I can't believe my marigolds have not really been killed by frost yet. They were burned this past weekend but I went out ahead of that anticipated cold and rescued flowers for another round of late fall flower arranging. Funny how I let them grow all summer, but when frost threatens, I start cutting and flower arranging in earnest. The frost always seems to threaten on my busiest days so I have learned to pick lots of things quickly and put them in water until I can get to the arranging. The picture above shows the mess on the table.
This vase-full reminds me that flower arranging is a family knack that I inherited from my Grandmother Isaman. She was a flower grower, flower arranger, garden club founder and occasionally a judge for flower shows as well. She had a talent for picking decorative items to use. This black vase was hers. She also tended to use a variety of items in her bouquets and I like to do that as well. But my fall bouquets are usually heavy in marigolds. They are hard to arrange because the stems aren't straight and they buckle easily, but I love the look and the smell too. These I grew from seed from last year's crop. Grandma Isaman liked to do miniature arrangements. The big cup arrangement in the featured image is as close as I get to that.
As I was picking material for the bouquets, I noticed the burning bushes in the hedge. Then I noticed the airy branch ends loaded with small orange berries. I picked some of both and found them very useful in adding height, straight lines, background fill, fine texture and red color to this bouquet. The fern fronds also provide texture and color contrast as well as height. And speaking of family tradition, since I arranged these just before the weekend, I took this one to church to beautify the altar table. My grandmother and my mother after her both took flower arrangements to Haskinville church regularly as long as flowers lasted, placing them on a small stand in front of the pulpit. Whenever I have a chance to contribute in this way, I remember both of them.