Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share each Monday a vase of materials gathered from our gardens.
In A Vase On Monday – Blue Zen
While so many people suffered from snow, ice and lost power, we felt fortunate to have had merely another cold, rainy week and then the winter sun even reigned over the weekend. Late afternoon yesterday I gathered hellebores and placed them into one of my favorite containers, a porcelain Ikebana vase titled Rectangle Blue Zen.
In A Vase On Monday – Blue Zen
The hellebores are very late this year and most have not begun blooming. These come from a patch along the north side of our house.
In A Vase On Monday – Blue Zen
In A Vase On Monday – Blue Zen
In A Vase On Monday – Blue Zen
In A Vase On Monday – Blue Zen
In A Vase On Monday – Blue Zen
In A Vase On Monday – Blue Zen
In A Vase On Monday – Blue Zen
Materials
Flowers
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
Foliage
None
Container
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Rectangle Blue Zen (6.75L x 3.75W x 2H inches)
In A Vase On Monday – Blue Zen
In A Vase On Monday – Blue Zen
Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower-filled vases across the world. Visit her to discover what surprises she and others found to place in a vase this week.
pbmGarden 
I am glad you (and your garden!) escaped the cold last week Susie. Your hellebores are gorgeous and the ikebana vase is very pretty too. The smalll stems and buds at the base make it perfect!
Thanks Cathy. We’re getting rain again today but I can’t complain. Those little small buds were so cute I had to include them.
I’ll have to bring out the ‘d’ word for this one – dramatic. Flowers are gorgeous and the container is over the top attractive.
Thanks Judy! With its integrated floral pin this vase makes it so simple to arrange flowers and they stay in place! Hope you’re staying plenty warm.
You must be relieved not have been adversely affected by the weather… how big an area is affected by the snow and powercuts? Is it unprecedented? But back to your vase:
The hellebores suit your ikebana dish perfectly, and with their long stems the result is indeed dramatic, as Judy says. How long will they last now without flopping? Do you condition them at all? I have probably asked you that before. The stems of mine have begun to lengthen too, after hovering just above ground level for ages, so they are gradually making more of an impact. Thanks for sharing yours today, Susie
I didn’t take time to condition the hellebores. They probably won’t last long but I’ll enjoy them quickly! The weather system affected huge swaths of the county and especially Texas, Louisiana, etc. The situation revealed an anomaly in how Texas gets its power (to avoid being regulated by the federal government); its infrastructure was by most accounts totally unprepared to handle this situation and many people have suffered greatly.
I don’t watch the news and don’t hear the news headlines as often on the radio as I would do pre Covid, so hadn’t heard much about it. It sounds as if it was completely unexpected
Sounds like profits were considered more important than planning ahead. Expect lots of investigations.
They’re beautiful, Susie. I enjoyed seeing the hellebores close up, looking like stained glass in some cases.
Thanks Kris! I couldn’t choose just one so glad you enjoyed them.
I felt some zen from the composition..very pretty photos.
I’m delighted Amy.
me, too
I love the colors and the sweet little buds tucked in near the base. Lovely!
Thanks Eliza. It’s exciting to see the hellebores finally opening.
What a beautiful arrangement in that superb vase. Simple yet sophisticated. Well done Susie. The way you have captured the details of the flowers’ structure is exquisite.
Gee, I was just impressed by the crocus in the vase by Cathy of ‘Rambling in the Garden’. I tend to leave such small flowers in the garden. I would do the same for hellebores, not only because they are small, but because they do not look like much here. I should pay more attention to such flowers.
Hellebores look nice for 2-3 months outdoors here Tony. I’ve really come to appreciate them. Vase life is unpredictable but I’m ok with that–it’s fun to experiment with them while nothing else is blooming.
Oh my! After saying that, I noticed the hellebores today, and they are rad! I do not know what got into them, but they are blooming better than they ever have. They normally finish much earlier. All that was different this year is that we did not bury them with compost. I doubt that had anything to do with it. They are not like they are in other regions, but I am impressed anyway. I should take better care of them in the future.
The speckling inside is always my favorite part, and they look wonderful in that vase. Glad the weather has been uneventful for you, I’m hoping we are through the worst and the hellebores here are also soon uncovered.
Oh yes, this is really luscious. Thanks for the inspiration with the Hellebores. I’m always hesitant to cut them for some reason…I’m so thrilled to have the blooms outside after not having any after months of cold and snow. Yours are just right in the blue vase.
Hellebores last so well outdoors and for so long I can see your reluctance to cut them. These have lasted indoors pretty well–not always the case. Take care. Spring is coming.