IAVOM- Thereby Hangs A Tale

Never mind the 'Chelsea Chop' - it was more like the 'Malvern Chop' when my centaurea cyanus 'Polka Dot Mixed' and nigella 'Persian Jewels' provided hearty fare for grazing rabbits in early May. I knew from previous experience that the cornflowers would survive but I wasn't sure about the nigella, which was reduced overnight from a frothy green haze to pathetic tattered stumps.

So this week's 'In A Vase On Monday' shows that happily both have survived to tell the tale. They were sown directly at the allotment sometime in mid September where they have both been left to get on with things. I did a little bit of thinning out but other than providing support for the cornflowers have not paid either any special attention. The cornflowers have been blooming since the start of June but these are the first nigellas to open. Both are from packets of mixed colour seeds but I've noticed that blue seems to the dominant colour in the resulting flowers of both varieties.  Maybe next year I will stick to packets of single colours and create my own mix. I couldn't resist adding some lagurus ovatus also known as bunny's tail grass to complete the vase which must have been a milk jug in a former life.

As always a special thanks to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for her weekly invitation to share our vases. A little peek over there has revealed that some beautiful sweet peas and tempting cake are on the menu this week. A most irresistible combination!

In A Vase On Monday ~ 'Tragedy'

Well it was almost a tragedy! Picture the scene : 'In A Vase On Monday' assembled and waiting to be photographed. Vase left perching on top of wall behind which there is a good drop down into a stream. Me retreating indoors to find my camera and returning a few minutes later to see a squirrel inching along the wall towards the vase ready to send it toppling. A silent stand off ensued which I'm most relieved to say I won and the vase has survived to tell the tale. I would have probably cried if the vase had been broken. It is a favourite. Although I don't anything about its history it came to me from my mother. A salutary lesson has been learnt. Vases will not be left unattended in the future!

The contents of the vase all come from the allotment, where I seem to be spending much of my spare time whenever it's not raining. In the vase are :

• A rose which grows in no man's land so good material for foraging.
• Cornflowers 'Black Ball' and 'Mauve Ball' from my plot. I think that I described the latter as 'Purple Ball' in a previous post but that is not the correct name. September sown directly into the ground the cornflowers have got into their stride now. As always when I use 'Black Ball' in photos it seems to disappear but you may see it if you crease your eyes up extra hard!
• Some stems of alchemilla mollis - this grows outside the allotment community hut and is in flower before my plants at home are.
• A shimmer of of briza maxima again growing outside the allotment community hut, where it self seeds in profusion every year. I also grew this from seed this year hoping to transplant seedlings on to my plot. Sadly it has not germinated neither has hordeum jubatum, both of which I've grown from seed without problems in the past.  I'm using a new compost this year for all my seed sowing - it is Dalefoot Wool Compost For Seeds which is peat free. Made of bracken and sheep wool is has a most pleasing texture. I've had great results with this so can only put the non-germination down to poor seed.  I'm pleased that I can readily get hold of the briza but will miss out on the other grass for this year. 

Thanks as always to our lovely hostess Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for providing us with the opportunity to start the week on an upbeat note. Do visit so that you can see what is singing in other people's vases this week.

A Wednesday Worisit

My sister came across this specimen when walking in the Cotswolds last week. She is on a mission to find out what it is and asked me for help with identification. The verdict was that it's probably a shrub rather than a tree as there was not discernible central trunk. It came in at a good ten to fifteen feet. It was a solitary creature growing on grassland and as far as she could tell there was no scent coming from the flowers. So far aruncus has come up as a possibility but we are puzzled by the leaves, so confirmation or other possibilities would be most welcome.

Rain Stops Play

Himself refuses point blank to take to the highways on bank holidays but usually spins me to the allotment for an outing. Today though with its blustery wind and frequent showers saw me stay put at home. Time was well spent in the greenhouse and finally later in the afternoon there was a chance to whizz round the garden and pick a few flowers. 

In this week's 'In A Vase on Monday' are one of the first buds from the 'New Dawn' rose, cornflower 'Purple Ball' (not this grown this colour before - a definite will do again), astrantia (identity lost in time), spikes bearing small purple and white flowers from what I think is scutelleria (a prolific self seeder), some physocarpus leafiness which seems to have more or less vanished into the background and finally the pink flufiness which is persicaria bistorta superba.  

Thanks to Cathy who blogs at over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for providing a platform to share our vases on Mondays, come rain or shine, high days and  holidays.

In A Vase On Monday ~ Butterfingers

Today has been one of those days when my fingers have not been doing as they are told hence the title of this post. They struggled to put up a wigwam at the allotment for the sweet peas to climb up, they were seriously challenged when it came to tie in the  planted sweet peas and then as I was putting my 'In A Vase on Monday' together they managed to decimate a few flower heads sending them flying off into oblivion. My vase has mainly come from the allotment, where the bunnies are enjoying some fine dining experiences this year - the main casualties so far being nigella and cornflowers. I know from previous experience that the latter will recover but I'm not sure about the latter.

