With the return of rains and a couple days of wind, some things in the parking strip were falling over into the street and needed to be cut back. Today's vase is a thrown-together collection of those prunings.
Phytolacca americana, AKA American Pokeweed is indeed a huge weed but it's not difficult to control and I love the fuchsia/magenta stems and glossy purple/black berries. I let one grow a bit close to the street and it had to go.
One of the variegated giant grasses sent a few stems toppling in the wind so they got cut..
Choisya ternata 'Sundance' is a marvelous golden broad leafed evergreen which someone planted years ago and now has to cut back several times a year as it is a vigorous grower. Fortunately, the haircuts just make it bushier.
Also saved from the dumpster was this cool wooden green chair which someone discarded in our alley. The chair only needed a quick repair and now lives in the greenhouse.
Here's the chair posing outside in the wet autumn garden.
Because those glorious berries tend to drop off and stain badly (or very well, however you look at it) this arrangement will stay on an outdoor table.
Many thanks to the host of In A Vase On Monday, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. Click
here to see vases from around the world.
A lovely arrangement and I like the chair too. What a great idea having an arrangement on a tableoutside. Why not? I think I will copy the idea; something big using rosehips choisya,ivy and grasses.
ReplyDeleteVery nice -- the big grass blades really make it special I think!
ReplyDeleteThe colors are great, especially the pokeweed and choisya, as is the use of the fallen plants, so appropriate with the fallen chair. This bouquet of yours is a favorite of mine.
ReplyDeleteOh that chair was a great find - and the pokeweed berries drape mos elegantly. Such a pretty plant, and well matched by your other trimmings - thanks for sharing, Peter
ReplyDeleteI've seen pokeweed blooming in the woods where our friends say it is quite invasive. But those stems and berries are as gorgeous and dramatic as anything I can imagine putting in a vase. I love it on the green chair in the garden, where the whole garden looks like it may just swallow it up when you are not looking!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty and I love the chair. I dare not grow pokeweed though.
ReplyDeleteThat is a wonderfully exuberant arrangement! I love it on the table with all the other accoutrements arranged around it, including the crow looking out over the top.
ReplyDeletePokeweed can be an attractive nusisance, irrestible to birds. There is something sophisticated about dark berries and red stems despite the stains. Oh, the chair! Another great find.
ReplyDeleteVery nice, the strappy grasses make it very modern. The chair looks perfect for the greenhouse. I keep bringing pokeweed seeds home for the garden, maybe one day they'll grow.
ReplyDeleteIf only all weeds were as pretty as that pokeweed! Our climate must be inhospitable for it - I don't think I've ever seen it here.
ReplyDeleteThat's a gorgeous arrangement, so lush and dramatic. Well done!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, Peter! I'm a big fan of pokeweed, too. The magenta stems and shiny, dark berries are irresistible. You've created a wonderful arrangement here!
ReplyDeleteOnly you could take something from a dumpster and some fallen foliage and create such a majestic arrangement! I've never heard of pokeweed, but what an amazing color and form combination. Reading your previous post on the nursery and the asters and mums, wow. Your area has wonderful vendors and greenhouses; I'd be spending all my time (and money) shopping. :-)
ReplyDeleteLove love love this arrangement! Some of the best things are serendipitous. I'm a big fan of wooden chairs and would have had a real problem leaving it in the alley. Good find.
ReplyDeleteWell done, I love it!
ReplyDeleteMy week in Phoenix fell just before their annual "leave it in a pile next to the street and the City will pick it up free and no questions asked" event. OMG I wanted to stop and rescue chairs, branches, wooden shapes, metal pieces, etc, etc, etc...
What a wonderful creation.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your appreciation of the Pokeweed - and I love those berries. I have similar feelings for my Aralia racemosa, which some reject as an overgrown weed.
ReplyDeleteYour "saved from the dumpster" arrangement belongs in a hotel lobby or a fancy event. Wow! My grandmother frequently scouted out her neighborhood's curbside garbage and she always found treasures. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I was pulled here after seeing the word dumpster and the image. I don't think I've ever seen pokeweed before. Ever. The chair really makes the photo.
ReplyDeleteNicheGirl @ Dumpsters Portsmouth
Your dropbox bouquet transcends its origins.
ReplyDelete