Welcome to this weeks Monday Flowers, when as usual I am linking up with Cathy at Rambling In The Garden to join in with her challenge to find something from the garden to put in a vase in the house every week of the year.
This week is proving to be very busy – not quite the quiet respite after the Christmas celebrations that I had imagined. I had a quick plan for this weeks vase which was to cut the last of my greenhouse chrysanthemums and float them in a large bowl. Rushing out to the greenhouse at lunchtime whilst the sun was shining, I was dismayed to find that the chrysanthemums were covered in greenfly – not a problem usually associated with December! As I did not want to transfer the greenfly to the house I was left both short of time and without a plan this week. Rather than not join in at all I have decided to have a quick look back at previous festive vases.
This vase from 2014 was made with the chrysanthemums that I was planning to use today, but this years flowers are much smaller (hence my plan to float them) and now covered with greenfly so have been quickly relegated to the compost heap. Following my knee injury in September I was unable to look after my chrysanthemums properly as they came into flower – I would usually be feeding and disbudding them in October and November, which is why I think they have been disappointing. I have read that a few bloggers are also disappointed with their chrysanthemums this year though, so perhaps it was just a bad year for them.
Above and below are two more arrangements that I could not repeat this year. I have plenty of helleborus orientalis in flower, yet despite the warm weather there is not a single helleborus niger flower to be seen . I have had plenty of these beautiful pristine white flowers in December for the last three years, so I am amazed to see no signs of flowering so far this year. I have no idea why my helleborous niger plants have let me down so badly!
I hope that you are all enjoying the holiday period and looking forward to welcoming the new year. Things have been a little patchy here at Peonies & Posies since September, but I will be working on getting this new site running smoothly once the celebrations have finished and will be back with lots of chat about seed sowing, snowdrops, hellebores and garden plans in January.
I look forward to seeing you again next week and hope you will pop over to Cathy’s blog to see what she and the others have produced for their last vases of 2015!
I wish all of my lovely readers a very happy 2016!!
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What lovely bouquets you had last year! We gardeners all understand how uncooperative plants can be when you are counting on them. We’ll be happy to see those flowers when you have the whiteflies under control. Best Wishes for the New Year! -Beth
I hope you are fully recovered Julie, best wishes for 2016.
In a previous article about Honesty, I mentioned that there is a purple leaved form. I now have some seed saved from my plant, if you would like some email me your address and I will post some to you.
Great vases, Julie! Have a good year 2016!
My H niger is behind the others too – perhaps they need a bit of a chill to perform? I think if I had succeeded with chrysanthemum I would have been so pleased I would just have washed the greenfly off and used them anyway! Lovely to be reminded of some of your gorgeous vases and hope you enjoy all your celebrations
So full of beauty and light!
Oh that is too bad about the mums…and the hellebores. But these past vases are gorgeous to see again. Happy 2016!
It’s too bad your plans were thwarted by the greenflies, Julie, but I enjoyed the opportunity to see your prior creations. Hopefully the knee problem is behind you and you’ll sail into health and a greenfly-free new year!
What a shame about your mums! But it was nice to see your beautiful, previous vases. Happy 2016!
Beautiful memories, and it’s nice being able to look back and see again what your plants are capable of! I know now with your recovery on its way there will be new and better things happening in 2016.
Julie, you are a stalwart…and have shown that even the most esteemed gardener/In a Vase on Monday collaborator can be hit by unexpected setbacks. You make me feel better about my greenfly on my indoor plants which has made me ditch my lovely pepper plant..and regarding the H, I wonder whether some need a bit of a cold spell first to kick them into producing flowers. I am looking forward to your posts in the coming year. Happy New Year.