It's a case of a speedy pick and plonk for this week's 'In A Vase On Monday' as the green bin goes up the lane tomorrow and fill it I must. We are fortunate that so far this council service has not been paused as I know it has in some parts of the country. Whenever I see my lilies of the valley come into flower there are three people who come to mind. I think of my parents who gave me some pips from their garden many moons ago. Theirs grew in a narrow strip outside their garage which was baked in the summer sunshine. Despite these seemingly inhospitable conditions they flourished. Mine grow under our living room windowsill which faces north and is most shady. They are somewhat subdued this year as far as flowers go but otherwise seem happy enough.
The other person I think of is our next door neighbour when we first married. We lived in an end of terrace Victorian house and shared a common wall which divided our back yard from our neighbour's yard. Hilda was well into her seventies when we first became neighbours and her back yard was crammed full with colour, overspilling everywhere from pots and various containers. Although she sometimes despaired of not having enough space to grow everything she wanted to she enjoyed the challenge of fitting in as much as she could into her little plot. She was generous with her knowledge and with cuttings and divisions which were regularly passed over the wall. I remember her telling me about how her lilies of the valley were always in flower for V.E. Day which is this coming Friday.
My vase is one of set of five little glass vases of different colours of given to me by my sister. This has become my favourite of the set but I really must make a determined effort to use the others.
Thanks to Cathy over 'At Rambling In The Garden' for her ever steady gentle encouragement to pick and share a vase of flowers on a Monday. Right my siesta is over and it's time to get outside again to fill that green bin to the brim. I look forward to relaxing later with a cool drink and some pleasurable vase visiting.
How I love lily of the valley. The scent is too delicious for words and the little white bells are so pure and lovely! I went to look for my plants the other day and it has been so dry that the few flower shoots that were there had turned brown and crispy :o( I am really sad about that. No lily of the valley for me this year, so seeing yours has been a bonus. Thank you! Amanda https://therunningwave.blogspot.com/2020/05/in-vase-on-monday.html
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you enjoyed them Amanda. Mine are not as prolific this year but enough to spare a few to cut.
DeleteWhat a delightful neighbour to have had, Anna, and what a lovely plot she must have had. Your lily of the valley are perfect in the little green vase, which I always assumed was an inkwell - is it bigger than a typical inkwell? What other colours are in the set? I am pleased to say that I am finally establishing some here, but it has been a very slow process. Hope you are both keeping well
ReplyDeleteShe was a really special neighbour Cathy and she took great pride in her small backyard. It was amazing what she managed to cram into it.
DeleteSorry Cathy size wise it is about four or five inches Cathy and probably bigger than an inkwell methinks, even though it's a long time since I've seen one of those. The other colours are amethyst, navy, purple and navy blue - I thought that there were five of them but I can only find four so maybe I was wrong. We are both keeping well thanks xxx
DeleteI wish thatI could get them to grow. They always remind me of my mum.
ReplyDeleteThey seem to be the sort of plants that either will grow for people or will not Sue. My sister would like some of mine but she can't get them to grow either.
DeleteSimply beautiful. I also have fond memories of this plant, which grew outside my bedroom window in my childhood home. They do NOT grow in my current location, although I live only some 50 miles away from my childhood home.
ReplyDeleteMy sister and had a honeysuckle and climbing rose growing outside our bedroom window
DeleteKris. What a shame that they will not grow where you are now.
What a lovely tale of your early gardening years, helped along by an enthusiastic neighbour. I love Lily of the Valley, and had it in my last garden. You have encouraged me to try it again.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you do try again Noelle 😄 I have a variegated one too but it's still clumping up.
DeletePerfect, they are so pretty and sweetly scented and mean a lot to many people. Perfect in the little green vase too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alison for your visit and kind words. Another vase nearly won out 😄
DeleteA beautiful photo with the green glass vase!
ReplyDeleteLilly of the Valley was my Mothers favourite flower .
I used to buy a bottle of perfume called "Jessica Mcclintock for her birthday or Mothers Day (which is this coming Sunday in Australia) .
Its a beautiful Lilly of the Valley scent and I have a bottle to remember her buy .It will be my first Mothers Day without her so I shall put her perfume on and she will be with me in spirit.
Thank you LadyJicky. A difficult and emotional day for you no doubt. I hope that wearing her perfume will bring you some happy memories of your mother ((()))xxx
DeleteLovely! I do like the scent of lily of the valley. How nice it has spread so well for you. My clump is the same size as when I planted it - it clearly doesn‘t like our climate, even in the shade! My parents gave me a virtual tour of their garden yesterday and they have loads of it too.
ReplyDeleteOh it must be so nice to have a tour of your parent's garden Cathy even from a distance. The wonders of modern technology! Maybe even your shade is too hot for their delicate constitutions.
ReplyDeleteThat was my mother's favourite from England. We once saw it growing in Elgin (among the apple farms in the mountains inland from Cape Town)
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