Monday, September 7, 2015

Sunflower Bouquet

In our rural community there is a grower of sunflowers, she has a shade canopy over a table on which sits buckets of flowers for sale on the honor system.  My husband stopped and bought two full bunches... for $5 for both!  To me, a bouquet of these happy beauties on the table bring me much Autumnal joy.


Kristi brought out the big antique pickle jar and I cut them, filled the jar with water and dropped them in the water.  Perfect!  She also found my sunflower tablecloth which I laid out to put the flowers upon.  



When the flowers finally wilt, I will give them to the chickens to enjoy.



The petals are a rich golden yellow.


These are my view from my easy chair in our den.. :-)


Here is a better view of the antique pickle jar, I think it's a 2 gallon jar.  This one is special as the embossed barrel "staves" are like a twisted rope design.  I love this jar, I've had it for almost 30 years or so.



The dining room looks so sunny and happy with these flowers.



I also put my collection of little handmade pumpkins on the table.  On the left are my own crocheted ones in off-white, grey and orange.  On the right are three I ordered off of Etsy made of velvet with real pumpkin stems in silver, orange and a grey-green.  My daughter Amy sent me these vintage barley twist oak candlesticks as a gift and they been a staple on my table ever since they arrived.


Soft squishy and lovely velvet pumpkins.


My crocheted pumpkins - I posted the pattern before.


I wanted to share some of the flowers still blooming in the farm garden.  This is a Day Lily that Kristi planted.


Brachyscome - "Surdaisy Strawberry Pink"



Dahlia beauty!



Moss rose bloom.. so small and pretty.



Do you remember these from our trip to the beach last year?  This is "Briza Maxima", or called "Quaking Grass" or "Rattlesnake Grass" for obvious reasons.  I ordered seeds on Amazon after seeing them last year and planted some in a pot and look at these wonderful seed heads!



A year ago we all went out for dinner in Troutdale and Kristi took the boys across the street to run off some steam in a little park.  There were these wonderful plants that she liked so she picked a little snippet off to show me.  When we got home I suggested that she put it in an empty pot on the deck.  She was thrilled when it took root and started filling the pot and then was amazed to see it bloom.  I just googled it and it's a "Stonecrop Sedum Coccineum".  :-)



My little bunch of "volunteer" moss roses.  


I hope those of you in the USA enjoyed your Labor Day weekend.  For those in other countries the history of this holiday is this:  Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.  Interestingly, Oregon was the first state to adopt the law.  

I'll be off to swim today - do you have something fun planned?  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

26 comments:

  1. My daughter's bridesmaids carried sunflowers Teresa,such pretty flowers. It is turning autumnal here, good to see you flowers still shining out x

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  2. Those sunflowers are absolutely beautiful, Teresa. They give the perfect seasonal cheerfulness to your home. Enjoy. I hope you're having a good holiday weekend.

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  3. Ohh your sunflowers are a JOY to behold. I love them. Once we were lost in colorado and we followed a field of sunflowers to face to the sun and we found our road again! WE knew we were headed east if we went to the direction of the sunflower faces early in the a.m.

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  4. Gorgeous sunflowers Teresa. Your dining room looks so welcoming. Love seeing your seasonal treasures reappear - like old friends. Hope you have enjoyed/enjoy your swim. I'm off to bed soon. Tomorrow I hope to go to my sugar craft class - first of the new term. Hugs Anne x

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  5. Your flowers are still gorgeous! Those sunflowers are just breathtaking!

    Judy

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  6. Those are some sweet sunflowers :)

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  7. Love all your flower photos, and those sunflowers would brighten anybody's day! :) We spent the day at my daughter's house...did some target shooting, and had some water balloon fun. I even managed to crochet a pair of boot cuffs in between! :)

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  8. The sunflowers are lovely. I bought a couple plants last year and gave one to my dau-in-law, Erin. So pretty but for some reason they never grew this year. They are perennials so don't know what happened. I have a sunflower tablecloth as well. But there's blue in the background. Love it. I labored today at work...went in early but got off early so that's good. So did my husband! I like your velvety pumpkins! Have a good week!

