Cold, windy, wet weather was predicted for last night and today. Apart from a few showers, it has turned out quite mild; but the prediction had already encouraged me to cut one flower for today's vase. The enormous bud on the rose "Mister Lincoln" stood a good chance of being broken off or at least battered about if the winds blew in.
So I cut it last night and slipped it into a vase this morning. The rose had a beautifully long stem, so I tried one of my taller vases. It was too wide for a single rose. Then into another vase. It was the wrong color. Then...
Out to the garden to cut a few more flowers. After bringing them inside, it was clear they would not help blend the colors at all. So at last I cut the rose shorter and used my little stoneware bottle to hold it.
The color has blued since I brought the flower in, but it's still such a beauty.
And it is big - over five and a half inches across and not fully open yet. And fragrant. Need I say more...? (Actually I did, as I posted separately about the bush some weeks ago.)
Here it is several days ago out in the garden.
So then there were the extra flowers, which clearly needed a vase of their own.
Several stems of Senna nemophila, which is in full bloom now (with a fragrance reminiscent of chocolate, I might add)...
...and a few blooms here and there from Justicia californica...
...and a cluster of leaves and berries from Hamelia patens. Not too many berries left now, but these are still bright!
The year has certainly come in like a lion here; we have had more rain in January than I remember through all of last year.
Wishing everyone a happy week! And do check the other vases at Rambling in the Garden, where Cathy hosts In a Vase on Monday!
Weather Diary: Cloudy with rain showers; High: 59 F (15 c)/Low: 47 F (8 C); Humidity: 51%-100%
Annette (Tuesday, 24 January 2017 04:56)
Hi Amy, your stunning rose certainly chased my January blues away! Such a beauty, bet it has a very velvety texture too. The other vase is delightful too – chocolate scent, yummie :)
Cathy (Tuesday, 24 January 2017 08:11)
It is such a joy to see roses in January and we really appreciate you sharing them with us. The airy senna foliage is a great filler to accompany its tiny flowers
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Tuesday, 24 January 2017 10:27)
So glad you enjoyed it, Annette! The texture is something between velvet and satin ;-) My sister and I discovered the Senna's chocolate scent unexpectedly, just sniffing the air and wondering where it came from! Funnily, I have the "chocolate flower" itself (Berlandiera lyrata) planted just beneath. It does not bloom this time of year, so now I have a replacement for the scent for winter...!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Tuesday, 24 January 2017 10:36)
Cathy - I thought we might all enjoy the rose more if I cut it ;-) Your are right about the senna, and I would like to use it more often in vases, especially while it is in bloom!
danger garden (Tuesday, 24 January 2017 11:07)
Ah that Senna is perfection in a vase, especially with the Justicia californica. I grew Senna didymobotrya a couple of years ago. Perhaps it's time to seek it out again.
Cathy (Tuesday, 24 January 2017 12:45)
What a beautiful rose! Both vases turned out to be really pretty - I like the look of the Senna, and am sure I would like the smell too! ;-)
Kris P (Tuesday, 24 January 2017 17:27)
I love both this week's vases, Amy. Mr. Lincoln is unequivocally the prettiest red rose, in my opinion. I wish I had a lacy Senna like that one. How big does it grow?
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 25 January 2017 00:47)
Thanks, Loree - Senna is a wonderful genus, isn't it?! Even when the flowers are similar, the foliage may be quite a bit different!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 25 January 2017 00:49)
Cathy - It's another fun scent and wafts a little on a warm morning - fortunately as I wouldn't have remembered to check the smell otherwise! So glad you liked these :)
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 25 January 2017 00:55)
Kris - I definitely thought of you when I started in on a second vase ;-) I expect the Senna to get around 6 ft in height and width; it is growing even faster than the acacia it's under and clearly still hasn't reached full size...
Kate R (Thursday, 26 January 2017 09:59)
That rose really is amazing Amy - how beautiful! I love that Senna too. I had no idea that there were so many different types or even that they were scented. I really should do this In a Vase Meme but I worry that I would never get to it if it is every week - you are so much more organized than me!!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 01 February 2017 10:35)
Kate - I have no idea whether scent is common among the Sennas, but this one is delightful on a warm morning or indoors :) I do hope you'll try the In a Vase meme; there's no requirement to do it every week, of course, and I've been amazed to find myself doing it consistently as I am by no means a well-organized person...! And I know your vases are always so lovely! Your cutting garden has already inspired me to grow more cutting flowers ;-)