The roses are ready to pop and thrill, but before they take center stage, I want to show again some of the lovelies I've been playing with for the last few weeks.

Orlaya, senecio, geum, aquilegia, and valerian all stand on their own in the garden and do very well in bouquets. 

I've been particularly charmed by the orange geum, they just keep blooming and last very well as a cut flower.

I bought three of these senecio plants at Annie's Annuals a year ago. I waited and waited for them to bloom- it took a whole year! They are worth the wait. Who wouldn't want five-foot tall pink daisies in prolific bloom. This is an excellent cut flower.

Along with geum, philadelphus and oat grass they are ready to party.

ANOTHER SHOT OF THE BASKET I'VE BEEN FILLING

The rehmania is a surprisingly long lasting as a cut flower. The clump these native iris came from has been extremely generous, picking must promote more blooms, because I've been cutting these regularly for three weeks!

PHOTO SET-UP

That bucket of flowers might not look very big, but I had to lay down on the floor to shoot it. The paper backdrop is four-feet wide. That's my foot popping up, if you can't tell.