It was the deep red red wine colour of Rudbeckia ‘Cherry Brandy’ and Scabiosa ‘Black Knight’ that prompted today’s vase; otherwise it might be have been a further celebration of ‘late summer stalwarts’ the dahlias, which I was admiring yesterday for their generosity, longevity of flowering season and overall impact. What else other than roses makes such a statement?
Some of the blooms in the vase are so dark they almost disappear and you may have to look closely at the view from overhead to see some of the boozy contents. When I came to pick the scabious I could only find two perfect blooms, so supplemented them with not-quite-so-dark Scabiosa ‘Burgundy Beau’. Also from the cutting beds were opening buds of Cosmos ‘Double Click Cranberries’, whilst other borders produced Knautia macedonia ‘Red Alert’, Persicaria ‘Blackfield’ and the stunning new foliage of Nandina ‘Obsessed’. A wine glass was an appropriate vessel for these blooms but the choice of a lead crystal brandy glass was incidental and not, I am sad to say, specifically designed to suit the Cherry Brandy that triggered the vase in the first place.
The stems are held inplace with a small handful of pebbles and the prop is one I have used before, a realistic but highly miniaturised fridge magnet which always looks the part.
Whether you create a vase of your own or just enjoy looking at other people’s you will be made very welcome on IAVOM. If you would like to share a vase with us, put together with material from your garden or foraged locally, please leave links to and from this post so we share in the pleasure it brings you.
Rambling in the Garden 
Drama in a vase!
Yes, I thought it looked quite dramatic too, Jenanita!
MAGIC COLOURS AND GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS, CHINA
Thank you
Reblogged this on LIVING THE DREAM.
Oh, I love the rich colors in your vase today. What a way to serve wine! Thanks for hosting Cathy.
Thanks Susie, you certainly can’t get much richer or deeper than that rudbeckia
Good morning Cathy! I love the unusual colors in your arrangement. Most of our vases have wide openings requiring us to “stuff” the container full, but this one turned out pretty nice. https://chasingtheblooms.wordpress.com/2019/08/19/in-a-vase-on-monday-mixed-vase-august-19-2019/
Hi Joe – is it just my phone? When I click on your link it takes me to a blank WP post.
I have amended the link Chris, so try again
Hello Chris. My apologies I will look at it and get it fixed thank you for let me know
Cathy found the issue first Chris. The link was bad and I was telling her that I was on a mission trip to Central America last week when I put some of this stuff together and the handoff between the internet service provider and my iPad was hinky. I probably need to check some of my other links.
Thanks Joe. Yes, the opening of a vase can make such a big difference to how the flowers sit in it – another reason for having a variety of vases, I suppose (do I need an excuse?!)
Cathy Iām one of those guys that frequents yard sales and Iām always looking for unusual Vases. I have a sprawling sunflower and Zinnia planting Along with my dahlias so this is the time we start making arrangements and giving them to my wifeās hair salon customers. As many
Vases as we can find we can fill
Isn’t it nice to be able to give flowers away?
It’s only second to watching them bloom Cathy. Plus I have been doing this long enough to know cutting promotes more blooms.
Ah yes, of course, Joe š
Oh, and there was a mistake in your link (too many ‘wordpress’es), which I have corrected
Thank you Cathy. I just returned from a central America mission trip and for some reason my iPad was doing some quirky stuff with the Internet that I had.I canāt complain because I did have a pretty good Internet but there is something about the handoff between that kept screwing up documents. Now I know why Chris had trouble with the link.
I get the impression you lead an interesting life, Joe
An exhausting one for sure. I created a detailed post about my trip on my faith-based blog if you are interested.
I will make time to go and have a look, Joe
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Happy Monday to you Cathy and thank you for hosting us again.
Your vase today is stunning. I have never grown flowers of that deep wine color that almost look black and it is nice to see them in an arrangement. Do they also look that stunning in the garden or get lost because of their dark color?
They are in the cuttings beds so don’t get lost but I can see how they might in a border
Lovely dark colours but I feel they are crying out for some silver foliage!
Well, I dutifully toddled off down the garden when I read this Christina but the only silver foliage was Stachys ‘Big Ears’ which of course has Big Leaves (big as in huge!), and lychnis which is almost all flower stem and an occasional leaf, so I can’t put your theory to the test _ – you will probably be right as the contents could easily disappear into some backgrounds
Wow, sozzled indeed, although I’m not sure I know what it means!! š something to do with fiery hot red I imagine! Love the fridge magnet!
Haha – no, not fiery, sozzled means an overindulgence of alcoholic beverage, Chris! š
I should know that!!!
Now what sort of image does that create of you, Chris?! š
Likely pretty accurate!! ššš·š·š·
I am so going to use this word when I get the chance! lol
Hi Cathy, I’m loving your very dramatic arrangement today. The beautiful dark blooms look lovely in the brandy glass and the fridge magnet – what can I say, it’s perfect! Nothing so dramatic from me this week – here’s my link: https://silverscrappers.blogspot.com/2019/08/in-vase-on-monday-take-two.html
Thanks Elizabeth – I know I focussed on the alcoholic side but I can see that it is also dramatic
My Dad used to say sozzled – it could mean wine sozzled or gravy sozzled. I think you could be cranberry sozzled. I love the Nandina and it is new to me, though I cannot grow those in my garden anymore. Nandinas are being outlawed here in many places because the spread so rapidly and the berries are toxic to some birds. Just looked at your Dahlias from Six on Saturday, lovely, so jealous. Here is my Monday vase http://theshrubqueen.com/2019/08/19/in-a-vase-on-monday-jar-of-weeds/
Your family definitely have a thing about gravy, Amelia !! š Interesting to hear about the thuggish nandinas; this variety does not have berries so wouldn’t be a problem. I wonder if it is available in the US?
