Yes, this is a gladiolus. No, I didn’t buy it at the store. Yes, it’s a current photo. It bloomed this week in my garden. It’s early July, in the hottest, driest Summer since the dust bowl of the ’50s. (I’ve deemed this year Summer of Hell II, acknowledging that we are doing this yet AGAIN this year. I’m not good with recidivism, I prefer Change, thank you very much to Whomever might be listening Up There.)
It’s such a sweet bloom, with all its soft yellows and gently curving petals. Just like I would expect to see in May. It bloomed in dappled shade in my back garden. I decided to rescue it, and snipped it and brought it inside to more temperate climes.
On another note, this dragonfly decided to fly into the house today when I opened the back door. I’ve never seen one so huge, have you? To give you a perspective, the tile it landed on is 4″ wide at that point. I’m used to dragonflies under 2″ or so, this one shocked me. Fortunately, I was able to coax it back outside, no harm done.
What a delicate beauty! I meant the gladiolus, but it goes for the dragonfly, too.
I was looking around the yard for something I could cut for a bud vase, but the best I found was a lavender branch with one tiny bloom.
Stay cool and have a great weekend!
Iris, It is a sweetie, for sure. Especially right now, when not much else is blooming for me, not even Plumbago. I have a rose that’s blooming, but the sun beats up the blooms and buds so much, that they aren’t worth putting in a vase.
I still have a few gladiolus still blooming. I think this is the latest I have ever had them bloom. Yours is a lovely color.
Jan
Always Growing
It’s very odd in Central Texas to be this time of year, Jan. Perhaps it was the lack of rain in the spring.
It really is too hot this year but your glad. doesn’t seem to mind at all. It is beautiful. Dappled shade sounds so lovely- not a bit like 204 degrees. Wise move to bring the flower into the house.
Jenny, at least I could enjoy it for a few days indoors. Even in the dappled shade, it’s close to 204 degrees, isn’t it?
Just about everything I have outside is withered, though it gets lots of water. The heat just came so suddenly and so intensely! No use buying more, even if I could get out and plant it. Probably just wait till fall now… On a better note, it rained! Finally!
Brenda
true that! I’m waiting for fall myself (sort of like Waiting for Godot, isn’t it?) to bother with anything. At this point, if it’s alive then I’ve done my job.
The glad is beautiful, and such a pleasant surprise, given the heat and lack of rain!
As for the dragonfly, are we gonna have to start testing them for steroids, like they do in baseball?
It was definitely a dragonfly on ‘roids, Nola! It was the size of a hummingbird!
That gladiolus is such a cool, buttery color, Robin -maybe I should give them a try. Bulbs seem to be the way to go here – my Amarcrinum are trying hard to bloom even in this horrid weather!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Maybe bulbs have enough self-contained nutrition that they can handle almost anything? Perhaps we can change to all-bulb gardening…
A couple of amarcrinum that get morning sun and supplemental water are blooming in this heat – more bulb evidence!
I heard there was rain down in your corner of Austin – hope you got some, Robin!
Annie
Robin, this makes me want to try glads again! And your pictures to North Carolina fabulous, as well as the adventure story. I’ve always wanted to see that estate and now I have! I’m sorry for the drama and the damage, though, but for us storm-challenged here, it was actually refreshing to read about it.
Linda, who knows how that glad will continue after the Summer of Hell II? And yes, the best part of the Biltmore visit was actually getting to see rain from the sky!
Annie, I got less than an inch, but I’ll take anything these days, just like you. The rainlilies actually popped out the other day; even before the rain! I guess they were just happy for a bit of cloud cover. All bulb garden, here we come.