In a Vase on Monday: Lilac

At last one of my Lilac trees has produced so many flowers that I had no qualms at all cutting a few for a vase!

After some heavy rain yesterday the scent has dissipated already, but the flowers are still beautiful.

I decided to add just foliage to them, and trimmed the Salix integra ‘Hakuro Nishiki’, otherwise known as Flamingo Willow. Look at the new shoots – don’t they resemble Flamingo feathers? Many people grow them in the form of standards, tightly clipped, which I am not keen on. Mine is allowed to go a bit wild and spread its wings, but it does need a trim now and then.

I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for ‘In a Vase on Monday’ and if you aren’t already familiar with this meme, why not visit her and see what she and others from around the world are putting in their vases this week.

Happy Gardening!

In a Vase on Monday: Merry Christmas!

My plans to make a Christmas wreath were thwarted by incessant rain and gale-force winds, but at least a few Silver Fir branches picked earlier this month and kept outdoors were modelled into a small table decoration for this  Monday meme.

A tiny vase contains some flame red Leucothoe cuttings, Cornus stems, Heuchera leaves and some silver curry plant foliage (Helichrysum italicum).

I picked a few crab apples from Evereste, as they don’t seem to be appealing to the wildlife this winter and will soon be just pulp! They make nice ‘baubles’…

I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden this Christmas Day and wish our host and you, dear readers, a very Happy Christmas!🎄

 

In a Vase on Monday: Midwinter

The lack of light as the solstice approaches is even more noticeable now that our snow has started melting. But there are nonetheless signs of new life in the garden. The hazel catkins stand out in the hedgerows now that the snow has brought down the last of their big leaves. In just a month or two, depending on the temperatures, their pollen will be flying!

On my morning round of the garden with Anouk (our old doggie) I also noticed a few Euonymus and Rosehips in the hedges that had survived the frosts.

Some pine branches that came down with the weight of the snow were easy picking and made a nice filler for my Advent vase.

Then I added a final flourish with a red cornus stem from the garden beds.

By the way, the elk is Elvin, who makes an annual appearance on this blog! And the little envelope is today’s seed packet from my seed advent calendar… Golden Everlasting. I treated myself to this calendar and am very pleased with the seed packets I have opened so far, which include some beetroot, Sweet Williams, Thyme and Chamomile, Callistephus and an heirloom tomato St. Pierre. It is nice to think about seed sowing, even though it is a long way off still.

I am glad I could find some fresh materials to share so that I can join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her weekly meme. Do go and pay her a visit to see what she and others are finding for vases today.

In a Vase on Monday: Falda

My lovely friend Simone visited me last week and gave me a pretty miniature vase from the Rosenthal mini vase collection. There was a little leaflet inside the box, which read ‘You can never have enough vases’; she chose the gift well!

After some heavy rain I wasn’t sure what I would be able to find to put in it so I could join in with Cathy’s Monday meme. (See Cathy’s blog ‘Rambling in the Garden’) But I needn’t have worried as there is plenty of pretty foliage still, and the Herb Bed also had a few things to offer.

This vase is called Falda – from the Spanish for skirt. And, as you can see in the photo above, the top of the vase does indeed have a pleated frill at the top, like a pleated skirt, which is perfect for resting foliage on to form a kind of base to a floral arrangement. 😃

I used a deep purple Heuchera leaf, some reddening Geum leaves and a green Geranium leaf at the base. The flowers are Tansy and Fennel. And a sprig of dark green mint freshened up the whole thing.

Some Pennisetum and another grass (Panicum?) went in too. I do love all my different grasses, but can’t always remember their names! 😉

I love picking fennel seeds off the Fennel plant to nibble at when I am in the garden – they remind me of the aniseed balls we used to have when I was little! The plant is almost two metres tall and will probably topple over soon, as it has grown very lopsided this year and the sparrows and Great Tits love hopping around in it too. 😃

I wonder what is still flowering in your gardens?

Have a great week, and Happy Gardening!