Welcome to ‘In A Vase On Monday’ when I am linking up with Cathy at Rambling In The Garden to share a vase of flowers picked from my garden every Monday.
This week I have spent my Monday shopping in Cambridge with my mother – yet another non gardening day, but lots of fun nonetheless. The storm has passed over without any significant damage to my plants and I woke early this morning to a sunny day. Looking around the garden for something simple to fill my vase with, I was drawn to my hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ shrubs.
I have been looking for an opportunity to use this duck egg blue glass vase that I bought at a National Trust shop early in the spring. Although I really did not need another vase, there was something about the shape and colour that I just could not resist.
Hydrangea Annabelle is probably my favourite of the hydrangeas. The flowers are so bridal with their delicate white bracts. For summer weddings or anniversaries I will often use a piece of old lace to cover a present wrapped in white or cream paper and then add a fresh Annabelle flower to the ribbon in place of a bow.
I have four bushes of Annabelle, which all grow together to create a sea of white and acid green heads. In the winter the flower heads turn brown, but they stand up well to the bad weather and create quite a spectacle throughout the darkest months.
In the early spring I cut the stems back to strong buds and feed the bushes generously with fish, blood and bone. In very dry spells I give the plants a couple of cans of water once a week, but other than that they are trouble free and reward me with these beautiful lacy flower heads from June onwards.
I often add these flower heads to big blowsy arrangements, but this week I wanted something simple for the dining room. I cut four flower heads and then staggered the stem length so that I had three at reducing heights to add to my vase and a very short stem to add to the small glass votive.
Single heads in votives make a lovely summer table decoration and a few vases of taller stems around the room add height and impact. As my plants seem to continue to produce new flowers throughout the summer I do not need to worry about spoiling the winter effect.
Next Monday I may have to miss out on ‘In A Vase On Monday’ again as I will be in Amsterdam. I will, however, try to add a quick flower post if I have wi-fi – I am sure there will some lovely flowers to share with you. Also I am getting very close to an exciting first meeting with a blogging friend from America – Libby from An Eye For Detail is coming over to the UK and is going to spend a couple of days with me! She has been writing about her trip to England in her last few blog posts and I am really looking forward to her arrival. I am making plans now and look forward to sharing our adventures with you in September!
I hope you have enjoyed this weeks vase of flowers and that you will pop over to Cathy’s blog to have a look at what she and the others have made this week.
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Delightful and definitely a plea for “more is less” 🙂
Thank you Annette – there is a lot to be said for simple!
Thanks Julie: yes, now we can talk about it!!!
You are welcome Libby!
I love both Annabelle and the vase, Julie. Posts like yours have made me miss having Hydrangeas in my garden. Although they’re water hogs, perhaps I can pot one in a large pot somewhere and keep it properly watered through our drought.
I read tonight over on Susan’s blog at http://www.life-change-compost.com/summer-pleasures/ that hydrangeas like to be pot bound, so try choosing a smallish pot if you decide to try again. I grow a few hydrangeas in pots as it is easier to keep them well watered. Susan also suggested aluminium sulphate to keep the blue ones from turning pink – I am going to give this a go.
Lovely, Julie, I would love to have in a large pot on the Terrace, the only place that is shady enough. I like the idea of these single flowers in small vases very much.
Thank you Christina – I have three large pots on my Terrace as it is easier to keep them watered so close to the house. Annabelle survives well in the garden though although she is in the shade. We almost had a last minute holiday in Italy as some friends invited us out to join them in a villa. Sadly the dates didn’t work for my husband.
What a shame you couldn’t come to Italy, hopefully you are planning to come to stay with me when the peony farm is open in spring.
Julie I adore your vase. The creamy white hydrangea in that stunning blue vase are perfection. My white hydrangea never recovered from the cold winter and spring. I hope it is not lost to me for good.
Thank you Donna – I am glad you like it! My hydrangeas suffered in our hard winter in 2012 and did not do well last summer. This year they seem fully recovered so don’t give up on them.
