I really tussled with the title of today’s vase, but in the end have gone with my gut, the fiery contents eliciting snatches of the classic hymn ‘Guide me O Thou Great Redeemer’ and the fiery cloudy pillars it refers to, supposedly guiding us through life. Instead of the plain and simple ‘Fiery’, ‘Strong Deliverer’ recognises the instant impact the contents made even when they were first cut, the fiery shades of Dahlia ‘Art Deco’ complementing the burning embers of Antirrrhinum ‘Classic Liberty Scarlet’. Glowing colours of Bupleurum longifolium ‘Bronze Beauty’, Calendula ‘Sunset Buff’ and Nandina domestica ‘Obsessed’ add to the strong delivery. Would additional material have added more impact? I am not sure…
When it came to assembling the vase itself, I had to cut an alternative dahlia stem as, bizarrely, in the three or four hours between cutting and assembling, the first stem had completely collapsed and was lying limp in the jug it was being conditioned in. I thought for a moment I must have forgotten to add water, but no, it was filled nearly to the brim, so what had caused this is a real puzzle. It will be interesting to see if it revives later – or if the second stem suffers the same fate!
The vase itself is a frosted glass vintage specimen, which came with its own impractical glass frog, replaced with a metal one for the purpose of this arrangement. Perhaps a lighted candle, a fiery pillar of sorts, would have made an appropriate prop, had I not already chosen to include one of my most tactile crystals, a hand-carved piece of carnelian, with its fiery highlights.
In a Vase on Monday has proved to bring pleasure to both vase creators and vase observers over the years, and if you like to join us by creating a vase today we can guarantee it will bring pleasure to many – just leave links to and from this post to share it with the wider blogging community.
Rambling in the Garden 
Hot! Love the colour combination.
Thanks Sandra, they work well together, don’t they?
Love the matching two-toned dahlia and snap dragon – they were made to be displayed together. Did you think this when planting them? Bupleurum longifolium is unfamiliar to me – I had thought it might be a Euphorbia sp. at first. Does it last long in a vase?
Haha, no, I was disappointed the antirrhinum wasn’t the scarlet I expected it to be! The bupleurum does look similar to euphorbia oblongata, and yes, it lasts well in a vase 👍
I scrounged some winter flowering roses for this week’s vase…
https://plantaholicoz.blogspot.com/2022/06/in-vase-on-monday-candy-stripe.html
Winter flowering roses?
In our climate, yes! They just seem to keep going until pruned 🙂
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Wow Cathy your dahlia is beautiful and so far ahead of mine. This is a dramatic display, I love it 😻 Thanks for hosting and sharing. Here is my contribution for this week 😊 https://notesfromtheundergardener.wordpress.com/2022/06/19/in-a-vase-on-monday-20th-june-2022/
Only two of my dahlias are flowering so far; this one is shorter than most of them so perhaps has reached flowering stage quicker. I did remember to pinch out most of mine this year, which will have slowed them down too.
Oh I never remember to pinch out! I must try to do that in future. I only bothered lifting and storing mine overwinter for the first time last year – it’s a game changer, I’ll take the trouble to do it every year now (I just need to annex next-door’s shed, or something…😉)
Yes, this is the first time I have thought to pinch out the dahlias and it it seems to be making them sturdier bushes even it does delay flowering
Oh some intense fiery colours indeed Cathy and most fitting for a beautiful sunny morning. Bupleurum has been on my want to try list for some time but I have read off putting tales about it’s germination rate. What was your experience ? The dahlia and snapdragon are perfect partners and the carnelian finishes off the arrangement so well. My pick and plonk for this week is here : https://greentapestry.blogspot.com/2022/06/iavom-springs-last-hurrah.html
Thanks Anna. Although I said it was Bupleurum longifolium it could have been the annual B rotundifolium which I grew from seed a few years back and which has reliably self-seeded ever since – but I don’t recall seeing the latter change colour like this, so it has left me confused 🙄 I have tried growing Bronze Beauty several times from seed but with no success at all.
This is the time o f year that strong colours start to look very good, and your choice this week certainly delivers that. Here is my vase this week: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2022/06/in-vase-on-monday-june-roses.html
Yes, it makes a change from pinks and purples, of which there are a lot in our garden at the moment!!
Love those colours!
They are great, aren’t they?! 😀
A lovely and impactful arrangement. Love your D. ‘Art Deco’ Cathy! Not sure mine is coming back this year and I can attest to its value in the garden and in arrangements. I can imagine how delightful the touch of the carnelian would be. Thanks for hosting us each week. https://pbmgarden.blog/2022/06/20/in-a-vase-on-monday-gladiolas-in-red-vase/
Hope your Art Deco does make it – mine is a happy accident as I actually ordered the pink Art Nouveau (I did get a refund though), but I certainly love it now 👍 The carnelian was hand carved and fits beautifully into the palm
I am loving your summer heat. Especially the Dahlia. The Nandina really caught my eye, I would have never guessed what that is ..looks like foliage from the tropical Silk Oak. Thank you for hosting, I have been enjoying the new faces…https://theshrubqueen.com/2022/06/20/in-a-vase-on-monday-summer-reds/
The dark foliage is this year’s growth and makes for a very attractive plant
It is. The nandina cultivars continue to delight me.
Wonderfully fiery colours – perfect for the start of summer!
Thanks Chris 😊
The first dahlia’s collapse is an interesting mystery but I’m glad you had more blooms to spare. Some of my dahlias have buds but I suspect I have weeks yet to go before I see blooms. I love the color of ‘Art Deco’ and regret once again that the tuber I tried years ago rotted without sprouting. I was also taken with that Nandina ‘Obsessed’, which I’ve never seen in my part of the world. Thanks, as always, for hosting, Cathy. Here’s my post: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2022/06/in-vase-on-monday-little-of-this-and.html
I still only have two dahlias in bloom Kris, and they are definitely later than usual. This nandina doesn’t have berries, but the foliage is really pretty
Oh my! I am not sure what to think of ‘Obsessed’ Heavenly bamboo. It looks great as cut foliage, but seems to be very dark bronze. I had to look it up, and noticed that it gets to be a nice red also, and likely fades through summer. Well, I am no designer, and am particularly inept in regard to color.
Yes, the new foliage is this reddish colour, Tony
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Beautiful hot shades suiting the weather we have had recently! And don’t the flowers/foliage you used all have wonderful names. 😃 The Nandina was a surprise to me as I thought it was always pale green. Learning every day! 😉 Thanks so much for hosting Cathy. Have a great week!
It is the new foliage that is this colour, Cathy, and it will turn green in due course. Hope the heat has eased off for you – it has been warm here today, but not overly hot
Such a beautiful arrangement!
Thank you 😊
Your arrangement is just spot on, well balanced and chosen. I think I’m going to include Nandina in the next vase, it blocks our view. It’s been way to hot to make one this past while. Happy summer days to you both xx
Haha – a vase with a bushful of nandina!! This one grows no taller than 1 metre, so is not obtrusive