For the past few days I have been getting ‘Coastal Flood Advisories’ for Sunday. The weather people were not kidding. I took Rob the Greyhound out early for his morning constitutional on the advice that the deluge wouldn’t start until 8 am. To say the dog had a rainwater rinse would be a massive understatement. I am not sure I have been so thoroughly rained on since I was in college and didn’t have a car.
The good news is I live uphill and this Greyhound is not one that hates getting wet so badly he breaks into a full gallop. This can result in difficulties for the human at the end of the leash. Rob wanted to stop and smell the asphalt. Go figure. We both dried off eventually and I decided to cut the flowers that grow closest to the house, avoiding more sogginess. The monsoon created the vase.
The plant palette: In orange and red, Heliconia psittacorum ‘Choconiana’ and ‘Lady Di’. Creamy, honey scented spikes are from the Juba Bush (Iresine diffusa). Ferns are the Asian Sword variety, an invasive plant I will never get rid of that I perversely enjoy. The vase is from a florist somewhere..
That’s all from moist and windy South Florida. Visit Cathy at RamblingintheGarden to see more vases.
Rain is good, but a soggy walk isn’t much fun. ☔️ LOVE the heliconias! 😍
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thanks, I always think of you when I cut them.
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🙂
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Utterly glorious – soooo much colour! Thank you popping over to my blog and leaving a lovely comment x
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thank you
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Thank you SOOOOOO much for the sea grape seed! I am determined to grow them well this time. I will keep them cool but dry until after the coldest part of winter, and then sow them when they will not get too cool.
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You’re welcome. They are hard to get rid of here. good luck
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Well that is quite a lively bouquet of exotic colors. Wish I could smell it.
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Well, the monsoon did a wonderful job with this vase! My Nicholas has a slightly different reaction to rain–although warm rain isn’t as much of a hindrance for him as is the cold stuff. And he’s a cockapoo, so of course it’s a slightly different situation with a speedy 24-pounder on the end of a leash rushing for cover. The combination of the Heliconia and the Juda Bush blooms is magical. And then the ferns offer fabulous structure to the arrangement!
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thank you. I think cold rain makes a difference.
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I’ve also occasionally been fooled by weather forecast estimates, although I can’t claim to ever been pummeled by a monsoon! Your weather-battered flowers came through beautifully, however, even if you were left soggy by the experience.
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thanks, Kris.
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I had to giggle at your wet walk – sorry! You were very wise creating your vase from material closest to the house, but the tropical spikes and lush greenery are ever bit as stylish as a more considered selection
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I was giggling too. It’s surprising how much water a short haired dog can hold. Thank you.
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The monsoon has a good eye for flower choices 😉 . I love your vase and the honey scented spikes sound divine!
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Thank you.
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It’s a good thing your dog doesn’t mind getting wet, and your flowers could take the heavy rain. I saw a winter forecast, and Florida may get some big storms this winter.
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It’s been so rainy already! ugh.
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Are you affected by the King tide?
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We bought a house on a high elevation intentionally. There’s been a lot of flooding downhill and historically high water levels..we took the high road today and were fine.
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Good move. Our house in Houston was on a “hill”, but only about two blocks from the lake (dammed-up river) that floods.
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I love your magical monsoon vase Amelia. But I hope the deluge is soon over and poor Rob (and you!) can have some drier walks!
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Thanks, Cathy. we got it again this morning, but I was wearing a raincoat!
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☔️ We got more today too… I went out in my car and it was so strange to drive in rain after so many months without any. I had almost forgotten where the switch for my windscreen wipers was! LOL!
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I can relate. I bet the garden is enjoying it.
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Lapping it up! 😁
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Rob the Greyhound sounds like a good sport about that rinse. The Heliconia ‘Choconiana’ and ‘Lady Di’ against the Juba Bush spikes make a striking combo, and it’s a nice reminder that the best arrangements sometimes come from storm-dictated limits rather than a planned cutting garden. On the practical side, heavy coastal rain like that is also why good drainage grading matters so much around a home’s foundation in flood-prone areas – something we think about constantly even up here in Springfield, MA with our spring thaw runoff, just a different season of the same problem. Did your elevated siting end up being the deciding factor when you bought the house?
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Rob is generally a good sport. I’m not sure if you have seen this week’s rain here. We had a thousand year storm, a few areas got over 20 inches of rain in 3 days. The elevation was a deciding factor.. the house is a lot higher than the flood plain! My Dad was born in Springfield!
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