Welcome to ‘In A Vase On Monday’ when I am linking up with Cathy at Rambling In The Garden to join her challenge to fill a vase for the house from the garden every week.
Before I start I must tell you about the lovely afternoon I had last Wednesday meeting up with Chloris from The Blooming Garden and Christina from Creating My Own Garden of the Hesperides. Chloris really does have the most beautiful garden. I did feel that I already knew the garden from reading her blog, but seeing it as a whole was a totally different experience – helped by the lovely weather. We sat outside drinking tea in china cups and eating home made scones with rhubarb and ginger jam – it felt more like June than the last day of April. It was also lovely to meet Christina and her husband and to learn more about their life in Italy. Both ladies were as lovely as their blogs suggest and I am looking forward to meeting them again in the future.
My other news is that Erin from Floret Flowers (a favourite flower farming blog) has started a weekly Seasonal Flower Alliance which she is hosting on a Thursday., so I will be creating another arrangement or linking this post to her blog on a Thursday. I am sure she would be delighted to see your contributions to the ‘Vase On Monday’, so if anyone else is interested in joining in with this American meme leave a comment and a link on her blog on a Thursday. Her criteria are that the flowers used are home grown or locally grown, so all our Monday vases will fit very well. Even more exciting is that I have been given two copies of a book Erin has recently published in collaboration with Lynn Byczynski. Fresh From The Field Wedding Flowers is all about using local seasonal flowers for events, in particular weddings. It is right up my street, so I am reading my copy avidly at the moment. I will be writing a review later in the week and giving details of a little competition to win the other copy.
After all this talk it is at last time to have a look at this week’s vase. Walking around my garden the mood is certainly changing. The tulips are gradually fading away, but in their place is a greater variety of late spring blooms. For the first time I had a choice not only of colours, but of shapes and forms. I decided to make the most of it with a full scale vase arrangement! For this arrangement I have used a silver rose bowl given to me by a very kind friend who was having a clear out. Rose bowls conveniently have grids to support the flower stems and I have once again used my fake moss ring for extra support.This weeks vase is made up of elderflowers, viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’, allium Purple Sensation, aquilegia, dicentra spectabilis and honeysuckle – it feels like quite a cast after the lean winter months!
The pink dicentra spectabilis (bleeding heart) gives a beautiful airy feeling to any arrangement. I have some large beds in the front garden that kick off the season with cherry blossom and pink hyacinths. These give way to a mass planting of the peony flowered pale pink tulip Angelique. As the tulips fade the alliums and pink dicentra spectabilis take over, followed by bearded iris and peonies. The beds then erupt into a mass of nepeta, sedums and perovski with Gertrude Jeykll roses bobbing above the nepeta foliage. I have tried plenty of other planting combinations in these beds, but lost everything to the rabbits or deer that can access our front garden. This more limited successional planting palette seems to succeed despite the wild life (although the roses do sometimes get munched by the deer). Within these beds are four mature dicentra spectabilis, so I feel comfortable cutting a few sprays for the house.
As I think about saying goodbye to my beautiful lilac, the elderflower trees are starting to take over the blossoming reins. I love these frothy white flowers and am looking forward to making some elderflower cordial in a week or so when more blooms are in flower. As well as in a drink, elderflower cordial is lovely with gooseberry fool, used to flavour pannacotta or made into a light summery jelly to serve with fruit.
Although I love all my viburnums, Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’ is my number one favourite. These white pom pom flowers are exquisite. I have two small shrubs planted in the winter border and I hope that in years to come they will form large specimens dripping with flowers. For now I am happy that they have at least flowered this year – this will be my one picking – I really need to let them put on some growth before I can start hacking off the branches!
Allium Purple Sensation is probably my favourite of the many alliums available. I find that the height and size of the globe shaped flowers of Purple Sensation work perfectly in almost any border and they are an ideal follow on from the fading tulips. Every year I plant more of these and have decided to add a bag to the Cutting Garden in the autumn so that I can use them more freely next year.
I am gradually building up the numbers of aquilegas in my garden. In my old garden they seeded everywhere and were almost a weed. I am not so lucky here, but finally this year a few new ones have popped up. I am not sure what variety this one is (or whether it is a self seeded concoction), but it is certainly beautiful and harmonises well with the alliums.
In the spirit of the afternoon teas that I am anticipating now that the warmer weather is here, I have styled this vase with my favourite cake stand, cake plate and fairy lights.
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I hope you have enjoyed this weeks vase and that you will pop over to Cathy’s blog to see what she and the others have made this week.
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This is lovely, I am envious too of your Viburnhams, I had three but they suffered from Viburnham weevil, I had thought about nematodes but then on a mad impulse dug two of them up. Now I am regretting it! Our elderflowers are not flowering here yet, you must be more sheltered there. Afternoon tea with Chloris and Christina sounds lovely too.
I have not come across the viburnum weevil Julie but I know I will be having nightmares about it now! How will I know if I have it? How sad that it drove you to dig up your viburnums. My elderflower are just starting to flower – I picked the first few blooms today – do you make anything with yours?
