Dormancy: a period in an organism’s life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped
The seedheads in my vase today are a reminder of the plants in the garden that I picked them from, snoozing under a thin layer of snow.
The low light and the dark contents seem fitting to the season, but I wanted to show off the beauty of these seedheads too, so here is another photo with artificial light. (My Man of Many Talents kindly stood behind me shining two torches on it! 😃)
The golden fluffy bits are Chrysopsis, the spikes Agastache and Sage, and the brown pods are Iris. On the right is some Pycnanthemum at the back, and some Fennel at the front. I had bought this vase with allium seedheads in mind….
…. but the ones I saved are so fragile that I decided to go with Fennel instead.
I myself may not exactly be dormant, but I am certainly not active in the garden yet. And strangely enough I am still not yearning for the seasons to change, happily using the time indoors to do some reading and crocheting. I may not have flowers outside right now, but I can read about and create some inside!
I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her weekly meme. Pop over to admire her lovely vase and see if anyone else is finding something to share from their winter gardens.
And have a good week!
Words and Herbs 
Lovely, I’m reading that book now too!
It was not what I had expected but I am really enjoying it!
I love the spikes. I keep running into Agastache and still haven’t tried any. Yet. It seems strange it is supposed to do well here. Another mystery to solve, though you have similar salvias..I am glad you are enjoying your winter break.
I planted some Agastache a couple of years ago not quite knowing what to expect and suddenly I was seeing it everywhere… it is clearly in fashion here!
Maybe that’s it.. fashion. I see it in the nursery but nowhere else. Hmmm.
I loved that book, Cathy, and her follow-up. She was writing a third one too but I don’t think it ever materialised. So pleased to see you using seedheads today, and doesn’t the vase look especially effective with the shadow on the wall. It was worth the effort of your MoMT holding those torches! I especially like the agastache stems – it seems to be only borderline hardy here, but does it overwinter OK for you?
One day I will do my ‘Grand Tour’ of British gardens and perhaps take Dower House in. (And yours too! 😉) The Agastache is A. rugosa ‘Blue Fortune’ and is very hardy – down to -23°C (zone 6). It flowers all summer and is great for winter interest as it doesn’t collapse. And the bees absolutely adore it, so worth trying!
I love all the cute items you are crocheting.
Thank you! I keep getting distracted from a larger project (a blanket) which is a bit repetitive. 😉
The arrangement does indeed look very different based on the lighting. I also noted the angel figurine to the right of your vase – I have a “sister” figurine, although mine if holding a cat rather than a shovel 😉 I’m pleased to see that you’re making good use of the down time in the garden. It’s in the low 50sF (11C) here and, although we’ve had breaks in the rain and some sun, I still haven’t dragged myself outdoors to tackle any of the items on my ever-lengthening “to-do” list.
Aah, an angel with a cat is so fitting for you… I hope Pipig is still doing well. My ‘to-do’ list will be enormous by the time I can get started, but working through it will be a lot of fun. 🙂
I love to see your crochet projects, Cathy. That flower is so charming, it would look cute on a hat or headband.
I, too, use dried flowers collected in summer to decorate in winter. They remind us that the growing seasons will return once again. Like you, I’m in no hurry. I kind of like dormancy, lazy winter days, reading, etc. A welcome break!
I am thinking of making a kind of decorative ‘wreath’ with those crochet flowers Eliza, but it will all depend on when Spring arrives as I have so many other projects and books waiting for my attention! I may run out of time and do it next winter instead. 😉
You are so skilled at displaying seed heads in beautiful and intriguing arrangements. There really is beauty in the dormancy of some plants and flowers. I was out today for a brief stroll in a public garden and was so thrilled to see trees and other plants beginning to put out just a bit of green, or some very early budding. I felt like spring couldn’t be THAT far away. 🙂
Hi Debra. It was actually above freezing today and I also thought I caught a whiff of some spring air. I think it was just a tease though, but something to look forward to! 😉
I find the dried arrangements fascinating, too. The crochet flower is so pretty! Enjoy the remaining winter days. 🙂
Thank you Beth. I hope you are enjoying your winter too.
I’m definitely dormant at the moment Cathy 😂 Like you I’ve been doing much reading and I’ve also been decluttering. I enjoyed both of Katherine Morville’s books. We visited the Dower House almost twelve years ago now and somewhere on my blog is a photo I took of the auricula house there. Love your new vase – both the colour and the pattern on it. The days are getting longer now and we will soon be rushing around in the garden with not enough hours to do everything we want to.
We have just got two new bookshelves so I have also been tidying and sorting, moving things from my old one out and rearranging things! I was thinking about doing some garden plans, but like you say, it will all be a mad rush in a couple of months, and my plans will either get changed or go out the window! LOL!
OH, you can garden now, has the new craze not made it to your area yet! 🙂
Here it is called winter seed starting and it is done in jugs outside with little to no attention from you.
https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-winter-sowing-1403095
I think I’ll wait a bit longer! LOL!
🙂 chicken lol
Not many know how to crochet or knit anymore. I was pleased that one of my nieces learned to knit.
It’s coming back into fashion I believe… or maybe I am just getting old and it is a hobby for people of my age group! LOL!
It really does seem to be coming back into fashion. Although not very popular, it is more popular than it had been.
I love the crochet work! My brother’s girlfriend can do that, and I always admired it, the whole piece is beautiful. Thank you for posting.
Thank you!