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.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Angel In Name Only

In A Vase On Monday ~ Spring Forward

It was great to have that extra hour of light yesterday not just for gardening purposes but also for the opportunity to take my vase photo later in the day after a trip out. I had been celebrating the arrival of summer time by meeting up with my younger brother. I had not seen him for eighteen months so it was good to catch up on family news. I have lovely siblings but they are all some distance away so any get together is special.

The wallflowers and anemones were picked from the allotment on Saturday afternoon. The wallflowers were bought as plants at the beginning of autumn and are fairly short but compact. Unfortunately there seems to be more than a fair share of in your face vivid yellows amongst them but to my relief I've spotted some reds and oranges too. They are only just coming into flower and some are still tightly in bud so there may be surprises to follow.

Anemone coronaria 'Mr Fokker' (blue) and anemone coronaria 'Sylphide' (pink) grow in raised beds at the allotment. I started them off from corms grown in pots on a heated sand bench in March 2016 and then transferred them as plants to the allotment. I'm now down to one plant of each so will have to line up some replacements soon especially as the foliage of 'Sylphide' is looking rather anaemic. As I was leaving the allotment I noticed the white anemone coronaria' The Bride' just on the point of flowering. She has never done as well as the other two whether that has something to do with her being a white flower and perhaps consequently less vigorous I just don't know.

Back home late yesterday afternoon I was able to pick some narcissus namely 'Petrel', 'W.P. Milner' and 'Minnow' to add to add to my sunshine vase which spent a good few years of its life as a container for pens and pencils. It was late in the day before I realised its potential as a vase. 'Petrel' and 'Minnow' have the bonus of being softly scented too.

Our 'In A Vase On Monday' hostess Cathy over 'At Rambling In The Garden' is showcasing some rather attractive tulips this week and links will point you in the direction of some other no doubt wonderful vases. Do have a peek if you haven't already visited.

A Fanfare For Spring

" Everything now gives way to daffodils. I am a bit one-sided about daffodils. If I were allowed only one sort of flower on my desert island, it would have to be daffodils. When nothing was out in a flat in-between time earlier in the month, I cam home from a tiring visit to find a bunch of cut daffodils in my letter box. Some telepathy from my neighbour had moved her to this inspired act. I retired to bed for a couple of days, downed by the slight attack of plague that had been dogging me throughout the month, bought a jug of lemon and the daffodils up from the kitchen window-sill where I had set them and together they effected the cure. What crisp fragrance, what unburdensome vigour, comes from leaning one's fevered brow to the cool touch of those extraordinary trumpet-tubes , and what health one breathes in from their stringent breath,

If there us one smell of spring it is the smell of daffodils, not the sweeter, further-travelling, sometimes over-powering jonquil ..... not the very elusive smell of the small wild daffodils ...... No, it is your ordinary all yellow single trumpet that catches the wind in its strong favourite horn and almost rings the bell for spring".

- an extract from 'Led By The Nose' by Jenny Joseph.

- illustration by Angela Barrett.

In A Vase on Monday ~ Branching Out

Although there was a slight mizzle falling as I took photos for this week's 'In A Vase On Monday', engaging in this activity didn't involve the same risk as last week either to me or vase. After endless days of gales or so it seems the wind has finally dropped. It's a smidgen warmer too and the weather looks as if it's on the upper as the week unfolds. There are plans for much sowing of seeds and other garden related activities.

Just a couple of bits of twiggery in my vase this week in the shape of snippings from prunus x subhirtella 'Autumnalis', which can be grown as a small tree or a large shrub. Mine is a tree which provides much welcome and delightful flowers in the coldest and darkest of months. In theory the tree flowers between November and March. Usually though my tree has two substantial flushes of flower, one which lives up to its name in autumn and the other in spring. It's autumn leaf colour is it's other attractive feature.

Thanks as always to our lovely hostess Cathy over 'At Rambling In The Garden' for hosting each week. I'm looking forward to some vase hopping later this evening with pen and paper in hand. No doubt the wish list will expand.