In a Vase on Monday: Pink Dandelions

These pink dandelions are SO pretty – I love them

and don’t you think they look just right with the chartreuse green of Lady’s Mantle

They are the colour of Rose Quartz and shell pink

I am completely in love!

Joining Rambling in the Garden for In a Vase on Monday

and

Cee’s Flower of the Day

 

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In a Vase on Monday

I was standing at the kitchen sink wondering what to put in a vase today and saw these 3 right in front of me on my windowsill – odd bits and pieces, picked up at various times as I wander round the garden and a cutting from a succulent house plant.

On the left, in a Chive vase, is a perennial white wallflower, grown from seed harvested from a friend’s garden. The scent at dusk is divine.

My sister and I were amazed and delighted to be photographed for the Chelsea Flower show magazine and website when we were on the Chive Stand in 2016

I didn’t take the name of the photographer, so I can’t credit her, but she took the photo because our colours matched the stand.  🙂

Oh, that was such a special day. A day on which I was so excited to meet Dorris!

The feather is from the guinea fowl who often visit from a neighbour across the field.

One on my roof one frosty morning in March

Strange creatures! Making strange noises ……..

and there is a pigeon nesting in my bay tree, constantly cooing all day

Sparrows are nesting in the cotoneaster and under the tiles on my garage roof, twiitering away …….

I have had to get the tinsel out to stop them from eating my salad leaves

April and May are my favourite months in garden

It is all very sensual and sexy out there!

This year I am missing the Brompton Stocks and wallflowers which provided so much colour last year, but my new long border (see the the beginnings of it here) still gives me huge amounts of pleasure as it wakes up in the warmer weather.

I am joining Cathy and her happy band of gardeners from around the world for this week’s In a Vase on Monday, pop along over there for a mass of floral delights.

Also joining in with Cee’s Flower of the Day with my very favourite scented Iris, smelling so sweetly of pear drops

Stick your nose in here!

Early Evening Birdsong

The birds sound so happy this evening.

I just love seeing how this border is developing.

You can read more about what it used to be like here.

Oooh – edit – I’ve just looked back at how the border was on 8th May – so good to see how everything has grown.

Camellia Festival at Greenway House

It is a long and winding road to get to Greenway House, the holiday home of Agatha Christie. Don’t believe the Sat Nav as it takes you into a cul de sac in a village about 2 miles away. You must book your car parking space online or by telephone before you arrive or you won’t be let in – so already you know you are going to a very special place.

It is all worth it – just LOOK! this is the view from the car park!

And further along the tarmac drive you see more of the River Dart

I was lucky enough to be there on a gloriously sunny Spring Day – they have been precious and few! (As I write this post there is rain, wind, cold and sleet, beating against my window – I neeeeed this post to cheer me up!)

In front of the house,  the enormous magnolias took my breath away!

Below is the view from the front door – imagine waking up to this on a sunny spring morning!

and looking up from a path that leads down to the Camellia Garden

The gardens in general are completely splendiferously, romantically, beautifully gorgeous! But I have to say the area described as the Camellia Garden is a little underwhelming – beautiful blooms had to be searched for and the arbour has definitely seen better days

everywhere there are beautiful views of the River Dart – shimmering in the sunlight

Click on any photo to see it full screen.

I would have taken all day to record the names of all the Camellias but in my mind I could hear Cathy of Rambling in the Garden asking me the names and so I recorded my favourites

and

 

This one is Marjorie Davis

I hope this post has conveyed some of the beauty of the gardens ….. there is more to come.

In a Vase on Monday

It’s Summer! No more fires, so I can cover the top of the woodburner with a few crazy objects

From left to right

Back Row

Pink Watering Can

A few years back, after helping put together 3 weddings and numerous Christenings, it was about to be my 60th birthday – I was planning a big event for ME! The theme was to be English Country Garden, I bought tiny colourful plastic  flower pots in which I was going to serve chocolate mouse (earth) with pop cakes flowers in them, I bought a garden arch through which guests would enter the village hall, I intended to cover it with crocheted flowers, The drinks were going to be poured from brightly coloured watering cans …………..

woah!

