Monday 5 August 2019

In a Vase on Monday - Full of Grace

 It is a few weeks since I uploaded a post for In a Vase on Monday, and it is really lovely to be back.  I write this during a short break waiting for my coffee to cool.  The final fine sand of the bannisters is complete, and I gird my loins for the long stint of undercoats and gloss.

This morning before the sun has really cleared the sky of the fine haze shortly after six, , I brought the vase I put the blooms into last night,  into the conservatory to have sufficient light to take a picture.  All these blooms come from just one stem of Rose Grace.  The two bushes were cut following the fist surge of blooms only a couple of weeks ago, but before the other stems had finished, the plant sent up a new strong stem.  There is was, s standing out above the other pruned branches. With secateurs in hand from some other job, it took only a second to cut the stem out and convert the bush to a more harmonious shape.  The prunnings went into the vase with some stems of Persicaria Red Dragon, which keep being used.  They are full of roots in the water, and were waiting to get potted up.  The Persicaria Red Dragon was a gift from the Cathy.  I just keep on propagating it, and it gets passed on to any visitors who like it!

Cathy is the wonderful constant creator of IAVOM, who week in and week out, produces and herds us together.  Her post for this week is 'Dotty'.... Cathy is a great one for adding props, so this week my brass lizard shows just how hot it has been.  The arrangement is back on the mantelpiece where it is cooler and should survive a few days.



It has been very hot, and my rain dances have been letting the garden down....even when other areas of the country have received deluges, and the weather map shows rain over this area, still nothing...Parts of the garden need watering, and it seems to take all my spare time to water pots and favourite plants I don't wish to loose.  The internet went down, and after visits from BT and a new router, we are thankfully reconnected.

I picked this book up quite by chance in the library.  I had to go to Town and just needed a cool down, so headed to the library with its air conditioning, and all I felt like doing was having a sit down.  My eyes roamed the shelves for something, and maybe it was the botanic theme of the cover and the short introductions, but having brought this home, I have enjoyed both the style and the story.  Now I need to find another novel.....


12 comments:

  1. What a beautiful rose, and so prolific from just one stem. Grace is a generous lady! I am sorry you are still waiting for rain - we had the deluge to beat all deluges last night. I was safely tucked away in an Ediinburgh Fringe show with my granddaughter at the time, but it was newsworthy from my husband when we emerged from the show and I could see the huge amounts of water left on the roads. I will try and waft some rain your way! We have had enough now! Amanda https://therunningwave.blogspot.com/2019/08/in-vase-on-monday.html

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  2. That peachy shade is so beautiful!

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    1. Thanks Chris...it is gentle and its leaves a fab colour too.

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  3. I can see why you were so keen to have Grace in your new home - she is certainly performing well and looks stunning. I love how the dragon weaves his way into so may other gardens!! I do hope you get your rain soon - we have been topped up a couple of times so the garden is comfortable with itself again

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    1. It is amazing how much time watering takes...I have mulched and mulched, and in a few years hope to build up the water retaining nature of the soil a little better.

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    1. They have that effect on me sometimes, and the roses change depending on the season, temperatures, sunlight etc.

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  5. That is a gorgeous rose, Noelle. In comparison my roses provide only a paltry supply of blooms, especially during the summer months. I had to laugh at your lizard as a symbol for summer's heat. In my own garden, I can't walk 2 feet without nearly stepping on a lizard. In fact, I've joked that, if I were to select a name for my garden, it might be "Lizardville."

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    1. Yes, but you have gorgeous Dahlias...as for lizards I love them, and now that you have mentioned mine, I shall try and bring others in with stories during the next few weeks...

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  6. Love the look of the book too. Our heat finally broke and we had rain but back to mid 80s and no rain for a week. I can only water the pots and veg garden. Thankfully the rest fares well enough due to the spring deluge we had. Absolutely gorgeous roses!

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    1. Thanks Donna, I think you would find it interesting. The characters are individually quite complex. Each flawed and each having to make their journey in life. A little further proof reading before publishing would not have gone amiss, but rather satisfying and having a good sense of place.

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  7. Oh it looks as if 'Grace' is providing you with an abundance for vases. She looks most beautiful. I have 'the Essex Serpent' on my to be read list. I've recently read both of Kirsty Wark's books both of which I enjoyed especially 'The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle'.

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