In a vase on Monday – Bon bon Bank Holiday!

A very ‘sherberty’ arrangement for the Bank Holiday (and the visit of the Mother in Law).

Like Cathy this week, I used chicken wire as the blooms were so heavy I couldn’t get them to ‘wedge’ in such an open vase, but also like Cathy, I noted that it was none too forgiving when you wanted to rearrange!  However, I’ll definitely forgive it, as I don’t want to use oasis, and even if I did, I couldn’t in a glass vase!

The blooms were arranged on Friday and already by the time I took this picture the ‘St Swithun’ rose (in the centre) was looking a little droopy, and a couple of the Zinnias a little crusty.

Zinnias generally last really well in a vase, and the majority of these ‘Benary Giant Limes’  will be looking good for days, together with the gorgeous rose, ‘Jubilee Celebration’.  I think perhaps the crusty one’s stem had simply missed the water – oops!

Wishing you all a fabulous Bank Holiday – with or without bon bons!

With thanks to Cathy who hosts all our Monday vases.

Wordless Wednesday – Sky Lounge

In a vase on Monday – Match pot?

I love colour and am one of those people who can normally ‘hold’ a colour in my mind and match from memory.  It’s handy when shopping (clothes, soft furnishings, plants, you name it) but also handy when dreaming up another Monday vase to share with Cathy and the IaVoMers!

Whilst I love a colour contrast, sometimes I like the challenge of arranging a vase with different flowers, but in a matching colour, and here’s one of those.

The starting point was the sweet pea ‘Prince Edward of York’ (which is actually bi-coloured so I’ve contradicted myself already!)

to which I added some Pink ‘Flower Carpet’ roses

and then a few stems of this inherited Penstemon, I think it’s ‘Garnet’.  All accompanied by the lovely fresh green of Dianthus ‘Green Wicky’.

In her beautiful book The Flower Workshop, Ariella Chezar talks about ‘tonal’ arrangements.  I think I might be accused of taking myself a little too seriously if I started talking like that, but you get the drift.

Colour, don’t you just love it?

With thanks to Cathy, who encourages us to bring flowery colour inside, in a vase, every Monday.

 

Castle House Garden Opening

Not only do my lovely neighbours open their garden for the St Helens Secret Gardens event which takes place every other year, but on their year off, rather than put their feet up, they open in aid of the Red Cross – and not once, but twice!  I missed their opening in May and so was delighted to pop along this afternoon.

Castle House sits within a wonderful plot.  Above the house is a superb walled garden (where I used to borrow a small plot to grow cut flowers) and below, wonderful views over Bembridge Harbour.

The drive is walled on both sides and both walls are generously covered in various climbers including Wisteria on the left

and Clematis Tangutica on the right.

From the drive, into the walled garden to admire the old greenhouse – with wonderful tomatoes and a vine

as well as the outdoor veg.

Since I gave up growing my cut flowers here (the last year was 2015) J and A have done a lot of work in the walled garden, building raised beds and planting more flowers and fewer veg.

I just love this horned poppy – it’s absolutely one of my favourite plants and is clearly thriving here.  

And look at these fabulous Zinnias – these are rather more zingy than mine!

Out of the walled garden for a stroll past the house and down towards the southern boundary to capture the beautiful view.

Pictures I normally share of the Duver are taken from a rather more northerly and easterly position compared to these.

This first is looking east towards the Solent

the second, pretty much due south over Bembridge Harbour

and the third, looking slightly more westwards, inland towards Culver Down – you can see the Yarborough Monument on the sky line above the block of conifers towards the right of the photo.

And then it was back up the slope for tea and cake, and plant perusal time….

With thanks to J and A for generously opening their garden.

Wordless Wednesday – Zingier Zinnia(s)!

In a vase on Monday – Kitchen sink!

The colour theme of this vase was supposed to be simply orange, with some contrasting purple from the Asters.  However, with the original pickings looking far too mean, I broadened the remit.

One thing led to another, and I’ve ended up with a rather random selection of the original planned Pat Austin roses (already looking a little floppy by the time I took the photo) Euphorbia characias ‘Wulfenii’ and Asters,  then being joined by Zinnias, both ‘Benary Giant Lime’ and ‘Queen Red Lime,’

a single stem of Antirrhinum ‘Orange Wonder,’ seed heads from Arum italicum pictum,

Dahlia ‘Happy Single Date’ and Rosa ‘Jubilee Celebration’

I think it was Constance Spry who said when flower arranging you should ‘allow room for the butterflies’ – I think it’s fair to say by the time I’d finished cramming, there was probably only space for a Small Blue!

Why don’t you pop over to Cathy’s blog to see what others have picked for their vases this Monday?

Wordless Wednesday – Gazania gazing