O and P, and a Birthday Tea

I have been stuck on "O" for the ABChallenge for an inordinate amount of time -- I could only think of subjective things, it seemed, like "optimism" and "ornerieness" -- but as David was leaving for work he said, "Look at the huge flowers!" and I smacked my forehead (mentally, of course).  These are Mexican evening primrose, Oenothera speciosa.  Many gardeners think of this as a weed, but I love the blooms' delicate pinkness and the plant's cheerful lack of temperament.  I got these from my mom about six weeks ago -- she begged me to take all of them.  I suppose it is that in more-cultivated gardens it tends to insinuate itself everywhere, but here in my inhospitable driveway bed, I think it will be less rampant.

I got "two for one" this morning, as I had planted the oenothera in an empty spot next to this penstemon, which is the California native "Margarita BOP".  Yes, BOP in full caps, as it is short for "Back of the Porch" since it was discovered in that location at someone's house by the folks at Las Pilitas Nursery in central California!  My plant was pretty last summer, its first in my garden, but this year it is covered with buds and flowers, fairly exploding just this week.  The plant itself is rather small, but as you can see, well worth it for the mass of bluish-purple flowers.

As for the "tea" part of this post, Julia turned sixteen a few weeks ago -- a big milestone for all of us. I asked her if she wanted a party -- she hasn't for quite some time -- and she said promptly, "Afternoon tea!"  I think she had sort of written off afternoon tea as one of Mom's Anglophile quirks -- until I took the family to Brown's Hotel in Mayfair one memorable day last summer, and she got to experience first-hand what a real, if exceptionally luxurious, afternoon tea can be.

I was quite willing to cater an afternoon tea, less formal than Brown's of course, with my higgledy-piggledy blue-and-white china, but heartfelt nevertheless -- cozily lavish, if you will!  There were egg-and-cress and cucumber sandwiches and chicken salad in puff-pastry shells, then my trusty Ritz Book of Afternoon Tea scones recipe with strawberry jam and Devonshire clotted cream (the sine qua non for Julia), and a selection of cakes, including rosewater shortbread (a variation of one from River Cottage) and a modified version of Nigel Slater's seed cake recipe (with a bit more caraway seeds, despite his caveat, and some cinnamon and clove, and a rather amazing crust of demerara sugar inspired by Oakden's version -- I do like seed cake).

I was inordinately pleased with the flowers, which for once in my gardening life are all home-grown.  There are three newly-opened "Gertrude Jekyll" roses (with a truly wonderful scent), some gangly stems of yellow bladderpod (Peritoma arborea), sprigs of purple de la Mina lilac verbena (Verbena lilacina "De la Mina") and "Margarita BOP" penstemon, a single big bunch of feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), some long white fortnight lilies (Dietes iridioides), and sprigs of dark salmon-pink coral bells (Heuchera something-or-other).

Chocolate and raspberry cupcakes, with raspberry and white chocolate cream icing -- inspired by ones from Martha Stewart but adapted from a recipe at Serious Eats.  (Instead of having a jam center, I just put the -- seeded -- jam in the batter; I also used 1/3 cup of cocoa as it was a bit dry with 1/2 cup, and doubled the amount of white chocolate and jam in the icing for more flavor.  Quite a hit.)  You will have to take my word for it that I am not a fussy baker nor especially handy with a piping bag, because I thought these turned out amazingly pretty.

Fresh blueberries and lemon curd in ready-made tart shells, improvised.  Also a success, and easy-peasy!

And we are still basking in the glow of a very enjoyable afternoon!

Comments

[Mary Lou Egan]

How lovely! Our snow is finally gone, but it will be a long time before I get to smell Gertrude Jekyll's heavenly scent. My oenothera are yellow, the pink ones are prettier.

[Toffeeapple]

Your tea party sounds so good and I am pleased that everyone enjoyed it. I have never had anything as 'posh' since that kind of meal was only served at home, in my youth.

Your table was very prettily dressed too, I enjoy seeing blue and white china.

I also enjoyed seeing the intense colour of your Penstemon. My Evening Primroses are bright yellow and are taller than I am - but that is not saying much since I have now shrunk to 152 cms!