I’m not sure what possessed my garden to produce red, white and blue flowers this week. Perhaps a quiet celebration of No Kings on a floral scale. I’ll take it! I was astonished to see some 9 million fellow Americans staging peaceful protests yesterday. Just Wow.
Spring is progressing and the landscape is slowly recovering from the February freeze. The resilience of plants never fails to amaze me. Many things that we grow here are labeled not frost tolerant – it seems maybe they are! The truly tropical plants like Frangipani are gone, the insides of the trunks look like a black dessicated cord, I have never seen anything like it. The cold weather inspired some other things to flower, I think.
The Red Amaryllis in the vase appeared from the cosmos. I have never planted these and suddenly there it was. I decided to cut the stem because it was too windy for the flowers to last long.
Spilling over the edge of the vase are Sweet Begonias (Begonia odorata ‘Alba’) a stalwart here. The red, white and blue flowers are from a bromeliad, Billbergia vittata, these last longer in the vase than in the garden and have been flowering off and on for two months. My new Salvia, Mystic Blue, is having a good run and I am enjoying cutting it. The foliage in the vase is a chopped up frond from a Cabbage Palm (Palmetto sabal) I trimmed the frond and stuffed what I chopped off around the edges, not sure Martha Stewart would approve.
That’s all from my garden. Happy Spring Monday to all. Many thanks to Cathy for hosting. Follow this link to her blog to see more vases. RamblingintheGarden
The Shrub Queen 
You may not have any tulips but your bouquets never fail to thrill me. It’s truly beautiful and I love the delicate flowers of begonia. How would you describe their perfume?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Annette. The scent is barely detectable! It sounds great though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How bizarre to have amaryllis appear from nowhere! You have certainly put it to good use and, as always, you collected a motley of companions that work beautifully. Your 9m peaceful protestors says a lot…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Cathy. it is bizarre. There are some Red Amaryllis in the garden, but a fair distance away.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Billbergia vittata sure is cool. Did you cut some last week also?
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, a few weeks ago, it stops and starts
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the mysterious arrival of the amaryllis… a bird dropping or mischievous neighbor? 😉
Definitely a great showing on Saturday… aiming for 11 million next time (3.5% = change)!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know, it’s strange also in the middle of similar looking foliage of Hymenocallis, who knows what might appear next? Where did that 3.5% number come from – I have seen it – Robert Reich?
LikeLike
I think so… I got it from my spouse in an email and he can’t remember where… ah well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😂 yep. If I run across the source I will let you know.. pretty sure it’s up to 11 million already.
LikeLike
Love this vibrant vase Amelia – especially that blue! And the little begonias really are sweet. I always like seeing how you cut palm fronds and do things with them. Inspiration for me to be more adventurous with foliage in summer! What a shame about the frangipani. Will you plant another? Glad to hear so many are turning out for the protests. 👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Cathy I saved some Frangipani.I had one in containers and one lived through it for some reason? This one provided more cuttings I should have another Frangipani forest soon!
LikeLike
Your timely red, white and blue arrangement is spot on. Happy for the No-Kings turnout. The Amaryllis is splendid alongside your flowers that you did know were planted! It’s a shame about your Frangipani.
LikeLike
That red Amaryllis is really something! And combined with the graceful Sweet Begonias and that beautiful shade of blue in the Salvias…and those nifty Bromeliad flowers…wow!
LikeLike