In A Vase On Monday – Iris With Birch
Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase of materials gathered from our gardens.
In A Vase On Monday – Iris With Birch
Our twenty-year-old river birch was on my mind this week. We have had to call to get an estimate for trimming several branches that are wandering toward our neighbors’ roof. Reaching up from our driveway I was able to snag a few stems with male catkins to include in today’s vase.
In A Vase On Monday – Iris With Birch
But what I had had my eye on for days was to feature a generous number of white Dutch iris. They finally opened mid-week, several dozen, and I selected fourteen stems. Fifteen would have been better.
In A Vase On Monday – Iris With Birch
I collected cerinthe to accentuate the lavender streak in the iris and snipped candytuft to soften the edge of the vase.
In A Vase On Monday – Iris With Birch
Arranging flowers often takes much more materials than I first estimate. Eventually I returned outside for extra amounts of cerinthe and candytuft and ending up with hellebores as well. Now aged to a a rich lime green, when it first emerged the double hellebore was creamy white. This became one of my favorite sections of the design.
In A Vase On Monday – Iris With Birch
I had not seen originally how strongly the color of the river birch catkins would affect the other flowers.
In A Vase On Monday – Iris With Birch
In A Vase On Monday – Iris With Birch
The idea of white, lavender blue was overtaken by golden catkins.
In A Vase On Monday – Iris With Birch
In A Vase On Monday – Iris With Birch
Materials
Flowers
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)
Iris × hollandica (Dutch Iris)
‘Pride of Gibraltar’ Hummingbird Cerinthe
Foliage
Betula nigra (River Birch)
Heuchera villosa ‘Big Top Bronze’ (Coral Bells)
Container
Crystal pedestal dish (floral foam in plastic 6-inch Lomey dish)
In A Vase On Monday – Iris With Birch
In the end I was satisfied with the way this turned out. While I was playing with flowers my husband had been patiently awaiting lunch; I really wanted to get that fifteenth iris (or more) but it was time to stop.
In A Vase On Monday – Iris With Birch
As always thanks to our host Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for providing this opportunity to to share our vases. Visit her to discover what garden surprises she and others are offering this week.
pbmGarden 
My husband too knows that feeling of waiting for lunch whilst I am out in the garden or have my head in one of my hobbies! Those white irises are splendid, and with the other material you have chosen make up a very elegant vase.
We have to keep the husbands happy! My grandmother had dutch irises and I always have loved them.
The lovely shades of green foliage and the hellebores, with the creamy whites compliment each other beautifully. Your iris’s are simply gorgeous, and I would never have noticed there are only fourteen in the display. 😉
Thanks Joanne. I loosely subscribe to the rule of thumb for using odd numbers of flowers or plants in design but in this case I did see a place I really wanted to insert one more iris. Had to stop somewhere though!
That is an award winning arrangement. Do you ever enter garden club contests? There is one in this little town I summer in and the judges are brutal.
Thanks. I’ve entered a floral design show only once. It was during the time I was taking classes through the garden club. It was a “very gentle, feedback-only, no prizes” competition and the judges were kind! But I was totally stressed out about it for days before. So I have found IAVOM works better for me, stress-free.
And you have used YOUR white irises! As always, I love how you explain how your arrangements come together, modifying and adding as appropriate. All the elements work so well together, especially details like the catkins and the iberis. All lovely, Susie ps I managed to find some purple allysum seed, by the way – ‘Oriental Nights’
Thanks Cathy. And glad you found allysum. Just looked up ‘Oriental Nights’ and it looks like a winner.
Hope so!!
It’s a beautiful and fresh display, Susie. Using the candytuft and the catkins were inspired choices. I was left wondering why I’ve never planted white Dutch Iris, or Iberis for that matter.
Thank you Kris. I adore candytuft. It’s a great groundcover.
Oh, WHITE! My favorite!
You know, I almost did a vase two weeks ago or so. It is a long story, but I happened to find a calla and daffodils around the perimeter of the industrial yard here. They grew from soil that had been dumped over the years.
Interesting. Guess they’re reclaiming the land.
They do not migrate much. Actually, they stay where they were dumped, with no obvious multiplication. Old bulbs just seem to replace themselves with the same. I considered digging them to relocate them into landscapes, but I could purchase more bulbs for less that what my time to dig them is worth. They are rather spread out. If I spent an hour digging the daffodils, I might get two dozen bulbs of randomly mixed cultivars.
Beautiful arrangement. It would look lovely at a wedding or anniversary.
Thank you Judy! Maybe a fall wedding? With those brownish golden catkins it feels a little autumnal!
Another classic and I love the container. It is amazing how many flowers it takes to make an arrangement, I am constantly looking for more..whatever and share your love for odd numbers. The Iris are beautiful.
Thank you Amy! At least at this time of year it’s easier to find materials!
Adding the birch was brilliant, Susie – a beautiful design that shouts ‘Spring!’
Thank you Eliza. I’d been seeing catkins in others’ vases for a few weeks. The birch was interesting and agreeable to work with. It added some texture and movement that helped the design overall. Unfortunately the irises aren’t long-lasting but they’re a favorite flower so I wanted to use them.
This is an elegant arrangement. Love the birch included and agree flower arrangements always take more ’stuff’ than you think. Jane
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Thank you Jane! The birch catkins were fun to experiment with. Hope you’re doing well!
It had to be irises, after seeing your last post! 😉The colours white and gold are wonderful, and the green of your hellebore is a perfect accent. Well done again Susie! 👍
Thanks Cathy, yes it is definitely iris season here and they seem to be blooming better than in a long time.
Can’t believe I never thought to use some of my Birch catkins. What a great addition.
Thanks Linda. I’d never used Birch catkins either but liked the effect.