Then my son and daughter-in-law annouced the impending arrival of twins – guess when they were due ON MY BIRTHDAY!

All plans for a big party were (happily) dropped – but I still have the watering cans!

And my children gave me a wonderful surprise birthday party in September on our family holiday. So all was very well!!!!

The can holds Jodie’s Forever Flowers and astrantia.

Orange Giraffe

I know you have seen the Giraffe before (from Chive), I hope you don’t mind her making another appearance. I’m very fond of her and her headgear today is a white perenial foxglove called Snowy Mountain.

I bought the seeds at Chelsea Flower Show.

I grew 6 for myself and gave some to friends – they were beautiful in the first year – last year, gorgeous I was thrilled with them. All but one has died, the one I have left is pathetic, it has this one flower spike. Oh dear!

Painting by Kaneda Hanaki

I saw this painting when I was in Japan. When I got home, I contacted the gallery to see if it was still available and it was! I love its quirkiness.

Front Row

Self-Hardening Clay objects:

Hedgehog with bead eyes: Made by Little Miss M

Pineapple 1 made by Little Bro

Pineapple 2 made by Bog Bro

Crocodile made by Miss E

Candlestick

Made by Devon ceramicist Ross Emerson

~~~

 

Joining the Garden Party at In a Vase on Monday.

 

 

 

In a Vase on Monday

Mmmmmmm ….. those irises – the colour, the shape, the markings, the scent – I greet them each morning with my first cuppa,

and couldn’t resist bringing one inside …

to go with a collection of other plant shapes

From left to right

1. A local farm shop has started selling milk in returnable glass bottles Hurray! In this one are rooted cuttings of my spectacular epiphyllum
2. A miniature bottle of wine, so cute I couldn’t throw it away, with Mare’s Tail that is rampant in my front garden – I love it’s shape and design and the way it captures the dew in the morning, I respect that it has been on this planet much longer than humans – if only it did not want to take over the world.
3. A chirpy marigold in a teeny Victorian bottle with NOT TO BE TAKEN moulded into the glass – but I will be eating the petals of the flower sprinkled on a salad later.
4. Another miniature wine bottle, bought for the bottle’s shape this time. With chives.
5. Miniature wine bottle which came as a ‘favour’ at my son’s wedding, with one of my beloved irises in it.
6. A bottle which held an organic fruit drink now holds a sprouting acorn, which I pulled up from my lawn. Squirrels bury them in autumn, and I have never seen one being retrieved. A mini forest grows at this time of the year.

Do you have anything to pop in a vase (or a bottle) this Monday? If you do, how about joining in with Cathy and her pals over at Rambling in the Garden.

Also joining Cee who has a glorious photo of a beautifully flouncy Bearded Iris for her Flower of the Day

Have you seen any of these little white spiders in your garden? I’ve seen a few recently having never seen them before. So cute!

I had to look it up and believe it is a Crab Spider.

They do not make webs but lie in wait for their prey. Some can turn yellow or light green if necessary to merge with their surroundings.

 

Monthly Meet-Up: Flower

Do you know what this flower is?

Hi everyone – here we are for our Monthly Meet-Up Photo Gathering.

The theme this month is FLOWER.

 

 

Years ago I used to do the Telegraph Cryptic Crossword each day and if ‘flower’ was in a clue it could mean ‘river’ – so just to be cryptic

this photo of a river in full spate, taken in March in the quite wonderfully bizarre Doreen’s Garden in Branscombe in Devon

To join in please leave a link in the comments to one of your new or archive photos or blog posts, it will be lovely to see your FLOWERS or indeed rivers!

Joining in with Cee’s Flower of the Day

HAPPY MAY DAY!

Snow and Vase on Monday

I could only light the candle once inside, the wind is fierce today.

Happy Sixth Blogging Anniversary Cathy!!

This is where the hellebores came from this morning

and the hebe

Other flowers had snowy hats on too

The hyacinth above is my entry into Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Not exactly Easter Island weather

and this dear little pot seems to have a white fluffy stole on to keep warm

Pop over to Cathy’s and see what others have found to pop in a vase this Monday.

Fox and Cubs in a Giraffe on Monday

The vases are from Chive.com

Hawkweed or Fox and Cubs  have seeded themselves in my gravel garden, I love the rich colour

