The Everlastings

These are called Strawflowers.  Indeed, they feel like straw, and to my senses, have no fragrance I can detect.  But the bees love them.  So do the bees come to them for the color or is there hidden magic humans don't recognize? 

I also grew a few of these...called Gomphrena.  I was first attracted to them when we visited Monticello.  Late in the fall, the everlastings graced many of the brick walkways throughout the grounds of Thomas Jefferson's home.

The humble little flowers give so much by way of rewards for having cared for them during these past months of scorching summer.  A little water in the face of that fierce sun, and a little love and they return in great measure as we take them with us into winter.  No water is needed now.  I have a white square bowl into which I gather the blooms, and frequently run my hands through the profusion of splashy-dashy colors with pure pleasure.

They need to be harvested before they open completely in order for them to retain their shape and vibrance. Simply let the stems dry.  Light wires can be added to replicate the stem if you have a dried arrangement that requires one.  I simply keep adding the harvested blooms to my bowl that sits on the coffee table that MM made.

What a joy for so little care!