We breakfast in the conservatory and usually on the central lazy Susan I have a little collection of finds. Having arranged this little posy of fresh flowers it was moved temporarily there.
A few dwarf dianthus, Chamomile: Chamamelum nobile 'Flore Pleno', some lemon thyme flowers, and wild marjoram, as well seed heads from Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue.
As soon as breakfast was over, the little posy was moved to the kitchen windowsill, as the heat and sun would desiccate the flowers before evening, when it is cool enough in there for us to have dinner. On very hot days we step back to eat in the dinning room, or eat out in the garden.
Already there were some seedheads from the Clematis Alpina 'Blue Dancer'. When I first picked them they had a smooth and shiny tails to the seeds, now several weeks later, all water gone and fully ripened the tails are now feathery. I picked them as I wanted the young plant to focus on growth rather than on seed production. I've kept them just it for their sheer beauty.
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| Feather tails on seeds of clematis flower |
Behind it in the other vase are a few stems of Persicaria Red Dragon. After I had picked these for a vase a few weeks ago, I also cut down the large plant. It usually bounces back nicely, but with the ground bone dry, I cannot yet see any signs of life. It rained at last yesterday but nothing like the amount falling in other parts of the country. The Persicaria is slowly growing roots and this is my insurance should the large plant fail on account of the drought. Regular readers will appreciate just how often I use this, and of course it has great sentimental meaning for me, since the original plant was given to me by Cathy our beloved anchor woman for In a Vase on Monday. Do go over to Cathy's post, where I and several other gardeners show flowers from their garden.
The clematis seed heads are gorgeous, aren't they? I love to see your little treasures alongside your posies, Noelle - and little posies often have such beauties in them . The oreganum I used in my vase last week is still going strong and looking just as fresh
ReplyDeleteYes the clematis seed heads have been quite a surprisingly good pick. It has not been an easy run with the plants this year, but there is still the urge to find something pretty to bring indoors and arrange. Oreganums are such good plants and are lovely to add to arrangements.
DeleteI hope you're having fewer very hot days, Noelle. Has the UK's horrific heatwave abated? The clematis seedheads are particularly attractive. I have only managed to keep one Clematis alive in my garden (C. terniflora) but its seedheads are fairly nondescript.
ReplyDeleteYes, thanks Kris, we have finally had a little rain, but the hosepipe ban still stands in large areas. We were not subject to one and I misjudged and kept thinking it would rain and left watering till far too late to save the garden this year.I think I shall have to rely much more heavily on annuals rather than perennials in future.
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