Anatomy of a bouquet — late fall

Because I am still intending to follow through on Debra Prinzing’s slow flower challenge and had a Thanksgiving table to decorate (Frida moonlighted as a bar), I asked the florist at our nearest independent supermarket for local flowers. She assured me that during the growing season she always buys from sources close to home. Huzzah! But now, presumably ever since a hard frost fell on the region, she has nothing. Even her flowering kale came from Israel or Holland. (She wasn’t sure.) I asked about American-grown flowers and she pointed to buckets full of lilies and delphinium from California. Alas, the scent of lilies would overwhelm this tiny house and delphinium struck me as much too July for November, so I opted to forage entirely from the garden and plantry instead. I thought it was slim pickings but I loved the bouquet it made. Here’s the list of what I used:

•  Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’ — hadn’t dropped its semi-prosh gems yet.
• Spiraea japonica — the leaves that are left are still golden/orange.
• Hellebore. I can’t remember which Lenten rose I have but its leaves will eventually need to be cut back anyway. Might as well enjoy them.
• Carex muskingumensis — palm sedge. Right on the edge of becoming sludge.
• Hypericum × moserianum ‘Tricolor’ — looks like it’s still growing.
• Calamagrostis brachytricha — Korean feather reed grass seedheads.
• Monarda fistulosa ‘Claire Grace’ — wild bergamot seedheads.
• Rudbeckia triloba — brown-eyed Susan seedheads.
• African blue basil flowers from a plant overwintering in the plantry.
• Cuphea ‘David Verity’ flowers also from plantry resident.

Despite Pigeon’s taste tests and my laziness about changing the water, everything has lasted four days now except the cuphea, which wilted after three.

Were you grateful for local flowers and/or your garden this Thanksgiving?