
In A Vase On Monday – January Boost
Every Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden encourages us to share a vase with materials gathered from our gardens. January has been a dreary, gray month, so watching four large flowers on this velvety red Amaryllis ‘Miracle’ open and bloom across the past couple weeks has been a big mood booster.

Hippeastrum ‘Miracle’
Just as the first flower to open was beginning to fade, the last one on the stalk opened fully. I hesitated to cut the amaryllis in case it might not last well, but the bulb has one more tall stalk with a promising bud.

Hippeastrum ‘Miracle’
Hellebores previously have appeared in the garden before Christmas on occasion. This year they feel late but a couple finally put in an appearance yesterday and I tucked them into the base of this arrangement.

Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)

Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)

Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
I began with a variety of foliage but ended up removing all but a couple stems of gardenia leaves. I made a quick half-hearted search for an interesting branch to use, but it proved to be oversized and only a fragment was useful in the end. Proportions seem all out of whack. The amaryllis stem could be shortened several inches to help it relate better to the vase, but for today I’m content to let it be.

In A Vase On Monday – January Boost
Materials
Flowers
Hippeastrum ‘Miracle’ (Amaryllis)
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose)
Foliage
Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud)
Gardenia
Container
Textured, incised ceramic pedestal vase, rice or bone color. 5×6-inches, with floral pin holder.
The garden cleanup will start this week, forced by the loss of the last remaining ‘Carolina Sapphire’ (Arizona Cypress). A big wind storm two weeks ago brought it down and if one needs to look for a silver lining, the tree is resting gently, having avoided the fence! We have had five or so of these cypresses at a time at the corners of the back fence, having replanted them at least one other time. They have been short-lived.

Storm damage ‘Carolina Sapphire’ (Arizona Cypress)
It has been such a long time since the garden has had a nice mix of trees and shrubs enough to create interesting long views. I’m sure in July 2013 I was complaining about the bare patch in the right foreground where I had been digging out asters that had taken over some irises, but I long for this view now. The right corner, where the tree that recently fell had stood, was empty that year as well, but on the left corner two of the tree’s ancestors were thriving.

Garden View – July 2, 2013
I haven’t yet bought seeds or bulbs or dahlias this year but I have started dreaming. Hope you all have a great week. Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting each week.