HALLOWEEN FALL FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS - Fall colors with Zinnias, Mums, Dahlias, and Monkshood

Fall temperatures bring an end to many flowers in the garden. Zinnias, dahlias and mums however, are still going strong. Moreover, monkshood, a fall blooming perennial, usually starts it's bloom in October, lasting into November here in zone 6.  The week's arrangement features the colorful tall State Fair zinnias, garden mums, dinner plate dahlias, and monkshood. The tall purple spikes of monkshood grow as tall as 5 feet, and are a welcome sight in the fall with their 'hooded' flowers. All parts of this plant are poisonous, and are best in the back of the bed not only for this reason, but also because of its height. I always handle them with gloves, and have never had a problem in the many years I've grown them. They make lovely bouquets, having a long vase life, especially if cut in the bud stage. FYI: Several plants commonly grown in gardens are poisonous. They can cause nausea, vomiting, rapid heart rate or diarrhea if ingested, or cause adverse effects on the skin, such as rashes, itchiness, or even blisters. I grow all but 2 of these perennials and have never had any sort of problem with any of them. However it is wise not to ingest any of them, and I work with gloves at all times. Wisteria, foxglove, hydrangea, hyacinths, lily of the valley, chrysanthemum, rhododendron, azalea and narcissus are all toxic, but if handled correctly you should have no problems. 

RED ARRANGEMENTS - FALL ZINNIAS: They come in a variety of blooms, but all are bright and beautiful

Fall is a time when the blooms of perennials are usually larger, brighter, and last longer in the garden. State Fair Zinnias are no exception. I love the variety the colorful flowers have: single, semi double, double, and fully double! This week's arrangement shows them all, in lovely red, velvety blooms. The shades of rosy lavender in many of them adds extra character. State Fair Zinnias come in a myriad of colors: white, off-white, deep red, and all shades of yellow, pink, coral, orange and rose. The more you snip off, the more they bloom. They are prolific fall bloomers, and will continue to bloom until a killing frost, usually the end of November here in zone 6. After a killing frost, the stalks turn black, and they are easily pulled out. Some people save the seeds to plant in the spring. If you want to, just wait for the mature, spent blooms to yellow, then shake the dry head into an envelope. Mark and keep the small seeds in the refrigerator until spring, when they can be sown in the garden when all chance of frost is over, or 6 weeks earlier in seeding pots inside. 

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.

LILIES, GLADIOLA & ZINNIAS for SUMMER BOUQUETS and ARRANGEMENTS

August 9th finds the garden lilies coming to an end.  "Anastasia," with it's huge white and pink upward-facing blooms, is very fragrant, and is very long-lasting in arrangements--upwards of two weeks. "Stargazer," a smaller Oriental lily, is also fragrant, and usually blooms a little earlier. Arranged with glads and zinnias, this feminine pink arrangement, in a lime green ceramic container, with wet foam oasis for flower arranging, will be long-lasting. Always use a floral preservative and cut flowers early in the morning or after dusk in the evening.  Keep flowers in a cool, dark place until needed.

RED, WHITE, and BLUE -- Patriotic Summer Arrangements

In Utah the week of the 24th is a special holiday; Utah became a state on that date. So, for the July 19th arrangement, I did a red, white and blue bouquet. Huge red State Fair zinnias, white and red glads, and white glads and daisies, with bright blue bush delphinium make up this festive arrangement. A flag finishes off the look. After the blue delphinium are finished blooming, I let the seed pods dry, then crush the pods and sprinkle the seeds right onto the damp, but not wet, soil. Press slightly, but they need light to germinate, so don't cover. The fresh seed will germinate quickly, and little seedlings will come up. When a couple of inches tall, you can transplant them to areas you desire, or you can just thin them out. Always keep flower arrangements out of direct sun and drafts. Change water every other day if possible, using a floral preservative in the water.

SUMMER ARRANGEMENTS WITH COLOR - Use a variety of flowers for impact

Early summer blooms from the garden make this July 12th arrangement colorful and happy. Gladiola, lilies, zinnias, delphinium and daisies in various colors of yellow, pink, blue, and white are in the bouquet, which will last more than a week. Gladiolas will bloom in the garden late spring through fall because of early planting, and planting at 2-week intervals from early spring into early summer. Delphinium is the same. By cutting down to the basal leaves after the first bloom, it will bloom again. I can get three bloom cycles from the delphinium in a season. Zinnias will bloom until a killing frost in fall. The more you cut, the more they bloom. The vase is a new one--a friend gave it to me for helping with the wedding reception of her daughter. I love it! It holds about 11 quarts of water, and is very heavy to carry, so I only fill it up not quite half way. As always, use a floral preservative and make a second cut of the stems under water for longer vase life.

BRIGHT FALL ARRANGEMENTS

This weeks arrangement consists of fall blooms: florist and garden mums and zinnias. I love having color in the beds this time of year, and zinnias and mums are two of the best to have in your flower gardens. They continue blooming until a killing frost. I keep a record of the bloom and frost times, and here in the top of Utah we've had a killing frost as early as the first of October and as late as the end of November. Another reason why I like both these varieties is because they have such a long vase life. 

SUMMER BOUQUETS FOR AUGUST

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

GLADIOLAS AND ZINNIAS IN ARRANGEMENTS

This week's floral arrangement still utilizes the STATE FAIR ZINNIAS and GLADIOLA that are flourishing in the flower beds.  The zinnias will continue on until a killing frost, and the glads have another batch of blooms yet to flower.  The glads were planted early spring, and planted in groups every two weeks, ensuring a long bloom season, through October.  Glad corms are pulled in the late fall, when the foliage is yellowed, and stored in a mesh bad in the shed.  I have also left some in the ground over winter and they have done well.