I have finally come across a phrase to describe those blooms that hang on well past their season or show up after their season is over.

Floral flotsam.

The season for these blooms, this flotsam of the garden, has sailed away, leaving them to hang on for as long as they are able.

In the early summer, there is not much floral flotsam left over from spring. Or perhaps there is some floral flotsam among the tulips and we are just too busy with all the other blooms that seem to come in rapid succession to notice them?

 Most assuredly in early fall, we can find floral flotsam throughout the garden.

We hardly notice it at times, we are so used to seeing these blooms.

But it is there, exposed as leaves die back.

I went out to the garden early one evening a day or so ago to look for floral flotsam. I found a few blooms from summer, but not as much as I would have hoped to find. Perhaps there will be more, or perhaps this dry spell has wiped away even the floral flotsam of the garden?

I will look again in a few days, perhaps after we’ve received some much needed rain. It’s in the forecast. We’ll see and hope.

In the meantime, we have what we have around the garden, floral flotsam.  A bit out of season, but a reminder that every season leaves something behind when it moves on, a remembrance, a bit of debris, some floral flotsam.