My regular blogging practice has gone by the wayside since the weather cooled. When it isn’t raining, I can be found in the garden, trimming plants, pulling out weeds, but rarely watering the garden. We have had plenty of rain lately and the garden is, if anything, over-watered.
Today I spent all day in the garden again, so took the opportunity while pruning to collect a few flowers to add to a vase for Cathy’s In a Vase on Monday.
One of my once blue flowering Hydrangea bushes has blooms at the moment which are speckled, and quite pink! I had to include these in today’s vase as they are so unusual.
An old faithful flower, the Gerberas, continues to flower, even through the rain and dropping temperatures. They really are the happiest flowers in my garden. 🙂
In the past, I have called these pretty white flowers “fluffballs”, but when I consulted the identifier app on my mobile phone I discovered they are officially called Spiraea cantoniensis ‘Double White May’, or May Bush for short, which is a much easier name to remember. I needed to trim the May Bush as the branches were growing over the driveway and hitting cars driving in and out.
And my lavender needed trimming as well – some of the branches are attempting to take over their neighbours in the garden.
Considering the plunging temperatures of late, I am surprised to see the amount of growth in the garden still. I keep expecting flowers to stop blooming and new greenery to stop growing, but the opposite is happening. I think the garden is enjoying the cooler days as much as I am. 🙂
Once again, thank you to Cathy for hosting In a Vase on Monday. 🙂
In My World 
I’ve never seen a hydrangea flower like that, Joanne but I love them! I have a blue one, I wonder what colour the flowers will be this year…
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I believe the colour of the flowers depends on whether the soil is acidic or alkaline … I don’t know what mine is, but I wondered if some minerals and nutrients have been washed away by the rain, hence changing the colour. Regardless of the reason, I love the colour too. 🙂
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I’ve had blue ones that have turned pink but yours are very unusual…
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Love those speckled hydrangea… will you dry them? The gerberas pick up the pink nicely, too. I associate spirea with spring, interesting that you have one that blooms in the fall!
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I haven’t dried Hydrangeas previously, Eliza, but I may dry these – they are so unusual and worth preserving. I started a garden journal at the beginning of spring last year, so it will be interesting to compare the changes, if any, of when various flowers bloom each year. 🙂
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That hydrangea really is striking Joanne. And the whole vase is a wonderful collection of your autumn flowers. I had never heard of your Maybush before – very pretty, like little snowballs! (Do you ever get it cold enough to snow?) The Gerbera really do keep giving, don’t they!
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Thank you, Cathy. 🙂
We never have snow here, but we had a sudden cold snap in the weather one night last week, then later heard that a town over 400 kilometres away had snow flurries … the strong southerly wind must have blown the cold air our way!
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Lovely flowers – as has been said, I’ve never seen a speckled hydrangea before. Mine bloom pink, and I love them. Our Gerbera daisies don’t seem to be quite as “delicate” as yours, with wider petals on their blooms. Or at least it seems that way to me – perhaps I should go look at mine again.
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I think there are gerberas known as “double gerberas”, Carol, so that’s probably the variety you have. I would like to plant some doubles in my garden for some variety, although I do love my dainty flowers. 🙂
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How pretty! I like it when my plants keep blooming late into our fall. It somehow helps to say goodbye to summer.
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Thank you, Dawn. 🙂 We are definitely noticing the cooler weather ourselves, but the garden seems to be lagging in identifying the change in weather … I pruned the roses a couple of weeks ago and now they have new growth and new blooms! I’m not complaining – not one little bit. 🙂
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I’ve thought about trying to grow Hydrangeas again, if only to collect their dried flowers, but they’re too thirsty for my climate. I know your seemingly endless rain must be tedious after a while but I can’t help but feel envious, Jo. Our relatively short rainy season is officially over and, unless one of the monsoonal rainstorms characteristic of desert area to our east go way off course in late summer, we’re unlikely to see any more rain until late November.
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I can’t imagine having so little rainfall, Kris. It must be difficult for an avid gardener to be limited to the choice of plants dependent on the moisture requirements. My main complaint is this unseasonal rain we have been having. By now, we usually have drier, sunny days, and I am in the garden constantly. This year, however, due to the rain, I have been finding indoor projects to work on instead! I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you do have an off-course rainstorm this year. xx
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Wonderful! I like the vase, too. How interesting your hydrangeas got speckled. I like that spirea, I had one when I lived further north. I know you are enjoying the cool weather, things are just heating up here.
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Thank you, Amelia. The vase was a gift, many years ago, from a lovely lady I knew and I think of her every time I use the vase. 🙂
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The speckled hydrangea blossoms are still very pretty, and you can see some hints of blue on them. Love those pretty May Bush blossoms. We have flowers that bloom in autumn here, too, asters, mums and goldenrod come to mind. It’s wonderful you can enjoy your garden in three seasons. ♡
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Thank you, Barbara. There’s still so much happening in the garden even though the days have cooled substantially. Most days now barely reach 20 degrees Celsius and in the morning it is usually around 12 degrees. I keep expecting the plants to slow down! 🙂
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Do you ever get temperatures below freezing in the winter?
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How cool are those speckles? I’ve never seen anything like it!
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Neither have I, Tracy! Eliza asked if I will dry the flowers, and although I usually don’t, I may just dry these as they are so different to anything I have grown before. 🙂
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I love Hydrangeas and yours are uniquely beautiful. The vase itself is lovely.
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Oh aren’t those hydrangeas different! Such a lovely array of flowers …
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