IAVOM ~ October Days

Monday has come round again and I'm in joining in with 'In A Vase On Monday'. Tucked in to my  vase this week are :

• Dahlia 'Copper Boy' - on the whole my dahlias haven't flourished this year not finding the wet summer to their liking. I have two 'Copper Boy' plants which have been in the ground since 2022 so they have now come through two winters. I'm not sure whether to leave them again as although I'm partial to the flowers the stems tend to flop. We shall see, in the meantime I hope that our first frost isn't for a while longer so I can continue to enjoy the flowers.
• A few persicaria flowers - I'm not sure which variety. I had these arranged more closely together but on transporting the vase they decided to go their own way. I must look to adding one or two more varieties as they are such great perennials for late colour and also seem to flower for a good while.
• Some dangle in the shape of flowers from the deciduous shrub leycesteria formosa also known as the Himalayan honeysuckle. The flowers with bracts eventually give way to berries. It's particularly recommended for partial shade or woodland gardens. It self-seeds but can be propagated by softwood cuttings too. After years of very few seedlings appearing I'm now perhaps discovering too many but they are easily recognisable. Thanks as always go to the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' who invites to share our vases with fellow bloggers throughout the year. Do pay her a visit!

We were blessed with some calm weather last week and some gentle sunshine which has been good for getting outside. There has been much in the way of leaf sweeping to be done and although we make leaf mould there are so many trees around that some leaves have been filling up that green bin. After tomorrow we only have one more collection until the middle of February. Bulb planting is a work in progress too.

In the greenhouse there are a few hardy annual seedlings which are still too small to pot on namely ammi visnaga, daucus carrota and orlaya grandiflora. I left sowing them until the last week of September so must go earlier next year. I'm waiting patiently for papaver 'Amazing Grey' and larkspur 'Misty Lavender' to show signs of life. I'm also peeking every day at the six ranunculus corms that I've planted. Such excitement.

Also a cautionary tale - do not do as I did and leave horticultural fleece in the greenhouse over the summer. I had discarded a piece that I must have used last winter and left it in a corner. When I picked it up it disintegrated and covered me and the greenhouse floor with a myriad of fleece snow which was an absolute nightmare to clear up 🤬 😱 

Just Blue

 

In my little sunshine (or are they stars?) blue vase this week are a trio of blue cornflower like flowers. They are from the perennial Catananche caerulea also known as Cupid's dart. It's name derives from the Greek word katananke which means 'strong force' and it was used as an ingredient in love potions by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Sadly yesterday's morning skies didn't match the colour of the flowers. It wasn't just wet but it was also extremely windy. The rain petered out as the morning went on but the wind from Storm Ashley, the first named storm of the season, became more ferocious particularly during the evening. I was glad that my flowers were tucked in their vase on Saturday which was a beautifully warm, sunny and calm day.

I have grown this perennial from seed a long time ago but eventually the plant or two I planted petered out. I believe that although perennial they are quite short lived and I think that perhaps a mainly damp and shady garden is not ideal for them. Still worth another go. I came across a well established plant on the sales table in what was otherwise a disappointing visit to St. Andrews Botanic Garden in Scotland during August. The plant sales area however was excellent and if we had not been away on holiday I would not have limited myself to departing with just one plant. I'm not sure whether it is usually in flower so late in the year but it will be a silver lining if it is. 

Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for providing us with the platform to share our Monday vases.

Here today the weather is thankfully much calmer and there is bulb planting to be done, perhaps an autumn sowing of sweet peas and the continuation of my ongoing disposal of sycamore keys. I imagine that quite a few more are dotted about the garden after storm Ashley's visit.

IAVOM ~ The Northern Lights

 

This week's vase is really last week's vase - all picked in good time but I got distracted so it was never posted. It was a quick pick and plonk effort. In my vase are :

• Rosa 'Luisa's Daughter' - this is the rose that my lovely sister had named and then sent it on to me for my birthday not long after my mother had died. She is a healthy rose and what could be described as a good doer. She's lightly but pleasantly scented. I'm going to take some cuttings soon as she is too big for the place she occupies in my snowdrop border. I had realised that I hadn't included her in a vase this year so thought that I must remedy that.
• Red foliage from a perennial evergreen that is planted in a big pot at the front of the house. I am trying to remember the name. I know that Cathy from 'Words and Herbs' identified it for me previously.
• Some froth from panicum capillare 'Sparkling Fountain' - a half hardy annual which I grow from seed every year in March. It looks good in containers, sometimes self-seeds but not to nuisance levels like briza maxima.

For once my post title doesn't refer to the contents of my vase but to the fact that I caught a glimpse of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) last Thursday night! My very first sighting of them. I was so excited. I have perused the skies on other evenings when I've known that there was a chance of seeing them but so far to no avail. Alerted by my sister who lives much further south and by himself who was out for the evening I peeked my head outside. We live in a well-lit and built up area, so not as a stunning as some of the photos that were featured in national television and social media outlets, but here is the magical sky I saw from my porch at 10.14pm :

and my sister's glimpse of them :

In other news the u3a Wordpress website that I have been working on finally went live earlier today. It has been a steep learning curve and has occupied a lot of time since June. All I can say is that it helped that we had such a poor summer. I'm looking forward now to having more time for blogging, gardening and other activities. Who knows as the winter months approach I might finally move this blog over to Wordpress! in the meantime I'm heading outside now to dismantle the sweet pea wigwam. There are still a few brave flowers out and buds to come but their time is up and the green bin garden waste should be emptied in the morning.

Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden'  for her constant hosting skills each and every Monday. It's much appreciated. Do go and see what is in other vases this week.