In A Vase On Monday 27th May 2014

43 comments.

Well, it’s just been Monday… I feel like the naughty kid trying to sneak in to class late without the teacher noticing… But I was honestly thinking about what to put in a vase on Monday, its just that Monday itself rather got away from me. So here I am, on Tuesday, brandishing my late homework!

It was the phacelia that started it all off. It has self seeded wonderfully in one of the veg beds, and I have been enjoying it almost as much as the bees, but now I need to plant the sweetcorn and courgettes, so they have to go. Salvaging some for a vase just made sense. Which gave me the colour scheme – blue, lilac, white to lift it, and some foliage. I was going to use griselinia again, but it really didn’t look right, the wrong yellow with the lavendar, so I opted for some purple hazel instead. Aquilegia alpina has been flourishing so could clearly spare a few blooms, there was some Aquilegia ‘Black Barlow’ (a real favourite of mine), self seeded into a rose, so again, rescued it ties the foliage in with the flowers and adds a little gravitas. And then some white, from Antrhiscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’ and my all time favourite astrantia, ‘Shaggy’.

Monday vaseof flowers on garden table
Astrantia 'Shaggy'
Astrantia ‘Shaggy’
Aquilegia Alpina
Aquilegia Alpina
Phaecelia
Phaecelia

I did do a little light dusting before displaying the vase indoors, but I didn;t have time to try and work out how to take a decent photo of it without the flash. I think I need to learn…

vase of flowers inside on mantlepieceCathy, you are hosting a great meme, sorry I’m late. Again…

43 Comments


    1. Thank you, I was chuffed.


  2. Despite the ‘late’ submission you definitely need some housepoints or merit marks for the pretty result. And isn’t the process of putting it together great? Recycling the phacelia giving you the colour scheme, then taking it from there – and using things that are about to be ousted or have been weather damaged. It’s all such fun! That phacelia is very pretty – do you use it as a green manure, and do you sow it each year or does it just pop up? The aquilegia blends beautifully with it – but how tall is the A alpina? I assumed it was short, so does it just have ‘normal’ size flowers? You will find the astrantia is great for vases :) Thank you for supporting this meme – good to have you on board!


    1. It really is great fun Cathy, and excellent encouragement to get something blooming all year round too, hence my recent geum order… Last year I sowed phacelia in one of the veg beds to attract pollinators and in one of the gaps in the park border. Its really too tall for a veg bed, but does happily self seed, so a great way to fill a gap with insect and vase friendly flowers. I’ve never got on with green manures, though I may try again this autumn to protect the soil over winter. A. alpina seems to grow to about a Meyer, nice neat robust clumps with quite large flowers. I love the clear blue of them, you should try it!


  3. Hi Janet,

    Very pretty vase, I love the colours!


    1. Thanks Liz, I was pleased with the result.


  4. Janet, your arrangement is lovely. I love the color scheme and that Astrantia ‘Shaggy’ is nice.


    1. Thanks Susie, ‘Shaggy’ is a wonderful astrantia, just takes a while to settle in and thrive.


  5. ooh la la, I LOVE this bouquet. Astrantia is one of my favourite flowers and I like the subtle shades of blue and white with the pop of purple. Can’t wait to pick my first bouquet of the season. Right now I’ve only got a few daffs and a handful of tulips.


    1. Hi Marguerite, I was really happy with how it turned out. I love astrantia too, hoping to collect more, though they preferred my previous garden and its heavier soil.


  6. Lovely combinations! I noticed your photos on Flickr as I was pulling together my post. The more I learn about Astrantia, the more I realize I need to have it my garden at some point. The french blue in your bouquet is one of my favorite shades. Great arrangement!


    1. Thanks Beth, I’m sure you would love having astrantia in your garden, the hoverflies love them, and they last ages as a cut flower too.


    1. Thanks Elaine.


  8. Oh a most eye – catching arrangement Janet. My fingers are itching though to reach into the screen and add a few chive flowers to it :) When it comes to astrantias ‘Shaggy’ really takes some beating.


    1. Funny, I nearly did that, and think I might, plenty of them and they would add more pop… Thanks Anna!


  9. At least the dog didn’t get the blame for eating homework. How low do aquilegias last in a vase


    1. Lol! Not sure how long aquilegias last Sue, and I was in such a hurry that I forgot to check if they need any conditioning. Will try to remember to report back next week.


