In yesterday's post the first of the Narcissus flowers were in bloom under the Acacia tree. This morning I found the first fully open blooms on the double yellow "Golden Rain". While I knew that "Autumn Colors" was a very early bloomer, I am more surprised by "Golden Rain". But whatever the season, the narcissus are definitely a presence in the garden now.
So today I decided to go ahead and cut that first stalk of bloom from "Autumn Colors" for my Monday vase.
Many more florets had opened in the meantime, so they made a ladder like this, with Lavandula x intermedia.
To combine with the fresh, creamy white of the narcissus, I cut a cluster from Pandorea jasminoides, which I am growing in a pot on the patio. These blooms are very white, and I think they must be P. j. alba though the pot was not fully labelled.
I also added Tagetes lemmonii x lucida "Gold Medal" - a great deal of name for a plant of simple beauty.
And there are a few lemon-tipped puffs from Acacia salicina.
For all the variety, this was a slender handful of flowers and fit (mostly) in one of my smallest bud vases, a slim-necked vase whose blue-green glaze is accented with streaks from a flow glaze applied to the top section.
It all seemed very fresh and, honestly, rather spring-like. Surprisingly so for the last Monday of November!
Thank you to Cathy for hosting In a Vase on Monday each week at Rambling in the Garden!
Weather Diary: Partly cloudy; High: 77 F (25 C)/Low: 50 F (10 C); Humidity: 21%-50%
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Karen (Tuesday, 28 November 2017 04:21)
Wow, so pretty. So lovely to have a sign of spring as we are going into winter. I will add a weather diary to my posts as yours is so interesting . All the best. Karen https://bramblegarden.com/
Cathy (Tuesday, 28 November 2017 07:25)
A crossover autumn/spring vase Amy! LOL! It is so refreshing to see Narcissi alongside lavender and Tagetes. Beautifully arranged in that gorgeous vase!
Kris P (Tuesday, 28 November 2017 12:11)
After seeing your Acacia blooms in the earlier post, I found myself taking a good hard look at an Acacia during a quick swing through my local garden center yesterday. If only I could figure out where to put it...
Cathy (Tuesday, 28 November 2017 13:47)
What a delight it was to see your narcissi and what a pretty thing this Golden Rain is - such a gentle colour and your other blooms compement it perfectly. Overall you have got such a balanced vase, both in shape and content
Diana Studer (Tuesday, 28 November 2017 15:53)
You have an artist's eye for combining shapes and colours to give us a perfect arrangement.
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 29 November 2017 09:41)
Karen - Thanks so much! The early narcissus varieties are exceeding my expectations - a very good thing as many bulbs have been difficult in this garden! Glad you like the weather diary idea; I've found it invaluable, especially since it allows me to easily see what was going on in the garden at the same time. :)
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 29 November 2017 12:25)
Cathy@Words and Herbs - Thanks very much! :) I was surprised by the combination myself but, oh, so happy to have them all in bloom!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 29 November 2017 12:29)
Kris - That acacia has been a mixed blessing as it never has learned to stand without support. I keep trying, but if I take away its post it tumbles into the Euphorbia below. Also the shade is quite dense. I've been thinking of replacing it with a Palo Verde, but haven't made up my mind to do it yet. It would be hard with it in full flower...
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 29 November 2017 12:33)
Cathy@Rambling in the Garden - Thank you, Cathy! You know I love to combine tiny flowers, and most of these were just that! :) The exception was the Pandorea, which I really wasn't sure about cutting. In fact I made up the vase quickly and photographed it quicker for fear the Pandorea would collapse. Two days later the Tagetes are all but gone, but the Pandorea is looking great! :)
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Wednesday, 29 November 2017 12:33)
Diana - Thanks for the lovely compliment! :)
Annette (Thursday, 30 November 2017 05:51)
Oh Amy, my heart just skipped a beat! Your delicate arrangement is just so pretty and has induced an untimely longing for spring in my soul that is quite fearful of the cold. Wish I could spend the winter in your part of the world. That daffodil is too charming and there aren't many that can combine them with Lavender. Well done!
Donna@GardensEyeView (Thursday, 30 November 2017 15:32)
I love the structure of this vase as it rises to a slender top, like the shape of the vase....beautiful!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Friday, 01 December 2017 10:09)
Many thanks, Annette! It is such a lovely spot in the wintertime - stop fill of sunshine and warmth. I hope someday you can come enjoy it! :) I have to laugh about putting the daffodils with lavender, but there they were: both in bloom at the same time, so why not?! ;-) The season has been generous!
Amy@smallsunnygarden (Friday, 01 December 2017 10:11)
Thank you so much, Donna! Hope you have a wonderful weekend! :-)