I think sozzling includes barbeque sauce as well! We are Southerners. The Nandina is available here as a Southern Living Proven Winner – a bit like approved by Sarah Raven, I think. Southern Living is a lifestyle magazine for the Southeastern US. I think most of the newer varieties don’t bear fruit.
I love all these additional snippets of information our gardening blogs come up with! š
At first I thought you were trying to lead us into temptation! I was tempted to go out and pick from the garden last night, but why when I was given lovely flowers from Alison…https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2019/08/in-vase-on-monday-alisons-flowers-in.html
If you want to be tempted Noelle, then go ahead and be tempted…! How lovely to be given flowers by another blogger
Wow! Such rich and deep colors! I was at a garden last fall and everything that was blooming was in similar colors to this vase and it was a striking image. Today I am sharing some blooms that a lovely neighbor shared with me and I love the color. https://angiebaer.com/blog/tall-lady-gladiolus
Thanks Angie – not sure if I would want a garden-full of this colour though!
Cathy I have to give you very bad news. My father died on Sunday 11 of this month and we bury him on the 12th. That is why I have not published anything. Your bouquet is beautiful. Greetings from Margarita xx
Oh Margarita I am so sorry to hear that; it must be a very sad time for you an the rest of your family. My thoughts go out to you
Thank you very much for your comforting words. Greetings from Margarita.
I am so sorry for your loss. Sending hugs, Margarita.
He is very kind and his hugs are received with much need. Thank you. Greetings from Margarita.
I love these wine dark colours Cathy, Good enough to eat, I mean drink. Nandina ‘Obsessed’, I must look out for that, I love all these new nandina hybrids. I am joining in this week https://wp.me/p3dx4o-3cY
I was pleased to find as many dark colours as these once I started looking. The nandina is absolutely gorgeous at the moment – has never looked as good
That really is dark for nandina.
Your flowers remind me how much I miss the ‘Cherry Brandy’ I formerly had in my front garden, the only Rudbeckia that lasted more than a single season here. I may have to hunt down that Nandina too. We had to pull some of our no-name old green Nandina to allow for replacement of our HVAC system and I think your more dramatic version could be a perfect replacement. Here’s my IAVOM post: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2019/08/in-vase-on-monday-wispy-blues-sugary.html
The nandina doesn’t grow especially big, Kris, about one metre I think, but always looks lovely. Interesting to hear that Cherry Brandy can be more than just an annual for you
What beautiful velvety blooms. I don’t have these Rudbeckias but why not? I love all the dark colours , I am always drawn to them. dark leaved plants too. And Nandina, I’d like one of those too! With regard to Amaranthus, I pinch them quite early probably when they are about 15-20cm but if you don’t and then cut the first plume they will branch from there. Here is my vase after a few weeks MIA:
https://ablogaboutcompost.blogspot.com/2019/08/recovering-in-vase-on-monday.html
I will try and remember that for next year – sometimes they seem to branch out naturally, or perhaps it was cos I had cut them for a vase!
Oh such splendid and sumptuous sultry colours Cathy. I must have a go at growing rudbeckia ‘Cherry Brandy’. I’m still waiting to see what my nandina at the caravan is doing and hope that the colour is as dramatic as yours. Persicarias seem to be most happy this summer despite the August deluges. My vase is here : https://greentapestry.blogspot.com/2019/08/in-vase-on-monday-one-that-nearly-got.html
Hi Cathy, snap with the gorgeous dark scabious! I have one of those in my vase this week too! I am not sure of the name (as always!) but it is just lovely, along with the other flowers I was lucky enough to be able to use this week. Your vase is just scrumptious! And I expect the red wine will be too! Amanda https://therunningwave.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-flower-farm-vase-on-monday.html
It is the first time I have grown scabious successfully and I always think they look a bit surreal with those little ‘sugar nibs’ on top! Until I decided to use the brandy glass I was planning to use a glass of wine as a prop, which I am sure would have been drunk but probably not at the time the vase was made!!
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Happy Monday Cathy. I wonder if you have been tempted to have a glass of something red this evening… Love the rich colours in your vase, and the prop of course! I forgot to use a prop again, just got carried away taking photos. LOL! Here’s my link. Have a great week!
https://wordsandherbs.com/2019/08/19/in-a-vase-on-monday-gold/
I was going to have a glass of wine as a prop – until I chose the brandy glass as a vase, and I didn’t get round to pouring one later…
Gorgeous, Cathy. I love the lush dark colours, so rich, esp. Rudbeckia āCherry Brandyā – looks good enough to drink!
http://www.elizawaters.com
Thanks Eliza – it is indeed a gloriously deep shade
Lovely indeed – I don’t see how you could have too much of such a luscious colour, and so delightful to have it in both flowers and foliage! And the term ‘sozzled’ is definitely going into my word memory! š
There were blooms in my new garden today, and a bit more energy for the gardener, so here at last is a vase from me: https://www.smallsunnygarden.com/2019/08/19/in-a-vase-small-flowers-from-a-small-garden/
Haha – I am pleased to be extending people’s vocabulary, Amy!
Such gorgeous colours! I have not seen that Rudbeckia anywhere before.
Thanks Jude. The rudbeckia is an annual, or certainly grown as one in the UK
It is actually a bit of effort to distinguish the different flowers here. It doesn’t help that I don’t know what Knautia macedonia āRed Alertā and Persicaria āBlackfieldā are.
I Google plants I don’t know, Tony; in that way I extend my knowledge further