In my vase are :

• Cerinthe major - these flowers have come from a self seeder that overwintered into a most sturdy plant at the allotment. They were being much enjoyed by the bees this morning which made me happy. So far the bunnies don't seem interested. Fingers crossed that it stays that way.
• Allium schoenoprasum also known as chives. Again these were picked from the allotment. Both leaves and flowers are edible. The flowers have a rather hot kick to them.
• Some leafiness in the shape of what I think is the edible atriplex hortensis var. rubra commonly known as red orach. I saw a patch of purple coming through the grass when I was filling my watering can at one of the communal taps and closer investigation revealed this leafy lovely. I'm not sure how it ended up where it did but it is a most welcome escapee from another plot.
• A trio of cornflower 'Black Ball' flowers - the first of the year and again from an overwintered self seeder.
• Aquilegia vulgaris - just a seedling that has appeared in the garden. The colouring is rather wishy-washy and streaky so the plant is heading for the compost heap. However it conveniently plugged a gap in my vase today.

I'm looking forward to seeing some fabulous creations as bloggers from far and wide post their Monday vases. Thanks to Cathy over 'At Rambling In The Garden' who so kindly enables us to do this every week.

Wordless Wednesday ~ The Leaf Creative Garden, Malvern 2019

In A Vase On Monday ~ 'Warning'

"When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me,
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals,
and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired,
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells,
And run my stick along the public railings,
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens,
And learn to spit."

- an extract from 'Warning' by Jenny Joseph.

My vase celebrates today's milestone which sees me officially morphing  into a senior citizen! A most sobering thought! Where did all those years go? I can assure you that the lily of the valley and geum in my vase were not picked from other people's gardens but from my own. Just like the flowers depict I really am a sweet 'old' lady but do watch out. Tomorrow I'm off to give my new older concessionary bus pass its maiden outing on a excursion to buy a red hat. You and the flowers in your garden have been suitably warned.

The vase is one of set of five different colours, a fairly recent gift from my sister who will no doubt enjoy teasing me about my new status.

As always a most heartful thank you to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for hosting 'In A Vase On Monday'. Do visit and see what delights she and other bloggers are displaying in their vases today.

P.S. Just to clarify that I've not just had a birthday but yesterday was the date that the state declared me to be an 'old age pensioner' 😄

In A Vase On Monday ~ 'Wonderful Baby'

"Wonderful baby livin' on love

The sandman says maybe he'll take you above,
Up where the girls fly on ribbons and bows,
Where babies float by just 
Counting their toes."

 - lyrics from 'Wonderful Baby' by Don McLean

It's a late in the day vase for me this week - in fact a whole day late. This weekend was rather special as I travelled south to spend a couple of days with my sister. My sister became a grandmother for the first time in January, so there was a new little person in the family for me to meet in the shape of a great niece. 

With one thing and another it was a hectic weekend and by the time I arrived home yesterday evening I was fit for very little. My vase was picked today and consists of the following :

• Stems of a most lilac lilac which I spotted just outside the allotment gates this morning. It smells fabulous.
• Again just outside the allotment gates a couple of branches bearing the white flowers of hawthorn also known as May blossom.
• Some frothy pink in the shape of flowers from the perennial pimpinella major rosea which is growing in the garden.
• Some leafiness from what I think are sycamore seedlings growing where they shouldn't be in amongst my gooseberry bed at the allotment.

The vase is one that belonged to my mother who would have relished being a great-grandmother.

This was very much a quick pink and plonk and sadly the vase will have to live outside in the greenhouse. As I moved it to take a photo a trail of petals and pollen followed me. I will be able to appreciate it at close quarters though as there is much in the way of potting up to be done this week.

Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' who encourages us to share our vases every Monday.

Wordless Wednesday ~ "If You Go Down To The Woods Today"

In A Vase On Monday ~ Dawn Chorus

We've been blessed with the most fabulous weather over the Easter period - more befitting the middle of summer than spring. Maybe too hot for all the work that I planned to do at the allotment but perfect just to pause and lap up the warmth and marvel at what is coming into flower. I'm waking up earlier and earlier each day as the birds are singing so loudly. My clock tells me it is around 5.00am but I'm happy just to lie there and listen before I doze for a while longer.

So as you can birds have crept into my 'In A Vase On Monday' this week - this little ceramic trio usually live inside. As I can't remember where they came from or how long I've had them it suggests it was some time ago. No chocolate this year but my Easter vase just had to have some daffies in it. In my vase are :

• 'Tête-à-tête' narcissus  - when I found out that Easter was so late this year I decided to plant some bulbs early in the new year. These have just managed to flower in time. I grew them in pots and they are a bit shorter stemmed than usual but otherwise no worse off for the experience.
• Narcissus 'Thalia' which are growing in a very shady spot. They are past their sell by date as a whole but there were still the odd lingerers.
• An all time favourite in the shape of a couple of stems of lamprocapnos spectabilis alba also known as bleeding heart. Since the name change from dicentra spectablis I always have to check on its new name.
• Another plant whose name evades me in the shape of the green flowers provided by the perennial  mathiasella bupleuroides 'Green Dream. Now that's a mouthful if ever there was one! 
• Finally the pale lavender flowers of the perennial honesty - lunaria rediviva. Cathy over at 'Words And Herbs' featured the dried elliptical seed heads of this in one of her vases not that long ago. I grew my plant from seed in 2017 and this is second year of flowering. It has grown too big where I planted it so has been in a pot for a few weeks awaiting rehousing. Not only are the flowers and seedheads attractive but the flowers are also most sweetly and noticeably scented.

As always a big thank you to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for being such an eggsellent hostess each Monday. Do visit and see what she has put together this week as well as peek at other vases chock-a-block full of spring beauty.