IAVOM ~ 7up!

What an absolute  gem of idea Cathy came up with seven years ago to invite bloggers to share a vase of flowers, foliage or garden related material every Monday. I must admit that although I visited posts featuring other folk's vases it was not until April 2014 that I ventured into posting my own vase. This was mainly because until then I had not really picked much in the way of flowers to come into the house from either the allotment or the garden. I was more than happy to welcome visitors clutching posies, himself occasionally treating me to a celebratory bouquet or with making the odd purchase of flowers from our excellent local florist. I regularly filled small vases with snowdrops in the late winter and with sweet peas in the summer. Other than that there was little in the way of creating vases from fabulous flowers and foliage.

Since then however my habits have changed and I regularly look forward to filling a vase whenever I can. The experience has made me more observant, brightened up my kitchen windowsill where a lot of my vases reside and has resulted in sharing so much fun and knowledge with some really friendly encouraging bloggers. Today Cathy asked us to create a flowerless vase. So in my 'In A Vase On Monday' today are the following :

• Some stems of lonicera nitida and of cornus 'Anny's Winter Orange'.
• Snippets of cotoneaster horizontalis - still a few green leaves hanging on but most of them are now going out in a flamboyant burst of fiery reds and oranges before they loose their livery for the winter. This plant originally came from a cutting in my parent's garden many moons ago and gives much pleasure all year round.
• Some frondy ferniness from athyrium 'Ghost' - a beautiful silvery fern which does well in shady damp conditions. It has only recently started to go over.
• Plump fruit on their way to red from malus x robusta 'Red Sentinel' which is positively dripping with berries this year. I noticed just before I took my photo that there was an stray floating at the bottom of the water but thought that I could do some damage if extraction was attempted.  I'm hoping that this is the winter when the berries last until the other side of Christmas and the new year which they supposedly do although I still have to see it. Funnily enough this little tree will also celebrate it's seventh anniversary in just over three months time.

My vase this week is just an old jam jar - no need for posh or expensive vases to contribute which is another appealing reason to participate regularly. 

Thanks so much Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden', for providing us with such a welcoming home to share over vases especially during the last few months and for forging such a great community. It has enriched my life as well as many other bloggers and is much appreciated.