In a Vase on Monday

Joining in with Cathy’s wonderful group of gardeners for In a Vase on Monday

I have a few very confused little wallflowers in the garden. They are a variety that are supposed to flower in Spring and again in Autumn, but having looked quite pathetic all year, they are flowering now. Also in the tin ‘vase’ are some viburnum,  equally confused hebe, and some fennel fronds.

The containers are re-used items of household waste.
Last week I included my experimental ‘moss-on-a-plate’ and my cousin who lives in the Netherlands told me that Moss-on-a-plate is a thing. I Googled it and yes, lots of inspiring images came up. This spurred me on to make some more.

I managed to find some tiny fern plants in my garden. I just love all the shapes and textures of the moss and how it creates a little world of its own.

The Higgidy Pie dish was filled with grit and sandy compost

I used a torn brown paper bag to cover the plastic edges and a piece of rotting wood with moss on it, which I found in my rotting wood pile. Then I added some broken terracotta pot, a couple of tiny primrose plants, a celandine and a piece of lichen – all found in my garden.

I wondered where to keep the dishes, to give them the best chance of surviving and have put them in my new potting shed.

It went up in October and has very little in it so far. It smells all lovely and new and I need a few more shelves and hooks in there. I am sure Cathy would have filled it with cuttings and seed trays by now, but, being a fair-weather gardener, I am happy to gaze at it and enjoy its newness until I get a burst of enthusiasm for the garden again.

Do you like to find things in your garden or nearby hedgerows to put in a vase at this time of year? If so, pop over to Rambling in the Garden for some delightful inspiration.

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More from Doreen’s Garden

When you enter Doreen’s world it is like entering wonderland, with a fabulous mixture of caring touches

surreal sculptures

(in March)

and a poignant little row of memories

The sculpture of the children climbing always draws my attention

I love the way the lichen decorates the surface (you might remember I’m a great fan of lichen)

It came as no great surprise to see a man who appeared to be walking on the roof 

he was in fact working in the garden behind

(can you see that little white model of a dog’s bottom up in the air as if digging in the lawn)

and then to come across these shoes sunning themselves on a bench

They belonged to Doreen’s very own Mr Mcgregor who was clipping the evergreens

The house looked like this in March

and the garden

What a transformation takes place during the year

I discovered these two brief videos taken in August 2016.

 

I hope to return in April or May one year to see the flourish of Spring.

Maybe I’ll stay in her Garden studio – a link here to see more about it.

Now I’m off to be a ‘bit more Doreen’ and sort out the containers of bulbs in my garden.

Honeysuckle and Rosehips

The scent of honeysuckle floating in a dish, glowing in the morning sunlight

so beautiful to wake up to.

Joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden

and

Cee’s Flower of the Day

 

And just because I love lichen …… I found this in the woods when I was gathering material to create …. well it turned out to be Mrs Moss 

WWAL: Doreen’s Garden and a Pub Lunch

For this week’s Wednesday Walk-Along: A return to Branscombe for a walk with a friend and time to fully appreciate Doreen’s garden. Branscombe is an extremely long village, sprawling along the sunny valley. From the Village Hall we walked up to the hill to the west towards the church. I was delighted to see this village still has a primary school.

The one in our village closed about 7 years ago – I miss the sound of the children at playtime.

Next you come to the church, of course I had to see the inside ….

 

 

 

…… and the needlepoint.

All the kings and queens of England are commemorated here. I just love the way each church has a design theme carried out by willing crafters. And this church still has the old box pews where the gentry used to sit to keep them safely separated from the hoi polloi. And an extraordinary structure for the pulpit, raising the speaker on high.

Then just a little further up the hill you are greeted by the delight that is Doreen’s Garden!with all sorts of quirky items to entice you in the garden is possibly nearly 2 acres filled with a bonkers mix of different styles and statues

A complete delight..

I didn’t get to meet Doreen, but I could sense her humour and her love for all living creatures, with poignant markers in the garden at random spots …the sculptures have obviously been in situ for some years….. I am always fascinated by the colour and texture of lichen – here an added twist!

I hope to come back again in late Spring to see how this garden is transformed by colour.

 

The garden is open every day, all that Doreen asks is that you make a donation to the Devon Air Ambulance Service, which of course we did – it would be interesting to know how much she has raised for them altogether.

We had a day of bright sunshine, cold breezes and snow flurries (back at the beginning of March) and headed on up through the village to the pub, as the sky darkened,

passing ancient cottages along the way and arriving at The Fountain Head just in time to watch the snow flakes fall whilst sitting by a warming fire.And continuing with Big Bros’s cushion cover, whilst waiting for our soup to arrive.

At this stage, it looks like a scarf, and the length is actually perfect for a scarf –  this is the Cosy Cal pattern that keeps on giving!

A walk discovering new places with a close friend, a quirky garden, sunshine, a pub lunch and time to sit and chat and crochet – all the ingredients for a heavenly day!

 

Here are a couple of other lovely UK walks to walk along with:

Walk along from Thornton Dale to Ellerburn with NanaCathy,

and near Southampton with RainbowJunkie

Black and White

Looking back at photos of my recent stay in Pembrokeshire I found this photo of a wonderfully vibrant lichen

 

found on rocks at Whitesands beach

 

where we went for a wonderful paddle one evening when the sun came out after a grey and rainy day.

Looking at the white lichen on the black rock inspired these doodles

 

and now I’m thinking of adding some gold and silver – hmm – Christmas cards maybe?

The black and white theme continues with my Cruella Deville Hat Wig selling this week and now speeding it’s way off to be worn for a Halloween Party – must knit another quickly – luckily it only takes a total of 4.5 hours to complete a Hat Wig – a couple of evenings and it’ll be done.

 

You can find a pattern in my Etsy Shop  if you too would like to be Cruella.