  10. Very lovely arrangement, Janet. It’s very Chelsea. Need I say more? Cx


    1. Just missing that lysimachia isn’t it Caro! Next year…


      1. Ah yes, Lysimachia ‘Beaujolais’ (I had to ask!) – beautiful. Also, didn’t realise how pretty Phacelia is, will definitely be using it as a green manure this year – when do you sow to get flowers now?


        1. :-) The phacelia sowed themselves from last year’s sowing, which I started in March, but didn’t flower until June. Not sure what when they would flower if you sowed now, but sowing in Autumn outside should give you early flowers next year, and slugs don’t seem to like the slightly prickly stems, which is a bonus.


          1. Thanks, Janet. I have some shady soil between the fruit trees and the wall. It might be worth sowing some seed there and see what happens … if nothing else, it might keep the weeds down!


  11. I think you can be forgiven for being late as it is such a lovely composition…. definitely a grade ‘A’ with gold stars! I really like the Astrantia, ask well as the purple foliage, and the whole effect is really inspiring Janet. I must see if I can find something purple one week too.


    1. Oooh, thank you, I like you marking my homework! Not that it is “work”, its such fun, I kick myself every time I miss a week. Which is often. Happy purple hunt.


  12. I agree with Cathy, this is definately a gold star vase; really pretty. As to green manures I’m not comvinced they really work in a garden setting. Bob Flowerdew said a few weeks ago that you can do as well leaving the weeds and digging them in, especially if you have stinging nettles!


    1. Thank you Christina, I really enjoyed putting the vase together. I agree about green manures, I’ve never found a good time to sow them, it might work differently if you have a large plot and therefore more areas that are lying empty when you need to sow the seed, but for me, so far, I always have crops in the beds too late to make this possible. Phacelia is just a lovely plant though, and watching it laden with bees is worth having it around for.


  13. I like the light and airy feel as well as colour combo Janet, weighted together with the rubyesque – some chive flowers (as in top pic) would have popped in nicely too :)


    1. Hi Laura, I really must add some chive flowers just to prove the point!


  14. That’s a beautiful combination of spring flowers and such an interesting meme too. I’ve still not got any Ravenswing – a friend suggested Selinum so I’ve that growing instead at the moment.


    1. Hi Rosie, its a great meme, it has really got people excited, though I tend to be haphazard about joining in. It is certainly helping me get over my aversion to cutting anything in the garden, it takes so little to make a lovely vase.

      I am growing Selinum too, though I am finding it very slow to mature, I sowed it last year and it is still only tiny plants. The wonderful thing about the ‘Ravenswing’ is the lovely purple foliage.


    1. Thank you Flighty!


  16. I love blue and white combinations and the Aquilegia adds just the right leavening touch, Janet.


    1. Thanks Kris! I really must grow more of that aquilegia, it works beautifully with so many other plants.


  17. Phacelia is something I have been wanting to try for ages, it is apparently a magnet for bees, and so lovely. Beautiful combo in the vase. 2 days late! I can beat that, and seem to be so late recently that I miss the memes altogether. Those dates, just won’t be tamed! I also enjoyed your last post, Janet, on foliage.


    1. The Phacelia is always covered in bees, you’ll love it, though it can be rather floppy if not surrounded by a strong supporting cast – or staked. I know exactly what you mean about memes getting away from you, particularly at this time of year. I am forever meaning to blog about something and then totally failing to make the time to do it! Glad you enjoyed the foliage post.


  18. Lovely delicate colour combination. Astrantia Shaggy and the gorgeous cow parsley give it a beautiful filigree effect. I’ m going to try some Phacelia as a green manure and what a bonus if it self seeds.


    1. Thanks Chloris, will be interested to see how you get on using phacelia as a green manure, it is such a big plant, could be hard work to dig it in.


  19. Ravenswing…I don’t know if I like the name or the flower more!


    1. Hi Janie, it is a lovely name isn’t it!


  20. A really lovely arrangement – I must get me one of those shaggy Astrantias!


    1. Do, its a fabulous plant, and makes a great cut flower too.

Comments are closed.

(older)
(newer)