In a Vase on Monday: Pink, White & Blue

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Mominthegarden

Delphinium, shasta daisy, Dusty Miller Lychnis Coronaria

Delphinium ‘cobalt dreams’, shasta daisy, Dusty Miller Lychnis Coronaria

Just recently I found myself looking through my past blog posts. My husband and I had a discussion and he felt I’d strayed away from my original ‘blogging about the garden’ plan since this past year I mainly posted on Mondays for the meme ‘In a Vase on Monday’. I saw his point in that I certainly need to blog more about what is going on in the garden. But I loved looking through what flowers I was able to create arrangements with during the different months.

close-up of that pretty blue!

So I will continue to join Cathy on Mondays at Rambling in the Garden https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/in-a-vase-on-monday-baby-face/ for her ‘In a Vase on Monday’ meme, and I will set a goal of having at least one other post per week. Start out small and go from there! 🙂

Our pewter water goblet. Can you see the picture of the ‘stamping of the grapes’?

This week my delphinium ‘cobalt dreams’ had one stem that was broken. I bought three of these plants just this past month and they are doing so well. They are quite showy! I think the blue and white are lovely. So I was happy enough to use the broken stem.

Dusty Miller Lychnis Coronaria

The dusty miller Lychnis Coronaria is just going crazy in my garden this year! It has taken over half its bed. All of this is from one small plant two years ago! I will have to move some (a lot?) of it to another location where it an spread without getting in the way of other plants.

Daisies and Delphinium

The above picture shows my blue delphiniums and my not yet blooming shasta daisies (to the right of the delphiniums)! That was taken late last week and they only started to bloom yesterday! They were divided early this spring, so they’ll be in two places along the ditch-wall garden.

a very ‘red, white and blue’ look

A rather simple arrangement, with an almost red, white & blue hue! Maybe you’ll join the meme? Or at least visit to have a look-see at what others have created? I hope you will.

Happy summer!
Dana

In a Vase on Monday: Confessions from Mom (and One final week of Daffodils)

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Mominthegarden

4 different varieties of Daffodils in my new watering can

Well, it is Monday, it must be time for my weekly blogging confessions! I arrived home from work tonight to find our kitchen counters completely covered and in a very un-pretty state. This is not unusual at our house since the kids don’t really care about having tidy counters. So before I can do anything I have to clear off the counters. Here’s the confession part: then, instead of making dinner, I took pictures. Phew, that wasn’t so bad!

clear (and clean) counters

What is it with my kids that it doesn’t bother them if empty containers are left on the counter? or the compost container overfloweth? or someone left the counter covered in crumbs??? arg 😉 Lucky for me that is all I have to worry about!

lots of leftover flowers

I actually have quite a few containers of flowers in the kitchen at the moment! Some are usually on the table, but that was just too much work to clear for a picture (especially when I was getting hungry for dinner).

Hellebores from the garden

I thought I’d be able to work the hellebores into my daffodil arrangement, but they really did not go together.

my new watering can

Above my watering can arrangement is my favourite quilted pot-holder. It was made for me by my dear friend Betty who was 80 when she made it. She is now 86 and still making beautiful quilts!

Watering Can Vase

I bought the watering can this weekend out of necessity. I have finally planted some (read: LOTS and LOTS) squash seeds and when I went to water them with my regular watering can I nearly drowned them! So when I was at the store I opted for the much prettier metal can rather than the (cheaper) plastic one. It is cream and I think it matches our kitchen nicely. 🙂

another variety of daffodils from the garden

second round of life for a bouquet that was “spent”

This picture is of flowers which were in a bouquet last week. There were other flowers in the original bouquet but they are now good and dead. I cut these guys nice and short and put them in a much smaller container and they look really happy! Don’t you think so?

daffodils on the deck

And finally, I show you my back deck containers of daffodils (and bright pink anemone). There are two pictures, and look how different they are by just kneeling down, or standing up! I couldn’t decide if I liked seeing the grass and no sky, or the hedges and fields beyond so I combined them both into one collaged picture. Which do you prefer???

I will be joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for this fun meme “In a Vase on Monday”. Won’t you join us? https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2015/04/13/in-a-vase-in-monday-more-rug-than-carpet/

Happy Spring!
Dana

In a Vase on Monday: Easter Monday Daffodils & Anemone

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Mominthegarden

up close

Hello there! I would first like to start with an apology. I have not had a chance to reply to the lovely folks who commented on my post last week. I know, I feel terrible. As well as that, I haven’t had a chance to visit the blogs that I so enjoy seeing and reading. It is only because of lack of time, and I’m planning on catching up this week. I hope you’ll forgive me!

a splash of purple from anemone and muscari

The task at hand is posting for “In a Vase on Monday”, a fun meme hosted by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden (https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/in-a-vase-on-monday-having-my-cake-and-eating-it/ ) . After reading her lovely post about her Vase, you can then follow the links to others who always have something interesting to see!

