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: Ivy and Driftwood

Look at those luscious green-black berries, I felt a bit mean bringing them inside as I am sure they will be a feast for a blackbird if the weather gets colder.

Last weekend I took Big Bro and Little Bro to Charmouth Beach to collect driftwood after the storms

The driftwood is the small bits lying in the foreground, plus some jetsam I could not resist. The large pieces of wood behind the vase are glorious tree stumps, from my son-in-law’s farm, yet to be shown off to their best advantage in my garden. They wait next to my high-rise bug-hotel, whilst I try to decide where to put them.

There is always an horrendous amount of plastic detritus washed up on the beaches, but I find it a fascinating mix of colour and texture with mysterious human backstories

Turquoise, yellow, black, rusty burnt orange, hints of cobalt blue and all the soft browns and greys of the pebbles – now just imagine a Fair Isle design knitted in those colours it makes me want to rush out and source the wool and get knitting.

And then a different palette

The main colour a soft turquoise, with deeper turquoise and sky blue, a hint of pink and orange and red, with caramel, stone, white and siamese beige – mmm delicious! Now, I can see that colour mix as a cosy crocheted throw, or maybe a poncho like Lucy’s, with more pale turquoise in it, or like this free patten on Ravelry. And if you prefer to knit, this one looks snuggly.

There were quite a lot of people heading for the rock slide to hunt for fossils, (a bit too dangerous for my liking) whilst I was delving into the piles of rubbish washed up on the beach, but it seems I was not the only one interested ….

….the man on the left is taking photos of rubbish too.

As I was picking through my haul to find some long sticks for the ‘Vase’ today, I just could not help having a play around

I spent rather too long dong this…….. so there are more such scenes to show you another day.

I popped the vase amongst the house plants, next to my houseplant of the week:

Meet little Myfanwy, a rather beautiful Streptocarpus.

Grown from a leaf cutting, this is her first flower. I’m very fond of her as Myfanwy is what my Mum wanted to call me, and it is also the title a delightfully haunting Welsh song

Linking in with Cee’s flower of the Day

Cathy’s Vase on Monday

Today’s flowers

Macro Monday

Vase on Monday – Chives and marigolds

Celebrating the chive flower as it bursts through its papery/silky bud

joining Cee’s Flower of the Day

and Cathy’s ‘In a Vase on Monday’, with lavender, purple toadflax which is giving the bees a lovely October feast, gaura, marigolds, and chives.

A chirpy bunch in a charity shop vase – just love its bright colours.

Sitting happily next to last week’s vase, still going strong.

I couldn’t resist sharing with you how my houseplants are looking at the moment. I took the photo below just before removing them all from around the woodburner, as I am thinking a fire will probably be needed this week.

The orchids are nearly all rescue plants from friends who were about to throw them out after flowering or those being sold off for £3-5 at the garden centre. The tall plant in the blue pot on the right has grown from a pip out of a custard apple, which is native to Australia – not sure how that will turn out! And most of the others have been grown from cuttings.

I used to be so terrible at keeping houseplants, so I’m very proud of these – now to find them new places for them around the house.

I’ve also enjoyed a row of pink pelargoniums (geraniums) acting as a welcome committee – they look so perky and can be seen at the dining room window greeting anyone walking up the drive. They were ones I just did not get round to planting in the garden, and I think I’m going to leave them there to see how they do over the winter.

Do you have a favourite houseplant?