If I allowed myself, I would have had a joint winner this month. I was so certain it was to be the vase of roses I showed you earlier in the month, in a moment of self satisfaction, but the next vase I did, had me struggling to choose between the two. And to remind you….
….here is the first one!
The centrepiece of the winning vase is a bloom of my Rosa gallica, which is a lovely magenta pink. It is exactly the same shade of pink as the Silene I bought earlier at Malvern Show, growing alongside it in the garden, and I was keen to see how it fared as a cut flower. (Wellywoman? Just to let you know, it works well!). I thought it would look good contrasting with silver foliage, so in went some Artemisia ludoviciana. Sadly, they drooped immediately! I repeated the colour with some sprigs of everlasting sweet pea, added a darker shade with some Knautia and Sanguisorba, and then added a few flower spikes of Melica altissima “Atropurpurea” – a wonderful wine colour – for added textural interest. Voila!
I finally made the decision, by considering how well they lasted. One week on and….
…. the majority of the planting is still going strong. The silver foliage quickly perked up once in water. The central rose, Rosa gallica has gone over, but been replaced with the adjacent bud, opening up a paler pink. The perennial sweet pea has faded to a pale, lilac-white. It really lasted well – it evolved!
Other contenders …..
Geranium “Confetti”
A single sprig of each of my geraniums in my milk bottle crate, made for a delicate display, and despite them dropping petals almost immediately (hence “confetti”) it lasted quite well. Pretty!
I had cut another spray of Rose “Albertine”, while deadheading, so it couldn’t go to waste – in went some Alchemilla mollis.
This was a poor “A+E” contender. I found a broken stem of Iris “Cable Car” in the border – upsetting as it was a new plant and its only flower spike. Still, it wasn’t wasted. It made a stunning display in its matching glass bottle!
And finally, I had to bring the scent of Mock Orange indoors, with a cutting from my Philadelphus “Sybille”.
Well, I’ve managed 6 months now – halfway to my goal. I think I’ll be keeping it up. I, too, am making plans now for a cutting patch! All recommendations gratefully received!
It’s interesting to see a month’s cuttings in one post like this – when I add pictures for my Monday vases to the folder where the others are I always wonder if I could choose a favourite from them! I think I like the first one of yours too, but I do like the geraniums in your bottles too 🙂
Thank you, Cathy. I do love my milk bottles. They’re great if you haven’t the time or material for a “proper” arrangement. They are responsible for me deciding to do this, as they’re great for single specimens.
You do put together a nice display. My favourites are the single specimens and those Iris, such a shame but as you said not waisted, are just perfect for that bottle.
You’re so kind, Angie! My “A+E” contenders are quite satisfying, in that you can create a pleasing visual display of something that would otherwise have been discarded.
Interesting to see all your month’s vases together, they are all interesting, it is difficult to choose a favourite.
Yes, I did struggle this month to choose one. I do love my poor “A+E” contenders – salvaging something from an accident. They often produce quite surprising effects. The iris shows this well!
All of your vases are so lovely — I especially like the first one! Beautiful blog!
Thank you, Kristin! And thanks for coming to have a look!