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  9. Sunny sunflowers :) They seem to bring sunshine inside. I enjoyed seeing your other pretty flowers as well...all of them unfamiliar to me. I finished the blanket for a baby at a local neonatal unit and dropped it off to the gal who will deliver it for me, and I cast on another blanket, too. Other than that, making my bed and swimming with you for an hour, that is all the labor I did today and I enjoyed a baked chicken and potatoes dinner with three extra friends added to our normal crew. xx

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  10. Sunflowers are a favorite of mine. Yours look so pretty on the table. You still have lots of pretty blooms. We are pretty much all fried up here. I am so ready for Fall!
    XO Kris

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  11. I love that your hubby thought to bring some home for you. We planted Teddy Bear ones this year. A lot shorter and fluffy! Your plants always look so nice and healthy. We are really seeing fall start to hit ours now. So much is done blooming. But I sure did enjoy all the plants while they were blooming. (and the birds are enjoying them now). Thanks for sharing pictures of yours.

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  12. What a wonderful gift from your husband, he is so thoughtful. They look right at home on your Autumn themed table. I love the old pickle jar it is so striking. A beautiful tour of your flower garden still looking wonderful, mine have all come to an end and is looking a little tired. Enjoy your swim.

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  13. I love that the little piece of plant that Kristi picked took root and now it's flowering. Troutdale sounds like it should be somewhere in the English Lake District. The sunflowers are wonderful, I bet the fields growing them are spectacular. The table looks just right for September with the pumpkins as well. What a clever idea to use real pumpkin stems. I was interested to hear about Labor Day, it's not something I knew before. Now I do! Hope you had a good swim. CJ xx

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  14. Gosh, those sunflower just shout happy, happy, happy! Love the little pumpkins. I need to get on the ball with holiday crafting now that I am free. Did lots of gardening this morning. Just hoping the plants can survive the afternoon heat we are still having. The humidity helps some but sure doesn't feel very good to us humans. The doves were having a field day with my moss rose this morning. I think they ate all the little buds off. Oh well! :)

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  15. What a sweet husband and such a lovely bouquet. Your dining room looks so cheerful with them setting on the table :) I love September, the weather cools down and the flowers all have a burst of energy and beauty just before the frost makes them a memory :)

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  16. Sunflowers are such a happy flower. I don't think anyone can deny that.

    Lovely photos of all your flowers!

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  17. Happy, Happy, Happy! That's what I feel when I see these beauty's today. Love the pickle jar too. I had to come home from the lake today because it was so cold and rainy. Not complaining a bit as we need the rain, but at home? A mere 25 miles away, it's sunshine and 72 degrees! I'm going back tomorrow to clean the carpet in the trailer. (If Dennis will let me, he thinks it's too much work for me right now.) Have a lovely day my friend.
    Blessings always,
    Betsy

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  18. Beautiful sunflowers.... they match your dining room walls! no wonder you like them. What are we doing? packing to move to our new (older) home in Madras!

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  19. Love those sunflowers and love growing them here, will plant them a little later in the year ready for some more happy garden times xoxoxo

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  20. The sunflowers are so beautiful aren't they!!! What a lovely gift from your hubby!! They look gorgeous in your jar too, especially with the pumpkins to keep them company! xx

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  21. You take the brightest most amazing flower pictures, Teresa! Those sunflowers are especially gorgeous! I love those crochet pumpkins too. How pretty the little cutting is and wonderful that it rooted and flowered for you :)
    Helen xox

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  22. Lovely Teresa..your sun flowers are simply stunning and such a bargain (clever Dayle! ;-) )...they look gorgeous on your table! I love your little crochet pumpkins too...it's always a treat to visit your corner...I'm definitely feeling a hint of autumn in ours too ;-) x
    Susan x

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  23. The sunflowers look so cheerful -- just right with your yellow walls. The rattlesnake grass is so cool!

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  24. Great photos Teresa! I totally LOVE your sunflower bouquet! Each year I look forward to seeing their sunny, cheerful blooms...maybe next summer I can talk my hubby into planting some:)
    Blessings,
    Aimee
    PS: New Internet provider here--yippee!

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  25. Those sunflowers are so bright and beautiful. HUgs to you my friend,
    Meredith

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  26. Sunflowers always say autumn to me too, you know the year is turning when the first bunches appear :o)

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