Monday brings the chance to share cut flowers from the garden by joining in Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday.
Indoors over the holidays I used a grouping of red and white cyclamen houseplants to decorate the fireplace. The plants also provided many cut flowers for small vase arrangements, including a previous Monday vase. Cyclamen age slowly and gracefully, providing interest along each stage of their life cycle, so even as they are fading they continue to be valuable.
Meanwhile, outdoors during the past 4-6 weeks the foliage of Anemone coronary emerged and soon there were 5 or 6 white flowers from ‘Bride.’ This week my favorite, ‘Mr. Fokker,’ has produced 2 flowers, one of which opened in time to include in today’s vase. I thought its deep bluish purple would pair dramatically with the darkening red cyclamen.
I used a small pewter vase to hold the flowers, tucking in a few sprigs of lime green Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ and a heart-shaped leaf from the cyclamen.
Two companion containers hold more cyclamen, one is filled with red blooms and the other with white. The blue pots reinforce the color of the single anemone and give it more importance.
I like the strong, rich hues of the red and purple contrasted with the cluster of pure white.
Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower addiction. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.
It is a weekly flower addiction! Nice composition and I love the placement in the white niche.
Thanks Amelia. The white niche usually holds a bust of Th. Jefferson (my husband’s idea), but I’ve always thought it perfect for flowers.
Laughing, that is great. i agree with you. For some reason that escapes me now my mother always kept a bust of Nefertiti on her foyer table!
Not sure what is lovelier – the flowers or those leaves on the cyclamen! Very nice!
A nice dilemma. The cyclamen leaves have a lovely shape and pattern I think.
Great choice of flowers for today’s vases. I love that blue Anemone, I hope to have enough blooms to pick soon, the intensity of their colour is never bettered. The vases really work well together.
Thanks Christina. Are the anemones early for you this year? This is my first time having them come back up and bloom and I think they’re about to be socked with some serious cold weather for 3 or 4 days before we return to mild weather again at the end of the week.
What riches to have enough cyclamen to pick for vases – lovely colours.
Thanks Cathy. For many weeks the cyclamen had blooms to spare so I was able to cull enough for vases. The plants are looking pretty tired though and in need of a rest. Hope the hellebores or something decide to flower soon.
Fabulous colors especially the cyclamen Susie….wonderful vases!
Thank you Donna. I hope to plants some cyclamen outdoors sometime, but these are probably the wrong kind for that. I really enjoy their flowers and foliage.
luscious!
Thanks. Perhaps it’s the berry-colored hues in the flowers.
We share a love of Mr Fokker Susie! What a lovely trio you have made this week.
Nice to know Julie! Just the greatest flower I think.
What lovely blooms Suzie, and I like the shape of the vase on the right. I was intrigued to see your Mr Fokker as this is one of the blooms I am hoping to include for Younger Daughter’s wedding bouquet – this and ‘The Bride’ and ‘Hollandia’ as there is a red, blue and white colour theme. Are yours ususaly flowering in January? Are they naturalised or did you plant them last year? I am planting some outside and some in pots and staggering the planting so as to hedge my bets! Thanks for sharing
Hi Cathy, Don’t know if this is typical or not but I suspect the warm weather has confused them. I’ve been wanting to know also. I planted these anemone last fall (2014) and Bride started blooming on March 24, 2015. Mr. Fokker bloomed about a week later on April 1. I was surprised to have them blooming at this time, but again Mr. Fokker has been a little slower in flowering. Anemones would be gorgeous for the wedding.
Gosh – so yours are REALLY early! It was a late request, but these anemones are what I visualised although I have planted/sown some alternatives to boost my options!
We also grew Mr. Fokker in our Winter Border a few years ago but unfortunately it didn’t naturalize as we’d hoped… perhaps the squirrels took a liking to them! A back up collection in pots would have been useful.
That’s too bad Mr. Fokker didn’t stick around. I have trouble with voles and am worried they will damage the anemones in my garden. Thanks for stopping by and commenting today. I tried to visit your blog but apparently it has been deleted.
We hope it hasn’t! Try https://diggingfordirt.wordpress.com/ Hopefully that will prove successful. Thanks for trying.
Thanks for the link. Yes that works and I’ll have fun exploring your blog. When I just responded to your comment through the dashboard I was and still am taken to this one—http://winterbournehgblog.wordpress.com/ -Susie
The 3 containers make a wonderful vignette, Susie! ‘Mr Fokker’ should be making a reappearance in my garden about now but there’s no sign of him. I fear the drought may have done in my tubers.
Thanks very much Kris! I feel for you trying to deal with the effects of the drought. Very difficult.
Potted cyclamens always look so pretty, they are gorgeous cut too, and the colors work so well together. The intense purple of Mr. Fokker looks great with the cyclamens, Susie. I stick with the hardy cyclamens since I find the florist ones hard to keep alive.
I found these cyclamen at my local garden center. They’ve lasted so long I consider them a good value. I must look for some hardy cyclamens to plant outdoors.
glorious colours in an adorable pewter vase. It strikes me that your little alcove is perfect for photographing vases!
Thanks Ann. The niche is fun. You may have some tips for me that I could learn, but it’s difficult to photograph the niche without dealing with distorted perspective. I do love these colors.
Goodness, you are good at this! Your vases look so elegant and stylish Susie. Beautiful.
Thanks Liz. I appreciate that!
A marvelous “trifecta” of vases. Lovely.
Thanks John. It’s 22F this morning so the anemone may not have any more coming for a while.
That Mr Fokker is all you could want in a man! Great combination of tones
Ha! Nice-looking anyway!
Beautiful colours – they go together so well creating dramatic atmosphere.
Thanks Malc. Those colors counteract the weak winter light and frequent gray skies for lifting one’s spirits too.
I love the color on the anemone and am looking forward to seeing yours bloom this spring. Nice to have a few early birds, and the pairing with the cyclamen is perfect!