Well, I am getting back (I hope!) to scheduled posting after trying to juggle several projects, then taking time out for my sudden trip to San Diego. Hopefully we are back to regular programming here at the blog, because I am much happier when posting regularly!
So here, after a two-week hiatus, is the last Monday Vase of September. It is a small thing, but full of warm, autumnal color.
Admittedly, some of the flowers come from plants that have been in bloom throughout the summer months, while others represent a real change of season.
Berlandiera lyrata and Cuphea ignea "Vermillionaire", below, are among the veterans of a very long summer, as is the lavender-colored bloom of Catharanthus roseus.
One plant that came into bloom later in the season is Bouteloua gracilis "Blonde Ambition"...
...while Salvia leucantha "Santa Barbara" had just begun flowering when I got back home a little over a week ago. This Salvia has been quite the tease, planted a good two years ago, looking repeatedly as though it were at death's door, then perking up to give a semblance of really coming to life. Never quite bad enough to jerk out of the border as it was in a spot where I really wanted it, and never quite good enough to actually come fully into bloom. At last it has succeeded at the latter, and here is a stalk of its fuzzy purple flowers. Wish it well, as I hope it will now go on to become the fine shrubby perennial I know it should be.
Most of all, there are a couple of roses. They are neither in full size or full form, but they are lovely to have. These came from Crown Princess Margareta, which has been trying to bounce back into bloom for weeks, hampered by our prolonged heat and the fact that I wasn't willing to ramp up its watering schedule until the heat really did break. We have reached that point at last, and I am hoping to nurse my roses into a good autumn blooming, but who knows...!
None of the flowers is very large, so I used a rather small vase. Actually, it was made to be a seed pot - a lovely old use for pottery, particularly here in the southwest. Pot mouths are made quite small as they are meant to hold only seeds. In this case, though, I hadn't put any seeds in it yet, and it was just the size for my wispy little bouquet. The pot is no longer than my hand and was built just by pinching and coiling the clay.
It's good to be back making Monday Vases; I've missed it over the past couple of weeks! Hope all of you have a lovely week, and do check the many wonderful vases at Rambling in the Garden!
Weather Diary: Sunny; High : 87 F (31 C)/Low: 58 F (14 C); Humidity: 7%-32%
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David C. (Monday, 25 September 2017 22:21)
Quite a bold arrangement, and the blue grama is a great addition to the reds. That orange and red against the tan wall is another idea to steal. I had small vases and pots all around my old house with nothing but grama, cottontop, and other native grasses.
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Monday, 25 September 2017 22:33)
David C - So glad you like it; I've been really happy with how well the grama has grown here. I need to try moving it - does it resent that much? Love your idea of using the dried grasses around the house. I keep intending to do a lot more drying, but I haven't succeeded yet - maybe I'll manage to fit it in once the garden is a little more finished!
Kris P (Monday, 25 September 2017 22:41)
I love the close-up of 'Blonde Ambition' - I've never managed to get one that isn't fuzzy. 'Crown Princess Margareta' is a real beauty!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Tuesday, 26 September 2017 00:56)
Thanks so much, Kris - It was a bit difficult to get a focus! For most of my shots I use the Nikkor 85mm lens, which gives a good close-up without being heavy to handle. I love Margareta... a nearly perfect rose!
Cathy (Tuesday, 26 September 2017 02:38)
So intersting to read about your different blooms and how they have coped with your climate. Plants cab be quite a tease, can't they, suddenly beginning to perform when we least expect it. Hope the salvia continues to thrive ;) That Blonde Ambition thing looks most intriguing - is it a grass? My Crown PM is also valiantly producing a few more buds, but the last few failed to flower properly because of the rain. Thnaks for sharing your blooms and another of your lovely pots today
Cathy (Tuesday, 26 September 2017 08:59)
The colours and the use of a grass make it look very autumnal Amy. I:) I love your little vase, and it is interesting to learn it is a seed pot, as I have never heard of them before. Is pottery just a hobby or do you sell your vases too?
Donna@GardensEyeView (Tuesday, 26 September 2017 11:09)
Oh that is spectacular...love the red glass vase and all those blooms, especially the roses!
Eliza (Tuesday, 26 September 2017 21:49)
Beautifully balanced design, Amy. I love that peachy rose esp. –what a beauty!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 27 September 2017 12:27)
Cathy@Rambling in the Garden - Thanks so much, Cathy :) Bouteloua gracilis is indeed a grass: a lovely little fine-textured one. I must move mine to the front of the border where I can enjoy it better! It is a selection of a species that grows wild over much of the western US, so is very widely adapted. Here is a link to the Missouri Botanical Gardens page on it: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=273234&isprofile=0&letter=B
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 27 September 2017 12:36)
Cathy@Words and Herbs - It's wonderful to be coming back into the main season for ornamental grasses... ;-) The Bouteloua began early, bless it! - and I look forward to a good deal more of it! I'm wondering whether this grass has arrived in your part of the world yet? (The "Blonde Ambition" cultivar apparently only reached Arizona quite recently.) I would think it would grow well in your conditions also as it is very cold hardy.
I have become quite intrigued by the use of seed pots, so I've begun making a series that I hope to offer online within the next few months... ;-) I wanted a different glaze for them, so still have a bit of engineering to do on that, as I design my own glazes.
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 27 September 2017 12:40)
So glad you enjoyed it, Donna :) It's been a bit sparse here, as summer has really lasted, so it's wonderful to begin getting some roses again - and more flowers from everything generally!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 27 September 2017 12:42)
Such a nice compliment, Eliza - thanks! :) I do love Crown Princess Margareta - she rings many changes depending on the weather - color especially - but is always gorgeous...!