Every Monday Cathy from Rambling in the garden challenges us to find material from our own garden or the surrounding area to cut and bring indoors to enjoy. This week I have quite a mixture.
The Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’ cuttings that have formed healthy plants have been flowering in the greenhouse for some time. I wanted to put them into larger pots before planting out in April and decided to cut off all the flowering stems to encourage more bushy plants so these were destined for the vase this week, some had grown with some strangely twisted stems but that seems to add rather than detract from the arrangement. I think that is actually one of the joys of using one’s own flowers rather than buying florists flowers that all stand like regimented soldiers.
Ami majus
The Ami majus is from the vase of two weeks ago, so that has a nice long vase-life.
White Ranunculus
There is still only one white Ranunculus, again from the vase of two weeks ago to which I added some orange Ranunculus that have been growing in the greenhouse in a pot.
Orange Ranunculus with Larkspur
Another of the dark blue Larkspur completes the vase and the last Tulips from the pot of T. Brown Sugar.
The finished vase stands on the mantle piece in the kitchen
But now spring is here, I wanted to bring other flowers indoors to enjoy them so I again used my little Campari bottles (what would I do without them?) to display some Muscari, species Freesias and some beautiful blue Anemone coronaria ‘Mr. Fokker’.
Muscari, Freesia and Anemone coronaria ‘Mr Fokker’
Muscari, Freesia and Anemone coronaria ‘Mr Fokker’
I’ve been adding Narcissus to my blue vase all week and even though some of the first ones have now been discarded the vase is as full as I would wish it to be.
Daffodils, blue vase – perfect
I just love my daffodils this year!
Do visit Cathy to see her lovely springtime vase and now that there are a few more blooms in the garden why not join us and share a vase.
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
Beautiful photos and arrangements, Christina. I love ‘Indigo Spires’–I don’t have any now, but have grown it in the past.
I think I’m going to plant all the S.’Indigo Spires’ together in a group to give a big impact.
Wow that is indeed a bounty Christina….I love the ‘Indigo Spires’ but oh my I am astounded at the Ami majus and the white Ranunculus from 2 weeks ago. Added to it the orange Ranunculus and wow what a main vase. Lots to display indoors. I can’t wait until this darn snow melts so my garden can begin to grow…already weeks behind and the forecast is for more cold.
But can you believe I have some Hippeastrum still blooming so at least I can have a vase this week and next.
You are so patient with your snow, I really can’t imagine living somewhere that was covered with snow for so long.
Wow! Your garden is certainly over the hump; what a stunning array!
I hope the vases will become a matter of choice soon rather than scrabbling to find something!
That’s stunning Christina – it looks like a watercolour painting. The salvia has been a real success, hasn’t it? Did you start off with just one plant? I have some salvia coming from Hayloft but I can’t remember if Indigo Spires was part of the collection. The ranunculus is amazing and I had no idea it would last as long – and I don’t remember my A majus lasting especially well last year. Good idea to keep picking your narcissi – think I will pick some for the bathrooms while I have the chance, so thanks for prompting me and for sharing your bounty 🙂
Yes I just had one S. Indigo Spires, last year I managed to take several cuttings, other years there hasn’t been much suitable material. I am impressed with the Ranunculus although there is an insect in the greenhouse that likes eating the buds so I’m squishing them whenever I see them. This afternoon I added an orange Ranunculus to each of the little bottles, they look so cheerful. But I must get some small vases, I can’t always use these bottles!
Even with lots of vases it isn’t always easy to find the ‘right one’ 😉
Very true!
Spring has really taken hold there, Christina! I love the mix of colors in your first vase – the touches of orange are just perfect. I’m impressed by the good use you’ve made of your greenhouse too – I really need to do more with cuttings but the early heatwaves we’re getting here make me wonder if that would be a wasted effort as the heat and dry air kill cuttings quickly.
Greenhouses in hot climates are a problem; a shade house would be more usual here in summer. I can usually keep cuttings alive because I’m only taking cutings from plants that like the climate so they can stand some heat.
That arrangement explodes from the vase like fireworks. I love it, and you are so right about the added interest of twisted forms from the garden.
In the past I thought that the stems needed to be straight but now I’m happy to use whatever grows.
I think it is so lovely to visit and see such pretty flowers (and vases)! I am amazed at what you have, maybe a tiny bit jealous? 😉 So glad I stopped by! Dana
Thanks for visiting My Hesperides Garden, Dana, you are very welcome.
You do indeed have a bounteous display and each specimen is perfect. The unusual stem shapes can be very useful as your design illustrates. Love the orange ranunculus. Also the anemones.
I’ve never really considered the benefits of curvy stems before, just perceived them to be a challenge.
What lovely arrangements. I love the bounty of the first one, but am taken with the idea of putting the matching ranunculus and muscari together – inspired!
Thanks, Jen, I love having the kitchen filled with flowers, there is actually also a branch of Mimosa.
