At long last a vase of flowers to contribute to the 'In A Vase On Monday' meme hosted by the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden'. I've enjoyed this meme but have not participated up to now, the main reason being that I do not pick many flowers to bring into the house. Maybe the odd snowdrop posy will make it indoors in the winter and then throughout the summer bunches of sweet peas picked from the allotment come home with me two or three times a week. Other than that I have never really made a habit of picking flowers for the house.
This little vase came about completely by accident last Sunday into Monday. I've recently bought some dicentra spectablis alba plants (I refuse to use the new name) and whilst retrieving one of them out of the cold frame managed to break a flowering stem off. I cursed and bought the poor stem indoors thinking that I might as well appreciate its beauty at close quarters. The alternative would have been to lob it in the compost bin which would have been somewhat sad. On the Monday we had a spell of torrential rain. The 'Thalia' daffodils took a real battering so I rescued a couple of flattened stems and added them to the dicentra. From there I decided to add a bit more bulk to the vase so in came a sprig or two of lonicera nitada 'Baggesen's Gold' for foliage interest, plus the odd stem of the dreaded lamium galeobodon variegatum. I have written about my battle with this thug here and I'm still fighting If anybody knows how to kill this plant please do let me know.To add insult to injury the flowers do not last long in water - just another negative point to add to its undesirable qualities.
I've had the little jar for ages and as far as I can remember I bought it from a local charity shop. It is a stoneware cream jar. These jars were used during the period from 1880 - 1920. Hailwood's was a large dairy company and this particular pot was from their Manchester Creamery in Broughton.
If you've not visited Cathy to have a look at her current vase do have a peek here. You can also visit links to other bloggers who have been snipping away and who have been most creative with their cut flowers.
I'm playing with my new camera at the moment trying to familiarise myself with its settings so my photos may be a bit iffy. This one was taken against a black background but seems to have picked up a halo effect somewhere along the process. Hopefully you can pick out the contents of the vase and clicking on the photo should make it larger again.
I like that halo effect, and I love your vase of flowers. You know I love the traditional yellow daffodils, but these are so pretty, very refined. Does dicentra have a new name, or do you mean bleeding heart? I'm like you, I rarely pick flowers from the garden for the house but I'm trying to get a bit of a cutting patch established at the allotment, I won't mine cutting them so much from there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your nice words Jo. Yes unfortunately dicentra spectablis is now known as lamprocapnos which I think is most ugly. The common name though remains 'bleeding heart' and always will do I think which is a relief. I know what you mean about feeling more comfortable about picking flowers for cutting from the allotment. That's where I grow my sweet peas. Good look with your cutting patch and do post about it.
DeleteMy first glance at your vase amazed me. I thought you had actually picked your lovely white Dicentra. What a shame you had an accident, but it does look lovely in a vase. I am not keeping abreast here has Dicentra got a new name?
ReplyDeleteThe Lamium looks good too in your nice pot. It is invasive though. I bought some from Beth Chatto years ago. You' d think that she would know better. I moved house so it is now someone else's problem.
Oh Chloris as if :) I could not bring myself to deliberately maim a dicentra. This was an accidental beheading and I was most annoyed although luckily the plant had a couple of other flowering stems. Sadly dicentra now has the ugly name of lamprocapnos :( Now moving house is a tactic I had not thought of in my battle with the lamium but may have to try that tactic.
DeleteIf you think you have a thug in the garden try a constant battle against celandine, mares tail, arum and the little creeping weed with blue flowers whose name has completely escaped me at this moment. I am sure I shall remember it as soon as I press publish.
ReplyDeleteLovely vase of flowers.
I think that I have all of those too Debbie either in the garden or at the allotment :) Is it speedwell that you are thinking of? If so it is strutting its stuff at the allotment right now. Thanks for your visit and your comment.
DeleteDespite the accidental circumstances this lovely arrangements looks very refined and beautiful. The flowers are well-suited to the stoneware cream jar too. Susie
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and for your kind comment Susie. The vase seemed to complement the flowers well :)
DeleteLamprocapnos. There, I've said it! Must be feeling rebellious! I have to use the new name for Dicentra because of college work but the new name doesn't apply to all dicentras - I brought home a Dicentra formosa from Chelsea last year and found the old name still applied. The RHS are a law unto themselves. I love the bits that you've popped into the vase, it works so well together. And I only ever stuff my trimmings into a vase - I don't have enough to chop for indoors and I reason that, if left, they'll bring enjoyment to more folk than just me!
ReplyDeleteAaaaaaaaaaaaah! It's a horrible and ugly word especially for such a beautiful plant Caro. Thanks for your lovely comment. I was pleased with my little vase even though it wasn't planned. I can understand why you don't chop. I could more often but just rarely do - habit I suppose and perhaps my hayfever might have played a part too although that has much improved with age.
