Rain has been making a big difference here; and our tiny, resident Costa's hummingbird greeted me this afternoon in a garden that already has more flowers for her to feed from. But honestly, things are still fairly sparse; and for today's vase I used some of the stray bits, snippings, and deadheadings, because there is a good deal of that sort of thing in the borders.
It certainly has a late summer feel...
...what with sprays of Salvia "Summer Jewels"...
...another small hollyhock flower from "Creme de Cassis"...
...the ever-helpful feathers of Pennisetum setaceum rubrum...
...and some green hips from The Alnwick Rose, along with nearly spent stalks of Lavandula multifida.
I rarely use this particular vase as I mostly consider it a failed glaze experiment, but I do bring it out now and then as I think it works well for rather rustic arrangements like this.
I hope you have all had a lovely Monday! Do check the other vases at Cathy's Rambling in the Garden!
Weather Diary: My usual source for temperature information is not working these days! I can only say that it is fairly warm and much more humid here, as we've gotten some rain each of the last three nights. Expecting more tonight... I may have to drop the weather diary altogether until I can get good information again!
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Cathy (Tuesday, 18 July 2017 01:48)
Such a great title today, Amy! And your reject vase is indeed spot on for these blooms, especially with the pennisetum. Perefct colour and shape. How unusual is it to have rain in July and has it all been overnight?
Cathy (Tuesday, 18 July 2017 02:53)
How wonderful that your hollyhock is still producing flowers. I know I say it almost every week, but that Pennisetum is gorgeous! And a lovely Salvia too. :)
Kris P (Tuesday, 18 July 2017 09:45)
The Hollyhock adds a romantic note. My Pennisetum are starting to bloom too. I wish they really did signal the end of summer but I'm afraid we too have a lot more hot days to endure before this summer is "in the can." We're much more humid than normal as well as some of that monsoonal moisture is creeping in here if not, regrettably, any of the rain.
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 19 July 2017 14:10)
Cathy@Rambling in the Garden - So glad you enjoyed it - this was a fun one! Well, they mostly all are... ;-) July and August are the normal months for summer rain here; it's known as the monsoon season and is important as it provides not only moisture but the occasional lower temperatures (meaning upper thirties instead of forties!). Last summer I watched as storm after storm skirted on around us while the skies overhead stayed clear. So it's a big relief to be getting the moisture this year! I suppose storms tend to develop in the evening here because the humidity can rise then, but I really don't know! ;-)
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 19 July 2017 14:13)
Cathy@Words and Herbs - I thought that was the prettiest little Salvia ;-) It is sold in the US as a summer annual, so I didn't know what to expect, but it seems to be happily perennial with mild winters... I can't stop admiring the Pennisetum myself! Thanks so much, Cathy!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 19 July 2017 14:27)
Kris - I think even the humidity helps the plants through the heat, though it makes it that much less comfortable for the humans! Hope some of the rain might eventually make it out there; these storms are certainly moving in from the east. I guess the best term for this season would be "second summer"...? ;-)