A September Posy

Here in Northern California September still feels very much like summer in the garden. The days are warm, the zinnias and cosmos are still going, and there always seems to be some new little bit of beauty to notice.

This year I planted a small cutting garden and one of my favorite things about it has been simply being able to walk outside and snip a few flowers to bring into the house. Nothing elaborate, just whatever happens to look especially beautiful that morning.

For this little September posy, I gathered some of what was blooming and put it together as i went. The flowers were already so beautiful that there really wasn’t much arranging to do. I tucked them into a little jar and let them be.

What I’m Cutting in September

The zinnias are looking especially happy in my cutting garden right now. They’re blooming in shades of pink, raspberry, coral and red, and the more colors that appear together, the more I love the slightly unruly mix.

The cosmos are a completely different kind of beautiful. Lighter and airier, floating above everything on their long stems. I especially love them growing through the purple salvia. I’m not sure I ever would have thought to put those colors and shapes together, but seeing them side by side in the garden made me want to bring them inside together too.

I’d never grown sweet alyssum before this year, and because it stays so low to the ground, it hadn’t occured to me that I might cut it for a posy. But those tiny clusters of white flowers turned out to be wonderful tucked between the larger blooms. The snapdragons add something different too. Their tall irregular shape breaks up all those round, open flowers.

It doesn’t have to be a whole cutting garden either. A pot or two of something that grows happily where you live can be enough for those moments when you just want a few flowers to bring inside.

Gathering a Little Posy

I took a basket out to the garden and gathered whatever caught my eye: a few cosmos, salvia, zinnias, snapdragons, and little sprigs of white alyssum. I wasn’t working from a plan or really trying to make an arrangement. I was just picking what looked beautiful together that morning.

I’m also learning the best time to cut some of the flowers I planted this year. I’m noticing that some seem to last longer inside when I cut them a little earlier in their bloom, rather than waiting until their fullest in the garden. And sometimes I just cut whatever looks beautiful that morning.

Into a Little Jar

Back inside, I trimmed the stems, removed any extra foliage that might come into contact with the water, and tucked everything into a little terracotta yougurt pot. I love a beautiful little vase, but I also save some yogurt pots and glass dessert jars. They’re just the right size for a small handful of flowers and can look surprisingly lovely once their filled. Mason jars are wonderful too. I think part of the fun is choosing whatever you happen to like with the flowers that day.

I’m already wondering what will be blooming for the next one. For now, this is September- a few flowers from the garden, a little blue jar, and something beautiful to live with for as long as it lasts.