DeleteI really like the halo effect too Anna! I debated whether to cut a piece of my pink Dicentra today, but chickened out - it just looks so pretty in the flower bed! So you had a perfect opportunity there with your piece breaking off like that. The mix is very pretty - even the dreaded Lamium looks good. ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh I'm glad that you like the halo Cathy. I just wish I knew why it happened. The dire lamium is most pretty but believe me that's its only good point!
DeleteI love the black background you have used and what a great way to make the most of otherwise garden fatalities! I had no idea that dicentra had a new name - I cannot imagine ever remembering Lamprocapnos - I will be sticking to dicentra!
ReplyDeleteOh thanks muchly Julie - just a piece of black card behind the flowers - great for snowdrop photos. Glad to read that you will stick to dicentra too.
DeleteLamprocapnos? They must be joking - I am more than happy calling schizostylus 'hesperantha' cos it's easier to spell, but it will remain as dicentra for me too. I cut three stems of mine but the slightest knock and one was damaged which I tried to disguise in the photos, but I am pleased that you decided to make use of yours in a vase too. It doesn't take many snips to put something simple together, and it is lovely bringing a little bit of the garden inside. I realised that I also have the lonicera you used, but for me it is a neither here there nor there plant, more than likely because it isn't in a good spot anyway - must look at it again! And as for the lamium - I fought my own battle a couple of years ago and seem to have largely beaten it, forking it systematically out of the woodland. It didn't seem to have rooted very deeply and generally came out easily - see http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/i-have-piles/ Thanks so much contributing today - and good luck with the lamium! ps I love these old pots too
ReplyDeleteNo they the powers that be are deadly serious Cathy :( As you say hesperantha trips off the tongue more smootly but as for lamprocapnos I ask you was there ever more of an ugly tongue twister. I refuse to use it. It certainly does not take many snips to put something together but I still think it will remain an infrequent event for me. A pleasure to contribute though today and I hope to be back at odd intervals throughout the year. Will have a look at how you won the lamium war tomorrow.
DeleteI have a vase on the kitchen shelf, in both bathrooms, and in our bedroom.
ReplyDeleteSometimes a huge bunch - when I prune I'm loath to compost gorgeous foliage, and I don't NEED flowers.Or a tiny vase with a pair of scented Pelargonium leaves, and 2 heads of their flowers.
Add a vase that tells a story as yours does - magic!
Oh many thanks for your lovely comment Diana. I imagine that your vases are a picture.
DeleteThe halo suits the arrangement. I hesitated to cut flowers from my garden for years and now still tend to pick those in greatest supply or those that fall prey to accidents of one sort or another as yours did. However, even though I spend a lot of time in the garden and can see it through my home office window, it's nice to have flowers to experience close up (as long as the cat doesn't chew on them).
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting Kris and for your kind comment. I would love to see more of my garden from indoors and if we ever move that's something that will be one of my priorities. A cat that chews your flower arrangements must be somewhat of a challenge :)
DeleteLovely! I like the way you've photographed it against the black background; I have to say I'm finding it more difficult to photograph my vases than it is to make them! Your pot has given me another idea too; I have mustard pots that are very similar to your cream pot, I've never thought of using it for flowers - mostly because like you I've never really picked mush from the garden before.
ReplyDeleteYou've hit the nail on the head Christina - it's the photography bit that's the hardest especially if it's very sunny or as with me trying to get to grips with a new camera. Look forward to seeing some of your mustard pots in the future.
DeleteI was sitting in the sun this afternoon lamenting that the 3m x 1m border next to me had been taken over by lamium. I came in to make a mug of tea and read your blog post and went straight back out and with a sharp spade I eliminated it. I filled a huge garden refuse sack and tomorrow I plan to tackle the celandine. Thank you for inspiring me.
ReplyDeleteOh Sue welcome and thanks for your kind comment. Hope that you have managed to eliminate it and have a border of loveliness to enjoy in the future. Mine still manages to weave its way everywhere or so it seems. Good luck with the celandine!
DeleteSuch a pretty arrangement, even the lamium, it can't do any harm in a vase
ReplyDeleteWell said Pauline - a vase or the garden waste bin is in fact is the best place for the dreaded lamium :)
DeleteThis is just beautiful and the photograph so well lit - I'm delighted...also about the fact that you saved these flowers and gave them a new purpose, even if it's just for a few days :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Annette - I felt obliged to do something positive as soon as I realised the damage I'd done that poor bleeding heart stem.
DeleteI have had some of these pale daffodils just come out, smaller flower heads than normal, I love their sort of ghostly appearance. Trouble is, I can't even remember planting them. You have made a sweet little arrangement with them.
ReplyDeleteThe paler and smaller little daffs are most attractive Elaine wherever they've come from. What a satisfying mystery to be contemplating :)
Delete