FALL ARRANGEMENTS - Cooler temperatures make the colors 'pop'

The Fall colors of the hybrid tea roses, miniature roses, and garden mums are brighter and last longer because of the cooler temperatures. After this last batch of rose blooms, I won't deadhead them anymore. This will get the plants ready for the winter; roses need a 'hardening off' time. They will be blooming through October. The mums will last through the fall, until a killing frost, which is usually the end of November here in zone 6. The arrangement will last at least 2 weeks, with the exception of the roses. Just pinch them off when spent, and the arrangement will look nice the remainder of the time. Mums have an extra long vase life, lasting 3 or more weeks. 

SUMMER ARRANGEMENTS - Filling a non-waterproof basket

There are a vast array of unique and fun vases, planter boxes, baskets, etc. to make your flower arrangements in. In today's weekly arrangement, I used a nice-sized yellow wooden basket. It has a handle for easy carrying, and holds a medium-sized bouquet. To use this basket, since it isn't waterproof,  I purchased plastic basket liners; they come in a variety of sizes, and can be found online, or you can purchase them from a floral or craft shop. Just cut oasis for wet arrangements to fit into the liner. Fill the liner so the oasis is saturated and then arrange, always using water with a floral preservative. After cutting my stems, I make a second cut, under water, then arrange. I then put the arrangement in the garage 'flower' refrigerator, set at 40 degrees, overnight. This slows down the progression of the flowers, and the arrangements will last longer. This arrangement uses State Fair zinnias, garden mums, tea roses and a gladiola stem. It will last well over a week.

EARLY FALL ARRANGEMENTS - Roses, Mums, Monkshood and Zinnias

This week's arrangement features the bright early fall colors of the flowers that do so well when the temperatures cool down a bit. GARDEN AND FLORIST MUMS, in particular, need longer, cooler nights to perform their best, and so they are starting to bloom. Fall blooming MONKSHOOD is tall and stately. Be careful when handling Monkshood--all parts of the flower and stem can be irritating to the skin and are poisonous.The HYBRID TEA ROSES and STATE FAIR ZINNIAS will continue to bloom until the first hard frost.  When cutting, cut stems on an angle, under water, and immediately arrange in your vase or planter with water with floral preservative in. Keep arrangements out of direct sunlight for a longer vase-life arrangement.

NEW DAY hybrid Tea Rose

BRANDY hybrid Tea Rose

STATE FAIR Zinnia

MONKSHOOD (Aconitum)

DOUBLE DELIGHT hybrid Tea Rose

Florist mum PROM KING, MONKSHOOD,
PERFUME DELIGHT hybrid Tea Rose

White FLORIST SPIDER MUM 

ROSES - Fall hybrid tea roses in bouquets and arrangements

With cooler temperatures, hybrid tea roses burst with color. This weeks arrangement features pinks and reds, with the dinner plate dahlias.  Both will continue blooming until frost.

LATE SUMMER BOUQUETS - Hybrid tea roses and garden mums

With a little cooler temperatures and some rain in the top of Utah, the colors in the garden have popped!  This arrangement uses white and lavender GARDEN MUMS, with a baker's dozen of luscious TAHITIAN SUNSET and pristine white PASCALI hybrid tea roses. They make a colorful bouquet for the beginning of what will hopefully be a long Indian Summer. 

SUMMER BOUQUETS FOR AUGUST

The weekly arrangement features the last of the ORIENTAL LILIES, HYBRID TEA ROSES, STATE FAIR ZINNIAS and GLADIOLA.

HYBRID TEA ROSES AND SUMMER GLADIOLAS

The August flush of HYBRID TEA ROSES is still on, as well as one of the 4 or 5 plantings of GLADIOLA that I did early in the spring, planting every 2 weeks thereafter until summer--and until all the corms were planted. I love pink and yellow together, and this arrangement has several varieties of pink and yellow roses, as well as three different glads and some baby pink and yellow roses and yellow mums.When using florist's oasis, make sure you're using the right kind--for wet arrangements. Cut the foam to fit tight in your container, then fill with water with a preservative in. Let soak up well--you may need to fill it up several times in order for the solution to completely soak up in the foam. Arrange by cutting stems under water, then immediately arranging, pulling off leaves or any greenery that will be below the water line.  Keep in a cool, dark place until needed. These roses were in the bud stage when picked--it doesn't take long for them to unfold. For longer lasting arrangements, cut glads when color is showing and the bottom flower has just unfolded. For roses, a large, full bud is best.

GLADS, ROSES AND ZINNIAS FOR A KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLOR!

Some of my favorite summer blooms--GLADS, ROSES and ZINNIAS--they will continue on through the summer months.  I love working with these bright colors in these seasonal arrangements.