Among the many pleasures of growing one's own flowers is being able to enjoy them both in the garden and in the home.
It's always so nice to walk through the gardens and see a multitude of beautiful, colorful blooms. I also enjoy bringing fresh, fragrant flowers indoors, where I can use them to decorate my kitchen, servery, and sitting room. Yesterday, my housekeeper Enma created several lovely arrangements using some of the gorgeous flowers still going strong - the celosias, the zinnias, the marigolds, and the dahlias.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I grow many flowers every year, so they can be cut and used for photography shoots, videos, or for display. When cutting flowers from the garden, always think about the different colors, shapes, and textures that will look interesting and appealing when put together in a vase.
Fill the vase with cool water, but always leave a little room, so water doesn’t overflow. Vases need enough to keep stems submerged so they can draw water efficiently, without deteriorating.
Enma starts with some dahlias. She picked various shades of pink for an arrangement in this five finger vase. Size up the stems next to the vase being used, so they can be cut appropriately.
Dahlias produce an abundance of blooms throughout early summer and again in late summer until the first freeze. I am able to enjoy many dahlia arrangements during the season.
At the top, a giant dahlia. To prevent wilting, cut only in the early morning or late afternoon. And only cut them after they open to mature size – dahlias will not open after cutting.
If needed, add more water. Invest in a good watering can for the flowers – one that allows for controlled use without damaging any of the fragile petals.
For this arrangement, Enma carefully selects a palette of bright orange celosias and coordinating amaranths. Whether you plant the plumed type with its striking upright spires or the crested type with its fascinating twisted form, celosia stands out in any room.
When cutting flower stems always cut at a 45-degree angle. Cutting the stems at this angle, rather than straight across, allows for greater surface area and increased water uptake.
As she finishes, Enma makes sure to look a the entire arrangement, filling in any bare spots.
If some water needs to be removed, use a small towel inserted into the vase to absorb the excess fluid. This is a good tip especially when vases are already full with flowers.
Enma also adds some trailing amaranths in a dark burgundy color to add a cascading effect.
Amaranth and celosia add dramatic texture, vibrant color, and interest to floral arrangements – nice job, Enma.
Enma loves these fragrant Aztec marigolds. Also known as American marigold or African marigold, Aztec marigold, Tagetes erecta, is a showy, easy-to-grow annual that blooms from summer to the first frost. The huge blooms appear on top of one to four-foot stems and come in shades of orange, yellow, bronze, and creamy white.
Here she is adding water to the vase – she chose a wide mouth cylindrical vase that could accommodate a large number of yellow flowers.
Remember to remove any leaves that would otherwise end up below the water line. Leaves and flowers that sit below the water line can rot.
Enma uses gold colored flowers in this finger vase. Monochromatic arrangements are beautiful on their own. They look clean, refined, and striking.
The colorful dahlias are on my kitchen counter, the hub of my home, where I often have meetings – everyone admires them as soon as they see them.
This arrangement was placed in my foyer.
It looks striking under the wing of my giant falcon.
Here is one of the marigold arrangements in my sitting room – so cheerful to see every morning when I come downstairs.
And on another table in this room, the gold marigolds. I hope this weekend, you can get yourself some cut flowers and bring a little bit of summer indoors.
As summer wears on, late-season flowers continue to bring vivid color and beauty to my gardens.
Down by my chicken coops, in what was once my vegetable garden, I dedicated a space entirely to annuals. Here, different varieties are thoughtfully arranged in beds according to size, color, and bloom time. Every flower is started from seed in my greenhouse. Right now, the Aztec marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, amaranth, and celosia are putting on a beautiful show - they are great flowers to admire outdoors in the garden and just as lovely when cut and brought indoors for arrangements.
Here are some photos.
When I redesigned this garden, I wanted a space for raised beds where I could plant flowers by type specifically for cutting. This garden has such excellent, nutritious soil, I knew whatever was planted here would thrive.
I planted flowers that do well in full sunlight, meaning they get at least six to eight hours of sun per day. Enma cuts some of these giant Aztec marigolds for indoor arrangements.
Also known as American marigold or African marigold, Aztec marigold, Tagetes erecta, is a showy, easy-to-grow annual that blooms from summer to the first frost. The huge, fragrant blooms, appear on top of one to four-foot stems and are available in various shades of orange, yellow, bronze, and creamy white.
Celosia is a small genus of edible and ornamental plants in the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae. Its species are commonly known as woolflowers, or, if the flower heads are crested, cockscombs. The plants are well known in East Africa’s highlands and are used under their Swahili name, mfungu.
This crested type, Celosia Cristata, has twisted, dense, velvety flower heads that can grow to six inches wide.
While many are one color, some of them come in a combination of colors, such as this one in shades of orange and red.
This is the most widely grown type – the feathery, flame-like Celosia flowers made of hundreds of slender, bracts from a central axis.
These celosia flowers also come in a vibrant array of colors including bright yellow, orange, pink, fiery shades of red, and deep purple.