However, apparently I should not be encouraging it in the garden as it can be a rampant weed.  So disappointing. For now I’m going to enjoy it, just as the insects are.

Teaming it with this gorgeous achillea – oof! I LOVE that colour combo.

Add in the lavender and I’m a happy colour-loving bunny. All three plants are  much loved by the insects – there’s a whole lot of buzzing going on!

Joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her fun Monday get together of gardeners all over the world.

and

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Silent Sunday

“Those who can not hear the music think the dancer is mad”

Monday Vase: Amaryllis and Hellebore

Joining in with Cathy’s meme In a Vase on Monday, over at Rambling in the Garden

and

Cee’s Flower of the Day

~

I’ll be going to Chelsea Flower Show with my sister again this year, I was just looking at their website to see information about this year’s gardens and – there we are! On the 2017 RHS Chelsea website!

Here

https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show/At-the-show

and here

Shopping

We were on the ‘Chive’ stand, I do like their vases. I have a couple of square ones which have featured in IAVOM before, here and here in July 2016and a Giraffe vase, yet to make it’s debut.

We were chosen for the photograph because of our colourful attire – see, we fit right in –  and because we looked like we were having fun – we were!

We were told by the photographer that we might be in this year’s catalogue, but I never thought we would end up on the website – twice!

FUN!

We’re thinking of wearing the same things this year.

In a Vase on Monday: Birthday Mums

The beautifully autumnal bouquet that I was given on Friday has made three arrangements. 

Just perfect to put in the spare bedroom to welcome a very special friend who is coming to stay – so looking forward to seeing her!

Using the Yugoslavian metal jug, given to me by my Mum many years ago, and the dinky square pot made by Chive, which I bought after seeing it at Chelsea Flower Show in June.

The mirror is one given to me by my dear mother-in-law, and the little white nature goddess came from a shop in Glastonbury a long, long time ago.

The glass vase is brightening up the bathroom windowsill.

Joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden and Cee for her Flower of the Day.

 

Photo Challenge Round-Up: RICH

Kapow!

Says ‘RICH‘ to me

Taken at the local Show in the Flower and Produce marquee.

Jane at Rainbow Junkie

Cathy at Nanacathy

me at Wild Daffodil

Denis at Haiku Hound

Christina A Look at the Little Things

Ellie at Wicked Rural Homestead

 

Please let me know if I have missed anyone

Thank you everyone for the richness of your entries.

Four fab photo fiends created the 52 Week Photo Challenge, we are:

• Cathy from Nanacathydotcom
• Jane from Rainbowjunkiecorner
• Melissa from The Aran Artisan
• Sandra from Wild Daffodil

 

Next Prompt is

DEEP

❤

IaVoM

Several of the components in this vase have seeded themselves: buddleia, golden marjoram, pink mallow, and the unknown umbellifer. But my garden, this year is strangely lacking in self-sown foxgloves. I usually have masses. So I have sown some perennial ‘Snowy Mountain’, which I bought at Chelsea. Should I wait to sow the others, the biennial ones, in the Spring or get on with it now?

 

The red lobelia was on offer at the end of last summer and is doing well, I’ve even grown more from flowers that I picked – they rooted in the vase. They are growing next to the monbretia and the Gardener’s Gaiters in the front border and I do love the combination.

The Peace Pole was added because it was right where I have put the vase on display in the house, and with all the terrible things happening in the world, one can always do with a Peace Pole.

It has ‘May Peace Prevail on Earth’ written in a different language on each of the four sides. You can read more about Peace Poles by clicking on the link:

Peace Poles

Joining Cathy’s fabulous floral garden party at Rambling in the Garden.

And for Cee’s Flower of the Day, here is a closer look at the buddleia.

No wonder butterflies love them.

Beach Clean Vase on Monday

Still a little obsessed with my latest project – Beach Clean Art, I have set this oh-so-cute square vase filled with monbretia in front of one of my in-progress paintings and surrounded it with bits and pieces I have collected from the beach whilst doing my bit for the 2 Minute Beach Clean.

and

using these beach clean pieces for a backdrop again, this time complete with beach clean ‘Cleopatra’

