In A Vase On Monday ~ Family Matters

Without a doubt the star of my 'In A Vase on Monday' has to be my first rose of the year. It's special to me having being given as a gift from my lovely sister last year and is named 'Luisa's Daughter' in memory of my mother. The flowers are very suffused with soft pink in bud but this gives way to a cream flower when open. I had no qualms about cutting the stem as the rose has a very lax habit and the flower was almost touching the earth. Yesterday's weather forecast had predicted thunderstorms and heavy rain so I had visions of this bloom being drenched and flattened to the ground if I didn't snip it. As it was the predicted wet stuff didn't reach here despite ominous skies at various intervals and some thunder rumbling in the distance come evening.

In the vase keeping it company are a few astrantias (long, long ago purchase - variety unknown), some shimmering briza maxima purloined from the community area at the allotment and a couple of stems of left over and still going strong from last week's vase.

My props are a bottle of 'Luisa' perfume which I saved from my mother's dressing table and have still to open and a photo of her when she was a young woman. I don't have the date when the photo was taken but imagine she was in her late twenties perhaps early thirties. It's one of my favourite photos of her and one that she liked herself as it also adorned her dressing table. The vase is one that I bought in the company of one of my nieces when out together for the day last year.

Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' who is the driving force behind 'In A Vase On Monday'. The lack of rain is calling me to the allotment, floppy sunhat and watering can at the ready, but I will sit later with a long cool drink (another hot Bank Holiday Monday predicted) and will enjoy some refreshing vase visiting.

In A Vase On Monday ~ 'Tangled Up in Blue'

It's the turn of the blues and some purple this week to star in 'A Vase On Monday' - perhaps too many of them and probably better photographed against a darker background but I wanted to enjoy them at close quarters before they vanish. With the fast forward button heading towards summer, it looks as if the spring that took so long arriving is going to depart at a rapid pace. So in my vase this week are :

• A couple of  stems of hyacinthoides non-scripta more well known by their common name of bluebells. These are native ones as far as I can tell.

• Aquilegia - I think that some are a seedling of 'Hensol Harebell' originally from the Cottage Garden Society seed bank which I sowed many moons ago. Over the years it has crossed with other aquilegias so there is also now a double blue form too which also appear in the vase.

• A couple of stems of an ajuga reptans which is danger of being overcrowded out of existence. Another job for the ever growing to do list.
• By way of a contrast to all the blues and purple a couple of stems of mathiasella bupleuroides 'Green Dream. The green bracts slowly flush pink as the season progresses. This umbellifer is native to Mexico but seems quite happy growing in north west England. 

• Some leafiness in the shape of millium effusum 'Aureum' also known as 'Bowles Golden Grass'. This was also grown from seed and like forget-me -nots seeds itself gently about every year.
• More leafiness in the form of what I think is a euphorbia. The leaves were looking more purple a couple of weeks ago. Suffering from skin allergies I've never knowingly introduced euphorbias into the garden much as I like them but this one arrived quietly by itself and has now been granted permanent residence.

I see that our hostess the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' is celebrating a veritable confection of shades of pastel aquilegias this week. Thanks as always for hosting and in doing so inspiring the picking of flowers for a vase on Mondays.

Wordless Wednesday ~ The Whispering Spirit

In A Vase On Monday ~ May Breeze

 No, there's not even the slightest hint of the phlox 'May Breeze' in this vase but rather it was last night's wind that lent itself to the title of this post. It became more than a breeze at one point catching the tallest flowers in the vase, causing the vase to wobble about rather alarmingly. At this juncture the vase was grabbed and immediately bought it round to relative shelter on the well used table by the back door for its photo session. In my 'In A Vase On Monday' this week are :

• Tellima grandiflora purpurea - well that's what I think it is. I don't call buying it so it either sneaked a ride in with another plant or was present in soil that came into the garden. It's a quietly pleasing subtle sort of a plant although it does self-seed a bit too much at times.
• Geranium phaeum - no name for this one. It is a seedling and is some shades lighter than its neighbour who I think is geranium phaeum 'Lily Lovell'.
• Narcisssus 'Petrel' - the late flowers are result of planting some of my bulbs rather late in the day. I imagine that it would normally be over by now. The multi-headed flowers are on the shy side with their heads held down but their scent more than makes up for it.
• Polygonatum x hybridum - commonly known by the more appealing name of Solomon's Seal. This is one of my spring favourites. The only downside is that it does go a bit tatty as the year progresses

Lastly the pink cow parsley like chaerophyllum hirsutum 'roseum' also known as the pink hairy chevril. As well as the attractive heads of lilac mauve flowers the foliage is feathery and fern like. An added bonus is that the foliage is also deliciously apple scented. It's one of my favourite late spring flowering perennials, being easy to grow and seemingly pest free.

The stoneware vase is a new addition coming home with us after a most enjoyable visit to the Malvern Spring Festival last week.

Thanks always to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for her stalwart hosting come rain or shine.

Postscript ~ some sad news since publishing this post. The remarkable gardener, writer and plantswoman Beth Chatto died yesterday. I've been fortunate enough to have seen her breathtaking stands at The Chelsea Flower Show and her garden at Elmstead Market. Her writing has provided with me much joy and information over the years with one of her books inspiring my blog title. Thank you Beth for for all the joy you have given me and thousands of others.