November flowers

How on earth do I have roses still in bloom in November?

Not complaining!

And especially when I can shove some very late flowering salvias in the vase as the same time.

All the dahlias have now given up in the potager. Save this least favourite one.

The merest hint of rain and the petals go tatty.

But I have a few zinnias still madly flowering.

I’ll definitely plant more next year. And more of this purple basil. The scent is a bit pungent but I do love the colour.

And then there are the branches of olives that I am lopping like mad off the trees. I do dread a heavy snow fall when these trees are so laden with foliage.

Half the tree came down two years ago in an October snow fall.

But the main fun among the flowers this late November are the dried flower arrangements I am trying to create.

And it is not easy.

I started out by lobbing so many things into the vase…

Stood back, scrunched up my nose. And frowned hard. Then pulled out half the vegetation and started again.

It is rather fun. But the seeds from the amaranth flowers are dropping merrily as the vases get hauled about.

The amaranth are coming from my potager, but also from my lovely neighbour Agnes.

I spotted her incredible jungle and asked to take a few of the fat crimson flowering branches home. Leaving behind plenty to self seed.

A perfect Instagram moment carrying such a huge load up the road home.

Aren’t they amazing and fluffy?

I had to hang another metal ring in the potting shed to dry them where I could catch the seeds.

I am looking forward to having fun with these when they have quite dried out.

And in the meantime it’s dried dahlias, grasses, and covering the glass jars in some of my Japanese paper while I wait.

Very autumnal hues.