So Last Year!

Today's 'In A Vase On Monday' has been some time in the making. For the last few months a shrub in the immediate neighbourhood has been dripping with clusters of red berries. Last winter's copious rainfall was probably responsible for the sheer volume of berries which have hardly been touched by the birds. I think that the shrub may be cotoneaster cornubia but I'm not sure. Whatever it is it has proved a most welcome attraction brightening up grey and gloomy days. Each time I've passed I thought that I must return with my secateurs and snip off a couple of stems for a vase. What prompted me into action was the fact I noticed that the shrub had taken a real battering from last Thursday's dramatic 'Storm Doris', which also felled two trees just round the corner from us. Those berries are now definitely waning so time to act.

I've put them in a vase with a few dried flowers from Scabious stellata 'Sternkugel' (a great word to get your tongue around) which I grew at the allotment last year. It's an annual with pale blue flowers which morph into most attractive seed heads. They have had their own vase since the autumn but are now getting slightly past their sell buy date so will be jettisoned shortly.

The weather has played up again this afternoon, with not only some sleet but some snow too throwing a spanner in the works, so an indoor photograph again. My title for the post was prompted by our hosts Cathy's fashion catwalk theme from last Monday. Many thanks as always to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden'  for hosting. 

In A Vase On Monday ~ Twenty Fours Hours Later

Why are the weather gods intent on conspiring to thwart me from taking photographs on Mondays? Another windy and slightly mizzly afternoon here so I had to resort to taking a photo indoors in the still and the dry. My 'In A Vase On Monday' is most simple this week being a couple of stems of hellebore flowers. These accidentally parted company from their respective plants yesterday afternoon. I realised that I hadn't removed the old foliage from a couple of hellebores that are planted in pots, so was prompted into remedial action. I was obviously not paying as much attention as I should have done as these flower stems were snipped off too along with the tatty leaves. After muttering a few choice words under my breath I put them straight into water and should have taken a photo there and then. However it was one of those rather special dry and almost balmy February afternoons when I got carried away on a roll of gardening activities. You know how it is. So some twenty fours hours later I've finally taken my photo. My vase is one of a trio of old school milk bottles purchased on a trip to to the beguiling medieval town of Rye last summer.

Thank you to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for providing such a pleasurable way to start the week.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Glow

In A Vase On Monday, Simply Snowdrops Too

A week later than intended another bevy of snowdrops for in 'In A Vase On Monday' .This week's pickings include galanthus 'Wendy's Gold', galanthus 'Diggory', galanthus 'Melanie Broughton' (rather photo shy and refusing to open fully), the slightly wayward galanthus nivalis 'Blewbury Tart', galanthus 'Benhall Beauty', galanthus 'Lapwing' and galanthus 'Imbolc' and finally one with the sad name of 'Lost Labellus'. I have a few of these and trying to identify them is a source of much fun as well as frustration. I was going to try to get a close up of 'Lost Labellus' but rain stopped play. I will take one soon though and post it so that perhaps one of my fellow snowdrop loving friends might come to the rescue. For the time being you can see it best in the bottom photo to the immediate left of the frilly 'Blewbury Tart' .

My favourites in this pick 'n' mix are 'Diggory' with its unique shape and seersucker textured petals and 'Imbolc' which is the large flower on the right in the photo below.

Thanks to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden', for providing the platform for us to share our vases throughout the seasons. I see that she is featuring some of her beautiful 'drops today and well as a jar of yellow deliciousness. Do pop in for a peek if you haven't already.