Tag Archives: nature photography

In A Vase On Monday – Anemones In Blue Vase

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

Seeing anemones in my spring garden is a treat. These is a high attrition rate, few of those planted in the past few years ever made it to bloom. One particular batch overcame the odds though and even managed to return for several years, but now only three plants remain. Happily the ones left are prolific in their blooms. Cutting seems to encourage more flowers, so I am happy to oblige.

The arrangement began with a favorite matte-finished, blue-gray jar. I primed the container with clumps of green leaves gathered from an abundant bed of Leucanthemum. This shasta daisy foliage provided a framework to hold the flowering stems of anemone without using mechanics.

In A Vase On Monday – Anemones In Blue Vase

Accents of Erysimum, Salvia ‘May Night’ and Iberis were tucked in and around for color, texture and contrast.

In A Vase On Monday – Anemones In Blue Vase

Erysimum ‘Sugar Rush Purple’ (Wallflower)

Some weeks the vases take a lot of thought and time, but this one floated together in a few short minutes, unwanting of adjustment or second-guessing.

In A Vase On Monday – Anemones In Blue Vase

Materials
Flowers
Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’
Erysimum ‘Sugar Rush Purple’ (Wallflower)
Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)
Salvia nemorosa ‘May Night’ (Hardy Sage)
Foliage
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)
Vase
Handmade ceramic lidded jar

In A Vase On Monday – Anemones In Blue Vase

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 – Delicate Quietude

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In A Vase On Monday – Delicate Quietude

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

In A Vase On Monday – Delicate Quietude

A second group of irises abruptly opened all at once on Saturday. My first thought was to showcase them in a lush bouquet, but as springtime settles in there is competition for what enters the Monday vase. So this week only one stalk of iris stands sentry. This is Iris germanica ‘Raspberry Blush’ (and friends).

In A Vase On Monday – Delicate Quietude

A late-blooming narcissus and Solomon’s seal were two surprises I had not remembered to expect. Finding them changed the direction today’s vase took. The pair proved challenging to combine but I like the echo of yellow between the trumpet of one and the broad leaves of the other.

Narcissus and Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon’s seal)

The Solomon’s seal is a 2-year old passalong from my friend Chris.

Narcissus and Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon’s seal)

I stair-stepped the narcissus faces in parallel with the dangling flowers of Solomon’s seal; eventually the effect was lost to the greater cause of trying to balance the overall design.

In the end the physical limitation of the floral pin in the vase dictated the final look. There just was room to add a slender stem of Phlox stolonifera ‘Sherwood Purple.’

In A Vase On Monday – Delicate Quietude

Materials
Flowers
Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)
Iris germanica ‘Raspberry Blush’
Narcissus
Phlox stolonifera ‘Sherwood Purple’
Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon’s seal)
Foliage
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)
Vase
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Rectangle Blue Zen (6.75L x 3.75W x 2H inches)

In A Vase On Monday – Delicate Quietude

In A Vase On Monday – Iris And Raindrops

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In A Vase On Monday – Iris And Raindrops

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

If I had to choose one flower I most enjoy in the garden it would be iris. So when I returned home Friday from a memorable 3-day beach yoga retreat, it was thrilling to discover the first of this year’s irises are in bloom. After waiting most of our wet, soggy Saturday for a break in the weather which never came, I finally ventured into the rain to admire the flowers up close.

Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’

Pattern, detail, line, color, contrast—Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’ has a lot to appreciate. There is a slight fragrance as well. This iris was a lucky trade in a neighborhood plant exchange a few years ago.

Edges of the falls resemble embroidery stitching.

I decided to rescue a handful of the irises and put them to good use as my Monday vase offering.

In A Vase On Monday – Iris And Raindrops

For good measure I included several sprigs of May Night salvia which had also opened while I was away.

Salvia nemorosa ‘May Night’ (Hardy Sage)

Using a 2-inch pin holder to hold the stems in place, the design went together quickly. With raindrops still clinging, the flowers were placed on a round shiny black dish among scattered black stones.

