On this Monday evening in early February I am joining Cathy in a flower arranging practice called In A Vase On Monday.
For today’s arrangement I selected a pair of small black vases with gold flowers that had belonged to my maternal grandmother.
Little is blooming currently but in a quick dash through the garden late this afternoon I chose some recently opened Hellebores, a pansy from the labyrinth and Daphne buds. I added a couple of flower stalks from a Beefsteak Begonia, an interesting houseplant that has been blooming for a month.
To use as green filler I envisioned freshly emerging Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine), but it wilted very quickly and had to be discarded. Instead I used two herbs, lavender and golden sage, along with a sprig of daphne. Everything was under snow last week so it was surprising the leaves are looking so well.
Color ties these simple arrangements together—pale hues of pink flowers with yellow accents, yellow margins of the Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’ and golden sage, and a single yellow pansy.
This is the materials list:
Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
Delta Premium Pure Primrose Pansy
Begonia ‘Erythrophylla’ (Beefsteak Begonia)
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Dutch’ (Dutch Lavender)
Salvia Dorada ‘Aurea’ (Golden Sage)
Thanks very much to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting In A Vase On Monday. Visit her site to see her arrangement this week and those of other participants.
pbmGarden 
Very beautiful and very nice to have in the house. Never thought that Begonia can be used in flower arranging; they seem too delicate to be cut.
Thanks. I had not tried cutting this one before and in fact, one of the two begonia flowers collapsed overnight. Fortunately the plant itself still has one growing.
A very inventive vase; the I think hellebores make lovely cut flowers.
Thanks Christine. I saw bloggers display hellebores by floating them in shallow dishes, which makes it easier to see their faces. That was my fall-back plan. (I got the idea to join in this meme from seeing several of yours.)
Very pretty – a good idea to bring indoors a few early bloomers, as they can barely be enjoyed outside in winter.
My hellebores are not located where I can see them easily from a window so it is nice to bring them in. Turned cold and rainy here again so it is nice to have something indoors.
Very pretty indeed, its amazing what you can find in the garden at this time of year.
For several years I’ve had almost constant blooms in the garden but this year I did have a long spell from the time the camellias stopped (severe cold before Christmas zapped the blooms) until this week when the Hellebores began opening. I’ve been amazed at all the lovely things in your garden all winter Pauline.
Gorgeous!
Thanks Ann. It is fun to play.
Fun to play – that’s exactly how I feel about it and I look forward to each Monday and the challenge it brings. Brilliant to be mixing houseplants and herbs as well – and experimenting to see what lasts in water. You are quite right that colour ties it all together – thank you so much for sharing 🙂
It is enjoyable to experiment with the flowers. Photographing the arrangements is frustrating and will take a lot a practice too. Thanks for hosting this Cathy.
Yes, I have found the photos hard too – whether it’s the light, or finding a background that isn’t cluttered 😉
There’s a slightly nostalgic feel this time, Susie – it’s beautiful! A. canadensis looks delightful. Does it seed as freely as ordinary columbines? If so, can we swap seeds? I just love them.
A. canadensis is native here–none actually made it into the vases though. It turned limp before I could use it. I’ve never tried to catch the seeds but will have to watch for them this year Annette.
My mistake, I was so mystified that I mistook the begonia for aquilegia…wishful thinking! Have a good weekend, Susie 🙂
Nice! I think that shade of pale pink goes well with the clear yellow.
What charming arrangements, I love the little vases. The Begonia is delightful and I bet the Daphne smells wonderful. Do you find the Hellebores last in water?
Thanks Chloris. The Hellebores held up about 4 days in this arrangement. I don’t usually bring them in the house so am not sure if that is normal. The Daphne has not really opened any further so I look forward to the weather giving them a boost outdoors so I can enjoy its lovely fragrance.
Wildlife is very suspicious of everything new in the Healing Garden. Dogs bark at the duvet for the paper bush, deer run from the new white tree guards. In the Healing Garden learning something new and making it part of our daily tradition starts with overcoming these suspicions. There is a peaceful satisfaction honoring the artifacts of our ancestors. This is reflected when we bring the Garden indoors, especially in Winter, and we are reminded of Spring. Thank you for generously sharing one of your garden traditions. — The Healing Garden gardener
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thankfully, each life has some small intelligence, including mine. This does not extend to all the techniques of blogging. There is ping-back service. Likely we get this in the Healing Garden, too. We have never placed a ping-back before. Not being familiar with its practice, we are unfamiliar with its customs and etiquette. We cited your post to one of our Commenters for inspiration (HERE: http://garden98110.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/checked-lilies/#comments). — THGg
Thank you.
Love these flower posts you are doing. Everyone of them instructive and charming. Good for you.
Why not join in the Monday In A Vase challenge Stepheny? You’d be great. It is hosted by Cathy at http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/