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.
I have been away from home for the last week on a trip back to my childhood home in the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire with my mother. We had a lovely week – catching up with friends and family and visiting many shops and eateries. I returned home this weekend to immediately head off on an AGA demonstration day – more of that later this week. As a result, today has been a catch up day and I was very hasty in picking and photographing todays flowers for ‘In A Vase on Monday’. The first thing I did when I came in from the garden was to put the kettle on, hence the flowers made their way into a teapot!
Now that much of the garden is fading the first stop for flowers from the garden has to be the greenhouse. Today I found these lovely blooms of Chrysanthemum Allouise White, as well as a few sprigs of lavender from some very young plants that I have brought inside for the winter. Just behind the greenhouse I also found the last bloom of the orange dahlia Mrs Eileen, a solitary flower on the rose Crown Princess Margareta and a few newly flowered heads of achillea Terracotta.
As I was in the process of making a cup of tea, a casual arrangement in a teapot appealed today. Looking at the photos I regularly take in my kitchen I realise that you may be getting the idea that I have a penchant for cream – cream walls, cream fabrics, cream china – I love it all! Today I used a cream teapot that I have had for quite a few years – I love its textured pattern. There is a sad end to this tale of flower arranging however – after making this arrangement the handle cracked against the kitchen tap and the teapot is no more. I am always sad when things get broken, but I would rather have the joy of everyday use and accept the odd breakage than keep everything for best.
This was the last flower on rose Crown Princess Margareta – still a lovely colour but a much smaller flower than earlier in the year.
Achillea Terracotta is one of my favourite of the flat headed flowers. The colour and shape works with so many other flowers in the border and, provided I cut it back after the first flush, I get lovely long stemmed flowers late into the autumn.
Whilst sharing my vase today I thought I would also show you this extraordinary flower. I believe it is a type of cordyline and it grows in the gravel outside my south facing kitchen. It has been there since before we moved in and for the first few years was just an evergreen plant adding good winter interest. Last year it sent up its first flower stalk, but the flowers never actually opened. This year the flower stalk is much bigger and it is very exciting to watch the flowers opening. My knowledge of cordylines is very limited, so if anyone knows any more about this plant I would love to hear it.
As I mentioned earlier I am planning to be back here on Wednesday with a post inspired by the AGA demonstration I went to yesterday. On Thursday I am off to London for a whirlwind 2 day trip to take in Borough Market, the Covent Garden Flower Market, a flower arranging display and dinner in the West End. My guide for the trip is the inspirational gardening and food guru Belinda Grey, so I am very excited about this trip and looking forward to sharing lots of photos. I am also planning to join in with the Garden Bloggers Foliage Day later this week hosted by Christina at Creating My Own Garden of Hesperides on Saturday 22nd November.
I will be back next Monday with another vase and hope that you will pop over to Cathy’s blog tonight to see what she and the others have made this week.
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beautiful arrangement and beautiful lighting … so sad about the teapot … but noes you can forage for another treasure … have a fun trip into london!!
sorry … ‘now’ you can forage 🙂
Thank you for both comments!
That Crown Princess Margareta rose is beautiful and wonderful with the cream flowers, a bit of purple and the yarrow Terracotta…a perfect combo and I love the container. It sounds like you are busy having a lot of fun and I can’t wait to hear more about it all! Enjoy your next excursion.
Thank you Donna – London was amazing and I will be posting about it later this week.
Loving those oranges/ tangerines with the purple: great combination, esp with the cream teapot. Too bad about the handle….but now you have an excuse to look for a replacement!
Thank you Libby – it is always nice to have an excuse to shop!
I love this colour combination Julie, its really beautiful, Crown Princess Margareta is not a rose I know, she’s gorgeous though and looks fab with your flower choices. Your week away sounds lovely, wonderful to meet up with old friends and family especially sharing that with your Mother too. I’ve just followed your link, looking forward to your report back on your course, it looks very interesting.
Thank you Julie – Crown Princess Margareta is even more lovely in the flesh – a truly beautiful rose.
What a fun time you are having at the moment, Julie – hope you have a great week and thanks for still finding time for a vase! It certainly is/was a pretty teapot, ideal for an arrangement like this – is it not worth gluing the handle? At least as a vase you would not be having hot liquids in it. Even though I have now warmed to chrysanths, the star is that achillea – it’s gorgeous! I really must try again with them…. ps I am no expert on cordylines either but I am wondering if it is actually a phormium rather than a cordyline …
Thanks Cathy – you could be right about it being a phormium – I am hoping that Chloris might know!
Lovely colors in your arrangement. Sad you ended up sacrificing the teapot but it made a great container. Achillea Terracotta is interesting and works great with your other colors today. Have fun.
Thank you Susie!
The purple adds just the right touch to the dominant cream and orange flowers, Julie. Too bad about the mishap with the teapot. Are you sure that’s a Cordyline and not a Yucca? The genus are related; however, I’ve never seen a Cordyline with a flower like that but Yucca flowers have that characteristic shape and growth habit.
Thank you Kris – Annette has also identified it as a Yucca, so well done for recognising it! It is so nice to be able to ask questions on my blog and know that someone will have the answer.
Even your “quick” arrangements look stunning Julie. Shame about the jug – the flowers look simply wonderful in it. How do you always manage to get sunshine in your photos?!
I am very lucky to have a south facing kitchen with a very large window Cathy. I watch the light carefully and it is a rare day when the sun does not break through – even if only for a few minutes.
I love those colours (especially the rose and the achillea) – in your cream themed kitchen! Sad about the teapot, but maybe it would work as a vase if only the handle is damaged?
Thank you Cathy – this was very much a working teapot so I am seeing this breakage as an opportunity and am on the hunt for an interesting replacement – I will probably repair the breakage as well though!
Lovely mix of flowers today Julie and perfect in you are broken. I agree with Kris and think your plant is a Yucca, they have flowers of exactly that form. I know there are variegated forms like the one you’ve shown.
Thank you for the ID Christina – I am pleased to have finally worked out what this plant is – I have never seen a flower like it before and especially at this time of year.
Love those white chrysanthemums. Until participating in In A Vase On Monday, I never realized how much I like large chrysanthemums, and of course I can’t find them here in Spain. Must look for them online.
That teapot is also special – I love anything textured, especially basketweave patterns. I would glue on the handle to use for flowers in the future, and still buy myself a new teapot! Win-win!
A great idea Karen and that is what I will do! You really must try to find some large chrysanthemums – they are a beautiful late addition to the garden. I have been surprised to learn how unpopular they are in Europe.
Beautiful posy! I love this variety of Achillea very much – is it long-lived in the garden? The other plant is definitely a Yucca filamentosa, maybe “Bright Edge”. I like them too but the spines are so nasty and I know of a person who lost his eyesight, so keep your distance.
Thank you for the plant ID Annette – I had never considered that it might be a Yucca. You are certainly right about the spines – I keep a respectful didtance!
The achillea is stunning. What a good idea to cut it back after the first flush to get flowers now. Something I will definitely be trying next year.
Thank you TalkingGrass – I find that all the achilleas flower well in late summer if I cut them back hard in July along with the hardy geraniums and alchemilla mollis.