and Tate Modern brooch

Tate Modern is selling these as a fund raiser to celebrate the new extension – exciting times, I hope to visit soon.

I have been developing the background canvases I showed you in this post, with a bit of stamping

A very roughly drawn ammonite (with a pencil) on the back of a polystryrene pizza packing disc has created some pretty good stamps I think.

I’ve been playing with bits of beach-clean to see which will make the finished piece.

These pieces are just laid on with no fixings whilst I decide – fixing everything securely is what takes the time – that is the work – all else is play.

 

I like the idea of fixing the smaller canvas to the larger, creating a little shelf – ooo i am having fun!

What do you think – does it work?

Joining in with Cathy’s inspired international garden flowers meme

and

Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Monbretia with morning dew.

Round

Photo Challenge prompt: ROUND in our 52 Week Photo Challenge

The hydrangeas in my garden are at their most beautiful stage at the moment.

In a Vase on Monday: Cathy has challenged us to create a minimalist or ikebana style arrangement of flowers from  our garden this week – my very favourite style – and because my current creative obsession is using trash from the beach to create art  – here is my take on it

I couldn’t decide which placement I preferred, which do you like best?

hydrangea’s soft blues

growing bigger and brighter with time

like childhood dreams

~

 

Joining in with Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku Challenge, this week’s prompts: TIME and GROW

hydrangea’s soft blues growing bigger and brighter with time

growing bigger and brighter with time like childhood dreams

~

And for Cee’s Flower of the Day ………….

 

This hydrangea grows just next to my ‘field’ of lychnis

with a few self seeded mallows and purple toadflax thrown in

My front garden is alive with bugs, buzzing and beasties – a complete joy to behold.

Next week’s Photo Challenge Prompt is

ZEST

 

 

Vase OM and EoMV

Pan guards the entrance

flowers celebrate wildness

and happy buzzing bees

The little stone statue of Pan was found in a reclamation yard many years ago, and then found again yesterday whilst I was weeding, hidden under some rampant aquilegias. I thought he would be better placed guarding the fairy entrance to the underworld under the oak tree, but first he had a job to do – modelling as the prop for this week’s In a Vase on Monday, hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. Pop across for a gorgeous floral feast and a tour of gardens across the world.

In the Vase: lavender, birdsfoot trefoil, cerinthe, lychnis, alchemilla mollis, and a purple thistle-flowered weed that I don’t know the name of, much loved by tiny bees.

My Flower of the Day is the BFT

with its tiny visitor

I’m staying in the garden to show you my EOMV hosted by Helen, The Patient Gardener

Still lots to do but I’m getting there. I have moved a veg trug into the cage to get away from marauding sparrows. The wood was rotting so I have treated it and it awaits compost and plants.

Below is the view looking from East to West, complete with old bits of carpet keeping the strawberries clear of the soil.

The Autumn fruiting raspberries seem determined to take over the world – their lush growth is wonderful to see.

On Cathy’s advice I did not cut back last year’s canes in February and I am getting a lovely early raspberry crop – Yum!!!! They are a bit smaller than last year and a bit more difficult to find under all the new growth, but worth it for being early.

The loganberry is magnificent and I have already had a few berries. It seems very happy with its north-facing position.

At last some decent gardening weather has turned up so I’d better get out there and clear more weeds.

Thanks for dropping by.

In a Vase: White

Cathy, of Rambling in the Garden, has been inspired by Christina, of My Hesperides Garden  this week and is celebrating blogging friendship with a vase full of beautiful white flowers from her garden – which in turn has inspired my vase.

This little white jug has Tiarella Sky Rocket, a self seeded white lavender, saxifrage and erigeron.

The props are some crocheted daisies ready to adorn a blanket for Miss E. I started this way back in April last year, doing the many squares for the border has halted the process, but it is her birthday coming up and I really want to finish the blanket in time.

Here it is without a border