How many varieties do I have?

Today I feature two different varieties of daffodils. I wasn’t able to find their names, unfortunately. The white variety came from my father-in-law. He gave me a bunch of bulbs a few years ago. The flowers are quite delicate looking. He is an amazing gardener! Here is a little peek at his daffodils:

Patsy’s Garden

They completely cover the back garden! It is lovely to see.

all yellow, with so many layers

The yellow narcissi are a dwarf variety. I have them planted out by our fence. They are new to us this year, so I know I have their name written down somewhere!

Highland Stoneware from Scotland

My vase this week is a Highland Stoneware jug which I picked up a few years ago on a “get-away” weekend with my husband. We went to Edinburgh to watch Ireland play rugby. Nice romantic weekend away just me, hubby, and 50,000 supporters 😉 It really was a lovely weekend (and thankfully, Ireland won!).

The rooster side of the jug

the hen side of the jug

Perfectly glorious weather

I actually put this arrangement together today (Monday), as opposed to the usual Saturday before. Being Easter Monday, everyone had off of work, and the weather was simply perfect.

beautiful blue skies

We worked in the garden most of the weekend. I’m pretty sure every muscle in my body was used! The garden needed so much work. I am so, so happy with all that we were able to get done. I just might get an actual gardening post in this week (fingers crossed!).

my jug floweth over with daffodils

Too pretty not to photograph

I did manage a number of breaks during the day as I simply felt compelled to take pictures. Everything in spring time is so pretty.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you are enjoying lovely spring weather, too!

Peace,
Dana

In a Vase on Monday: Mr. Fokker Anemone & Primrose in January

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Mominthegarden

Mr. Fokker Anemone & primroses

It is cold, wet and windy outside! So goes our January. The wind would knock your socks off! Nevertheless, the sun has made several appearances so really I shall not complain.

Waterford crystal candle holder with anemone and primrose

I took a little break from my blog over the Christmas holiday. I wasn’t really taking a break from blogging but rather making more time for the family. I like blogging and was looking forward to getting back to it! So when the sun was shinning bright on Saturday I decided to run outside and see what I could find for the meme In a Vase on Monday, hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the garden (http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com). It was COLD outside!

Mr Fokker Anemone in the garden

I have loads of Mr Fokker Anemone in the garden. Unfortunately, where they are in the garden doesn’t see the sun until the very end of the day (if at all). So they are closed up most of the time. It was lovely to watch them open after being placed in warm water in the candle holder (their vase).

The flowers opened up in the warm water

The colours are lovely. I kind of squished the primrose into the vase. That bright pink is fabulous in the yard. I have to say they look rather lonely though, as everything around them is pretty much in sleep/winter mode.

The candle holder usually sits in a room which we rarely use. So the only job it has is to collect dust. I’m glad to put it to better use.

floating flowers

It is always fun to try and be a little creative with what is in the garden and what vase to use. I hope you’ve enjoyed my In a Vase on Monday post!

bright pink

I have to say that it is nice to have flowers in the garden in January.

primrose in the garden

I hope you have a good week and that you are nice and warm, wherever you may be!

Peace,
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

In a Vase on Monday: A playful gathering of flowers

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Mominthegarden

At least once a week I now look forward to collecting flowers from the garden and bringing them inside for us to enjoy in our kitchen. I rarely did this before, because really I love seeing them outside. But being a part of the Rambling in the Garden’s meme “In a Vase on Monday” has brought about my new weekly activity (read: obsession)!

Japanese Anemone

My ten year old daughter helped me this time. It would have been quite a collection of colours if I’d picked all the flowers she wanted! But she was happy enough, instead, to hold the flowers, in a hand held bouquet as we walked through the yard and cut the flowers which I picked out (with her approval, of course).

Potentilla (yellow flower)

I wish I could say that I had it all planned out in my head beforehand. That was not the case, though. It all started with a large sedum flower with a broken stem. It would be such a shame to leave that in the garden to die. So pink became the main colour.

Potentilla with Japanese Anemone (some without their petals)

My potentilla plant has the sweetest yellow flowers. I had to have that colour in the arrangement! I also loved the strange shapes of the Japanese Anemone. They are so interesting looking before they even bloom as well as well after they bloom!

Mallow in front with some lady’s mantle to the right (underneath the Sedum)

My mallow plant grew quite tall this summer and was blown over and badly broken. I thought that was the end of it, at least for this season. But we cut it down to a lower level and sure enough, it is full of all new flowers! I have not been able to really capture the beautiful colour that it is. The light, bright green of the lady’s mantle is one of my favourite colours! It is popping up in all sorts of places around the yard! So I was happy to find some that was still young enough to use.

