Tag Archives: viola

In A Vase On Monday—Spring Pansies

In A Vase On Monday-Spring Pansies

Each Monday brings the chance to join Cathy’s In A Vase On Monday to share an arrangement using materials gathered from the garden.

Planted in fall, pansies and viola at last are beginning to fill out and bring color to the meditation circle. I decided to bring some indoors to feature this week.

Pansies In Meditation Circle

Viola In Meditation Circle

Pansies and viola have such short stems it was hard to imagine what to do with them other than fill small glasses and group them together. Thinking of how Cathy uses props every week, I remembered a birthday gift from my sister I had been saving. This unique tear-off pad of paper placemats has a gorgeous and endearing design, appropriate for springtime. Each placemat is fairly thick, not like the flimsy ones used in some restaurants. The gift included napkins as well so I decide to use them also.

Paper Placemats

I made tiny posies and placed them into six cordial glasses. The glasses sit together in a silver caddy. The placemat stands up vertically so it appears the rabbits are in the background smelling the flowers.

In A Vase On Monday-Spring Pansies

There were enough extras to fill another small crystal vase and a miniature sugar bowl from my daughter’s childhood tea set.

In A Vase On Monday-Spring Pansies

From overhead the flowers converge into the props, making an interesting tapestry of color.

In A Vase On Monday-Spring Pansies

In black and white this spring arrangement becomes intense and dramatic.

In A Vase On Monday-Spring Pansies

Materials List

Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)
Pansy
Phlox divaricata ‘Blue Moon’ (Woodland phlox)
Viola
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue) – foliage
6 Cordial glasses (footed) with silver caddy, small Waterford vase, sugar bowl from child’s tea set
Decorative paper placemats and napkins

Rabbits usually do not bother my pansies and I hope they will not see this arrangement as an invitation to dine.

In A Vase On Monday-Spring Pansies

As I mentioned in a recent post A Preview of Art In Bloom, I have signed up for six presentations by well-known floral designers this Thursday through Sunday. Flowers, flowers, flowers!

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower arranging addiction. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday and feel free to join in.

In A Vase On Monday—Diminutive Treasures

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In A Vase On Monday-Sasanquas

Each Monday brings the chance to join Cathy’s In A Vase On Monday to share an arrangement using materials gathered from the garden.

Mornings now are frosty and very little is blooming in the garden. This past week I bought several flats of pansies and violas on sale and planted them out in the meditation circle. I hope they will quickly establish themselves; already a few tiny ones are blooming which I picked for today’s vase.

Viola

Other minuscule flowers, 3 red dianthus and a sprig of candytuft, were surprise finds, but almost too small to use.

Viola

Viola and Dianthus

I decided to round out the group with some stems of sedum, yarrow and a couple of camellia buds.

Yarrow

The camellias were larger in scale and became dominant, but the other tiny items add color and texture.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’

Materials
Achillea filipendulina (Fern-leaf Yarrow)
Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ (Angelina Stonecrop)
Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana-Jiman’
Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’
Dianthus ‘Ideal Select Red’
Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)
Viola

In A Vase On Monday-Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ and Dianthus ‘Ideal Select Red’

These cyclamen and green chrysanthemums are flowers I purchased to use for some early holiday entertaining, so thought I would share them today also. The cyclamen will be used to decorate the fireplace and may eventually make their way into a vase.

Cyclamen

These versatile glasses were a wedding gift from a college roommate and still good friend. When not in use for serving liqueurs, the glasses work well for holding flowers.

Chrysanthemums

Thanks to Cathy for hosting this weekly flower arranging addiction. Visit her at Rambling In The Garden to discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday and feel free to join in.

In A Vase On Monday—Anemones Redux

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Anemones In A Vase On Monday – Overhead View

I am joining Cathy for In A Vase On Monday, a weekly challenge to fill a vase using materials gathered from one’s garden.

I wandered around the garden for quite a while this morning, not sure what to select. The lovely Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’ kept waving at me as I tried to decide. Last week I had featured this blue-violet poppy anemone in my Monday vase, but in the end, other flowers in that arrangement were more dominant. I have been very happy with these anemones this spring, so here is another vase giving Mr. Fokker a prominent role. Also I chose a few white Anemone coronaria ‘Bride’ to add brightness to the other dark-hued flowers.

Anemone coronaria ‘Bride’ and ‘Mr. Fokker’

The meditation circle is full of Viola and Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’, some of which have spread into the walking path. I pulled up three young penstemons and several handfuls of viola to use as filler.

Viola

The container is a rectangular terra cotta clay pot, into which I placed a Pyrex glass bread pan to hold water. The penstemon plants were spaced evenly inside toward the center, followed by groups of violas around the edges of the pot. I relied on the density of the filler plants to hold the anemones stems in place rather than using floral foam, but the flowers always shift when secured this way.

