The garden is a burst of bloom right now, which gave me the chance to snip quickly this evening. As my day went otherwise than planned, I found myself in a race with the sunset and, so far as the photography was concerned, I would have to say the sunset won. But I still have a vaseful of flowers to enjoy this week, and here they are.
Penstemon pseudospectabilis "Coconino County" (a selection from High Country Gardens) is a mass of flowers right now. I clipped plenty 0f them...
...along with several stems of Ozothamnus diosmifolius, with its tiny, tight flowers just opening.
There is also plenty of Cerinthe major purpurea.
And I am enjoying the feather-edged beauty of an unnamed Dianthus.
There were enough flowers to fill even this relatively wide-necked vase, one which I made some years ago. I think I should begin using this white glaze again; there is nothing quite like the gently cool hue of a tin-based white glaze.
There is a lot changing in the garden now as the late spring flowers, such as the Penstemon, begin their reign. Last year Penstemon pseudospectabilis continued far into summer. It will be interesting to see how it responds to the weather this year.
Linking with the lovely In a Vase on Monday at Rambling in the Garden, which is always an inspiration to enjoy the garden's bounty indoors as well as out.
Weather Diary: Partly cloudy with light rain showers; High: 81 F (27 C)/Low: 53 F (12 C); Humidity: 20%-60%
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Cathy (Tuesday, 28 March 2017 14:19)
I love that first photo in particular, which surely must have given rise to your vase's title as this is exactly what it conjures up, that turning point between day and night. What a brilliant combination of blooms - thanks for sharing your vase with us!
Kris P (Tuesday, 28 March 2017 18:40)
Another beautiful mix, Amy! I've come close to giving up on Penstemon here - I'm not sure what the trouble is since I grew them fairly successfully in my former garden. I just put in a P. heterophyllus this week in a final effort to break my unlucky streak.
AlisonC (Wednesday, 29 March 2017 04:04)
Georgeous colours and you are right about the vase. It will look good with most things. I like all kinds of dianthus and yours look wonderfully velvety and have such pretty colouring.
Anna (Wednesday, 29 March 2017 06:13)
The twilight only serves to enhance these beautiful colours and the vase is perfect. My Penstemon are just coming back now and producing some new shoots - they are a favourite for their longevity.
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 29 March 2017 13:30)
Thanks so much, Cathy - I had more than half-expected to use Calendulas again this week, but that Penstemon is covered in bloom, so the choices went in a different direction... ;-)
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 29 March 2017 13:32)
That must be disappointing with the Penstemons, Kris - and it does seem strange they won't grow in your current garden. There are so many different species available, though; hopefully P. heterophyllus will work for you!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 29 March 2017 14:34)
Thank you so much, Alison! I agree about dianthus; I found this one particularly lovely and, with its longer stems, so nice for a vase ;-)
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 29 March 2017 14:59)
Thanks very much, Anna! I confess to a lot of post-processing just to get these photos postable... ;-) I hadn't grown Penstemon before, but they have been such a pleasant addition in this garden!