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

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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: Pulmonaria

 

Just back from a wonderfully exotic and quite crazy 2 weeks on the island of Nevis, in the Caribbean. I was on a Ben Waters ‘Rock n Roll holiday’ , he was playing at the Nevis Blues Festival – more to come on all of that!

Driving home from Gatwick airport on Thursday I was struck by how beautiful England is – cherry trees and others full of blossom… and bluebells – so early! I’m trying not to be concerned about that and enjoy their beauty.

Before I even went through my front door, I checked round my garden to see how everyone had been doing in the two weeks I had been away. Aquilegia already flowering and so many Spring bulbs needing dead-heading. The Pulmonaria was past its best and flopped over from the middle, so I grabbed handfuls and cut it back. There were still some pink blossoms to enjoy so I plonked them all in a couple of white jugs.

I nestled them amongst some exotic blooms that greeted me inside the house

I’m delighted with this one on a cactus and am entering it in Cee’s Flower of the Day

The red Amaryllis weren’t planted until January, but they don’t seem to have minded their late planting. The one still in bud is one from last year, flowering again – the first time I have had one flower a second year – I’m thrilled.

A couple of Vases from my holiday:

This one greeted us as we arrived at our luxury home up on the mountain

and I put these few blooms from the garden in a wine glass on the last day, with IAVOM in mind

leaving it as a little thank you to the house.

It is taking a while to get back in the swing of things and I know you have had glorious weather in England whilst I have been away as my garden needs watering.

As much as it is fabulous to experience foreign climes, other cultures and meet some wonderful people – it is so good to be home, especially at this time of year.

Pop across to Cathy to see all the April wonders of ‘In a Vase on Monday’.

Vase on Monday: Hellebore

Each Monday Cathy invites us to find something from our gardens to pop in a Vase.

Her vase this week has inspired this post as she used some old glass inkwells.

The bottles in my photograph were found in a bank by my house circa 1974. I had masses more but have gradually downsized the collection with each successive house move.

The ‘vase’ contains hellebores that grow in my roadside border under an espalier pear tree; a variegated arum leaf and some twigs from a pretty little hebe given to me by a neighbour

The bottles sit on a shelf in my bedroom that was in dire need of dusting and sorting out – a perfect candidate for the 17 for 2017 List in which my target is:

“13 – drawers, cupboards, shelves or boxes sorted out.”

The bedroom was created in the roof space

I wanted the sides to be left open to give a greater feeling of space

I had such a battle with the builders to keep this space open. I really like the way it gives the room size, and provides a place to keep the things I love having around me. Like a mini art gallery space. The photos below are looking one way then the other – you can see it had become a bit jumbled.

When the shelf was cleared there were pale marks where items had been

What to do?

Turn to Permaculture : “THE PROBLEM IS THE SOLUTION”

The problem is the effect of light, the solution: make use of this with some leaf shapes cut out of paper.

Maple Leaf shape.

Each time I clear the shelf I will move the leaf shapes and gradually I will have a pattern of various shades of wood – eventually it will look like the dappled light through a maple tree – well that’s the plan anyway.

Also joining in with Cee’s Flower of the Day

 

Vase on Monday: love-rocks.org

Anyone who has been following my blog for a while will know I get obsessed by things – right now it’s LOVE ROCKS!

I have been cutting out hearts and have a few ready to go

It makes me feel so happy to see them waiting to find their way to a new home. I’m excited to see where I put them.

If you would like to read the story of Love Rocks go here. It is one of the most moving, sad, uplifting, inspiring stories ever. I am so full of love and admiration, I am looking forward to “spreading the Joy and Love one rock at a time” with all the other Love Rockers.

I have been trying out different labels for the back of the pebbles

And have at last come up with a 4 column page which, if you feel inspired to make some, you can download as a PDF:

love-rocks.org

spreading JOY and LOVE

one rock at a time

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Just click here: ‘love-rocks‘, save and print.

Joining in with gardeners all over the world in Cathy’s glorious gem of a meme ‘In a Vase on Monday’.

Top photo shows a lone marigold and red lobelia bravely holding out against the winter, and below eucalyptus and garrya eliptica in a little jam jar with Washi Tape and a fabric heart.

Linking in with Cee’s Flower of the Day.

❤

 

 

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.

 

Vase on Monday: Three

It is Cathy’s third anniversary of In a Vase on Monday – huge congratulations to her for this extremely enjoyable get together each week when gardeners from all over the world share what they have in their gardens to put in a vase.

She has chosen the theme of 3 to celebrate the occasion, which gives me an opportunity to show you this fabulous piece of ceramic sculpture/vase which I found in September.

It’s three chambers make it easy to plonk some flowers in and form their own arrangement.

Some years ago I arrived at this pottery near Solva

It was closed but as I was peering in through the windows to see if it was worth returning another day, the potters arrived and they opened up the gallery for me. I fell in love with the pots (and with them!). They have perfected their own unique frost proof glazes and I was tempted to buy some fabulous huge flower pots to put in the garden – at that time I didn’t feel able to afford them. Although worth every penny, I did not feel ready to make that investment. I have never stopped thinking about them – does that ever happen to you?

In September I went back – the Gallery was shut. I wanted to show my friend what I had been going on about for years, and we went to peer in the window – out came Mr. Ciappara, and just as on the first occasion was warm and welcoming and opened up the Gallery for us. He has now retired and his granddaughter Rivka has taken on the family business. 

She makes some magnificent things

and has a beautiful assistant!

I took a long time to decide…..

….. this?

…. so many beauties to choose from.

I picked them up and could feel as my hands went around them how they had been formed. I asked about the process of making them and learnt of the intricate, time consuming way they are made and how many long hours they have to be in the kiln – the triumphs, the disasters.

The details

and the texture created by cloth.

In the end I decided on these two. They can go in the garden and I think one day they might sit in or beside the pond I have been planning.  

I’m thrilled with them, especially when the light catches the glazes.

Perfect to celebrate with Cathy and her theme of 3

with some late blooming flowers and the promise of Garrya tassles

Also joining in with Cee’s Flower of the Day – it is her birthday today – Happy Birthday Cee!

Details of the Pottery

Address:

Studio Pottery & Gallery, Caerfarchell,

Saint David’s, Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom

Telephone number:

01437 720366

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/studiopotteryandgallery/about/

Email:

studiopotteryandgallery@gmail.com

 

October Birthday Blooms

It was my daughter’s birthday yesterday, so I picked what my garden had to offer. A rather strange mix of colours, but definitely autumnal.

They sit in a metal jug that has ‘Made in Yugoslavia’ printed on the base – a bit of European history as Yugoslavia no longer exists. What a complicated story that piece of the world has.

I have included leaves of Liquid Amber and the berries of this shrub

Can anyone tell me what it is? Cathy?

Joining Cathy’s garden party over on Rambling in the Garden which a such a wonderful celebration of flowers in bloom all over the world

I included Pheasant berries

Lusciousness!

And self-sown asters

which are a-buzz with flies and bees at this time of year

I’m hoping someone can identify this bee

Murtagh’s Meadow will know, I’m sure.

I’ve learnt from her website that many bees are identified by their bums! – so here it is..

The butterflies love it too

And at night I see little pale moths flitting around it. My front garden is a mess by my neighbour’s standards but it really is a wildlife haven and I love it.

I had to include one of my favourites, Schizostylis – has this got a prettier common name?

It’s fairy’s skirt of a flower deserves a better name. I love the twist of the bud

and the tint and pattern of the stalk carrying the waiting blooms.

Today she is dancing in to Cee’s Flower of the Day.

 

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