In A Vase On Monday – Anemones Redux

In A Vase On Monday

Materials

Anemone coronaria ‘Bride’
Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’
Viola
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
Terra cotta rectangular planter
Rectangular glass dish

Were it not for the fine grains of pine pollen currently coating everything in this part of North Carolina, the arrangement would be perfect for the front porch.

Anemone Arrangement On Front Porch

Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting each week. Please visit her to see what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday—Azure Medley

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Monday brings an opportunity to practice flower arranging by joining in Cathy’s weekly In A Vase On Monday, where the only rule is to fill a vase using materials gathered from one’s garden.

In A Vase On Monday – Pseudomuscari azureum (syn. Muscari azureum)

I was excited about cutting a few Azure Muscari this morning to use for my Monday vase. They have just opened in the last couple days. Though there only are 6 growing in my garden, they are so diminutive it seemed worthwhile to cut a few to enjoy close-up.

Pseudomuscari azureum (syn. Muscari azureum), the azure grape hyacinth features a bright blue color with a darker blue stripe on each flower. The flowers themselves grow on densely-packed racemes.

In the Pseudomuscari genus the mouth of the flowers is shaped like an open bell, rather than narrowing the way it does on Muscari.

Each flower forms an open bell - Pseudomuscari azureum (syn. Muscari azureum)

Each blue flower forms an open bell – Pseudomuscari azureum (syn. Muscari azureum)

I recently bought 2 round black pin holders, very tiny, just 3/4 inch, so decided to try one out today. It was more difficult to use than expected so I will need to practice more with it. It is hard to get small stems inserted securely without damaging them. Very cute holder though.

3:4 inch Black Pin Holder

For the container I needed something flat and chose the white inside of a lid from a small round box of English bone china. The white side of the lid is visible in the very first image (the official portrait of today’s design). Later I turned the lid over and forgot to turn it back. I was experimenting after noticing the colors of the outside of the box lid might complement the flowers. Of course the top side provides no way to hold water anyway.

In A Vase On Monday

Companions for this week’s Azure Muscari are Spiraea prunifolia (bridal wreath spiraea) and Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft), both just coming into bloom, along with rich purple Viola that bounced back admirably from a cold winter in the meditation circle.

Spiraea prunifolia (bridal wreath spiraea)

Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)

Viola

A scattering of Iberis leaves help balance the design.

In A Vase On Monday

Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting. Please visit her to see what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday—Arum Magic

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In A Vase On Monday-Arum and Yarrow

Today I am joining Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday that encourages garden bloggers to create fresh arrangements each Monday using materials found in our gardens.

November has been really cold here, but warmer temperatures on Sunday afternoon made foraging for vase materials a pleasant experience.

Despite the fact most of the garden has succumbed to recent freezes a single pink yarrow, a few sasanqua flowers and tiny violas were waiting to be chosen.

Arum italicum and Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’

When first brought indoors the collection looked like a motley crew of mixed sizes and limited possibilities, but the interesting part of preparing a vase each week is seeing the personality of the blossoms and leaves emerge.

This week, Arum leaves provided a bold starting point and the other items seemed to fit seamlessly after that.

In A Vase On Monday-Arum Magic

Arum italicum and Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’

In A Vase On Monday-Arum Magic

Arum italicum

Arum italicum and Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’

In A Vase On Monday-Arum Magic

I like the effect of pairing chartreuse sedum with the blue violas. The yarrow vase is my favorite individual arrangement, but it was fun moving the three vases around and experimenting with how they related to each other.

Materials

Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’
Achillea filipendulina (Fern-leaf Yarrow)
Viola
Sedum
Arum italicum

Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting. Discover what delightful things she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday. Perhaps you will be inspired to share your own vase.

In A Vase On Monday—Viola And White

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Monday again! Time to join Cathy’s weekly challenge In A Vase On Monday to create a floral arrangement from materials gathered in one’s own garden.

Although photographed together this morning, my two Monday vases were prepared early and used separately as casual arrangements during a visit from my two younger sisters yesterday.

During the photo session Mr. Th. Jefferson waited patiently to be returned to his usual and customary place in the niche in the front foyer.

White Dutch Irises began blooming last week and I rescued a few on Friday ahead of the heavy rain that had been accurately forecast for Friday night and Saturday. They actually survived the rains fine outside, but these cut ones have lasted quite well indoors. I like their delicate lavender highlights and rich yellow throats.

There were not many types of flowers to choose from in my garden yesterday when it was time to set the table for our Easter dinner. Fortunately candytuft and johnny jump ups (Viola) were plentiful.

I collected and presented sprigs of them in tiny glasses to adorn the dinner table and used additional blooms to fill this small ceramic vase. This vase also holds the first cutting of Meadow Sage ‘May Night’ which started blooming late last week.

Candytuft, Viola and Meadow Sage

I placed the Dutch Irises into a special triangular glass vase, a gift from my daughter. The vase was made by a local artist using a stained glass technique. The smaller greenish-blue ceramic vase is nicely proportioned with a small neck, very useful in arranging delicate stemmed flowers. I bought it from a North Carolina potter at the Eno River Festival years ago.

