While collecting flowers for my vase on Sunday, a thought passed through my mind. This is like a jar of summer from my garden. Most of these plants flower all summer and are hot colors. I added the cut flowers to an old pasta container – viola, jarred summer.
Summer can be a bit jarring to those not used to the tropical heat South Florida produces. I have heard it described as a hot, wet blanket that surrounds and then stuns you on the way out of the airport. This is accurate.
I am from the Deep South and thought I knew hot weather. South Florida is a different kind of hot. The first time my husband and I came down (inadvertently) it was the peak of hurricane season and the heat. All I could think was that my hair is hot. Blessed with thick hair, it is still hot – though, I am ready for it and fortunately; it is lighter in color – grey!
In this climate, lighter is better. I started life as a brunette; the grey is cooler, my real color now, though the flower is fake. I learned from this it is difficult to take a picture of your own hair. An old friend from college (a guy) and I have been sending hair pics back and forth. His is longer…
I digress, here is a closer view of the vase:
I love all the high colors, especially in the harsh light of summer in South Florida. Pink just doesn’t stand up to the tropical rays. The yellow daisies at the base are Beach Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis); yellow spikes are Thyrallis (Galphimia glauca) a new and long lasting favorite cut flower. Purple flowers are another new favorite, Mona Lavender Plectranthus, though I question the wisdom of whoever named this plant. Beautiful foliage and flowers and thriving in icky heat – I think it needs a more attractive name. Orange tube flowers are from Firebush (Hamelia patens); lighter orange and sage green flowers are from Soap Aloe (Aloe saponaria). Red spike flowers are Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea). Blurry white spikes in back are Sweet Almond (Aloysia virgata) for fragrance. A few sprigs of varigated foliage (Dianella spp) set off the flowers.
To see more In a Vase on Monday posts, visit Cathy at http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com.
Happy Gardening.
The Shrub Queen 
We have officially hit our 90/90 days starting with 90% humidity with temps rising to 90 degrees. If you can believe it, Floridians claim the heat and humidity is worst here.
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Well, it is only 88/61 here, so it is cooler currently. I think the difference is it doesn’t cool off at night there. I thought it was hotter there. My husband used to live in Dallas and he says it was worse in summer…
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Florida people also say we have no breeze to cool off either. People in Dallas say Dallas is better because it is dry heat. To me 99 is 99.
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The Dry heat thing always makes me laugh..it was 115 one night in hubs backyard…that is hellish.
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I’ll leave the boasting about hot weather to you lot over the water, but we are used to a more temperate climate, but we had a day last week, when we had to go to sit in the shade, as the sun was so hot, even though the temps were 20 C. Your Summer in the Vase certainly reflects your temps very well.
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You’re right that stronger light demands more saturated colors like these. I used to shy away from bright yellows, oranges and especially red but I’ve embraced them with my current garden. Much as I envy your higher rainfall, I’m glad that SoCal’s heat of the dry type. Right now, our humidity is on the high end (93%!) due to a heavy morning marine layer but, as that keeps the temperature down (currently below 60F), I don’t mind even though it makes my hair go stick straight.
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I love the flamboyant Florida summer colours! Hot pinks and zingy yellows – your vase is like a fruit cocktail 🍹
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It is! I just picked my first Mangos! Thank you.
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Splashy, warm colors make me happy – the joy of summer time, esp. up here where half the year isn’t so pleasant. 😉
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Gotta love the splashy colors…
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I will forever pause before complaining about the heat and humidity experienced here in Canada! Although everything is relative, right? I love the colours in your vase, I really love the first photo (technically and artistically) and this post made me laugh. Thank you!
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Thanks, Chris. For some reason, I think Canada has no humidity. Everything is relative.
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Sometimes, I wonder why some people settled where they did a long time ago, before air conditions was so common. Old pictures show people wearing all those pretty, but bulky clothes! Ick! It must have been stifling! I think that if it was necessary to wear such clothing, I would want to live in cooler climates.
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The native Floridians think they are made of sterner stuff than others and love reminiscing about pre ac days. I agree with you.
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Well, there are climates here that get hotter. They are only more tolerable because of the aridity.
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I doubt I could tolerate Arizona.
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A million people in Phoenix can’t be wrong; but they must have different tolerances of weather.
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Well, heat and humidity are two things I am not keen on, so I don’t think I will be visiting Florida in summer! Shame as you have such lovely flowers… really pretty Plectranthus, lovely sunflowers, and all the tropical pinky reds and oranges are gorgeous. Someone above wrote it reminded them of a fruit cocktail, but to me it is fruit salad! 😉
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