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In a Vase on Monday, Marigold 'Bonanza' series, Marigold 'Inca Orange', Marigold 'Jaguar', marigolds in flower arrangements, Zinnia 'Zahara Fire'
Last week when I was gathering some fall decor to bring out of storage into the house, I spotted a ceramic pumpkin candy dish and thought, “That would be a nice bowl for a fall flower arrangement.” And that is how this week’s vase was born.
I have about a million marigolds, so, in spite of their strong scent, I chose them as the base of my arrangement. In the photo above, you can see ‘Bonanza Orange’ and ‘Bonanza Yellow’ French marigolds in my Terrace Garden.
Here is African marigold ‘Inca Orange’, taller, with larger flowers. I plucked small, barely open blooms from this plant because I felt the fully open flowers would overwhelm the rest:
Salvia ‘Evolution’ and/or ‘Victoria Blue’ (I planted both and really am not sure which is which!) is at its peak now, so I chose to use it as an accent amidst all the oranges and yellows:
The basket full of these blooms was inspiration in itself! You can see I also picked some of my volunteer sunflower, ‘Jaguar’ marigolds, and zinnia ‘Zahara Fire’:
Here is the finished arrangement:
I used a chunk of floral foam inside the ceramic pumpkin and arranged the flowers from the outside edge up to the middle. It would have been easier to work from the center out, I think. I had soaked the foam very well in preparation, so it was really quite easy to stick the stems into it.
I like the mix of different shades of yellow, orange, and red, all complemented by the violet Salvia.
Here it is again, turned around. There doesn’t seem to be a clear front or back to this arrangement. Looking at it now, I feel like it needs a fringe of green foliage between the pumpkin and the flowers, but to fuss with it at this point may well ruin it:
My son helped design and make the glass pumpkin when his fourth grade class took a trip to the Corning Glass Center. He chose the confetti colors and helped blow the glass.
The ten-day weather forecast shows average to above average temperatures here, with no sign of frost, so I am looking forward to being able to pick more garden-fresh flowers for a vase next Monday. In the meantime, be sure to visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what she and other gardeners have picked and brought inside to enjoy in a vase on Monday!
Cosmos and Cleome 
My goodness that salvia sets off the oranges and yellows so much and it is gorgeous in the pumpkin planter .. I would never have thought of that combination, but it truly is almost glowing from the intensity of the colours together.
What a cute little confetti pumpkin your son made and what a great opportunity they had to see how glass is blown like that . I bet he never forgets that time.
Yes .. we too will have some good weather coming up .. we have our Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend so it will be turkey time for us : )
Such a pretty flower arrangement Kimberly ! well done you !
Joy
What a fantastic vase that is, and what a pretty glass pumpkin to go with it – even better that your son made it! The vase was perfect for these flowers today, with or without a green frill! With a million marigolds to choose from you couldn’t go wrong, picking in bulk, and the blue salvia is a great foil for their brightness – lovely lovely! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
The color on the marigolds and zinnia is great, it’s bright enough to be a summer picking, but the colors call autumn. I hate to think of the last pickings before frost, but it sure does pay off! I think I need more marigolds next year 🙂
Beautiful use of your autumn flowers. I love the marigolds and that is a very attractive color of zinnia.
Beautiful! What a lovely arrangement of fall’s flowers. Thanks so much for sharing it with us! -Beth
I love that vase, and your arrangement compliments it perfectly, a really cheery display.
Wow! What a gorgeous arrangement … it is just bursting with colour. The purple blue of the salvia works so well with the oranges and yellows of the marigolds and reds of the zinnias … and the pumpkin vase could not be more perfect.
Your marigolds are stunning! I use a ceramic pumpkin as a vase this time of year, too. P. x
Beautiful arrangement! The purple salvia really stands out and adds a nice touch. I usually just plant marigolds in the vegetable garden as a pest deterrent, but they’re looking so good this fall that I think I should plant more of them in the flowerbeds next year.