In a Vase on Monday: A shining Star with roses

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Mominthegarden

A special star made for me by a friend

I know what you are thinking: Roses again?!?! I do apologise, but as always I left myself no time and I knew exactly what I wanted from them so it just had to be! I haven’t cut all of them but the weather is supposed to turn really cold this week so I’m guessing it will be the end for them.

getting ready for Christmas ever so slowly

I’m afraid that when I checked the pictures on my camera they all looked “in focus” but as it turns out they weren’t all in focus! But I had one shot to get it all done so we’ll just have to imagine that this is in focus 😉

having fun with decorations

I like the Christmas balls in the vase! So simple and fun.

an Angel candle from Celticheritage.ie in Kinsale which I purchased at a Craft Fair this weekend

I went to the National Craft & Design Fair in Dublin with a friend this weekend. It was fantastic! It was so wonderful to see all of the beautiful crafts. I did my best to support as many of our National Craftspeople as possible! Merry Christmas to me!

flowers in a vase

My favourite purchase is definitely this angel. I think she is just lovely (and not Christmas-y). I especially enjoyed meeting the artist who painted her. It is fun to get to chat with the crafters and see their wonderful work!

but the flowers need water so here they are on my counter

After taking pictures of the flowers in the round vase with the ornaments (and no water) I threw them in a small square vase with water. Not much work required there. They should be happy enough this week.

In a Vase on Monday with a Star

The star was given to me last year by my friend Susan who had made it for me. I thought the pink was rather unusual for the lights, but I absolutely love it! She cut the branches, which came from her yard, hot glued them in the star shape, spray painted it and added the lights. How cool is that?

Nativity creche

This small nativity scene was given to me by another very special friend of mine who belongs to the church we went to in Manlius, NY. I love having those connections.

A little ‘light’ on the flower side of things this week. (haha! did you see that? light as in star light? O.K. maybe not…) As we head into the winter I think it is going to be quite a challenge! Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the garden for this wonderful meme (challenge)! You can visit her blog and see other links to lovely arrangements, too! http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

I hope you have a shining star of a week!
Dana

In a Vase on Monday: Roses by Candlelight

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Mominthegarden

Climbing roses, and a couple of stray roses from the “rose garden”

I am simply in the spirit! I thought for sure I would have to skip my “In a Vase on Monday” post as I hadn’t prepared anything this weekend. To top it off, when I arrived home tonight it was pouring rain and pitch dark! But I had an idea in my head so I really wanted to follow through with it.

What a difference using the flash makes on colouring. I have to say I really prefer these pictures with no flash.

Roses up close

The roses are in an oasis in a red glass dessert bowl. My mother gave me a set of large and small glasses and dessert bowls all in a beautiful deep red, perhaps more of a burgundy colour. Why the glasses match the dessert bowls is a bit of a mystery, but they do look pretty together!

Christmas tree candle in the background

You can still see some raindrops on the flowers! It was *really* raining when I cut them!

a little candle light to make things pretty

I was definitely in the mindset of Christmas with my white tree candle and red bowls. I had to transform these pretty pinks into holiday spirit!

Nearing the end of the roses…

The climbing roses are amazing and still have quite a few clusters of buds. I tried to cut the ones that were nearing the end, as it is so nice to see them outside when most everything else is “finished”.

Softer look without the flash

Oh my goodness I am so glad I went outside and got drenched! The arrangement is only 7 inches tall and about 7 inches wide and just adorable (so says the very humble arranger, ahem.).

too many pictures?

You can join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for this very fun meme “In a Vase on Monday” (http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/in-a-vase-on-monday-wintersweet/ ) as a challenge to find plant material in your garden at all months of the year!

I hope you are also ‘in the spirit’!

In peace,
Dana

Roses by Candlelight

In a Vase on Monday: Some real pinkness with roses & autumn joy

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Mominthegarden

My favourite colour

It is Monday! Mondays mean it is time to join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her In a Vase on Monday meme. For me this is a much anticipated weekly event in my social calendar (I don’t get out much)! It is great to see the other arrangements and touch base with the other bloggers. You too can join us here: http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2014/11/17/in-a-vase-on-monday-a-vase-for-thomas-hood/

climbing roses up close

As for my arrangement this week, all I had to do was cut a couple of branches from my climbing roses. There were so many blooms! (and even more still outside!)

Sedum, what is not to like?

