In A Vase On Monday ~ 'Great Expectations'

We've returned this afternoon to a soaked and still rain falling down on it garden, after a weekend away. It's too damp to stick my head out again so I thought that maybe Cathy would permit me some artistic liberty when it comes to this week's 'In A Vase On Monday'. We spent a day at the Malvern Autumn Show on Saturday which is always a great day out. This dainty tableaux entitled 'Miss Haversham's Wedding Breakfast' was an entry in one the floral art classes ~

This was obviously when the wedding breakfast was still fresh - not a single sign of cobweb. Looking forward to seeing the contents of other vases this week and with thanks as always to our hostess Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden'.

Almost Wordless Wednesday ~ A Worisit

A gift this morning from one of my fellow allotment plot holders. All I know is that it's tender. I have an inkling that it might be a plectranthus but am not sure which one it is. Confirmation of its identity would be most welcome. I also came home with some delicious looking sweetcorn from another plot neighbour.  For some unfathomable reason I didn't grow sweetcorn on my own plot this year so I am relishing the thought of eating these fresh cobs.

Thank you all so much for your kind and thoughtful comments on my last post. I'm pleased to say that after a month in hospital that the patient is recuperating. Sadly still very frail and not back at home yet but able to sit outside in her wheelchair this week and enjoy some summer warmth.

In A Vase On Monday ~ Hiatus

Blogging is proving impossible at the moment. I've been away from home most of this month as my almost ninety two year old mother is rather poorly in hospital. Hence my silence here and also commenting on the blogs I regularly visit. I am unable to envisage when I might start posting regularly again but today I am making the most of a brief visit home. So here is my vase on a Monday where most of today's pickings have come from the allotment. In my vase is :

• A well blended into the background dahlia probably 'Arabian Night'.
• Tagetes patula 'Cinnabar'.
• The remains of the only glad that is still in flower. The others have come and gone in my absence.
• An unknown grass that would have set seed if I had not been ruthless. 
• A couple of danglies in the shape of amaranthus caudatus 'Viridis'.
• Scabious stellata 'Sternkugel' which I've not grown before. The flowers are a pretty enough though slightly wishy-washy shade of pale blue but then they morph into rather gorgeous papery seedheads. 

The vase is my latest find sometime in July from the charity shop that we regularly haunt when we visit our caravan. It has produced riches in the shape of new vases this year. We also have acquired a couple of new outdoor chairs and a little table but more on them another time. I hope to be back here again before too long. In the meantime will try to keep up with the blogs that I regularly visit, although I might be a silent visitor at times.

I am trying to be optimistic about my absence from home and have already made some plans and additions to the 2017 wish list, after reading this article on growing cut flowers by Louise Curley (aka Wellywoman) in August's copy of the 'The Garden' magazine.

Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for the inspiration and for hosting so graciously each week. I can smell her latest vase from here!

Wordless Wednesday ~ The View From Here

In A Vase On Monday ~ Whirligig & Company

Nestling in today's 'In A Vase On Monday' are a trio of dahlias. From left to right are 'Orange Baby', a 'Bishop's Children' seedling and 'Cornel Brons'. To give you some idea of comparative size the circumference of 'Orange Baby' is about an inch. She is the brightest orange you can possibly imagine. The 'Bishop's Children' dahlia is from a batch sown in March. They were grown specifically for a plant sale at the beginning of July. Unfortunately the seedlings were the subject of a veritable slugfest and there were only a few that were presentable enough for the sale. Those in flower went on the day but the others came home with me. I've had one or two nice surprises since as the flowers have opened. I took this photo on Sunday evening knowing that I may not be able to find an opportunity today. It was quite breezy and all three dahlias were revolving in their vases. That and the shape of the' Bishop's Children' bought whirligigs to mind. The third of the trio 'Cornel Bronz' is new to me this year.

My vases are in the shape of school milk bottles bought on a recent holiday. I think that may be replicas rather than originals. They certainly seemed bigger when I drank from them as a child but then I was so much smaller.

A quick peek over at 'Rambling In The Garden' reveals that Cathy is very much in the pink this week. I'm sure that there will be all the colours of the rainbow in other vases this week. I'm looking forward to visiting them.

