It hasn’t rained so far today, and the sun – when it comes out – is very hot. Unfortunately when it goes behind a cloud the mosquitoes are out in force… but with long trousers and sleeves I have been able to wade through the jungle to pick some flowers for a vase for Cathy’s meme at Rambling in the Garden.
This was what I ended up with!
Yep, several vases – a bit of this and a bit of that, in limes and lemons, strawberry pinks and blueberry blues. It made me think of sweeties from those old-fashioned sweet shops where the jars line the shelves…
Among them all is perhaps the very last flower of my Veronica, and one of the last remaining peony buds…
I also included a rather washed out and wind-battered rose (lovely nonetheless!) and the first of the lavender…
With all the rain my lavender bushes have grown tall and are flopping. I have never seen this happen before. They will all have to be cut back hard in the autumn.
Other pickings included some pinks and a single Hypericum flower which opened a little earlier than usual this year and has been in flower for over a week already.
And of course the ubiquitous Alchemilla, with Violas and Sweet Williams…
… and some Geranium phaeum…
Heartfelt thanks to Cathy for hosting. She has made a touching tribute this week to fellow bloggers – Christina from My Hesperides Garden in particular – who share her pleasure in gathering flowers from their gardens every Monday. Cathy, this meme has made Monday such a cheerful day and has encouraged me to bring flowers into my home on other weekdays too. Thank you!
🙂
Words and Herbs 
So many sweet arrangements! I love the idea of clustering vases together. I like the roses and lavender together. I’m thinking of succumbing to garden blog envy and buying a D.A. rose!
I have also seen so many lovely roses recently I think my garden definitely needs another one! 😉
So much summer! All the color is awe inspiring! It has been warm here and today I will water deeply to encourage all that lush growth that every summer offers.
Thank you! I have barely had to do any watering this year so far Deb, even my containers have got enough from the rain. It has made a great difference to how my garden looks at the end of June!
Cathy what a beautiful tray full of vases and flowers…I adore the mix. It has been warm and dry here so I am thankful I am not battling mosquitoes right now.
I hope we get a dry spell at some stage this summer, but I fear this cycle of heat and storms has settled in to stay!
Just beautiful! A very inspiring idea!
Thanks Anca!
I love the mass of vases together on the tray; it is a look I enjoy a lot. A tip about the lavender, don’t leave it until autumn to prune but do it as soon as the flowers have finished, that way the bushes will leaf up beautifully before winter and not get too woody; I sometimes give mine a quick trim in early spring too.
Thank you Christina – I was hoping you might have a tip for me. I cut my lavenders down by about a third after flowering usually, and then cut some of them right down to the ground each year in autumn too. I think I will have to be a bit more brutal this summer though as they do look ugly at the base.
They usually say that lavender don’t grow back from the woody part of the plant but I think it depends on the light as mine do here but they never do in the UK. What happens when you cut right back to the ground?
Well, this year the winter was so mild they all came back healthier than ever, but it does mean bare patches through the winter. I have lost one or two in hard winters. I think I just need to replace some of my plants now and have started adding a few new ones or cuttings already. The oldest ones are around ten years old and with the damp winters I think that’s all I can expect of them.
10 years is actually a lot for lavender, 5 years is what is usually quoted.
Your lovely flowers meld into the landscape in that first photo, a lovely summer arrangement.
Thanks Susie. The garden was a bit overwhelming yesterday – I was out there weeding and found weeds as tall as me under my acer! Yikes! I also discovered a long-lost Clematis under it too though! 🙂
I didn’t realize there was a Geranium with such a dark flower. Dramatic!
Oh yes, and Geranium phaeum comes with variegated leaves sometimes, reflecting that deep chocolatey red too. You should try it for ground cover, but they need keeping in check!
Oh I’m so pleased that the mossies didn’t get you Cathy. They are the bane of my life when I set foot in the garden on damp warm days. You have a selected a veritable pick n’ mix there which would do Woolies proud if they were still in existence. Those violas peeking through the alchemilla are most attractive. I might turn that into a planting combination – thanks for the inspiration 🙂
I was thinking of Woolworths too! You are right, that is a nice planting combination… My Alchemilla seems to have spread again but there’s always room for a big clump of it, and with all the damp the violas I planted out from my winter containers have kept going well this year.
Beautiful, says summer to me!
The garden is most definitely in summer mode. Whereas the gardener is having to cover up and be prepared for rain at all times! LOL!
Definitely reminiscent of pick and mix, real traditional sweetie colours – and acid green foliage is such a great contrast with the blooms. Thanks for sharing and for your continued support for the meme
Thanks Cathy. The garden this year is so different after all the rain we have had and bringing it all indoors is so rewarding!
The rain brought out the mosquitoes THAT much? You had to wear long sleeves and trousers? OH MY! The last time I remember the bugs were out that badly, here, well, I was wee bairn!! 🙂 I wonder if I walked in the local park (where there is a woods) during a rainstorm if I would have a similar problem. Hmm. That’s interesting! And good on you for battling the mosquitoes! 🙂
I have got mosquito repellent too, which I will no doubt need when it gets too hot to cover up! All the moisture this year has provided optimum conditions for them!
Ah! That explains it. I seriously want to remember this!
I had to laugh when I realized that we finally have something in our garden that mutually share! Mosquitos! Oh my, but they can really be a problem, can’t they? I am going to miss your peonies, but your lovely bouquets are really sweet! That’s what I thought when I first saw them, and then you referenced sweeties from the sweet shops and that description fits nicely. i love Violas and Sweet William. Both my grandmother and mother always grew them together. 🙂
Oh, so you have mosquitoes too? Some years we are lucky if spring is dry, but this year has been ideal for them. I love Sweet Williams too and they really do smell lovely. 🙂
This is summer and fits to todays summer solstice! 🙂 Swedish Midsommar will be celebrated next weekend.
The 24th is Johannistag – a few villages around us light fires, but they are always small private festivals. Is it celebrated near to you?
No, our fires burn at easter time. But I once visited Bavaria-Franken and was invited to join the St.Johns-Fire in June. Was nice and later a lot of alcohol …
Beautiful flowers. Really inspiring 🙂
Thank you!
Yes! Your pick and mix looks like the summer garden just jumped casually up on the table! A lovely mixture – and alchemilla goes with absolutely everything doesn’t it?
I agree – Alchemilla is absolutely indispensable!
Well worth several vases…I think I need to adopt your approach.
🙂 Lots of small vases need little arrangement to make an impact. I have distributed them around the house now!