Here’s a plume celosia in a bold gold. The flowers are vibrant in the garden, but also hold up very well when cut, adding dramatic texture to arrangements.
Another big shower right now – my zinnias. Zinnia is a member of the aster family and native to Mexico and Central America.
Zinnias are the simplest of flowers and was a favorite of my dad. They come in extraordinary colors and sizes and shapes and are easily grown in one short season.
The Aztecs originally called them “plants that are hard on the eyes” because of their colorful flowers. Zinnia is named after Johann Gottfried Zinn, a German botany professor who discovered the plants and brought them to Europe in the 1700s.
Cosmos are annuals with colorful daisy-like flowers that sit atop long slender stems. They attract birds, bees, and butterflies and come in a variety of colors including white and various shades of pink, crimson, rose, lavender, and purple, all with yellow centers.
The lacy foliage and silky flowers bloom from midsummer to the first frost.
This is Amaranth. The velvety flowers are dense – some with drooping tassels. Blooms come in richly saturated harvest hues, and they hold their colors and shapes even when dry.
There are two main types of Amaranth grown for cutting – one with an upright growing habit where the plants produce spikes or plumes that add height and drama to arrangements.
The other is a trailing type of Amaranth with a draping growth habit.
And have you ever seen these? Commonly called hairy balls milkweed, Gomphocarpus physocarpus, this plant stands out in any garden. The round, balloon-like seed pods are covered with soft, hair-like spines.
These pods can reach the size of a small lime.
The hairy balls milkweed also produces clusters of small, star-shaped white or pale green flowers. These blooms are delicate and fragrant, and are loved by pollinators.
I hope your flower gardens are also doing wonderfully this year.
A well-maintained stable program includes good dental care to keep horses healthy and able to eat properly.
My horses receive regular visits from my longtime equine dentist, Brian Stuart. Unlike human teeth, a horse’s teeth continue to grow and naturally wear, so its bite is constantly changing. Regular dental examinations are important to identify sharp edges or misaligned molars that could make eating uncomfortable. The process of correcting these problems is called floating - filing or rasping an equine’s teeth so that chewing surfaces are smooth and properly contoured. While power floating has become increasingly popular, I prefer the more traditional, all-natural approach of hand filing. Yesterday, Brian came to my stable to examine four-year-old Ulysses and 11-year-old Stewart, the bonded pair of Friesians I adopted last year.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is Ulysses, one of two Frisians I last added to my herd. He and Stewart came from The Dorset Equine Rescue in Vermont. It’s wonderful to see them accustomed to their new surroundings and enjoying the company of my other horses.
Ulysses and Stewart are two of the five Friesians in my stable. They join my donkeys and my Fell pony. This is what I call the “run-in” pasture. It is the largest of my fenced in paddocks and has a sizable shelter where the horses can gather for shade or food, etc.
Back in the stable, Brian checks out Stewart’s teeth. Brian says his molars are in good condition, but will have to watch the front to make sure they remain well aligned.
Unlike human teeth, which are covered in a hard, smooth enamel layer, horse teeth are coated in cementum, a softer and more porous material making them more prone to staining from food, soil, and minerals. This is why horse teeth can look dull or discolored even without visible decay.
Next, Brian visits Ulysses, the younger horse. Brian has been practicing for more than 35-years. He always works in the horse stalls where they are most relaxed.
The key to working with horses is to gain their trust, which in turn helps them calm down. Brian spends a few minutes just talking to Ulysses before he begins working.
He starts by checking the front teeth.
Much of Brian’s work is done through feel. He feels for any abnormalities in the mouth. Horses have 42 teeth in all. Of those, 24 are molars and premolars that are constantly growing and being worn away.
These are Brian’s tools of the trade. They are called floats. Floats are about 21-inches long. The long handles allow Brian to get to the back molars.
Brian soaks them in a Chlorhexidine solution, an antimicrobial disinfectant.
Each float is fitted with a sharp tungsten carbide blade made of chips that are bonded to the base. This is what files each tooth during the floating process. Brian has 10-floats in his bucket. The floats also come in varying angles for use on different teeth.
This is an “s” file, a two-sided file used for finishing areas and for polishing the front of the molars section where the horse’s bit sits.
Brian uses a float to file any uneven or high edges of the front molars. The process of teeth floating and occlusion adjustment are not painful, but the sound of the rasp may need some getting used to, especially for a horse that is new to dental care.
For a young horse like Ulysses, he’s doing quite well.
Next, Brian places what is called a McPherson full mouth speculum on Ulysses.
The speculum keeps the horse’s mouth open during the floating process.
Now he is able to float the back molars easily.
Brian stops every so often to feel and reassess the tooth being floated. Afterward, Brian does some finishing touches with the “s” file. Brian also continues to speak softly to keep the horse relaxed.
In most cases, the horse feels the changes right away – he should be much more comfortable now.
After their dental appointments, Helen walks them to their pasture, where they are turned out to run and enjoy the mild summer weather. It’s always comforting to know the horses, my pony, and the donkeys are well-cared for, happy and healthy here at my farm.
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