In A Vase On Monday – Putting By
As the week begins it is always fun to join Cathy for In A Vase On Monday. This is an opportunity to share an arrangement using materials collected from the garden.
First I apologize for not responding to comments lately or finding time to check out your posts. I have been helping my husband through some back surgery and now rehab. Recovery has been slower than expected but each day is a little better.
Knowing I would not be around to prepare an arrangement for today I took the liberty of putting one by. The phrase putting by usually refers to preserving food but seems appropriate for flowers as well.
In A Vase On Monday – Putting By
These hydrangeas were featured last summer in Monday vases when they were fresh and at their prime. Then they were allowed to dry (or more accurately I stopped remembering to replenish their water). The vases were moved into a window and photographed during a snow storm in early January.
The pistachio-shell colored flowers are mopheads (Hydrangea macrophylla) from my own garden.
In A Vase On Monday – Putting By
In A Vase On Monday – Putting By
The more richly colored green, pinky-red and aubergine clusters came from my sisters’ garden and I do not know the variety.
In A Vase On Monday – Putting By
In A Vase On Monday – Putting By
Materials
Hydrangea
Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’ (Gold Dust Aucuba)
Ceramic containers by local potters
In A Vase On Monday – Putting By
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us a chance to express our flower arranging passion. Visit her to discover what she and others found this week in their gardens to place In A Vase On Monday.
pbmGarden 
Saving flowers for winter displays is slowly becoming natural for me and I do love Hydrangeas in particular. The pale hints of colour are a nice reminder of what is to come (again) later this year! All the best to your husband for a speedy recovery, and to you too Susie.
Thanks Cathy.
The hydrangeas are lovely, I almost prefer them dried to fresh. Your pottery is rather handsome too. I hope David is improving now he’s in rehap; take care of yourself, Christina
Thanks. Slowly better.
That dark one is particularly splendid.
Thanks. My favorite too.
Beautiful winter display. Hope all continues to go well with rehab. Will be thinking of you both.
Thanks. Appreciate that.
My favourite picture is the Close up one of the petals, the details are beautiful. Best wishes to the patient.
Thanks Brian
I must admit I like Hydrangeas best when they are like yours, all subtle and mysterious.
Thanks Linda.
My best wishes to David and yourself as he undergoes recovery from his op. Your close up photos show the detail of these hydrangeas so well and encourage closer inspection. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Cathy.
I love the close up! Sending well wishes!
Thanks Bev
sorry to learn about your husband’s back op and hope he’ll be better soon, Susie, the hydrangeas are delightful and fading colour doesn’t reduce their attraction one bit.
Thanks Annette.
I love dried hydrangea and yours look wonderful in their pottery, Susie.
I hope your husband mends quickly. I heard that watching comedies and listening to comedians helps speed recovery. He might give it a go!
Thanks Eliza. Good tips. We’re resorting to comedy anyway to help us through these times.
I think of dried Hydrangeas as antique shades of color. I think the muted tones go especially well with the wintry backgrounds.
Hydrangeas make the most beautiful dried flowers, without question. I hope your husband enjoys a speedy recovery and you bring him home soon.
Kris, thanks for the good wishes. It’s hard for me to respond on blogspot sites using mobile, but know I admire your participation in the march. And loved your vases.
What great value hydrangeas are for all seasons. The dried heads take on such lovely antiquey shades. I hope your husband recovers well from his op.
Thanks so much. Recovery is slow but we’re seeing progress.
The hydrangeas and the beautiful pottery are lovely. 🙂 I hope your husband is continuing to impro0ve. I had back surgery back in 1995 and remember it well. I’ve appreciated being able to walk without pain shooting down my leg every day since then. Take good care of yourself as you take care of him. :-
Thanks Judy. Glad you found good success with your back surgery.
Very lovely and romantic way to capture the beauty of dried hydrangea. By the way, I would like to point out that you forgot to change the copy right date from 2016 to 2017.
Beautifully subtle colours. I prefer the dried seed heads of the Hydrangeas to the fresh flowers.
I do this with my Hydrangeas, too, and they last for years! I hope your husband is healing well.
Really SO lovely… I do think hydrangeas are almost magical flowers. They are there for us in almost any season and change with each season. Your close ups are just stunning Susie. I hope your husband is doing alright…and that you too are taking care of yourself.