That’s such a nice romantic effect with the airy ammi majus and the curvy salvia, and a little blob of contrasting colour with the ranunculus. Lovely! And your photos of the muscari and anemones are beautiful. 🙂
I’m pleased with the airiness of the first vase, it’s not an effect I often achieve.
Very nice! And your ranunculus look really good (really). I also agree about “regimented soldiers” however—some people like that or at least expect it. Bummer huh? Natural is so..well natural 😀
I suppose when I bought flowers I would never have chosen wavy stems but I do think it allows you to be more creative. Growing flowers to sell is quite different from growing to pick for myself.
Blues, purples and orange are one of my favourite colour combinations Christina but I think that the shades of white and cream really lift that vase. Your close up photos have such a soft dreamy touch about them. Have you got a new camera or have you been experimenting?
I have a new camera, well spotted. We treated ourselves to the Nikon D750; so I am experimenting, so far the camera seems far cleverer than I am and the instruction book is about 2 inches think, at the moment it is trail and error. Your images are always good, what camera do you use?
Christina, you are so good about keeping up with the meme. I find that I have so few things of interest in my garden right now that it breaks my heart to cut any of them! I’ve pinned the Ami majus for future reference – it reminds me of the Queen Anne’s lace from my native New England. It’s funny how I tend to gravitate towards plants that I remember from my childhood. Do you do the same?
I used to feel exactly like that; I never wanted to cut flowers from the garden, I still don’t, that’s why I started the cuttings beds because I do love having flowers in the house. I also have to irrigate annuals so having the beds as part of the vegetable garden makes sense. I am starting to plant things that don’t need water at the back of some of the borders that I can cut from without destroying a display.
Beautiful compositions. The right flowers for the right containers. The airy flowers of the vase are so nice. I think it was clever to put the darker flowers near the rim to connect everything together. I just love the simplicity of the campari collection. I’d like to try that with saki bottles. (I had to look campari up.)
Campari soda is the classic Italian apperitivi, I love the bitter flavour on a warm summer’s evening, sitting on the terrace (you get the picture!). Each little bottle is one serving so you can imagine that I have thrown dozens of bottles away in the past, now I have a very good use for them. It might be fun to get some food colouring as Cathy used but in the red colour of Campari with suitable coloured flowers of course.
You were not kidding about the “bounty” part – so many beautiful flowers and arrangements. I love the color combo of purples, whites and oranges. I planted ranunculus last fall and only have a little bit of foliage now. I’m not sure if they will bloom up for me or not. I really love the little cabbage looking flowers, so I certainly hope they show up! I also have larkspur growing, but no blooms yet.
Hi Rebecca, thanks for visiting My Hesperides Garden and leaving a comment you are very welcome. I hope your Ranunuculus flower for you, this is the first time I have ever grown them so I have no experience. They were grown in a pot in the greenhouse.
Your colour combinations are just right, and I love the Campari bottles! In the garden now its bone chillingly cold, so not much colour, though the hedgerows are full of primroses. Your blues and the structure of the anemones are very lovely.
It is a wonderful excise to drink Campari! I love the Anemones because their colours are so intense/saturated.
I’m pleased you made that comment on salvias. My big purchase last year was a glorious Salvia Amisted, a large plant, but almost no cutting material at all! I hope for better things this year.
Mine did better last year because we had a wet summer and then a warm but showery autumn. Salvias always need more water than you think (you should be OK in Devon).
I love the colour combination in your first arrangement and how pretty the Indigo spires look. Your little campari glasses look so fresh and pretty and you can’ t beat a big bunch of yellow daffs in a blue jug.
I’m so pleased most of the cuttings took of the S. Indigo Spires last autumn, in the past there has been so little material for cuttings. Possibly the daffodils are my favourite just because there aren’t masses here!
Your vases are abundant! Love the Persian buttercups, I have always been told they are very fussy to grow.
What are Persian buttercups? The Ranunculus I suppose. This is the fist time I’ve grown them and I did so in pot in the greenhouse. They didn’t seem any trouble.
I really like this! If only I had flowers in my own garden, but first the snow has to melt!
I really feel for everyone who is buried under the snow for so many months.
It isn’t pleasant – but in theory, we appreciate the warm weather even more (when it eventually arrives)!
Beautiful! You have so many of my favorite flowers in the main vase, ranunculus, freesias, anemones… I can’t grow any of them here so I suppose that’s why they seem so special but they are exceptionally beautiful and would stand out in any climate.
Your greenhouse is already being very productive this year!
I love all your arrangements. The simplicity of the daffodils in the blue vase is very appealing. However, your first arrangement is among my favorites of the ones you have done for your blog! I love everything about it, and the twisty stems are the perfect finishing touch. Bravo!
Glorious, that first vase is positively summery, and I am very encouraged to hear how well your ‘Indigo Spires’ cuttings are doing, I missed my chance to take some last autumn, but as soon as I see new signs of life I will be on it! Love your little vases too, I’m anxiously watching for signs of the anemones I planted last year, inspired by your collection.
Lovely, all.