In A Vase On Monday ~ Essence Of Summer

Summer would simply not be summer without sweet peas. Mine have been struggling this year truth be told, so I am delighted that I am now able to pick in sufficient quantities to hopefully fill vases for some time to come. I sowed one batch of different named seeds at the start of March and the other at the end of that month. Both started life sown in root trainers in the greenhouse before being hardened off and then transplanted at the allotment, where they grow up bamboo cane wigwams. The second batch are definitely looking happier than the first.

In amongst their numbers is 'Matucana' which I've grown for years especially for its scent. There is also long stemmed pink 'Gwendoline', the cream with a delicate pink flushed edge 'Mollie Rilstone', sober 'Almost Black' and two toned lavender and pink 'Erewhon' which is fast becoming a new favourite. There is also a mysterious striped impostor which I certainly didn't select as being part of the mix. All in all I think that I sowed some nine or so different varieties so I will try at some point to compose an end of term report on their progress. The vase was probably a milk jug in a former life and is one of a small collection of rosy china that I've accumulated over the years.

A quick peek over at 'Rambling In The Garden' reveals that this week our lovely hostess Cathy's 'In A Vase On Monday' includes warm and sunny shades. I wonder what will be in other summer vases. Do have a peek if you haven't already!

P.S. Apologies to anybody who has struggled to post a comment here recently especially to those patient souls who have commented twice in order for their comment to be published. I'm having problems myself and have even found myself unable to reply to comments which is so frustrating. I have for the time being turned off the facility for anonymous comments which I'm hoping may make life easier. I'm reluctant to move to another blogging platform but may well do so when I have some time on my hands.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Sunk Garden, Great Dixter

In A Vase On Monday ~ "I'm A Little Teapot"

"I'm a little teapot
Short and stout, 
Here is my handle
Here is my spout
When I get all steamed up,
Hear me shout
Tip me over and pour me out"

Sadly this particular little teapot has come adrift at some stage from its lid. It's tea pouring days are no more so it's just as well somebody spotted its vase potential. It is now very much re-loved and is filled with flowers today.

In this week's vase are the first of the 2016 dahlias in flower, the small white pompon 'Snowflake'. They are the first white dahlias that I've ever grown and I'm delighted with them. I've also grown the bigger white 'Onesta' which is just as pleasing but is too big for this vase. I've added some 'Blueball' cornflowers which are still going strong at the allotment, along with one head of anemone coronaria 'Mr Fokker'. The amounts of rain we've been having have made all the anemones look really bedraggled especially the white flowering 'The Bride'. However I've chopped off all the old flowers this morning and hopefully fresh ones will take their place. Also from the allotment a flower head from one of the fennel plants. The garden has contributed the dainty white buttons of achillea ptarmica 'The Pearl, the lilac daisy- like flowers of kalimeris incisa 'Charlotte' and last but by no means least a spray of that old stalwart alchemilla mollis.

Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy from 'Rambling In The Garden' for the encouragement to pick some flowers for 'In A Vase On Monday'. It's such a gentle start to the week.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Shades Of White

In A Vase On Monday ~ Feeling Blue

The intended main stars for this week's vase played up. Firstly the dahlias wouldn't oblige, with just one open flower of 'Snowflake' and one almost open flower but name forgotten dahlia at the allotment. It was interesting to watch the race with the newly planted in a pot 'Snowflake' getting there first. The allotment dahlia has come through the winter in the ground and is going to be a sizeable plant this year. Still one dahlia does not a vase make so I was most pleased to see three flowers of anemone coronaria 'Mr Fokker'. However in my haste I cut one stem too short and beheaded the other two flowers. The air was blue never mind my vase. 

So in this week's vase are cornflowers 'Blue Ball' and 'Black Ball" and sweet peas from the allotment.  In need of a high vis vest a couple of sprigs of vetch, which I picked from a patch growing just outside the allotment on my way out this afternoon. If you screw your eyes hard enough you can just about see them. Finally from the garden some foliage in the shape of lonicera 'Baggesen's Gold' and a trio of the tantalising geum 'Totally Tangerine'.

The vase is yet another new acquisition from a trip into Chester last week for a hair cut. I have to pass a charity shop from the front window of which two vases waved at me. I think that this one is possibly a milk jug. 

With a special thanks as always to Cathy over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for hosting 'In A Vase On Monday'.