In A Vase On Monday – Iris And Raindrops

Materials
Flowers
Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’
Salvia nemorosa ‘May Night’ (Hardy Sage)
Foliage
Iris leaf
Vase
2-inch round holder with integrated floral pin
Oasis Lomey 11″ Designer Dish, black, round
Black stones

Iris germanica ‘Orinoco Flow’

In A Vase On Monday – Easter White

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In A Vase On Monday – Easter White

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

Several stems of Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’ join nearly 3 dozen Narcissus ‘Thalia’ for a simple presentation prepared for Easter weekend. The Thalia were meant to be today’s star, but once I tucked the purplish blue flowers at the neck of the jar, the character of the arrangement shifted.

In A Vase On Monday – Easter White

Just a hint of Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Cushion Blue’ softens the vase’s edge, uniting container and flowers.

In A Vase On Monday – Easter White

Materials
Flowers
Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’
Narcissus ‘Thalia’ (Thalia Daffodil)
Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Cushion Blue’
Foliage
None
Vase
Handmade ceramic lidded jar

Three stages of Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’. Lower left one is from last week’s vase.

I like the simplicity of this combination.

In A Vase On Monday – Easter White

With another nod to Easter celebration, I pulled out my daughter’s childhood cup to hold leftover tufts of phlox along with the year’s first blooms of Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine).

Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)

In A Vase On Monday – Anemones With Lenten Roses

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In A Vase On Monday – Anemones With Lenten Roses

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

The starting point for today’s vase is a small glass bowl I found in the NCMA gift shop while visiting Art In Bloom this week. The glass is translucent white and has a pleasing low profile, rounded form.

Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten Rose)

I have been enjoying the striking blooms of Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker.’

Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’

My plan was to showcase anemones alone, but the result was so stark, I revisited the garden to collect a few hellebores to fill out the arrangement.

Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten Rose)

A stem of Leucojum is tucked among the hellebores.

Leucojum, Hellebore and Anemone

Materials
Flowers
Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’
Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten Rose)
Leucojum (Snowflake)
Foliage
Lavender
Vase
Rounded white glass bowl

It was worth refashioning the design. In the end the colors of the hellebores brought out the purple hue of the anemones, resulting in a richer, more satisfying Monday vase.

In A Vase On Monday – Anemones With Lenten Roses

In A Vase On Monday – March Subtlety

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In A Vase On Monday – March Subtlety

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

In contrast to last week’s frilly arrangement, today’s vase features a limited color palette, one that I enjoy: a restful combination of blue/violet, green and white.

In A Vase On Monday – March Subtlety

The starting point was Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker.’ Only a couple plants came back this year, so I must be sure to plan for more. They are very difficult to grow in my garden and now I do not want to live without them.

Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’

White flowers work well in arrangements and I love them in my garden. Iberis sempervirens (candytuft) is dotted around the borders. Sometimes it survives for years, other times only one season. I have been unable to figure out a perfect formula, but a sweet yoga friend, Suzanne, increased my candytuft holdings with a generous gift from her yard last summer.

In A Vase On Monday – March Subtlety

I was not planning to repeat yet another pale yellow hyacinth, but it was needed to help balance the design. As violet’s complementary color I knew it would fit in well, but the color is so soft it nearly comes off as white.

In A Vase On Monday – March Subtlety

Other white blooms today include my favorite pure white Thalia Daffodils, which have just begun to open, and several stems of Leucojum, which I was pleased to see are continuing to bloom.

Narcissus ‘Thalia’

Muscari (Grape Hyacinth) sprang into action this week. I came across them only at the last minute, when searching for a few more stems to complete today’s design.

Muscari (Grape Hyacinth)

Materials
Flowers
Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’
Hyacinthus orientalis (Hyacinth Sunrise Mix)
Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)
Leucojum (Snowflake)
Muscari (Grape Hyacinth)
Narcissus ‘Thalia’ (Thalia Daffodil)
Foliage
Narcissus leaf
Phalaenopsis (moth orchid) leaves
Vase
Footed ceramic dish, charcoal gray matte finish

Two broad, dark green leaves of Phalaenopsis orchids create a backdrop for the flowers.

In A Vase On Monday – March Subtlety

In A Vase On Monday – Spring Frills

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