My favourite colour combination in the garden by far is purple and orange. I’ve loved this dramatic mix of zing and subtlety for years; Verbena bonariensis with Tithonia, marigolds with geraniums, alliums with poppies. My eyes are drawn to it, it captures my attention and it lifts my spirits. It’s that simple; purple and orange makes me happy. In my vase today there are:
:: Californian poppies (Eschscholzia californica) which I’ve grown from seed for the first time this year. I’ve planted a few rows and dotted it here and there and I hope it’ll make itself at home.
:: Calendula officinalis ‘Indian Prince’ – a stately marigold, tall and handsome. I love the dark colour on the reverse of the petals.
:: A sprig of Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’, the first stem I’ve cut from the several plants also grown from seed this spring. They’re growing away happily in the back wall border and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they will settle in and self-seed. I love the unusual form and beautiful colours – the purple fading to blue-green.
:: Several stems of the hardy cranesbill, Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’ which is prolific here and forms large, healthy clumps.
:: Three stems of a self-seeded toadflax (Linaria) which is another plant that appears every year here, in colours varying from deep purple through to pale pink, and occasionally cream or white.
:: Nigella damascena, another favourite self-seeder. We have lots. It pops up in cracks in the paving, all over the veg plot, anywhere we haven’t weeded it out. It makes a beautiful cut flower all on its own, as well as with other flowers, and its feathery foliage is lovely.
Joining in as usual with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden and other bloggers creating beautiful vases of flowers from their gardens or with foraged blooms.
In other news, we’re all a little tired here today. Middle child completed his Bronze Duke of Edinburgh expedition this weekend. He came downstairs this morning v-e-r-y slowly. My eldest is struggling to keep up the momentum with revision – he has three exams this week and two next week, then it’ll all be over. He’s finding this drawn-out process rather wearisome; we’re trying to motivate him to Keep Going! David drove all the way to Nottingham yesterday to compete in the British Rowing Masters Championships Regatta. It was worth getting up at the crack of dawn – he won his class and came home wearing a gold medal and a big smile. And I went to London with my daughter to see friends – a lovely but tiring whirlwind of catching-up with people. We were ships that pass on the motorway: as David was driving up north, I was driving back south to ensure the revising child barely noticed the lack of a parental presence! 🙂
Have a lovely week.
acoastalplot 
Zingy vase, I love this combination too.
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Beautiful colour combo! Love the nigella, must remember to seed some for next year.
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I agree purple and orange are a perfect combo with that lovely nigella blue…a perfect jug of happiness!
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Those colours are just fabulous together! I think I’ll try some nigella in the new bed. Hope the last few exams pass by quickly xx
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Those colours together really zing! Glad you had a successful weekend despite being passing cars going in different directions! Sarah x
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What a fabulous, vibrant vase. Purple and orange is a such great combination but it’s the sutlety of the paler nigella that brings it together for me. I shall look out for the gorgeous marigold.
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One of my favorite color combos as well. A happy arrangement you’ve created here!
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I love the color contrast. Your California poppies look better than any I was able to get to bloom here in Los Angeles County this year!
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Looks like the garden is blooming marvellous, all the hard work worth it. Well done David and Ollie and keep it up Thomas love to all X
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I have never tried this combination so far. It looks great!
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Oh wow, what a great colour combination! That really is happy – a pick-me-up vase for your weary family! 🙂
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Busy days! Huge congratulations to David, that’s a brilliant achievement, you must all be thrilled. Good luck to your eldest, the end is in sight, I hope he can power through. I trust the middle one is more rested now. I remember lying in a bath, sunburnt, after a D of E expedition. Wishing you a good week. CJ xx
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Orange and purple are two of my favourite colours, too. Love this week’s vase. Wishing you a calm week. Congrats to David, what an achievement. And of course, the DoE expedition, another great achievement. I remember Sam demanding two days off school after his. He didn’t get his way. He can’t think of a good skill to learn, it was between bee keeping and sewing. Glad to say he is going for sewing, easier to organise. It is a secret as it might be considered uncool but I doubt you’ll bump into each other anytime soon. x
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Such vibrant colours – lovely! Your photographs are so bright and clear too. I do so hope the things that you want to self seed will do so and those that you don’t, won’t! No joy with self seeding cerinthe or C poppy here yet – but I remain hopeful! What a great achievement for David and for Middle Child. Was David rowing singly, or as a pair (or more)? The Golfer and I competed in Masters Athletics until very recently and in fact that is how we met 😉
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Lovely, zingy colours, I love this colour combination too. Gorgeous!
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Stunning colours – so bold! Congratulations to your husband: a great achievement! A levels still going on here and I think Harry is starting to lose the will to live…almost there for both! Hope you’re all well rested!
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I hope that your family are all enjoying their very busy endeavours and have fun doing them! Your flowers are beautiful, one of my favourite colour combinations for flowers too. They just seem to make each other sing don’t they.
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Kate has taken the words out of my mouth when it comes to your vase 🙂 The nigella is the prefect finishing touch. It sounds as if you are doing a bit of a juggling act which must be tiring but by the sound of it you have some special and fulfilled housemates. Exams seem to have become more drawn out over the years but at least the end is in sight.
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A vase that is more than happy – exceptionally happy is what it made me tonight when I saw it (lovely photos you take, BTW)! I must try Calendula ‘Indian Prince’ – I seem to have got too deeply into the pinkish tones (and away from the point!). Your vase has inspired me to plant a really good orange next year. And oh how I wish I could grow Californian poppies. Lovely vase, Sam. Hopefully you and all the family are now finding a bit of a pause in your whirlwind life!
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So cheery with those colours and the thin sprigs of Nigella foliage seem to hold it all together, visually.
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Those are happiness-inducing colors. Nice to have with such a whirlwind of activity. I have no idea what a Duke of Edinburgh expedition is, but anything related to the word “expedition” sounds exhausting. A special congratulations to David on his win. How sweet it must feel. What torture for your eldest to have to endure exams in the glory of June! Not fair.
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Definitely a Happy Vase. What a busy family you are at the moment,I imagine you are looking forward to the summer holidays!
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I think orange and blue is my favorite, but orange and purple will also make me happy. Wonderful arrangement, I especially like the Calendula with the Nigella.
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