I know some people aren’t fans of Autumn Joy sedum, but I am not one of them. I love it. It turns a dark auburn colour as it “matures” through the fall season. It holds its shape really well when it dries, but the colour turns quite dark (basically black). I would love to try and spray paint some and see what that would be like … I just need more hours in my day!

on the hutch facing forward

The vase itself I have used many a time before as it is part of my pottery collection from when we first got married. I like the pattern on the front of the vase.

on the hutch facing backwards

I hadn’t realized I’d taken a picture of the back of the vase until after I uploaded the pictures. The blue is really rather boring! The tall grass-like auburn-y coloured plant material was in the garden when we moved here. I don’t know what it is called. I don’t actually like the plant as I think it looks rather sloppy in the garden, despite my cutting off the dead leaves every winter. But I did like how it added something to the arrangement. Now I am being critical and I think it might look funny in these pictures! You’ll have to trust me that it looks better in person. 🙂

Some joyful pinkness

And that is my In a Vase on Monday arrangement! My next goal will be to remember to have props and themes for my Monday meme (wish me luck on that one)! I’m sure I’ll have no problem with that once I figure out how to add more hours to my day 🙂

Happy Monday!
Dana

In a Vase on Monday: A Summer look (Still)

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Mominthegarden

Didn’t expect this summer look at the very end of October!

It is Monday! Just barely so, but you are getting used to me by now, aren’t you? I know some people would have had their “In a Vase on Monday” meme done and dusted by now, but sometimes I just need a little bit more time. Good things come to those who wait, right? 🙂

dahlias, roses, wild yarrow, lavender, campanula & hesperantha (schizostylis)

I had been making my arrangements on the weekends (the only way I could possibly get them posted on the blog at a decent hour on a Monday!). But alas, this week it was left until today. Today was an unsettled weather day, looking rather dull with a very light mist of a rain most of the day. That is, until I went outside to cut some flowers. Then down came the rain! Ha! That’ll teach me to not put things off! Maybe.

Some pink Schizostylis/Hesperantha that is the same colour as the roses

I have to say that I didn’t really have anything in mind when I went outside to cut flowers. I went outside just to see what was on offer. The roses I was originally going to use were blown away completely just this weekend. These roses seem to be a little bit more hardy. The stems had six or more blooms all clustered together. They are fabulous at our front gate. Coming from New York, it took a while for me to adjust to the “fall colours” here. At home you would see so much burgundy, yellow, orange, and red in gardens. But certainly not pink! Here you can still see so many summer colours even at the end of October. The only “fall” look comes from foliage, really.

I had to clear our hutch

No sun in sight for my picture taking. Plus, I left it a bit late. So I had to clear our kitchen hutch. I love it when it is all cleared, but it is so hard to keep it that way! I’m sure my husband won’t recognise it…

The flowers that didn’t make the cut…

The Salsa Red Echinacea and red Schizostylis (Hesperantha) didn’t seem to fit in with the other colours. They look quite nice on their own, though.

A pink, purple, white, and yellow look

Up close

I still find it surprising when I can manage to make an arrangement just from items from my garden. That.Is.Neat.

Stickley kitchen hutch as a backdrop for my flowers 🙂

Do you see the hydrangea sitting on top of the hutch? I should have taken a better picture of it, as it is a very pretty blue and burgundy mix. I see a wreath creation in its future. But more immediate, I think my next project will be to make a festive tea cosy to replace the roses cosy. Since the cosy is on display where it lives on my hutch, I think it might be nice to change things up a bit.

I just need a few more hours in each day!

I’m joining Rambling in the Garden for Cathy’s In a Vase on Monday meme if you’d like to stop by and see some other vases! You can click here: http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/in-a-vase-on-monday-collection-of-compositae/

Happy Monday!
Dana

A wee stone wall at the front gate garden.

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Mominthegarden

It is sunny today! And even somewhat warm (14 degrees Celsius, 57 degrees Fahrenheit) so out in the garden is where I was all morning. I came across some really nice stones in one of our local fields recently. The owner had a laugh when I asked, but he agreed to let me have as many stones as I’d like, so long as I didn’t disrupt his potato crop. That was fine by me! The kids and I hauled a bunch of stones back to our place. There are big ones, small ones, flat and rounded ones. I’m not exactly sure what I’ll be doing with them, but for starters I’m using some to finish off the front garden at our gates. I think it’s a stretch to call it a wall, but for lack of a better name, that is what I’m calling it!

There are two hostas in the front garden by the gate, and two newly planted climbing roses (Zephirine Drouhin 1868). My hopes are that the roses will climb along the fence (we’ll see!). I’ve put down wet newspapers to keep down any grass, and then some topsoil. I think by Fall I’ll have some more ideas of what I’ll want to plant here.

I also took some more pictures of life around the garden. My Angelique tulips are really in full bloom now, and look so much nicer in sunlight! The cherry tree, and maple tree are showing their beauty. I wasn’t sure how my new Tree Peony would do when we planted it as there was very little of a root system on it. But it seems to have taken hold and is growing. I didn’t take a picture of our Japanese Maple because it is completely wind destroyed! We will be looking for a new location for that very soon. My purple anemone have to be one of my favorite flowers this year with their amazing color! (called Mr. Fokker).

There are just two days left to my swimming course this weekend, and then I can work a lot harder in the garden!

I hope you are able to spend some time outside in the sunshine!

Dana