The rain has arrived at last. A long, slow, cold rain: the sort that gardens love, though the dogs do not. The kitchen window looks like this (with apologies to all my friends who never want to see another drop of rain)...
Before it started raining this morning, I picked a rather vibrant collection of blooms. Lavender, scarlet, and crimson all together. It was a combination of colours that surprised even me, but there they were, ready for cutting, so I brought them in and made the best of it.
Because of the rain, all my photos were taken in low light; please bear with the results!
I am not usually this haphazard with my selections, but today's blooms came one from each plant, in most cases. Two entirely different pelargoniums: "Precision" (the dark crimson)...
...and an unknown scarlet, which combined well with a couple of Russelia stems.
The Russelia in its turn was filled out with equally long stems of Lavender "Goodwin's Creek Gray", very much in bloom at the moment.
And of course, the lavender tones were created by a rose; Sterling Silver has been holding some buds back for weeks, and now they are opening.
Just visible in the photo above, another purple-hued flower fills in above the rose. This darker purple comes from the Australian beauty Eremophila hygrophana, now blossoming away. So far I can't say enough nice things about this wonderful shrub, so I won't begin!
A second rose was also just waiting to be cut before the rain took it to pieces. The Alnwick Rose has been putting out its magnificent pink blooms one or two at a time, weather or no!
A nicely fragrant bouquet too, I might add! And a nice way to brighten a grey day...
For other wonderful January vases from warm to cold gardens, check out Cathy's Monday Vase meme at
Rambling in the Garden!
Happy Monday!
Weather Diary: Rain and cloudy; High: 60 F (16 C)/Low: 52 F (11 C)
So happy for you that you got some rain!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jane!! I hope it materializes for LA soon; I had assumed it was throughout SoCal, but I guess not so far... :(
DeleteI'm glad you got rain, Amy! It skipped most of us here in SoCal. I know that folks in the UK are sick of the rain but those wet panes of glass look beautiful to me. As to your vase, pretty as your roses are, I'm particularly taken with that dark crimson Pelargonium.
ReplyDeleteThey look good to me too, Kris; we were pretty dry (what's strange about that in the desert, I suppose; but still, we expect some winter rains!). I knew San Diego had gotten some moisture so assumed it was raining on up the coast - guess not :( I'm loving that Pelargonium; it's actually my first ivy-leaved type, and now I understand why people like them so well ;-)
DeleteGreat that the rain arrived for you; it's raining here too today and yesterday but not very heavily just enough to make everything damp.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a nice, slow rain here mostly, too, though tonight is expected to be heavy. The plants are clearly pleased - even the most drought-tolerant ones ;-)
DeleteLovely vase, Amy! A lot of brightness to cheer and gloomy day. And glad you got the rain - unfortunately we have it again (but we've had such lovely Christmas/New Year weather, so I shouldn't complain)
ReplyDeleteWeather can be a problem anytime there's too much of one thing, I suppose! So glad you enjoyed the vase! Thanks, Cathy :)
DeleteLovely vase for a rainy day!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Donna :)
Deletea lovely vase, Amy and the low light adds to its drama. Enjoy the rain - we are having a deluge here at the moment - the water butt has overflowed several times!
ReplyDeleteIt was quite a challenge photographing in that light, so glad you like the results :) It's been drier and colder here this winter than it was last, so I'm quite grateful for the weather, though I know many of you must be sick and tired of rain! Everything in moderation... ;-)
DeleteHaving a desert garden has its winter perks, your roses and pelargoniums look so beautiful together, I like the purple flowers especially. I have a lovely peach pelargonium that blooms nearly continuously in my windowsills, and even seeded itself into a neighboring empty pot once so I have even more. But I can't bring myself to cut them because the flowers last so long in the pot. Here in the far frozen north, rain in winter keeps us above freezing so I like continual rainy weather. One magical winter it rained every day for 3 months and never got below freezing.
ReplyDeleteYes, we're now fairly above freezing here (after a week or so of low temps). Pelargoniums are marvelous for good cheer; I've never had much luck keeping them indoors (low humidity), so am duly impressed by anyone who can! Thanks, Hannah :)
DeleteSo glad you got some welcome rain. Your plants must be so happy! I thought it was a beautiful arrangement and I actually really loved the lower light - it was perfect for a vase gathered on a rainy day.
ReplyDeleteIt was so nice having those bright colors at the table during several days of rain; it did all seem to go together :) And the garden looks happier than it had in weeks! Thanks, Kate!
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