greentapestry : IAVOM - Winter Solstice Offering

Monday 21 December 2020

IAVOM - Winter Solstice Offering



"So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - Listen!!"

- an extract from the poem 'The Shortest Day' - by Susan Cooper. You can read the full poem here.

 In what may be my last 'In A Vase On Monday' this year (blooms are few, decidedly soggy and far between at the moment) are :

  • The first snowdrops of the season to open in the garden. These are the early flowering 'Fieldgate Prelude' and 'Faringdon Double'. They seem a little ahead of schedule although accurate record keeping is not my most strong point but they are still most welcome. 
  • Stems of cornus or dogwood' Anny's Winter Orange' - these with the exception of one snip appeared in November vases.
  • Some bleached and well blown about ready peeled seedcases of lunaria annua alba variegata, also known as variegated white honesty from the garden. I have a big pile of this in the greenhouse crying out in the greenhouse for me to to do much in the way of peeling and bring inside the house for Christmas. If anybody should want spare seed there will be no doubt be plenty to spare so please request in comments.

With a special shout out to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for continuing to host us so steadfastly and with such good cheer every Monday, whatever the weather is sending our way and through good times and bad. Looking forward to settling down this evening when surely there can't be any urgent household tasks to deal with, so that I can peruse vases from near and far.

18 comments:

  1. I admire your generosity in picking those beautiful early snowdrops to share with us. The whole arrangement is charming.

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  2. Ah snowdrops! So fresh and innocent and bringing lots of hope for a happy Christmas time and health and peace in 2021. Thank you! Amanda

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    1. Yes they are a wake up call to all that will soon new to all that is to follow in the new season Amanda. Thanks for your comment 😄

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  3. Oh this is most delightful, Anna, the seedpods go so well with the snowdrops and Annie just adds the reight amount of colour. No sign of snowdrops here yet, I think, but very soon, can't wait. Wishing you a happy Christmas, take care xx PS: The scene in my last post is not a mantlepiece but a decorated bench right next to an entrance. :)

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    1. I'm sure that your snowdrops will arrive soon Annette. A most happy Christmas to you too!

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  4. Oh - my comment flew away mid sentence! I saying that it was nice that we both used inkwells today, and that you were indeed generous picking your early 'drops to share with us. Here, my FD and FP are not quite open yet. The green inkwell is perfect for snoowdrops and the honesty makes a lovey backdrop for them

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    1. Oh I wonder where the rest of that sentence flew too Cathy? 😕 I've never thought of my little vase as an inkwell so thanks for pointing that out. No doubt your 'drops will just be behind mine.

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  5. I'm pleased to see your little snowdrops already! I love the poem, Anna, even if snow is a foreign concept here ;) Our temperature is expected to reach 80F/26C today and we haven't had anything more that 0.20/inch (0.5cm) of rain since April, which is ridiculous even here. I'm sending a wish to Santa for a touch of rain but the prospects are poor so I'm taking the hose out.

    Best wishes for a happy and safe Christmas!

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    1. I'm glad that my snowdrops bring you pleasure Chris. I don't think that they would welcome your winter temperatures! I hope that Santa grants your wishes soon. We woke up to a temperature of about 3 degrees celsius this morning. It is forecast to be even colder tomorrow morning.

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  6. I always love to see your first snowdrops. It will be a while before we have any pushing through

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    1. Thanks Sue. I'm sure that your snowdrops will be there before you know it 😬

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  7. Lovely to see your snowdrops Anna - I do think of you as the Snowdrop Queen with your wonderful collection flowering all through the winter months :-). . The Honesty with its airy transparent seeds is such a nice companion for them. Happy Christmas Anna!

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    1. Oh thank you for bestowing that title upon me Cathy although there are other bloggers just as worthy of such a lovely honour. Happy Christmas to you too 😄

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  8. I love these early snowdrops, what a delight they are. And Anny's Winter orangs is the best orange dogwood. Happy Christmas Anna.

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  9. Couldn't agree with you more Chloris! Wishing you a most Happy Christmas too.

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  10. Hello again, Anna, playing blog catch up once more. What a delightful arrangement and I agree with comments above, so very generous of you to cut your snowdrops for this arrangement. It really is! Am I right in guessing your snowdrops flower this early as they are growing in pots in a cold greenhouse? If they are out in the open ground, they are even more impressive. I'm thinking this arrangement would have made a great subject for you to take out your watercolours to! Wishing you a healthy and happy 2021 :-)

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  11. How lovely to see your pretty snowdrops, and pair so well with the honesty. I have been looking at little inkwell style vases online recently. They look perfect for displaying small flowers or single larger blooms. I should go back and tempt myself further…

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All your comments are much appreciated and treasured. I wil try to reply to everyone who leaves a comment, but it may take me a few days, especially when I start spending more time in the garden and at the lottie. I know that you will understand :) I am sure that I will also visit your blog if I have not already done so. If you have any specific questions I will either reply to them here or you can email me at : thegreentapestry@gmail.com

Namasté

- Anna.