IAVOM ~ Clinging On

 The mercury has really dropped over the last week or so. Gone are the balmy days we were enjoying and although so far we have escaped that first frost the temperature has dropped to just above 4 degrees centigrade for the last two nights in the greenhouse - the doors have been closed overnight. We've also had some significant rain. There are still though pockets of summery resistance. In my vase this week are :

• More of the cosmos that has not lived up to the label of 'Fizzy Purple' but is still going strong. Funnily enough though there has been the odd flowers that looks as if they are almost living up to their name and one of them has made it's way into this vase.
• The very last solitary flower from 'Misty Lavender' larkspur. No signs of life yet from my autumn sowings of this beautiful hardy annual despite the seed packet's sojourn in the freezer prior to sowing so it's looking like a second sowing in March.
• Some stems of self seeded briza maxima also known as Greater quaking grass presumably because of the way it shivers and shakes in any wind. I've decided that I should never need to sow this again as seedlings pop up in all sorts of places!
• The final occupant in this Monday's vase is perilla frutescens var. purpurescens also known as shiso  and Chinese basil. It's an hardy annual herb which is a member of the mint family. The leaves are edible and can be used in stir fry dishes and salads. I first came across it in a Vietnamese restaurant in Frankfurt a few years ago where I asked what it was. It has a most unusual taste which I can't quite make my mind up about. Apparently the flowers are edible too although I've never tried them. It makes for a good foliage container plant. I've grown it from seed before but this year bought as a young plant in the spring from the excellent Hampshire based 'Pepperpot Herbs'.

Thanks as always to our excellent hostess Cathy who blogs over at 'Rambling In The Garden' and who gently encourages to share our vases each and every week of the year.