Gardening: More Bouquets (and more to come!)

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

That last post on the first of the flower bouquets from the garden is really just the tip of the iceberg. About a month has passed since I first picked that bunch, and we've got some great new varieties in bloom...

In mid-August, the queen lime zinnia (orange & red varieties) popped considerably more, giving me mostly semi-doubles with the occasional dahlia-esque full double (the red variety didn't seem to make any doubles). The salsa mix echinacea continued to produce as did the sensation mix cosmos (even some mostly white ones!). The first of the peony duchess apricot asters came in, followed by many many more. Occasionally, I'll pick a hydrangea mophead for some added interest.

The sensation mix cosmos make a nice bunch on their own, but I really appreciate their varied colors for adding interest/contrast to other bouquets. They also are the first blooms to fade, which isn't a problem as I seem to always have plenty more to replenish them.

A week or so after the zinnias exploded, the first of the old rose mix dahlia bloomed. These two are pompom-type, I suspect the decorative varieties will be blooming shortly, giving a whole new attitude to the picked flowers we have all over the house...

With enough varieties in the same flowers, flower garden caretaking is kept fairly simple, but the color schemes for bouquets are greatly expanded. Can get quite a lot of variety with only a handful of cut flower species!