“wild white plant” in the garden

These lovely white flowers are in my “wild flower garden”. I don’t know their name, but I’d really like to find out because they are so pretty.

Everything arranged and sitting pretty

It all came together fairly quickly and easily. You don’t usually have too much time when a child is involved, anyway! The original vase I was using just wasn’t working for me. I had too many flowers for it. So out came this rather large, glass ice container (or white wine cooler/champagne cooler). I have the marbles on the bottom, as a lot of my stems were too short.

In a Vase on Monday: A Playful gathering of flowers

I really like starting my week like this! I hope you do, too. Stop on over to Rambling in the Garden if you’d like to see some other lovely “In a Vase on Monday” posts! http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

Have a good week!
Dana

In a Vase on Monday: A splash of orange to brighten your day!

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Mominthegarden

California poppies (and hidden cornflowers)

Oh wow do I love those colors! I’m usually quite a pink kinda girl, but these California poppies are the most friendly and happy shade of orange ever!

cornflowers just peeking through

I have one flower bed that is a bit of a wild garden (that might be an understatement).

on the wild side…

This wouldn’t be something that I would typically like. I try to keep things neat and tidy, pretending that I have some control. But the wild flower seeds were planted last year when I wasn’t sure what to plant and thought I’d just try it for a season. Ha! Wild flowers re-seed themselves 🙂

California poppies and cornflowers in the wild garden (poppies closed up in the evening)

So up everything came again this year. I’m really not sure what is going to happen to this garden next year, as I’ve planted some things that might not go so well with the wild ones…

A yellow Potentilla with the poppies and cornflowers in the background

I’ve enjoyed the two colors of orange and blue together all summer. Don’t they look pretty behind my potentilla?

A simple combination

So together they went into the vase.

Love.

Oh, and the vase? Did you maybe guess? It is from my mother. She just finds the quirkiest things sometimes. This is the first time I’ve used it. Perfect fit.

In a Vase on Monday

In the evening the poppies close up (even when cut)

In the evening the poppies close up (even after being cut)

I thought it was interesting to learn that the poppy flowers would close up at night even after they were cut. They sure give a different look to the arrangement!

Enjoying the flowers inside

I am so enjoying putting together a vase of flowers for Cathy’s meme “In a Vase on Monday”. You can enjoy other lovely arrangements through Cathy’s blog: http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/ If you are a blogger and would like to join in on the fun, just mention Cathy’s blog in your post and you can then put a link to your blog on her page. It is a fun way to meet other bloggers, too.

cornflower up close

Have a good week!

Dana

In a Vase on Monday: Lavender in September for a scented treat

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Mominthegarden

Snapdragon, Lavender, Erysimum bowles, Autumn Joy

Snapdragon, Lavender, Erysimum bowles (mauve), Autumn Joy

Lavender?! In September? I have a lot of lavender, and because I love it, I added more new plants last year. Those new guys were the first that I harvested in July. I like to make lavender sachets, wands, bouquets. There are quite a few things you can do with lavender! It seems that the plants had lots of immature stems, which have continued to grow throughout the summer and were just ripe for the cutting for my arrangement!

Lavender in September!

Purples, white, and a bit of pink

It was such a treat working with the lavender. I. Love. Lavender. 🙂

Autumn Joy sedum

I have one Autumn Joy plant at my front gates, which I wouldn’t normally like cutting from. But this one stem was broken and on the ground. I couldn’t just leave it there!

Autum Joy sedum, tortoise butterfly and bees

Autum Joy sedum, tortoise butterflies and bees

In a Vase on Monday: White & Purples & a wee bit of pink

The snapdragons were planted from seed for me by my father-in-law. He can grow anything from seed or cutting, unlike me! I have some mixed colors and just picked out the white ones.

Snapdragon

Pottery Vase from when we were first married

In a Vase on Monday…

What fun it is to gather flowers from the garden! Thank you Cathy from Rambling in the Garden! You can see other arrangements linked to Cathy’s page at: http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/

Have a good week!

Dana

In a Vase on Monday: The color Red! (Echinacea Salsa Red to be exact)

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Mominthegarden

In a Vase on Monday: The color Red

Unbelievably, it is Monday again! Where does the time go? Ever notice that as we get older time seems to fly even faster??? My kids are now back at school and we are settling in to our old, and some new, routines. The “feel” of summer is leaving us. One thing that is not quite ready to leave, at least in my yard, are the flowers. I won’t say they are going strong, but they are hanging in there! This is rather helpful as I join http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/ for the meme In a Vase on Monday. I joined for the first time last week and I really like it! This is where bloggers from all around the world join in to create arrangements in vases and we all link together. What a beautiful way to to start our week!

