Today's flowers for ' In A Vase On Monday' were picked from my little herb patch. They are allium tuberosum also known as white garlic chives and are a perennial herb flowering here at the same time the ordinary chives get their second flush of flowers. As the name suggests they smell and have taste of mild garlic. They are also a good pollinator magnet.
The vase was a treat to myself on the first of our two short holidays this year. We visited 'The Hirsel' in Coldstream, Scotland which was the childhood home of a former British Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas - Home. 'The Hirsel' is now a 500 acre park open to the public all year round with a large artificial lake and river in the grounds. There is also a woodland area and a late 19th century rhododendron and azalea woodland garden but it was too late in the year for us to see this at its peak. We enjoyed a memorable walk around the perimeter of the lake, where we had the magical experience of seeing seething masses of hundreds but more probably thousands of newly emerged baby frogs hopping along lakeside. My post title was inspired by an old folk song which originated in Scotland in 1549 albeit with different words to the song we learnt as children. Sadly the frog one Antony Rowley was gobbled up by a lily-white duck before he could have any fun. It was quite a challenge for us not to step on any of them with himself's size 12 feet and my size 7. We walked slowly and with great caution before wending our way back to the homestead, where as well as a café there are various craft workshops including a small ceramics studio, which is were my vase came from.
Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy who blogs over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for getting us together every Monday to share our vases. There's been no time for gardening activities today and won't be until later in the week when I plan to give the greenhouse a good autumn clean. I hope that you can all get out into your green spaces this week.
Your lovely new pot shines with its bouquet of Alliums, Anna! I haven't seen any baby - or adult - frogs since I was a kid, when rain was a more dependable thing and our climate wasn't as terribly dry as it is now. I've got lots of lizards, though, and often have to dance around them to avoid stepping on them.
ReplyDeleteOh that's a long time to go without seeing frogs Kris 😢 Mind you I've only seen lizards when I've been on mainland Europe and was fascinated by them. I can just picture you dancing 😂
DeleteOh that is a pretty vase, Anna - how tall is it? I have never really explored that part of the country, and would like to roughly follow the route of Hadrian's Wall in the process. With so many visits to see my Mum that sort of thing gets put on hold. I must look up the complete lyrics of the frog song, as we often refer to their wooing when we find one on the garden. It must be amazing to see them all when they fist emerge from their spawn, as you did. I was excited to come across two newts today, which I do periodically, but not often.
ReplyDeleteI think that my vase is about six inches tall but will check tomorrow. I left in the greenhouse overnight. I do hope that you're able to visit those parts of the country at some stage in the future. Northumberland is a beautiful county and we enjoyed our time just north of the border too. I used to come across the odd newt at the allotment but have never seen them in the garden. They're fascinating creatures 😀
DeleteOh, what a lovely display. The Alliums are beautiful, and the vase is truly special. Thanks for the information on The Hirsel. Perhaps if we get over that way, we will visit it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your visit and kind words Beth 😀
DeleteVery pretty flowers and a gorgeous vase Anna! I loved the story of how your post got its title too. I rarely see frogs here, but we do have resident toads. And the occasional little lizard too.
ReplyDeleteOh I love the vase. The allium show it off to perfection.
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