Thank you to all the new subscribers this month! Did you know I publish essays twice a month? Look for new work on the 15th and the last day of the month.
I took a much needed break from my monthly essay in September, but now I’m back and ready to share more flowers from the autumn garden. Soon I will transition into fall winter prep by planting garlic and covering the beds with fresh compost (mid-November). Want to know more about the flowers featured in today’s essay? I’ve included an abbreviated list of resources at the end of today’s essay.
Strawflowers grew abundantly this summer. I gathered them like lollipops and arranged them in a milk glass vase.
Dahlias the color of raspberry sorbet arranged in a grey ceramic water pitcher.
I love this cosmo arrangement because the center pink flower head looks like it is in the middle of a pirouette.
I combined two mundane garden chores (cutting back flower stalks and pruning a houseplant) and then used the remnants to create a demi-bouquet.
Late-season flowers harvested after spending a chilly morning in the gardens.
And here’s how they looked all cleaned up and pretty.
The only way I know to keep flowers with me in winter is to create dried arrangements with them. Early sunsets mean I transition from gardening outside to arranging inside.
Flowers featured in today’s essay: dahlia “Linda’s Baby” from Eden Brothers; assorted straw flowers from Johnny Seeds and flower friends across the country; cosmos “Sensation” from Home Depot and “Tetris Red” from Johnny Seeds; star jasmine from Tonkadale nursery.
Need a good gardening book to read? I recommend Small-Scale Homesteading (2023) by Stephanie Thurow and Michelle Bruhn.
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See you back at the end of the month for a new essay!
-Betsy