and here is the border in progress with daisies arranged by Miss E

40 squares and 12 daisies and so many ends to sew in!

I am also creating a pattern for the blanket so that if I ever did want to make one again (?!) I will have the instructions to hand. This will be available as a free pattern for anyone else who would like to give it a go.

White flowers are my favourite and despite the heavy rain this morning I managed to find some in the garden for another vase

In the vase on the left there is feverfew, astrantia, and a perennial white wallflower with a gorgeous scent, especially at dusk.

The vases are sitting amongst the pot plants: a white orchid,

Streptocarpus Rhiannon

and Streptocarpus Myfanwy

Do pop on over to see Cathy’s vase and all the others that come pouring in from all over the world always lifting a Monday with beauty.

Also joining in with Cee’s Flower of the Day.

Happy Monday!

Update: Some photos of the plant which I think is a perennial white wallflower

Am I right?

Vase on Monday: Blackberry Blooms

In December?!

The blackberry flowers are in a night-light holder with a gold labyrinth on it. There were a few years when I became utterly obsessed by labyrinths, creating them, drawing them and walking them. I still do walk them whenever I come across them and draw them out on sand and soil whenever the mood takes me. Fun for children to run around and a beautiful aid to meditation and decision making.

The flowers are on a thornless blackberry that I planted in the Spring, it sat there doing nothing until the warm weather we had in November sparked it into life – the berries just shrivel after the green stage. I guess it would be best to cut it right back down to near the ground and hope for more settled seasons in 2016.

The buds create exquisite little stars as they burst through their casing

and form their tissue paper flowers

My houseplant of the week is an African Violet, grown from a leaf cutting

As I’m photographing these flowers each week I’m noticing all sorts of fascinating details, not noticed before – cute!

Joining in with Cathy’s ‘Vase on Monday’ and Cee’s ‘Flower of the Day’ on both sites there are marvellous opportunities for bloghopping around the world.

Japan – Day Two:1

Breakfast was a huge buffet with just about everything on offer from salads, both fruit and vegetable; rice, sago, noodles and taro dishes: to carbonara and brocolli. I’m usually an adventurous eater and will try almost anything, but it was really good to have something familiar for breakfast, so I went for the sausages, egg and bacon, with a little bit of rice seasoning.

And I would have loved to try

a beverage from the Beauty Bar, which promised to be “Your Partner for Inner Beauty and Health from Within”, but it was a Nestlé product, and I have not knowingly had any Nestlé product for nearly 20 years because of the company’s terrible unethical practices all over the world.

After breakfast our coach left at 9am. A photo taken from the window of the coach, showing the glorious blue sky and an example of the telegraph poles which were usually festooned with many more cables than this – tangling their way across Japan as all electrical cables are above ground due to the frequency of earthquakes.

Yuka, our lovely guide got us to the Meiji Shinto Shrine before the main crowds descended, this being a special holiday.

She told us all sorts of fascinating facts about the shrine, which I held in my head at the time of the visit then – ‘poof’! They disappear!

It was a wonderfully warm, sunny day and the weather remained unusually warm for November in Japan for the whole two weeks we were there, with temperatures staying up in the 20s.

To get to the Shrine we walked along an avenue of Chrysanthemum displays, with some amazing exhibits

I didn’t know you could Bonsai flower plants

I would have loved to have been able to stop and get better photos

they were fascinating…..

intriguing…… surprising ……… beautiful………

and with more time I would have liked to ‘chat’ to the exhibitors and find out more about them

but on – ON!

there was more to see and I needed to keep up with the group….. (a bit of a recurring theme as it turned out!)

The Chrysanthemum is the flower of November in Japan, with many festivals happening all over the country. The plant first came to Japan from China as a medicinal plant offering special powers of health and longevity. The scent as we walked along this row of displays was subtle and strong at the same time, just perfect on a crisp sunny morning……

Joining in with Cee’s Flower of the Day