Even though the weather has warmed significantly, there is still not much blooming in my gardens. What I do have though is Dame’s Rocket, or what I usually call wild roadside phlox. I bought a few starts at a flea market several years ago, and let them go to seed. Now I have multiple plants at the back of the yard, which makes for a pretty view from the house.
My Purple Sensation Alliums are blooming now and might have made a nice addition to this bouquet. But I don’t have enough of them that I felt comfortable cutting any when they are so pretty in the garden. So, wild phlox will have to do for this week.
I arranged them at my new favorite place to hang out. It’s so nice to spend time at this table that is nestled in the back side of my yard. It’s a place to escape from any neighboring eyes, and is usually very serene. The neighbor’s behind me have five children with two sets of young twins. One of the girls loves to sing, and someone gave her a child’s version of a microphone. Needless to say, it wasn’t as quiet today as usual. What are parents thinking?
Wild phlox makes an easy and simple arrangement that I find soft and soothing. Their quiet, pale lavender blooms tucked in an old glass pitcher, combined with my pot of angel vine makes a sweet centerpiece. A glass of cold water, a book, and the dog on my lap is my idea of relaxation on a Sunday afternoon.
Wild phlox growing along the roadside can often be found in differing shades of lavender and white. I had one plant that was slightly darker and had intended to add a few stems for contrast. But a honey bee was busy tending to the blooms, so I left well enough alone.
The unopened blooms remind me of miniature rose buds.
Sometimes simple and serene are all that is needed to complete a warm and lovely weekend.
Joining with Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for “In A Vase on Monday”. There you will find many lovely and intricate arrangements with exotic and beautiful flowers from around the world.
I love anything phlox so your Dame’s Rocket and the new table and everything about this post fill my imagination.
Thank you Susie. I love sitting in the back of the yard at this new table. I had my doubts how much I would use it when I moved the table off the deck, being a distance from the house. But it has become like another room in the midst of my garden surrounded by all the flowers I love and the fruit of my labor. I got the idea from the book I just reviewed in my last post, Patina Living. I want to spend as much time as I can, not just working on my gardens, but living and relaxing in them. The book and the table are teaching me that.
That is so beautiful! From a distance, almost like a jug of Lilacs. There’s nothing like a field of Dame’s Rocket in mid spring – lifts the spirit! I really like the pot of Angel Vine – I’ll have to look that one up.
Thank you Chris. They are so beautiful when driving and you see them on the roadside happily blooming and spreading their joy around for all who pass by.
I thought my Angel Vine was a Button Fern when I bought it. Maybe it has several names, or they just look very similar. Either way, it is a delightful little plant.
This bunch of wild phlox looks so pretty Cindy, and ideal for the table that you plan to spend much more time sitting at. But TWO lots of twins next door to you? I do not envy their parents (nor you!)!
She certainly has her hands full. I remember when she first had kids, I thought she did such a great job of disciplining them and took a “no nonsense” approach. Now, with 5 kids, when I do hear her, she’s just screaming at them. I don’t think they realize when I’m back there in my garden, I can hear every word they say 🙂 But at least there is a 6-foot fence, and lots of trees and shrubs between us.
I love phlox but that’s yet another genus that doesn’t grow well here. Your simple arrangement is lovely and your back garden looks peaceful, absent your description of the neighbor child’s concert efforts. Maybe she’ll tire of the new toy soon…
Thank you Kris. For everything we can grow that you can’t, you can grow 20 things that we can’t. The benefits of living in a warmer climate I guess.
One of the twin girls just loves to sing, an American Idol candidate in the making. It is sweet to hear her singing, except when she sings the same song twenty times in a row. One of her siblings calls her “singer girl”. I’m sure they have no idea how much I hear from my back yard, and since they can’t see me, they don’t even know I’m there. Now, I’m sure the whole neighborhood can hear.
I agree with Chris – from a distance the effect is almost like lilac, so soothing, I could almost smell a lilac fragrance off the screen. People have told me that Hesperis is an invasive species in the States. I wish it would invade here – I still have to sow it. In spite of your neighbourly interruptions, we’d never know that your garden was anything less than a peaceful haven!
It is invasive from what I have read, but there never seems to be an overabundance of it around. It’s not everywhere like dandelions, just occasionally along the side of a road. But it is so pretty, how could anyone object?
I also learned from an Instagram follower that it originally came over from England, and over there it is called ‘Bouncing Bet’, named after the barmaids called “Bets” who used it with water to clean ale bottles.
Very pretty and so romantic. Your table in the back garden looks like a nice spot to relax… neighbours permitting!
Beautiful photography too.
Thank you kindly Cathy. It is a place I hope to spend lots of time this summer, weather permitting. First it was record breaking cold, and now it is record breaking rain and flooding. I feel like I’ve already lost so much of this season to weather restrictions, so I don’t think the neighbors will be a problem.