September 9, 2015

Crimson William Shakespeare Roses in a Vase


Last week I put together this flamboyantly colored vase of crimson 'William Shakespeare' and mauve 'Sister Elizabeth' roses.  With spikes from 'Buzz Purple' butterfly bushes and 'Pink Princess' foxgloves in the mix, it turned out a little brighter than I usually like.  But the great thing about fresh flowers is they die before you get tired of the colors!


William Shakespeare roses have a delicious old rose scent, and Sister Elizabeth smells of myrrh.  The Pink Princess foxgloves bridged the color gap between the two types of roses, with mauve coloring at the tips and crimson shading at the base of each vase-shaped flower.


For texture I included some interesting flower bracts from 'Amethyst Falls' ornamental oregano (above) . . .


. . . as well as my favorite Dr. Suess-esque clematis seed pods and 'Fama' pincushion flower (Scabiosa) seed pods.


To make a base for the flowers, I used 'Black Lace' elderberry (Sambucus) leaves.  Then I added stems of curly willow (Salix) and honeysuckle (Lonicera) to arch out from the center.  Cuttings from Japanese anemone (A. robistussima) contributed pearl-like buds on curving stems.


All that pink and purple turned out slightly psychedelic.  This week I'm back to pale roses on my table, but that's a post for another day.

4 comments:

  1. Gorgeous colors, and beautiful photos of those gorgeous colors. The clematis seed heads are a clever touch of texture.

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  2. Gorgeous! Your arrangements always look very professional.

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  3. I think the colors are quite amazing! Thanks for the reminder to bring the flowers indoor more often!

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  4. What an absolutely gorgeous combination. I just kept scrolling down saying, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!

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