After yesterday's Bloom Day post, I knew there should be plenty to choose from for today's vase. And there is. It has turned into a mix of roses and an array of plumes from ornamental grasses, as well as several handfuls of Russelia.
Plus a hollyhock...
...and two furry spires of Salvia leucantha "Santa Barbara".
The grasses include the strikingly burgundy-colored Pennisetum setaceum rubrum, the tan brushes of Bouteloua gracilis "Blonde Ambition", and the slender feathers of Muhlenbergia lindheimeri "Autumn Glow". The last has just begun flowering for the first time, and I am quite enthusiastic. The color is not particularly strong - yet, at any rate - but the texture is marvelous.
The roses include the soft pink "James Galway" and cerise-red "William Shakespeare 2000", and I also slipped in trimmings from lavender and red miniature roses.
Oh, and there is a bloom of Catharanthus roseus slipped in on one side too. As I say, there were plenty of flowers to use!
The vase is one of my handthrown stoneware pots, whose dark glaze and larger size seemed right for the amount and strong colors of today's flowers.
Thank you to Cathy for hosting the wonderful In a Vase on Monday! Do check the other vases for this week!
Weather Diary: Sunny; High: 96 F (36 C)/Low: 64 F (18 C); Humidity: 10%-27%
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Helen at Toronto Gardens (Tuesday, 17 October 2017 09:27)
Wow, that's most impressive. I particularly like the shot with the bold hollyhock "eye".
Diana Studer (Tuesday, 17 October 2017 16:05)
That vase looks as if it would sit comfortably in the hand (make a good fist of it)
And how your flowers sing in a talented vase!
Cathy (Wednesday, 18 October 2017 07:20)
That dark grass is gorgeous Amy - these kind of pennisetum are not reliably hardy and best grown as annuals, so I don't risk it - and the centre of the hollyhock picks out the colour of it nicely. You are right about your pot being perfect too!
Kris P (Wednesday, 18 October 2017 10:02)
I love the addition of the hollyhock, Amy. I've repeatedly tried to grow them but all seem to succumb to rust.
Brian Skeys (Wednesday, 18 October 2017 11:42)
Black and red do go together, very Spanish.
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 18 October 2017 20:22)
Thank you so much, Helen! That hollyhock was not in the original plans for this vase, but it certainly found a place for itself! I should have mentioned it is the variety "Creme de Cassis" - I've really enjoyed it!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 18 October 2017 20:24)
So kind of you, Diana - thanks! I do try to make sure my vases will be good to handle, and creating Monday vases has taught me a great deal about what I actually enjoy putting flowers into... not always according to my expectations! ;-)
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 18 October 2017 20:43)
Thank you so much, Cathy! I'm greatly indebted to that grass for supplying some hard-to-come-by dark foliage in this garden. Silver is, of course, plentiful. Burgundy, not so much! I do think the grasses work so nicely in vases in any case :) So glad you like the vase - it was made for Mondays...!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 18 October 2017 20:46)
That hollyhock is quite a character, Kris - I've begun to suspect it's related to Jack's beanstalk! I already hacked it back hard once this summer. By all reports, the desert really gives them a good chance to grow without the fungus or bug problems they have elsewhere. It seems strange they should do so well here, but this one certainly has...
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 18 October 2017 20:48)
I think you are right, Brian! ;-) And the red and pink are arguably Mexican influence, at that!
Cathy (Saturday, 21 October 2017 06:37)
Lovely! Sigh... wish I could grow such beautiful Pennisetum. It looks gorgeous with the Russelia. :)
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Saturday, 21 October 2017 19:24)
Cathy - I am grateful I can grow that Pennisetum because there is a real dearth of dark-foliaged plants that can take the sun and heat! My other favorites are the Muhlenbergias; are they available there? Perhaps I've asked that before - not sure! ;-) I think they would like your climate. :)