Welcome to this weeks ‘In A Vase On Monday’ when I am linking with Cathy at Rambling In The Garden to join in her challenge to find something from the garden to put in a vase every week.
May and June are my favourite months in the garden for flowers and I am intending to make the most of all the lovely blooms that I have coming. My largest trees are finally coming into leaf, so the garden is full of every shade of green and the grass looks at its best for the next few weeks. I have flowering trees – lilac, elderflower, laburnum and viburnums to look forward too, the first buds are developing on the roses and peonies, the delphinium stems are growing in height daily and I have sweet peas in the greenhouse – absolute floral bliss!!
This week my beautiful lilac trees are coming into flower – the season is so short that I like to make the most of every minute of it, so today found me outside with my secateurs cutting branches of lilac blooms before they have even fully opened! I just love the combination of lilac with late tulips, so I really had no choice in todays arrangement.
The vessel I chose is actually a wedgwood soup tureen which we were given as a wedding present. It has seen many a bowl of soup, but this is the first time I have used it for flowers. I thought I would show you my starting point this week so that you can see how easy it is to create this bowl of flowers.
I am a great fan of chicken wire and keep a roll handy with my flower arranging supplies. Just cut a piece off, scrunch it up and place it inside whatever vessel you are using (be careful to turn in any sharp wire ends – you do not want to scratch your china or glass). The vessel can then be filled with water and the flower stems inserted into the gaps in the wire, providing a perfect support.
You can probably tell that I have put this arrangement on the vanity in our guest cloakroom (the hint of a towel rail in the photo is a big clue). The evening light from the north facing window worked well today. Most of my windows are south or west facing and work well for photographs during the darker months. During late spring and summer though the bright light can be too harsh, so a change of venue was needed today.
The lilac is only just opening – it still has that unmistakable heady lilac scent though. Hopefully these buds will continue to open as the week goes on.
I added a few stems of purple honesty to fill out the arrangement. This is the first year that I have grown this biennial and I am delighted with it. Not only is it a perfect filler, it also lasts exceptionally well – the stems I cut last Monday lasted a full 7 days.
I added a number of stems of tulip Angelique to this bowl of flowers, as well as the very dark tulips Black Parrot and Black Hero. These are all just flowering in my borders and pots, keeping the tulip season going into May.
I have finally finished photographing my tulips in the Cutting Garden this week, so will be posting my 2015 Tulip Review later this week. One of my favourite bulb suppliers already have tulips available to order for autumn delivery, so this is a good time to start planning your autumn bulb order whilst everything is fresh in your mind. I find that if I leave it until August I am not really in the mood to think about spring flowers, so I make my list now even if my orders are not placed until later in the summer.
I hope that you will pop over to Cathy’s blog to see what she and the others have made this week and that I will see you back here later this week for my Tulip Review – in the meantime I wish you a very happy May!!
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Lovely arrangement and thank you for the tip about chicken wire
Thank you Helen – the chicken wire makes arrangements really easy.
Another gorgeous bouquet…I wish our lilacs would grow better….but I get a few flowers. And sadly no tulips. So I can enjoy yours in this amazing bowl arrangement. I look forward to your tulip post.
What a shame Donna but I am sure you have lots of beauties that I can’t grow.
It’s such a shame we don’t have lilacs here: the weather is just too hot. I do miss them! Love your chicken wire tip and will try using it! I’ve tried tape but sometimes it’s just too visible, so this is great!
Lilacs are such a fleeting beauty – I look forward to them for so long and then they are gone in a week or two. Do try the chicken wire – it is so much easier than taping grids across your bowls.
Just gorgeous.
I’m looking forward to your tulip review – I’m so enjoying mine this year and am excited at having two new beds to plan bulbs for next year!
Thank you and I will try and post the tulip review very soon!
Gorgeous!
Thank you!
Lilac and tulips, such an unexpected wonderful combination in a perfect white vase!And thanks for the chicken wire tip, Julie, very useful, you are a true master!
Thank you Anca and I think you will be pleased with the chicken wire.
This is just the loveliest thing Julie. You must be swooning over the garden offerings and gentle fragrances.
Thank you Susie – I have been out enjoying the fragrance every day this week – it is especially strong at the end of the day.
Your lilacs are stunning! Using chicken wire as the base of the arrangement is so clever and also gives height and form to the flowers. Very creative!
Lisa
Thank you Lisa – the arrangement is growing daily as the lilac blooms and the tulip stems extend.
Beautiful arrangement and fantastic flowers. I can’t wait for the tulip review sure it will be something close to floral overload!
Thank you and I hope to post it soon – just taking a while to put it together.
Sumptuous, no other word fits. this is a spectacular vase Julie. What a wonderful combination, I wouldn’t have thought of tulips and lilac, and the perfume must be filling the house. I find this shape of vase quite difficult to use and you have shown me a good way to achieve a beautiful arrangement, thank you. Look forward to the tulip review, I think I’ll join you, or you can link to me if I manage to post first (not very likely).
Thank you Christina – I love the combination of late tulips and lilac. I am still trying to finish my tulip review and will add your link to it as soon as I do.
A beautiful combination of colours Julie. Bulb ordering time seems to come round quicker each year!
Thank you Anna – I got a catalogue with autumn planting onions and garlic in the post today – I am certainly not ready to think about that yet!
Very beautiful, and a great tip about the chicken wire! I can only imagine how lovely that lilac smells… Happy May, Julie!
Thank you Cathy – the lilac scent is getting stronger each day as more of the flowers open.
I am going straight into the garden and picking the only two white lilac flowers I spotted yesterday plus some T.’White Triumphator’.
I hope you did – it sounds like a wonderful combination!!