Seedheads | Words and Herbs

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.

The snow we had over the weekend has melted, but more is due later today… just in time for the start of Advent and the Christmas Markets. I always think Advent is celebrated so nicely here in Bavaria with the markets and with people putting up lights in their gardens and hanging wreaths on their doors. Advent wreaths for the table, with four candles – one for each Sunday in Advent – are also really popular and are on sale everywhere.

The garden season is winding down, with the last tasks completed just before the snow arrived; mulching tender plants, putting garden equipment away, and tucking my pots up tight against the barn wall in case of snow ‘avalanches’ falling from the roof. So, although it was bright and sunny yesterday, I opted for a vase that would reflect the fact that the garden is now resting.

I have been adding to this vase since the spring, and it has been waiting for its moment of glory on In a Vase on Monday. 😃

The fluffy round seedheads are Pulsatilla, gathered late spring. It was a gamble whether they would remain intact, and some did in fact disintegrate, but I must have picked and dried these specimens at just the right time. I love the tall, dark and rather dramatic Siberian Iris seedheads.. There are still a few standing in the garden. And I managed to save some poppy seedheads too – they often get bent in the wind or burnt by the sun, but these were picked fairly early and hung upside down in the cellar for a few months.

On the right is some Calamagrostis and Pennisetum. I find that the grasses last better if picked just as they are starting to ‘flower’. On the left is a golden sprig of Stipa gigantea. (Have they changed that name?) The dried pink flowers in the photo above are Helichrysum’Silvery Rose’.

And tucked into the vase on the right you can see some little white flowers which I dried successfully for the first time this year; Anaphalis triplinervis ‘Silberregen’ (Silver Rain). Again, these are best picked early if you intend to dry them, just as the tiny flowers are starting to show their golden centre.

Do you dry any flowers or grasses from your garden?

Do visit our hostess, Cathy, at Rambling in the Garden to see her vase today. We had a lovely zoom meeting yesterday with her and some of the other contributors to this Monday meme – I feel very self-conscious on zoom, but really enjoyed seeing your friendly faces again and hearing about your gardening experiences. ❣️A big thank you to Cathy for organizing it, and to Karen for her slideshow. 🤗

Finally, a reminder that my Week of Flowers 2023 will begin on Friday 1st December. Please join me in posting a photo or two each day for a week, to brighten up this dark time of year. Hope to see you then!