Tag Archives: garden photography

In A Vase On Monday – Double Cream

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In A Vase On Monday – Double Cream

Every Monday Cathy from Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase assembled from materials collected in our gardens.

Last week I included a creamy double-form hybrid hellebore that was just beginning to bloom. I revisited the no-name plant this week and found some fuller flowers. Without even planning an arrangement I photographed them in front of a large ceramic vase for today’s Monday offering. Although eventually I did float the blossoms in a small glass bowl and take pictures, these images better capture the green highlights against the ivory petals with their dancing, ruffled edges.

Helleborus x hybridus

Materials

Flowers
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten rose). From PKF.
Container
Shallow glass dish and glass flower ring

Helleborus x hybridus

Last week the weather was sunny magnificence, with one day reaching 78 degrees Fahrenheit.

Here are a few more blooms from the garden.  Daphne sat upon gentle breezes, making each pass by the font door a fragrant delight.

Daphne odora (Winter daphne)

Daphne odora (Winter daphne)

More hellebores…

Helleborus x hybridus

Helleborus x hybridus

Helleborus x hybridus

Daffodils could wait no longer to begin spreading cheer.

Narcissus (Daffodil)

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.

In A Vase On Monday – Pink And White Trio

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In A Vase On Monday – Pink And White Trio

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement assembled from materials collected in our gardens.

More camellias today, a trio of Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’ which have been featured several times recently.  I had found another Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ bloom to include today as well, but the camellias seemed to prefer to go it alone today.

In A Vase On Monday – Pink And White Trio

Materials
Flowers
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’
Foliage
Clematis ‘Jackmanii’
Container
Rounded white glass bowl

In A Vase On Monday – Pink And White Trio

In A Vase On Monday – Pink And White Trio

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.

In A Vase On Monday – Anniversary Five

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In A Vase On Monday – Anniversary Five

On January 14, 2014 I began creating weekly vases and participating in a popular ritual called “in A Vase On Monday.” Hosted by Cathy at Rambling In The Garden, “In A Vase On Monday” has intrigued and enticed people across the globe to share some flowers, foliage, berries and branches plucked mostly from their gardens.

But before I was in the know about it, Cathy had already been building a community of floral enthusiasts for months. This week Cathy is celebrating the Five-Year Anniversary of her first Monday vase posting. I cannot thank her enough for providing this unique coming-together of garden bloggers. Mondays are made better seen through her eyes, with Cathy-style plants, props and commentary. So thank you Cathy and Happy IAVOM Anniversary!

In A Vase On Monday – Anniversary Five

To mark her fifth anniversary Cathy challenged contributors to create a (Not) In a Vase on Monday this week. Every idea I came up with for presenting my flowers seemed to still need a container. So I am sneaking in a vase while declaring it is I who cannot be contained. I cannot contain my enthusiasm for this last collection from the garden, picked before our first dip below freezing. Though I gathered some sasanquas just in case, there were plenty of other colorful choices to use instead today.

A few pristine Shasta daisies seem to defy the season. I plucked them first.

Dahlia and Shasta Daisy

Next are pale yellow button chrysanthemums just coming into bloom, passalongs from my mother’s first cousin, Virgie. She shared many, many of her plants with me and I have had them now for a good part of my life.

Chrysanthemum and Shasta Daisy

Button Chrysanthemum With Shasta, Purple Coneflower and Begonia

My uncontainable enthusiasm though mainly is reserved for the Jackmanii clematis, whose large purple blooms always bring a smile to my face—especially so in November. I envisioned them cascading beyond the vase and they more or less achieved my vision. Arum leaves dance in proximity on the right side of the design.

Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ and Arum Italicum Add Drama

Purple Blooms of Clematis ‘Jackmanii’

Materials
Flowers
Begonia
Button Chrysanthemum (Hardy Chrysanthemum passalong from Virgie)
Dahlia ‘Fireworks’
Clematis ‘Jackmanii’
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Lavandula x intermedia ‘Dutch’ (Dutch Lavender)
Leucanthemum superbum ‘Becky’ (Shasta Daisy)
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Foliage
Arum italicum
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Container
Ceramic Urn Stamped “Vintage 4”

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

In A Vase On Monday – Anniversary Five

Again, happy anniversary and 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 the other wonderful contributors have found to place In A Vase On Monday.

