yellow! Oh, and that wasp’s nest is truly a work of art. 😃
Cupcakes is a lovely shape and has frilly edges, I love it. After reading peoples’ comments, it seems that these Queen Red and Lime zinnias vary enormously.
Late catching up on comments and reading blogs. Such a lovely vase to mark an historic moment in your gardening. You’ve done a remarkable amount of work in the past year. Beautiful Rosa ‘James Galway’ is truly a stand-out. The wasp nest is more intricate and large than any I’ve seen. Impressive, but I am wary of them. Have a great week.
Thank you Susie. James Galway is a fabulous rose, I am pleased that I managed to strike a cutting of it. The wasp nest is amazing, I have never noticed before how intricate and beautifully made they are.
It must have given you a thrill non the less to pick those blooms, just see it as early dead heading to encourage more blooms, and that may make you feel better. I actually like the zinnia, with the gradation in colour..well it takes all sorts!
I know they need dead heading it’s just that you have to sacrifice several buds on each stalk. I wouldn’t mind the zinnias in a pot, but I planted them in the border and they don’t look right.
Oh I can understand now not wanting to cut and therefore sacrifice future blooms. Placement is all in the garden, I was only walking round the garden today and thinking: Oh that would be nicer there etc…next time I ought to go out with a note book and also plan when to do the move, of course that is with perrenials.
Congratulations on your first vase, and what a beauty it is, I’ve missed these posts. Oh wow, that wasps nest is magnificent, hopefully you’ll get to keep it when they are done with it.xxx