What a wild and windy day it is here in Suffolk!
I nearly opted out of Cathy’s challenge today, but decided to make a quick dash and grab in the garden to collect a few more helleborus niger flowers. Today’s rather hasty contribution is actually three small vases of hellebores displayed on a cake stand with a dried hydrangea (also from the garden) underneath. In the background is a hurricane lamp filled with baubles to keep the mood festive! As usual I am linking in to Rambling In The Garden, so please pop over and see what Cathy has made today.
This will be my last post for In A Vase On Monday in 2013. I am really looking forward to a whole year of making a display of some sort from materials I have found in the garden every Monday starting from 13th January 2013. If any of my blogging readers are inspired to join in this challenge Cathy would love to see what you have come up with. Just post a picture on your blog and link to Rambling In The Garden.
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How lovely, Julie, and you must have an unbelievably large clump of hellebores to be able to keep cutting them for your vases! So pure and pristine too – and your vases (are they hyacinth vases?) pick out the colour of the hydrangea perfectly and it all looks so elegant. Thanks so much for your enthusiasm and for plugging the meme on your blog.
Thank you Cathy – you will be surprised to learn that there are only 3 mature plants producing these flowers and they are still full of blooms. Niger seems to repeat flower really quickly. I mulch around them with garden compost every autumn which possibly helps to keep them looking so clean. Last weeks display in oasis didn’t last very well (about 3 days). It will be interesting to see if they do any better in a vase – this is the first time I have ever used them as cut flowers.The vases are slightly smaller than hyacinth vases and I have them in green and clear as well. This year I have majored on collecting vessels for flowers – again something I haven’t done before.
Majoring on collecting vessels for flowers? Do tell me more. Yes, I wouldn’t have thought there were only 3 plants although admittedly there are more buds on my H niger than there usually are on any of the others. My fatsia flowers last week didn’t last long either – but the ivy flowers were reused in this week’s.
A beautiful display Julie. Look forward to seeing your vases in 2014. Hope that you have a good Christmas.
Thank you so much Anna – I look forward to seeing you back here in 2014 and wish you a very happy Christmas!
I love your vases of hellebores, Julie they are gorgeous. Have you tried burning the ends of the stalks? I don’t know if it works but I read it somewhere.
Happy Christmas. Chloris
Thank you so much for this helpful comment Chloris – you are absolutely right! I have had a look at some articles about hellebores as cut flowers and the advice is to sear the ends in boiling water for 20 seconds and then leave them in a vase of cold water in a cool place for a couple of hours before arranging. I will try this next time and let you know if it helps.
I hope you had a very happy Christmas.