Oh this is such a wonderful combination this week. I have tried endlessly to get a copy of Erin’s book and so hope that it maybe available here soon. Did speak to someone who ordered direct, so may give that a try. I once agin just love the clarity of your posts – many others try but I always think you absolutely achieve it. Thank you.
Thank you so much Ruth – I will be offering my spare copy later in the week – I will keep my fingers crossed for you! Your comment is much appreciated!
Julie, you’ve outdone yourself with this elegant design and the arrangement is beautifully photographed. Nice choice of materials–each one is lovely on its own too. I am particularly smitten with Viburnum this spring. Thanks for sharing the successional planting you follow. I always learn interesting tips here.
Thank you Susie – I am glad you enjoyed my summary of the planting – as I said, this was not the original planting plan but rather what has evolved as a compromise with the wildlife that also enjoy these beds. The planting is still quite immature, but at least it is surviving. I will be photographing and sharing these beds soon when the bearded iris start to flower.
Oh how wonderful! The flowers are stunning, and your photos with the decorations are really fabulous! Doesn’t Bleeding Heart look beautiful in a vase? And the elderflowers must smell lovely… I must take a look later and see how far our elder buds are – there are lots on the edge of the woods next to our garden and when they open the whole garden smells of them! 😀
Thank you Cathy – I cut the first few flowers yesterday – most of the flower heads are still in bud so the scent has not developed yet. At the moment the lilacs still have the edge in my garden, but at least I know I have the elderflowers to look forward to!
I checked our elderflowers… still a couple of weeks to go I think! 😀
Your arrangement is stunning this week and just shouts late spring! It was amazing to have tea on the lawn last week, we arrived back in Italy to strong cold winds that along with the numerous snails this year are causing havoc to taller stemed plants. We made our first batch this year of Elderflower sorbet, I’ll post the recipe later this week. I like the idea of jelly.
I am so sorry you returned to cold wind Christina – I always imagine you basking in the Italian sunshine! Despite the cold your garden is ahead of mine – it will be a week or two before there are enough elderflowers for jelly or sorbet!
As usual a beautifully elegant arrangement. I never thought of using Viburnum opulus in arrangements, it works very well. Your elderflower is very early; mine is nowhere near out. At least I don’ t think it is. I’ d better go and look. I usually decide to make some cordial only to find that it has finished.
It was lovely to meet you and Christina last week and have chance to sit in the sun and chat.
I know what you mean about elderflowers and cordial! Still this year I am prepared and checking daily – there are not enough flowers out yet though to cut the thirty or so required heads. Do try viburnum opulus in a vase – it really excels inside.
Spectacular! I love the touch of Dicentra (or whatever it is it’s called now). I participated in the Seasonal Bouquet Project last year but have tentatively decided to take a pass on Erin’s new campaign this year – I’m not sure my garden can support 2 flower arrangements each week.
Thank you Kris – I love any excuse to cut some flowers, but think that most weeks I will link in with the Seasonal Bouquet Project with my vase from Monday.
Now your aquilegia is gorgeous, Julie – mine are only second rate in comparison!! And how lovely to have honeysuckle to include in your vase – this one always looks so elegant when it is in bud like this and picks up the pink in the dicentra. It all looks beautifully balanced too – definitely no plonking here! Thank you so much for your support, Julie
Thank you Cathy but I don’t think you can call your aquilegias second rate! This is quite plonked actually – a ball of chicken wire in a bowl of water and then poke your stems into the wire. The viburnum looks so lovely with its leaves left on it fills the arrangement and the airy dicentra and honeysuckle give the impression of taking up more space, making it seem ‘grander’. As when planning a border it is good to think about heights and shapes when choosing flowers for a mixed arrangement.
As ever thank you for hosting – I am sure you can see what fun I am having!!
That’s a good point about the dicentra and honeysuckle as they both do add that elegance, don’t they? I must root around for some chicken wire as I am trying to avoid ‘oasis’ if possible.
Julie Your photos are soo gorgeous as is the styling and the table setting. It is beautiful, which lens did you use??? Beth x
Thank you so much Beth – I am still using my 50mm 1.4 lens. I love being able to shoot with a very low f stop and this lens gives great clarity for a variety of different photos. I have just started using it for family portraits with some great results.
They are whole lot of goodies Julie! All of them are mesmerizing beauties.love to grow them myself sooner.
Thank you Sajina – I hope you will share your pictures when you grow them!
A most impressive arrangement! Looking out of the window as I type my garden is a mass of rich green and not so much colour just yet! I just love the shape of Bleeding Heart – on my ‘to buy’ list now!
Thank you Helen – I had a lot of colour with the tulips but now that they have blown away I am more green than anything as well.
This is COMPLETELY gorgeous!! Love the dicentra in there!
Jordyn
Pretty Lovely
Thank you Jordan – I am glad you enjoyed them!
Beautiful flowers your garden is ahead of our in Canada. Lovely choices of material and still life set up.