After all the heartbreak and sadness of the autumn I am relived to finally be back here on a Monday showing you my weekly garden finds. This first week of January is a very quiet one in my garden. I know that the aconites, snowdrops and hellebores are all just about to pop – in fact I do have a few hellebore flowers already out but too few to cut for the house just yet – so for now the beds are waiting for the rollercoaster of flowers to begin again. I love this quiet period – I can get on with jobs at an unhurried pace and still have time to stand and take in the beauty of the bare landscape and the bones of the trees.
Particularly at this time of year I love to observe the lichen and moss which makes its home amongst the bare branches of old trees and shrubs in the garden and today I decided that a jug of lichen covered twigs was just what I needed in my kitchen to welcome the new month.
I think I love the dried heads of hydrangea Annabelle even more in the winter than when she was fresh and bridal like in the heat of the summer. I leave the papery parchment coloured heads standing until the last possible moment in spring, but I am always happy to cut a head or two for the house during the winter months.
Wanting to find out a bit more about lichen I was surprised to find that there is a British Lichen Society and I would advice you to look it up if you have a botanical mind – there is a wealth of information on the site. I have learnt that lichen are actually a partnership between a fungus and an alga rather than an organism in their own right. The lichen I have found is leafy in character and is known I believe as foliose. Foliose lichen grows horizontally and is attached to its host by root like threads. Looked at closely they remind me of beds of coral.
I have used a simple milk jug to display my finds this week – it is a recent purchase and one of my current favourites. Underneath you can see a candle which smells like fire embers as it burns – perfect for the time of year. In the background I have included a small Christmas tree which is silver with crystal drops. I know that for most people Christmas ends on the 25th December and decorations are rushed away for another year. This always saddens me as I like to celebrate the full 12 days of Christmas. I decorate in December on a slow burn – finishing with the real tree which goes up just before Christmas day, so once complete I like to enjoy the magic and sparkle that the decorations bring to the winter evenings for as long as possible. The 5th of January will find me packing everything away, although a few fairy lights usually manage to slip under the radar and remain in place until Valentines Day.
With both my parents now gone this has seemed a strange Christmas and New Year – empty seats at the festive table, fewer cards and presents to both give and receive and the knowledge that the joy to be found in the year to come cannot be shared with them any more. There is however a great comfort in a garden – more than just a place to grow plants a garden becomes a part of your soul and tending to such a garden is very healing. Here at ‘In A Vase On Monday’ not only do we tend to our gardens, but we also look for small joys that we can bring inside to brighten our days every week of the week. As ever I am sending a very big thank you to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for creating this lovely community and I wish you all a very happy new gardening year!
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How interesting to read that lichen are a partnership between a fungus and an alga – I realise I know very little about how lichen functions so I must try and find time to check out the website. Your lichen covered twigs are so elegant – none of tehse in our garden, Iam sorry to say. I have had a jug of Annabelle in the back sitting room for ages and found that the jug was covered in a sticky sap – have you come across that before? I am glad you feel that the garden will bring comfort and be part of the healing process. 2017 will be a very different year for you and I send you and your family my very best wishes
Thank you Cathy – I have not noticed sticky sap coming off Annabelle – I will watch this arrangement closely and report back. I think I need to double the numbers of hours in my day to try and catch up with reading all the things that I find of interest – the internet is a great tool but sometimes there is just too much information! I have book marked the site about lichen for a rainy afternoon. Wishing you and your family a very happy new year!
Chris Beardshore has a programme on iPlayer about soil which is fascinating and describes the importance of lichen, you should be able to watch it. I coincidentally watched it this evening!
Lovely contrast between the white backdrop, twigs and Annabelle flower! Happy New Year!
Thank you Amelia – I am so glad that you like it!
What a fresh and wintery arrangement. I’m sorry to hear about your parents and the sadness their loss brought you particularly during the holidays. I wish you solace in your lovely gardens — all of us really appreciate that you share them with us and make our lives more beautiful with your lovely flowers. Best, -Beth
Thank you for your kind words Beth. xx
I love lichen! While it grows in the Pacific Northwest, it does not grow here in my area of Southern California. We do get some moss but most of it disappears when our winter rains end and temperatures warm. I can appreciate the emotions associated with the holidays – I still feel my own losses the most strongly during Christmas even though my mother and MIL, lost within 10 weeks of one another, have been gone for more than 3 years now. The garden was a comfort for me and I am glad you have found comfort there as well. Best wishes for the new year, Julie.
Thank you Kris – I am sorry to hear of your losses too – parents and in-laws are such a big part of our lives that they take a lot of getting over. Sending best wishes for the new year. xx
What a beautiful post…thank you…thank you… thank you.
Happy New Year from a fellow gardener in western North Carolina, USA
Thank you Gail – it is lovely to hear from you & I wish you a very happy gardening year ahead. xx
Julie, you always find the most interesting materials to highlight. Beautiful photographs. Wishing you a peaceful and productive gardening year.
Thank you Susie – I am sending best wishes for 2017 to you. xx
Beautiful as always!
So pleased you’re back with your beautiful posts, advice and inspiration!
Thank you Sandra – wishing you a very happy new year. xx
The Lichen covered branch is beautiful Julie; I love this plain white jug that you so often use to great effect. I’m sure the garden will provide the peace you need to heal after your loss, it will take time but you will gradually think more about the happy times and good memories rather than the sadness of your loss.
Thank you Christina for your kind words and also for the mention above of the Chris Beardshaw programme – I am going to try and watch it tonight.
So good to have your Vase on a Monday in my inbox this morning – I have missed it! I love lichens too!
Thank you Sara – I am sending best wishes to you for the new year! xx
I’m sorry for your recent loss. My mother passed away in May after struggling with Alzheimer’s disease, so we’ve shared some of the same experiences through the holidays. Though I was relieved for my Mom in many ways, it’s sad to lose the wonderful person she was and to know the final link to childhood is broken. My comfort is in remembering that she lives in me and continuing to find joy the things that reflect our time together, such as using and sharing her recipes. Like you, I’m looking forward to the quiet of winter and hope the months ahead sooth the soul with both comfort and pleasure.
Thank you Marian for your kind words. However grown up we feel that link to childhood is hard to lose – all that shared history that is lost when our parents go – even though as with your mother and mine death was a release it is hard to come to terms with the reality of them not being here any more. You are right though – the joys that we shared are still there and I will find comfort in them. Sending you best wishes for a happy new year and a very peaceful January. xx
I also love to see lichen in winter. That and moss are often the only green we have. Your photos as always are delightful – full of light and sparkle. I hope your new year is also full of light and sparkle Julie! 😉
Thank you Cathy – sending best wishes to you for a lovely year ahead! xx
I can’t begin to tell you, Julie, how much this post has comforted me when I was looking for something to take my mind off the news that my younger brother has sadly passed away today and the shock has sent us all reeling. I absolutely adore this simple arrangement and am very fond of lichens. So taking your advice I am now going to have a walk in the garden and allow its healing properties to be a salve to my hurting soul. Your lovely blog is a go to to raise my spirits and once again it hasn’t failed, thank you.
Oh Teresa I am so sorry – what terrible tragic news. You have a long tough road ahead of you – it is hard enough to lose a parent – a younger sibling must be devastating. I am so pleased that you found some comfort here and be assured that you will be in my thoughts. Julie xx