Who can add to Christmas? The perfect motive is that God so loved the world. The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son. The only requirement is to believe in Him. The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life. ~Corrie Ten Boom
This beautiful poinsettia is part of Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge.
I still have a few plants blooming despite cooler temperatures. Gone is the cumbersome task of daily weeding, and left to me is a rebirth of the hardier blooms to cut and arrange. Here is a sampling of a few blossoms I thought were a good representation of Autumn colors. They are perfect for the In A Vase on Monday challenge.
My hyacinth bulb vase holds some coleus leaves, Knockout rosebuds in Coral, and sprigs of Agastache Poquito Orange. (After checking 2023 seed orders, I realized this plant is not Poquito Orange, but a apricot variety from the Fragrant Delight Mix of Agastache Seeds available from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.)
I love the Agastache I grew from seeds, sown indoors in late Winter. They are a beautiful shade; the blossoms are the size of a dime. Even the buds are attractive as they elongate and open. The flowers, growing in pots, never stopped their showy display from late Spring through Autumn. The photograph of my Agastache was taken yesterday.
The plants thrived in medium-sized pots in combination with other hummingbird plants. There is evidence of a few small nibbles of insects, but the plant is basically ignored by most pests. Perhaps it is not any wisdom or luck on my part they are uninfested, but due to the fact that they are in potting soil instead of the garden beds. They are small, about 10 inches tops, and they have a graceful drape to their stems, making them perfect to place around the edges of planters and hanging baskets. Will I grow these again? Oh yes!
I’m not ready to vegetate yet where the garden or Word Press challenges are concerned. I enjoyed including several challenges in today’s post. Thanks to all the hosts of these wonderful prompts to help me keep thinking and looking ahead. The Agastache flowers are part of Cee’s Flower of the Day and all my beautiful blooms are an entry in City Sonnet’s Colors and Letters Challenge – Letter F = Flowers.
My choices for IAVOM (In A Vase on Monday) are definitely along the patriotic lines and use red, white and blue flower choices.
Along with Blue Salvia, White Balsam and Alyssum, I used one of my favorites, Red Monarda/Bee Balm. This beauty seems to bloom every year just in time for the Fourth of July. In my eyes, it is quite the appropriate flower for July; it resembles bursting fireworks. The Bee Balm is a quick bloomer, and only thrives briefly in my garden beds. Already, it is showing signs of the fungus that plagues it every year. Somehow, it survives the blight and returns for me every year.
Monarda/Bee Balm is my choice for Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge.
Rue (Ruta graveolens) is called the Herb of Grace.
It was a common herb believed to keep away witches, and that folk use evolved into the Catholic Church’s practice of dipping branches of rue into Holy water and sprinkling it over the heads of parishioners as a blessing, which earned it a common name for the plant of “herb of grace.”
Mother Earth Gardener
Rue is a fabulous addition to a Butterfly Garden. Last year, planted in a sunny spot in my garden beds, they grew and thrived, hosting many eggs and caterpillars of Black Swallowtail Butterflies.
I didn’t cut them back in the Autumn. In Spring, they began to grow at the tips of rather leggy stems and were soon loaded with buds, and afterwards bloomed a brilliant yellow flower. They have a unique appearance, rather sticky in the center. This area is hard and forms into a rounded seedhead.
The foliage is a beautiful blue-green and presses perfectly. There is a caution for people with sensitive skin – Rue can cause phytophoto dermatitis following sun exposure in those susceptible to that condition.
Grow Rue in full to part sun in well-drained soil. This is a wonderful herb and is a great host plant for Black Swallowtails.
Rue is part of Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge.
I looked for a periwinkle a few days ago, and found nothing. I didn’t know it was hiding out within the mass of ivy beneath the pines. I love these small flowers. Now I know for sure Spring is on the way in South Jersey. It’s really cold and windy today, but this tender little blossom gives me hope. My periwinkle is part of Cee’s Flower of the Day.
