IAVOM ~ It's That Time Of Year

 

Once again it's time to whisk my made for May vase out of the cupboard for an annual outing. It's quite a small vase so the occupants need to be on the dainty side. There was just enough room for a couple of stems of the climbing 'Blush Noisette' rose and a few stems of the pretty hardy annual orlaya grandiflora. The rose has been in the garden since 2009 and is now a well established bank of deliciously scented flowers. I sow the orlaya every year - these were sown at the start of the third week of September 2024 and started to come into flower at the beginning of May. I sowed a few more at the end of March but the germination rate wasn't as good.

I've neglected blogging recently - both my own and commenting on others as I've been away celebrating himself's birthday and then the wedding of my youngest niece, so am looking forward to seeing what's in everyone's vases today. You can see the bride's flowers above - astrantias with roses. Thanks as always to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' who is responsible for our weekly floral fun.

In true bank holiday fashion it's both raining and windy this afternoon with heavier rain forecast for the evening. However after weeks without any rain it's been so enjoyable to watch and smell it as it has fallen for the skies. Fortunately the rain held off on the big day until the evening reception which was a most welcome state of affairs especially given the fact that the wedding was in Manchester. I've lots to do in the garden but as far as the rest of today is concerned I think that I will just have to settle for some pricking out of seedlings in the greenhouse. Enjoy your week.

IAVOM ~ Knock Off

Finding their way into my vase this Monday are :

• Mathiasella bupleuroides 'Green Dream'. This was the first candidate simply because I managed to snap a protruding branch off the plant when I walked past it. This perennial hails from Mexico and quietly goes about doing it's business every year sometimes until late autumn, seemingly not suffering from any pests or diseases apart from damage caused by clumsy humans.
• Stems of millium effusum 'Aureum' also known as 'Bowles Golden Grass'. It's a pretty grass that prefers a shady spot simply because too much sun can scorch the leaves. It seeds about but never to nuisance proportions.
• Aquilegia - these seem to have self-seeded in abundance this year along with polemonium caeruleum. The original seed came to me as aquilegia 'Hensol's Harebell', probably from The Cottage Garden Society many years ago and was among the very first flowers that I ever grew from seed.

My usual perch for taking vase photos has been submerged by willow branches so I moved the vase to rest on top of a low wall in the garden. The vase is a fairly recent Etsy purchase.

A big thanks as always to Cathy as always for enabling us to share our vases each Monday - Cathy blogs over at 'Rambling In the Garden'. Do pay her a visit if you haven't already!

Here our sunny, warm and very dry spring continues - it was sometime last month when it last rained. I will be going out later to do some potting up in the greenhouse. It's coming up to peak willow fluff time and at times over the last few days it has looked at times as if it's snowing. The shedding usually subsides in the evenings so it should be safe to venture out then 😂