Happy February! Because we've had such a mild winter, it seems to have flown this year. Hooray!
Some things presented themselves for today's arrangement. Garrya elliptica has some branches on the other side whose catkins are dangling on top of the car roof. While I find it charming, the city is not as keen so off came a branch.
Lonicera fragrantissima hangs a bit over the sidewalk begging to be cut.
Chimonanthus praecox (Winter sweet) reaches out to a path from the car to the front door. Clip, clip.
Some other candidates included the first two Camellia japonica blooms of the year,
vibrant berries of Symphoricarpos 'Scarlet Pearl' and lots of evergreen foliage,
Lots of Helleborus argutifolius blooms and foliage,
and sweet Viburnum x bodnantense 'dawn' blooming since fall. We'll see how it goes once the three things that must be cut go in.
I decided to use this nifty crystalline glazed (interesting article about that process here.) vase from a shop in Eagle River, AK, or this amethyst crystal one that I've had since college days.
In went the winter sweet.
Garrya elliptica is a bit difficult to use in a vase as it tends to hang over everything in front of it. Guess that both vases will get in on the act.
Hidden behind the Garrya are some branches of Lonicera fragrantissima which the eye may not see but the nose will know of it's presence. Throw in a little bird and there you have my group of stuff for this Monday.
Everything including the cuttings not used in the bouquet looks so pretty, so west coast including California, so spring. The silk tassel (Garrya) has such grace. What a nice time to be out walking and smelling thse wonderful old-fashioned plantings.
ReplyDeleteI think this might be my favorite of the vases you've done so far Peter! The composition is great, and how can you go wrong with those dangling catkins? Nice job!
ReplyDeleteOh that Garrya elliptica just makes me week in the knees!!!! I love it in the blue crystalline glazed vase and the two together...sweet!
ReplyDeleteYou were showing so many blooms at the beginning of the post I lost myself in the feeling of Spring thinking it was a GBBD post. What a wonderful display you created.
ReplyDeletePerfect vase for this grouping and the bird is an excellent complement. Having flowers that drape down can be tough to arrange but they provide such a feeling of movement in a static situation.
ReplyDeleteI like the simplicity of the Garrya and Chimonanthus in their own vases. That crystalline vase is so fascinating!
ReplyDeleteI love the perfume of the Lonicera and the Wintersweet; your room must smell divine! The Garrya is a great shrub, I wish I could find it here.
ReplyDeleteYour vase post is like a mystery novel with this reader asking how all the pieces are going to fit together as we move along. I love the end result and I yearn for the day when my 6-inch Garrya elliptica looks like yours! I also love that crystalline vase. I had one I picked up at a craft fair when I was an undergrad and, for the life of me, I can't remember what happened to it so I'm off to scour my cupboards.
ReplyDeleteOh both of those work so beautifully - and thank you as always for sharing the process of choosing and cutting them. I have not seen Symphoricarpos as pink as yours before - it's stunning!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Kris: longing for the day my Garrya starts to produce those marvelous tassels. I like it all, but especially that first vase photo with just the wintersweet casting its shadows.
ReplyDeleteI have several blooms of that same camellia along with some sprigs of sarcococca in a vase on my kitchen table today. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe Chimonanthus must smell divine, and the drooping Garrya is mezmerizing, quite a combination! I can't say I collected any vases back in my college days, too busy chasing frogs!
ReplyDeleteThe Garrya elliptical looks so elegant in a vase. Oh my goodness, you chopped a huge branch off your Chimonanthus. I only ever pick tiny snippets. I love everything about it, the shiny yellow claws stained with maroon inside and that amazing fragrance. I bet it makes the whole room smell divine.
ReplyDelete