In a Vase: Some Welcome Snippets

Today’s vase is another rather frothy combination of snippets.

The dianthus was rather inevitable because it has bloomed so heavily. Dianthus “Floral Lace Picotee” is proving very floriferous. It’s a joy to look at through the kitchen window.

A single blossom of red Catharanthus roseus makes its appearance.

Then there was a single sprig of lavender from my still-very-small Lavandula stoechas.

Salvia microphylla “Hot Lips” has just begun to flower again after I deadheaded it heavily some weeks ago. And yes, I do occasionally get bitone flowers now.

I notice that the Sunset Western Gardening Book refers to its propensity to throw blooms of all-red or all-white, as well as the vibrant red-and-white ones for which it is known. So now I can be certain: it’s quite variable and I do indeed have “Hot Lips” as labelled.

This little collection of blooms is combined in my small ink-pot style vase.

Thank you to Cathy for hosting In a Vase on Monday each week!

I am feeling fortunate to have blooming flowers in this mild-winter climate, though we are expecting some rain and colder weather moving in from California soon. Temperatures may drop down near freezing for a few nights, while I keep trying to understand the weather patterns for my new garden.

In other news, I will add that my collection of poems The Hillside Diary is now available in print and as an e-book. These are poems that I wrote over a four season span in Missouri, a diary of sun and snowfall and little creatures in the grass and trees, as well as my own reflections on life at the time.

The link below goes to Amazon US, but the book is readily available via Amazon UK.