Echinacea Salsa Red, Cynara Cardunculus (Globe Artichoke), and Zantedeschi albomaculata (white spotted Calla lily)

My father-in-law, who is an incredible gardener, recently (as in a week ago!) gave me a new, quite beautiful, plant for my garden. It is a white spotted Calla lily (Zantedeschia albomaculata). I’m not exactly sure if this is cheating, but I used those gorgeous flowers in this arrangement. I can’t wait for the plant to get all settled into its new bed and produce loads of flowers for me next year!

White Calla Lily up close…

As always, the sun was in and out while I was taking pictures. The other factor that I have to (always) contend with is the wind; it is a given where we live! So I might design something lovely and symmetrical inside the house and then by the time I get it outside and set up to photograph, it is completely topsy-turvy! That is my story and I am sticking to it 🙂

Salsa Red Echinacea

My echinacea plant (Salsa Red) is one of my favorite purchases from last year. It is really only now coming in to full bloom and boy is it showing off that bright red color!

Globe artichoke (Cynara Cardunculus)

I think the most photographed flower (vegetable?) in the garden is my globe artichoke (Cynara Cardunculus). I love the purple color and the different texture of the bloom. It is rather different which I think is what I really like about it.

The bee wanted a part of the action

Red, purple, white, and green; the colors just felt right to me. The vase is from my mom, which always makes it special. I’ve used it before, but I have to say that I think this arrangement was simply made for this vase.

same arrangement while the sun is behind a cloud…

I get rather annoyed when the sun goes behind a cloud. But as mentioned before, with all of that wind, the clouds usually move along.

Fun colors in a fun vase

Isn’t the difference in lighting amazing?

In a Vase on Monday…

I hope you’ve enjoyed my arrangement. You’ll find some wonderful arrangements linked to Rambling in the Garden, and of course Rambling in the Garden’s vase arrangement, too! So feel free to pop on over and check them out. (here’s the link again: http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/ )

Happy Monday! Happy September 1st! Happy back to School & Work!

Dana

In a Vase on Monday: Sweet Pea, Hosta & Perovskia (Russian Sage)

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Mominthegarden

Without any sun it is somewhat drab

Today is Monday. It is a wet, cold, and miserable day! What a yucky end to the summer. The bright aspect of today, though, is the start of my joining in on “In a Vase on Monday”. Cathy, of Rambling in the Garden, hosts this lovely blogging theme. Here is my first “go” at joining in. To see some other lovely vases of flowers, please do visit Cathy’s blog: http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2014/08/11/in-a-vase-on-monday-reddy-or-not/

Add a touch of sun and Voila! magic. The vase is from our Irish pottery collection from when we married 18 years ago (Suzanne May).

I know my crazy schedule, so I cut these flowers on Saturday evening. My sweet pea are white and different shades of pink and purple. They smell amazing in the wide open garden. The fragrance in the house when I have a vase of sweet pea inside is heavenly!

Perovskia ‘Atriplicifolia’ (Russian Sage)

I planted Perovskia ‘Atriplicifolia’ (Russian Sage) last year. I missed it from my previous garden. I’m so glad to have it again. It is such a delicate plant. I’ve added just a few strands to the arrangement to give it a bit of extended form.

The Russian Sage gives it some reach.

I also used some hosta at the base to kind of keep some form to the arrangement. I tried to not have it look like a collar, but I did like the contrast of the sweet pea on the green at the base.

Up close

The vase of flowers is sitting in front of me this morning as I am writing this post. It is still smelling fragrant and looking well. I’m glad I took those pictures on Saturday, though, as the weather is horrendous today! Even on Saturday the weather was changeable. You can see how it was cloudy and sunny while I was taking photos! The difference in photos is like night and day.

In a Vase: Sweet Pea, Hosta & Perovskia (Russian Sage)

I love flower arranging, so this was pure pleasure in putting together. The hardest part for me is cutting the flowers in the garden! I love seeing them in the yard. Incentive for me to plant enough to have in the yard, and in a vase!

I hope your Monday is lovely and bright.

Dana

Mom in the Garden

Enjoying life. In Ireland. With my family.

Tag Archives: In a Vase on Monday

In a Vase on Monday: Pink, White & Blue

In a Vase on Monday: Confessions from Mom (and One final week of Daffodils)

In a Vase on Monday: Easter Monday Daffodils & Anemone

In a Vase on Monday: Mr. Fokker Anemone & Primrose in January

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

In a Vase on Monday: A playful gathering of flowers

In a Vase on Monday: A splash of orange to brighten your day!

In a Vase on Monday: Lavender in September for a scented treat

In a Vase on Monday: The color Red! (Echinacea Salsa Red to be exact)

In a Vase on Monday: Sweet Pea, Hosta & Perovskia (Russian Sage)