In A Vase On Monday – Winter Song
Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden encourages us to share a vase highlighting what is growing in our gardens.
In A Vase On Monday – Winter Song
In A Vase On Monday – Winter Song
My garden has been a one-trick pony lately, offering up only camellias to fill Monday vases. Of course I am grateful to have them blooming this time of year. It was 27 degrees F. when I left the house early Sunday morning, yet Sunday afternoon I was able to pick a few fresh blooms of Yuletide and one Hana-Jiman.
Pink Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’ and Red Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’
Nearby the camellias stand several gardenias that a former neighbor rooted for me many years ago. Yesterday I discovered two gardenia hips, orange fruits that only rarely appear on my gardenias.
Gardenia Hip
Gardenia Hip
Scouting for other materials I managed to find one tiny red Erysimum and a small Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ plant which I pulled up, including roots, from the soggy soil of the meditation circle.
Erysimum ‘Sugar Rush Red’
Foliage of Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’
To add seasonal interest I gathered greenery from a ‘Carolina Sapphire’ cypress in the back northwest corner of the garden.
‘Carolina Sapphire’ (Arizona Cypress)
I decided to include spiraea after noticing a few white flowers on the mostly bare stems. The spiraea must be confused by the mixed messages the weather has been sending recently, with temperatures sometimes warm, sometimes as I mentioned earlier, 27 degrees. This week is due to be mild and in the 60s.
A rustic wooden box serves as the container this week. The arrangement looked fine just using the items I found in the garden, but I have lots of flowers on hand that I bought for a luncheon I hosted last Monday. Adding few pale green carnations and stems of hypericum berries helped fill out the design and lifted the color.
In A Vase On Monday – Winter Song
Materials
Flowers
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’
Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’
Carnation (purchased)
Erysimum ‘Sugar Rush Red’ (Wallflower)
Gardenia jasminoides hips
Spiraea prunifolia (bridal wreath spiraea)
Foliage
‘Carolina Sapphire’ (Arizona Cypress)
Hypericum
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
Spiraea prunifolia (bridal wreath spiraea)
Container
Wooden crate lined with plastic container holding floral foam
In A Vase On Monday – Winter Song
In A Vase On Monday – Winter Song
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 
A beautiful vase full of winter flowers. Winter flowers is something we don’t have here. This makes me feel warm just seeing the flowers. Happy IAVOM.
Thank you Lisa! So happy to warm you up this morning. Hope you have a special week.
Just like all your arrangements it is the perfect shape that jumps out at me when I first see it, before I begin to study the contents. The gardenia hips are a real asset and not sonething I would have expected from that sort of shrub and the twigs are the perfect finishing touch
Thanks Cathy. I’ve seen the gardenia hips only a couple of times and I was excited to find them this year. I scoured the rest of the bushes but couldn’t find any more. So much serendipity in the garden.
So they are not generally fruitful? Is it down to the pollination do you think, or have you cut off all the other blooms for vases?!
Good point! They have been pruned and I have used them for vases. When identifying the hips though I did read the hips are only occasional! I’d love to find more.
Most intriguing to find out more, Susie
That is a perfect title for your arrangement.
Thanks AG, it’s so interesting to try to find a suitable title.
I do not recall ever seeing a gardenia hip. Interesting. Happy holidays
I’ve seen them only a couple times on my gardenias. Not sure why. Happy holidays to you Flower. Peace.
This is so special. I have Gardenia and Camellia envy. Sigh… . Happy Holidays!
Gardenias and camellias are bright spots in my garden. Hope your holidays are wonderful Beth.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Gardenia hip but then that could be due to the relative lack of Gardenias in my gardening past. I love how those pale green carnations enliven the arrangement. I’m going to be on the look-out for them on future runs through the markets.
Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas, Susie!
It’s exciting to find the gardenia hips. Not sure why they’re not more common but I don’t see them often. For my luncheon last week I mixed those pale green carnations, some darker green chrysanthemums and pink and purple alstroemerias (instead of red and green). I saved the label from the chrysanthemums and will look for them again. Hope you have wonderful holiday Kris! Enjoy that new kitchen.
Gorgeous arrangement. Lovely to see your Yuletide again. I have bought one at last but it is not flowering yet. Happy Christmas Susie.
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you! Hope your Yuletide brings great joy.
A really lovely display. I could admire your Camellia all year round as those flowers are perfect … and I do love your hips! 🙂
Many thanks. I used to take that camellia for granted but since joining IAVOM I’ve gained new appreciation for it.
A vase that is definitely singing with colour and elegance Susie. Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year!
Thanks Anna! And to you! Peace!
There aren’t many winter songs as beautiful as this, Susie, I’m in love with sasanquas and next year I shall get ‘Yuletide’. Thanks for your inspirational arrangements throughout the year. Have a wonderful christmas x
Thank you Annette! Merry Christmas 🎄
Love the spirea and Arizona Cypress in there – and Gardenia fruit! I don’t think I have ever seen one. Looks great with everything else. Pining for Yuletides again, so pretty. Merry Christmas!
I should us that cypress more often. Merry Christmas. I’ve enjoyed your vases this year.
That’s a wonderful arrangement for the holidays Susie. I especially love the gArdenia hips, and the container is simple yet very eye-catching. Happy Christmas!
Merry Christmas 🎄
I like the way you use the dark penstemon leaves. Happy holidays to you!
Thanks Jason. I intended the huskers red to be more prominent but found more materials to use than expected. I’ll replant it later.
Arizona cypress provides such pretty foliage. I am surprised to see it though. To most of us, it is just a cypress tree in the background that no one pays attention to. Mine are seedlings, but they are nicely gray anyway.
We’ve lost several Arizona cypress in the past couple years. They were 18 years old. I admire the foliage.
Eighteen years is not very old. They can die suddenly here too, but they are not very happy here anyway. I sort of think that they would be happier anywhere else, but that may not be true.