In A Vase On Monday – Fragrance And Pink Petals
Each Monday Cathy from Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase assembled from materials collected in our gardens.
I am not a fan of pink but it often dominates the blooms in my garden and commands today’s vase as well.
In A Vase On Monday – Fragrance And Pink Petals
Hydrangeas I adore, even in pink, and especially at this fresh young stage.
Hydrangea macrophylla
Hydrangea macrophylla
Pink persists. Cleome (spider flower) freely self-seeds in the meditation circle and is just beginning to bloom. All parts of the the plant display interesting architectural features.
Cleome Hassleriana Details With Hydrangea Macrophylla
Cleome Hassleriana Floating Above Hydrangea Macrophylla
To my mind the stars of this early June vase are gardenias. They have scented the garden for several weeks, blooming magnificently this year. When temperatures blazed upward the gardenia flowers pouted and turned brown, but a few new buds continue to open. Their fragrance is unparalleled, inviting one to breathe—deeply inhaling sensuous joy and exhaling, letting go with a sigh.
Hydrangea and Gardenia jasminoides
Gardenia jasminoides
Materials
Flowers
Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)
Gardenia jasminoides
Hydrangea macrophylla
Foliage
Container
Small matte-glazed blue ceramic vase
What color prevails in your garden this week?
Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower designs across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place In A Vase On Monday.
pbmGarden 
I love your pink bouquet, as I adore pink. It is pink perfection in my opinion, so thank you for sharing. It made me happy.
That’s so nice Cindy that the pink flowers made you happy. Can’t ask for more than that!
My Dad loved growing Cleomes. I never brought them inside and I was wondering how they smell.
I’ve never thought much about the smell, perhaps a touch of sharpness, not unpleasant.
The cutting garden is full of blooms, and I have made vases but no time to post. My granddaughter and her baby have been staying, very busy but wonderful to have a baby in the house.
What a happy picture that paints of you then Christina! I’ve been hoping you were OK. Ups and downs here–hopefully getting back on track. Enjoy the special visitors. I’m sure they’re loving your garden along with you.
What a pale pink hydrangea that is – I didn’t recognise it as such in the first photo. How lovely to have cleomes and to have them self-seed (well, depending how much they seed themselves) – I have tried a number of times to grow them from seed, without success. I have never smelled gardenia, but you have led me to believe the fragrance is wonderful, so I know you will enjoy your pretty vase!
The cleomes have taken over the meditation circle so it is unwalkable at the moment. I keep telling myself this is the year I reclaim the garden (ha! ha!). Oh yes, the gardenia scent is divine.
Ah well, not such a good thing then!! You could reclaim the garden in a meditatively way…
What a gorgeous hydrangea and such a pretty arrangement.
Thanks. The hydrangea usually gets hit by late frosts but not this year. Fun to see it flower again.
That is a beautiful hydrangea. I like the gentle colouring on the petals.
Thanks Alison, I’m happy when hydrangeas are blooming!
I wish I had your way with Gardenias, Susie. The pink Hydrangeas and Cleomes provide a great complement to those pristine white flowers.
My neighbor rooted those gardenias and I’ve had them about 17 years growing on the north side of the house. If only everything were so easy to grow in my garden. For a few years I had a ‘Chuck Hayes’ gardenia hedge along the Western border but they all died out after a number of years. I’ve tried numerous other ones without luck, but the trick is in having the right neighbor!
Beautiful as always, Susie. I love the scent of gardenias!
Thanks Eliza. I took several gardenias down to my neighbors’ little boy to smell and he loved. Said they smelled like honey.
Plant those seeds early. 🙂
Your photos of the hydrangea really do it justice Susie. Those little petals making up one large flower are best seen close up. Beautiful arrangement too. 🙂 I only managed to get Cleome’s past the ‘slug’ stage once, but I love them so much I will have to try again next year!
Thanks Cathy. Wish I could share a few dozen cleome with you. They’re literally filling up my meditation circle this summer. I don’t have the heart to pull up flowers that are blooming or soon to!
Lovely
Hydrangeas, Cleomes, and Gardenias…oh my! This is so inspiring. I used to grow Cleomes, but I need a little more sun. Hmmmmm, I’m thinking of a spot where perhaps I could add some… Thanks for the inspiration!
I don’t see Cleomes used very often around here but they certainly are interesting. Hope you find a spot for them. Enjoy the Fling!
Yes, I would agree that gardenias are the stars of this one. I do not grow them. They do not do well for us.
This is not only a beautiful arrangement, but I’m imagining the splendiferous fragrance. 🙂
Yes, the lovely scent of gardenia!
Like sugared almonds, so pretty
I can just imagine smelling those gardenias.
They were lovely. Sitting on our front porch the breeze carried the fragrance to us also.