I like the effect of the staggered Hydrangea Annabelle clusters sweeping into a nice arc. Lovely. I know you’ll enjoy your visit with Libby.
Thank you Susie – I am really excited to meet her!
Beautiful white hydrangeas and photos of them… They look stunning in the blue glass vase!
Lisa
Thank you Lisa – I have some fairy lights on the dresser where the vase is and the colour looks lovely as the room grows dark.
Very lovely in its simplicity, and such pretty petals on the Hydrangea. Have fun with your blogging friend, and in Amsterdam too!
Thank you Cathy – I am really looking forward to Libby’s visit. I am also very excited about Amsterdam – I have never visited before and am going with 2 very dear friends so I am sure we will have a great time. I am hoping to get lots of practise in with my camera as well.
Beautiful graceful images of your white Annabelle clusters–I was so taken with them. I also enjoyed your many images of flowers. You are a girl after my own heart. Sometimes I dream of having a small flower shop in Paris. When I’m not enamored with cerulean blue–like you’ll see in Amsterdam!–I love white flowers. If you’ve ever read much of the aristocratic Eleanor Perenyi, (her classic book is “Green Thoughts”), she says blue and white flowers are THE most elegant there is. Of course, there is nothing like a pink blush peony or a Peace rose with its delicate yellow and peach, but I guess we get to have our favorites. If you love hydrangeas, here is another post from the archives: http://www.life-change-compost.com/porch/ Cheers, Susan
Thank you & welcome Susan. I can see we share a lot in common and I am looking forward to getting to know you betters I spend time browsing through the many interesting posts on your blog! I have already visited the hydrangeas and they are stunning.
This is lovely, Julie, and it amazes me as it did when I admired the Long Garden’s path single Annabelle recently that your beautiful little vase can take 3 stems without toppling – they really look as if they are top heavy, don’t they? And they look even whiter without the leaves and away from the plant – stunning. I realise as I look at your pictures again while I am writing that of course the centres are white too and this emphasises the overall whiteness. Enjoy your trip, and your visitor – how exciting to be meeting another blogger.
Thank you Cathy – as I write on Thursday evening those heads look just as pristine as they did when I cut them on Monday. Unlike normal mop head hydrangeas Annabelle is a very light airy flower so there is no weight in the heads. Even arranged at an angle like this there has been no danger of the flowers toppling.
I am getting very excited planning my trip to Amsterdam next week and then I have meeting Libby to look forward to very shortly after my return. After nearly a year of chatting I think we should pencil something in for next year?
Is that an invitation to tea and cake, Julie?! I would be more than happy to see blogging visitors here and Suffolk is on my mental itinerary already, particularly now we have our little campervan. How far are you from Chloris?
Sounds like we have a plan Cathy! Chloris is quite close – about half an hour although it took me ages to find her as I got very lost. We have plenty of room to accommodate a camper van so have a think about when a trip to Suffolk would suit you.
Will do, Julie 🙂
I love your blue vase and white hydrangeas. That has given me another idea for the shady part of the garden. Thanks
Thank you so much Annette – provided you remember to give Annabelle some extra cans of water during dry spells I am sure you will be delighted with how she lights up a shady border!
A beautiful flower which complements that new vase so well Julie. ‘Annabelle’ is the only hydrangea I have – being an Anna I could not resist her. Have fun when your blogging friend comes to stay and when you go to Amsterdam. Hope that you get the chance to visit the fabulous floating flower market.
Thank you Anna and of course you must have an Annabelle! How can I resist the floating flower market? Hopefully I will have pictures to share on Instagram next week and here when I return.
This is my favourite hydrangea too. I never thought of planting a group of 4 together What a great idea for impact. I love the way it flowers for ages too.
I love your blue vase, what a lovely thing Annabelle is for picking. It looks stunning.
Thank you Chloris. You should certainly add a few more if you can – not only is there greater impact, you have a lot more to cut from as well!