I'm joining in with 'An Vase On Monday' today with the following in my vase :
- Calendula 'Sunset Buff' - these were sown either last March or April under cover in the greenhouse before being planted out in the garden. Although they are annual all three plants came through the winter albeit looking rather scruffy and bedraggled come early spring. I nearly pulled them out. However they have all perked up and are in flower again.
- A few chive or allium schoenoprasum flowers have joined them in the vase. The chive is one of the marigold's next door neighbours in a raised bed. We decided to take out the strawberry plants from this bed earlier this year so now it's a bed devoted to herbs and some flowers for cutting.
- Orlaya grandiflora also known as White Lace Flower - a hardy annual sown last September.
- Finally some grassiness in the shape of briza maxima, also known as Greater Quaking Grass which self-seeds itself about perhaps a bit too vigorously. I've recently been busy pulling out some of last year's offspring which I should have done sooner.
Thanks to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for hosting. Do pay her a visit to see what she is sharing this week as well along with other garden bloggers.
Last week was exceptionally hot here especially considering that it was May. We had temperatures in the late 20s and the thermometer went past 30c on a couple of days - unheard of for this time of year. Record highest May temperatures were recorded in all four U.K nations. Despite my Mediterranean genes I don't relish such hot weather and spent a lot of time indoors venturing out only early mornings and in the evenings. There was much watering to keep up with and some plants seem to be stressed especially some of my April sown seedlings. I'm hoping that this week's predicted cooler and damper weather will help them to rally.
We had a tiny bit of rain last week with a in the middle of the night thunderstorm and then it rained yesterday fortunately very early in the day. It dried up in time to visit our first plant fair of the year which was a local event. I emerged with a ginger mint, an oxalis triangularis, a cosmos 'Cherry Chocolate', an agapanthus 'Poppin' Purple' and a very small cercidiphyllum japonica also known as a toffee apple tree. I also acquired a couple of epimediums, a geranium macrorrhizum 'White Ness' and an astrantia 'Cerise Buttons' from my recent trip to the Lake District. The astrantia and the geranium were on my wish list so I was paticulularly delighted to come across them. Time to pause on new plant purchases for a while methinks 🤣 Wishing everyone a productive week both in and out of the garden.
Early sowing ie last year for the hardy annuals has certainly paid off Anna, as your arrangement is delightful with these blooms.
ReplyDeleteHi Anna, your vase is so delightful. I love the color of your Calendula 'Sunset Buff'--glad you gave it a reprieve.
ReplyDeleteGosh, I would never have thought of trying to overwinter my calendula - mind you, if they are really scruffy plants I am not sure I would want to. I didn't grow Sunset Buff this year, but the ones I did sow are not ready to flower yet. Yours look pretty with the orlaya and briza (I think I have finally eradicated my briza - a shame, as it is so pretty, but a nuisance!). What a good haul of plants you have had recently - now make sure you get them planted ASAP (if the weather continues cooler and damper)!
ReplyDeleteBeen cool and wet so my calendula are finally sorting. They usually reseed but somewhere along the way they disappeared. Can't wait to see mine, but I love the color of yours in that vase.
ReplyDeleteNo Calendula nor Orlaya for me this year, more's the pity. Thank you for sharing yours. I'm glad you were able to take advantage of your plant fair!
ReplyDeleteI have tried Orlaya and Calendula to no avail, so I love seeing yours. I have never heard Cercidophyllum called Toffee Apple? that is intriguing sounds like you had an excellent shopping day. Amelia,
ReplyDelete'Sunset Bluff' sure is beautiful! And the combination with the White Lace Flower and the Alliums is nifty. Love the ceramic vase, too!
ReplyDeleteThe calendula is so pretty - how amazing it survived the winter! The Orlaya is a perfect partner and I immediately thought of peaches and cream and the colours of my bridesmaid dress at my sister's wedding over 40 years ago! Love the sound of ginger mint. I can imagine a sprig of that in some mineral water would be most refreshing. Your plant purchases all sound wonderful Anna. I have the Geranium 'White Ness' and love it. It often flowers on and off all summer (as long as it isn't too dry). Good to hear your heat is over too - hope your seedlings have recovered. I still have some to plant out this week too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely calendula! I'm also impressed that it got through the winter, though now that I think about it, it was definitely my last holdout in the flower garden the autumn I had them, so perhaps it's not that surprising. They can go for a few years in warmer climates, after all. Maybe an experiment for some other day...
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