For even more flowers see all my Monday vases: 2018   2017   2016   2015   2014

In A Vase On Monday – Aloe And Iris

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In A Vase On Monday – Aloe And Iris

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement composed of materials collected from our gardens.

Aloe from last week’s vase made an easily accessible starting point for today. The focal point is a reblooming yellow iris from a foundation bed in front of the house. The timing of this iris is interesting—one in the back garden had already bloomed a full month earlier.

Reblooming Iris – a passalong

This one opened Friday, the day after Hurricane Michael passed through town. We were extremely fortunate, not even losing power, though many neighborhoods nearby were without for days due to fallen trees crashing on power lines.  On a day following a hurricane the sky is always clear blue, incredulously intense, pristinely innocent.

Leaves from Gold Dust Aucuba and cuttings from some ubiquitous-in-autumn, yellow potted chrysanthemums serve as filler.

Reblooming Iris and Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’ (Gold Dust Aucuba)

Materials
Flowers
Chrysanthemum
Iris
Foliage
Aloe
Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’ (Gold Dust Aucuba)
Vase
Ceramic bowl, black matte exterior, red glazed interior
Weighted florist’s pin, black

In A Vase On Monday – Aloe And Iris

This black and white study of the chrysanthemum buds illustrates how yellow serves as white in balancing light and darks in a floral design.

In A Vase On Monday – Aloe And Iris

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.

In A Vase On Monday – October Plum

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In A Vase On Monday – October Plum

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement composed of materials collected from our gardens.

The inspiration for today’s vase is a large piece of the kitchen aloe I keep handy at all times. I intended to let the aloe be the focal point, but I kept filling in with other cuttings from the autumn garden until the design veered drastically from my initial idea.

Aloe

An overgrown section of aloe was positioned upright into a florist’s pin resembling spokes of a wagon wheel. As more materials were added the aloe became more horizontal without me realizing it.

In A Vase On Monday – October Plum

Plum-tinged by the weather, Aquilegia foliage is featured front and center, its soft hue echoed and reenforced by surrounding spires of purple angelonia.

In A Vase On Monday – October Plum

Richly colored salvia and bright zinnias add zesty accents.

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

Zinnia Cut and Come Again (Zinnia elegant pumila)

Materials
Aloe
Angelonia ’Purple’ (summer snapdragon)
Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood)
Dahlia ‘Fireworks’
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Zinnia Cut and Come Again (Zinnia elegant pumila)
Vase
Ceramic bowl, black matte exterior, red glazed interior

In A Vase On Monday – October Plum

In A Vase On Monday – October Plum

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.

September 2018 Visitor

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Junonia coenia (common buckeye)

Happy to see Junonia coenia (common buckeye) visiting pbmgarden today. These butterflies are reportedly common and widespread across the United States. Lavender color in the center of the eyespots is an indicator of freshness.

July 2015 marked the first time I noticed this type of butterfly in my garden. Another appeared in August 2016; none were recorded in 2017.

Junonia coenia (common buckeye)

Common buckeyes nectar on a variety of flowers and frequent open, sunny habitats. This one was resting in grass immediately after a rainfall. I filmed it for nearly a minute. The yoga teacher in me wanted to calm and regulate the uneven pattern of opening and closing the wings.

A Heart Song

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A glance at the otherwise ignored garden this morning made my heart sing—there are three stems of Spider Lily in bloom.

Lycoris radiata (Spider Lily)

The spider lilies are rising above Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ (Black-eyed Susan) and fresh green columbine foliage.

Lycoris radiata (Spider Lily)

Lycoris radiata (Spider Lily)

This is a new sedum in my garden this year, Sedum s. ‘Autumn Fire.’ It does not love the enormous quantity of rain we have experienced lately.

Sedum s. ‘Autumn Fire’ (stonecrop)

Still underwhelming, Dahlia ‘Fireworks’ is blooming a bit more profusely than earlier in summer.

Dahlia ‘Fireworks’

Dahlia ‘Fireworks’

Zinnias continue to steal my heart as well.

Zinnia Cut and Come Again (Zinnia elegant pumila)

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) August 9, 2018

I am so far behind on reading blogs and answering comments but hope to catch up soon. Lately I have been teaching a lot of yoga classes, working on a garden club projects and entertaining my dear sister-in-law. Busy times but in a good way.  Hope your heart is happy today too.