06 | December | 2021 | Words and Herbs

I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her Monday meme while also bathing in the glorious shower of flowery photos being posted on my Week of Flowers. I am a little behind with visits and comments, but as I write it is already getting dark and I will spend another pleasurable evening poring over my iPad, wrapped up in a blanket with a big mug of tea. 😃

My vase today is simple: an Allium seedhead

Actually, to be precise, Allium ‘Mount Everest’.

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I found a lovely poem praising the Allium, and here is the opening line and a link to the full poem. It is rather charming, and by a poet I didn’t know of until now, Denise Levertov:

In Praise of Allium

by Denise Levertov

No one celebrates the allium.

The way each purposeful stem

ends in a globe, a domed umbel,

makes people think,

‘Drumsticks,’ and that’s that.

https://voetica.com/voetica.php?collection=2&poet=821&poem=7919

And this is what the Allium looked like when it was in flower. Only one remains standing now, but I managed to save a couple for vases. 😃

Have a lovely week everyone!

It is Day Six of my Week of Flowers and I am soaking up all the colour my blogging friends are sharing! Tomorrow will be the final day of this meme. So if you haven’t joined in yet, please do! Just post a photo of a flower (or two) and leave a link below. 😃

The Moon Bed, August

Today the focus is on shapes. Two seedheads of the Allium ‘Everest’ were still standing in the Moon Bed (above) in August, amongst white Gaura, Cosmos and Nicotiana. The purple Alliums (below) didn’t last as long after flowering, but were perhaps more dramatic and visible while in flower.

Allium Purple Rain

Allium Purple Sensation

Verbena bonariensis

Echinops ritro ‘Veitch’s Blue’

Lathyrus latifolius ‘Rote Perle’

Verbena has spread all over the garden now, and I really love the shape and height it adds. I leave it standing until it collapses in the frost or snow.. Then there is the Echinops ‘Veitch’s Blue’. It isn’t really blue, but near enough. Love those spiky flower heads. 😉 I tried perennial sweet peas on the obelisks this year, and they did really well, climbing almost to the top of the tallest one. Certainly pretty flowers, but I love the long tendrils and seedpods too. 💕

Thanks to all those who have joined in again today, and to all my other readers too. 🤗