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Monday, May 16, 2016

Perks of Procrastination, May 16, 2016

It seems procrastination can have some perks.  Last summer I put my Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) in a sunnier place than usual and it surprised me with some very big strapping leaves.  I brought it indoors for the winter but left it by my south-facing sliding glass door and forgot about it until after Christmas, so it got put in the dark late.  But I did get it out and it rewarded me with 2 bloom stalks instead of one.  So for In A Vase On Monday, hosted by Cathy who challenges us to find flowers to decorate our homes, I posed it behind a Christmas cactus also with unseaonably late second blooms-

I also posed a pair from my duck collection and a Chinese boat I made with them, as though floating in the arms of the plants.

The Amaryllis is very Christmasy, but there was a lot going on then anyway.  It is fun to have it bloom now.

Another unusual bloom is from one of 5 Streptocarpus plants I actually grew from seed this year.  The seeds were very tiny, pelleted, and I was amazed that they actually sprouted, minute little green specks that grew and eventually all got transplanted into their own pots.  I was amazed to see a bloom already on one, and it proceeded to have one flower, which was fading when two more bloomed-

I like the green glow in the throat of the blooms.  A couple more of the 5 plants are also sending up a bud.  It will be interesting to see what the other flowers look like.

And now for a vase of roses from my group of once-blooming Gallica roses, Leda damask-

Tuscany Superb-

And Belle de Crecy-

So now for my actual Monday vase, Gallicas with a magenta iris-

It seems the Gallicas have rather floppy and uncooperative stems, thus this petulant pose-

A couple of other irises in the general magenta category-

Plicata?
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For Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see what is blooming around the world.  Here the roses and irises are a couple of weeks early, and the Rhododendrons, Geums, Geraniums, Columbines, and Calla lilies are blooming.  Spring bulbs are long gone, as well as the fruit trees.

And from the plant section that earns their keep, the hard-working bunch, are some Fava plants blooming and hopefully forming some nice pods, as well as some peas.  I planted some in February then  filled in some more in March, supported with tomato cages and bamboo-

I'm also linking today with- 

Today's Flowers hosted by Denise

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma and Mystical Magical Teacher

Are any surprise flowers blooming for you today?   -Hannah






26 comments:

  1. Hi Hannah, nice vignette formed with the Amaryllis and Christmas cactus. It's fun when flowers surprise you with extra blooms.

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    1. Thanks, Susie, I was amused that the Christmas cactus looked like it was extending arms to the side, and the colors matched.

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  2. I love all the red, rose, magenta, purple colors!
    You should link this in to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens!
    http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2016/05/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-may-2016.html
    Have a wonderful week!
    Lea

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    1. Thanks, Lea, it was getting too late last night but I did link up this morning. The early blooming roses are really overwhelming this year. I hope to plant some beans this afternoon while it is a break in the 10 days of rain that had been predicted.

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  3. Lovely bright flowers! We're still in pastel mode here in NW England.

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    1. Thanks, Gillian, maybe everything is not blooming early there.

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  4. Those roses are stunning. Kind of fun to have an Amaryllis now when you can enjoy it without the rush of the holidays.

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    1. Thanks, Linda, I am happy to have the Amaryllis now, it's hard to schedule trying to get it to bloom for Christmas.

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  5. Hello Hannah, gorgeous variety of blooms. I love the amaryllis and Christmas Cactus. The Tuscany Superb is my favorite, just beautiful.
    Happy Monday, enjoy your new week ahead!

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    1. Thanks, Eileen, I love all the layers of petals of the Gallica roses, and soon my favorite, Rosa Mundi, will bloom her head off.

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  6. Red roses are beautiful.
    And are always my favourite.

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    1. Thanks, Rainfield, I love red roses too, and also peach.

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  7. Hannah how lovely to see the Amaryllis bloom...and all the blooms especially the rose and iris.

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    1. Thanks, Donna, I enjoyed your Dutchman's Britches information, I will have to show you my little native Dicentra soon.

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  8. That is a great first vase, with ducks and little house in the foreground - and the colours in the second are sumptuous. Thanks for sharing both

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    1. Thanks, Cathy, I will have to take better pictures of the ducks and boat sometime.

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  9. Your garden looks to be going gangbusters, everything looks great. I love all the high colors as well.

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    1. Thanks, Amelia, everything is early and enthusiastic. I'm wondering how it will look when they are done. Well, there are still the daylilies coming, I think they will be early too.

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  10. What gorgeous blooms, and growing a streptocarpus from seed, we have 2 plants with mauve flowers,slightly different, I must try.And your outdoor garden is flourishing too.

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    1. I have a couple of Streptocarpus that bloom, but I hadn't thought of saving seed, or maybe they needed cross-pollination to make some. The seed must be like dust without the pelleting. I will have to check to see if I can see any seed later. They needed careful watering when small but I was surprised to see one bloom after such a short time, I think about 4 months.

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  11. Your beautiful Hippeastrum would be welcome in any season, Hannah, and you did a nice job displaying it - it looks as though there are some flowers in similar hues outside the window or just in front of it too. That purple Iris is also magnificent with the floppy roses!

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    1. Thanks, Kris, in my windowsill garden behind the Amaryllis I have peachy orange Pelargoniums that bloom nearly continuously, a splotchy pink orchid, and burgundy leaves of Oxalis triangularis all lending some color.

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  12. Beautiful blooms. The amaryllis and cactus are quite striking, but all the blossoms are just lovely.

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  13. Wonderful Hannah, gorgeous flowers and love the arrangement with the pretty collectibles. Thank you for once again supporting Today's Flowers, and enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

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  14. The amaryllis is gorgeous and I love the roses and the irises. Have a great week, Hannah!

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  15. These pictures are so incredibly breathtaking...

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