Materials List

Dutch Iris
Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)
Viola (Johnny jump ups)
Salvia nemorosa ‘May Night’ (Hardy Sage), synonym Salvia × sylvestris ‘May Night’ (Meadow sage)

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting. Visit her to enjoy what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.

In A Vase On Monday—Spring Assemblage

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Cathy’s weekly challenge entitled In A Vase On Monday encourages gardeners to create floral designs from materials gathered in our own gardens. Looking for inspiration late yesterday, after a cold, rainy and windy weekend, the grass squished under my feet while I gathered blooms and foliage from around the garden’s edges.

There were not large quantities of any one flower, but in the end I collected an adequate sampling of spring blossoms for Monday’s display.

White Narcissus ‘Thalia’ are only just beginning to open and a sole hyacinth escaped the winter’s chill.

Hyacinth

For containers I selected four footed cordial glasses from a set of six, a well-loved and often-used wedding present from a dear friend. I also chose a small crystal vase that belonged to a maternal aunt.

To use as a feathery, airy filler I cut freshly emerging Achillea leaves. From a nearby container I also selected a few leaves of Salvia Dorada ‘Aurea’ (Golden Sage) that had not been damaged by the rough weather.

Achillea leaves contrast with Muscari buds

Achillea leaves contrast with tight form of Muscari racemes

In foreground, leaves of Salvia Dorada ‘Aurea’ (Golden Sage) merge with those of Iberis sempervirens

The vase holding the Thalia and several Tete-a-Tetes made a pleasant individual arrangement, with the daffodils hovering above a base of Iberis sempervirens.

Narcissus ‘Thalia’, Narcissus ‘Tete-a-Tete’ and Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)

Picked from the path of the meditation circle, purple violas with deep golden centers proved difficult to photograph, their rich dark color resisting the camera, but this image reflects the strong hue fairly accurately.

Violas

The grape hyacinths are extra small this year and scarce, but these few fan out to make a large impact when paired with Iberis.

Muscari and Iberis

I find the flowers of Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft) so charming and I admire the pure white, creamy petals. Repeating Iberis among multiple vases ties the arrangements together.

Creamy white flowers of Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)

It was fun to collect and disperse these spring flowers among a set of vases this Monday.

Materials List
Achillea x ‘Appleblossom’ (Yarrow)
Hyacinthus orientalis (Dutch hyacinth)
Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)
Muscari (Grape hyacinth)
Narcissus ‘King Alfred’
Narcissus ‘Tete-a-Tete’
Narcissus ‘Thalia’
Salvia Dorada ‘Aurea’ (Golden Sage)
Viola
crystal vase, acrylic doughnut-shaped stem holder, footed cordial glasses

Thanks again to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting. Enjoy visiting her site to see her arrangement this week and see what other participants are placing In A Vase On Monday. I am headed over there right now.

Revolving The Evolving Meditation Circle

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Nests of ants have become recent squatters and the voles appear to have returned to the meditation circle. But there are no signs of deer jumping the fence this year, so after avoiding them for years I am taking a chance with pansies and violas to add some color to the meditation garden this fall and winter.

Delta Premium Pure Primrose (White to pale yellow)

Delta True Blue (medium blue)

Viola (purple) – detail

I spent most of the day fixing up the meditation circle, which has been on its own since spring. Since creating it in April 2011 I have tried to rely mostly on evergreen perennials to mark the walls of the labyrinth, but results have been uneven.

After planting the pansies and violas in-between the perennials, I watered them in well. With luck they should last until spring. maybe by then I will have a new inspiration for the meditation garden plantings.

Plants in the Meditation Garden October 1, 2013

Pansy ‘Majestic Giant Purple’
Pansy ‘Delta Premium Pure Primrose’ (white to pale yellow)
Pansy ‘Delta True Blue’ (medium blue)
Viola sp. (purple)
Penstemon ‘Husker Red’ – seeding everywhere
Penstemon ‘Pikes Peak Purple’ (Beardtongue) – did not bloom well this spring, dying out
Iberis sempervirens ‘Purity’ (Candytuft) – died out last year; replanted in spring, also dying out
Mounding Thyme – developed black areas from center; two completely died, some are recovering. Trimmed today.
Alyssum ‘Easter Bonnet Violet’ – (annual) planted in spring, only now blooming.
Dianthus ‘Ideal Select White’ – several died; relocated two further into center. Needs deadheading constantly.
Dianthus (salmony-pink color) – one died; bloomed most of summer but not attractive, needs deadheading constantly.

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Tag Archives: viola

In A Vase On Monday—Spring Pansies

In A Vase On Monday—Diminutive Treasures

In A Vase On Monday—Anemones Redux

In A Vase On Monday—Azure Medley

In A Vase On Monday—Arum Magic

In A Vase On Monday—Viola And White

In A Vase On Monday—Spring Assemblage

Revolving The Evolving Meditation Circle

Plants in the Meditation Garden October 1, 2013