In a Vase on Monday: Cutting Edge Technology

In truth, the only technology involved was the mechanics of the secateurs as today’s textural treats were snipped from the cutting beds!

Having been determined to stick to contributions purely from these beds today, I ignored the call of those lofty lilies which will have to wait their turn and risk having strutted their stuff too early if they want a turn in a Monday vase. As only token cuttings have been made so far it was about time they achieved their true purpose, so we have: orlaya, Ammi majus flowers and seedheads, Briza maxima, poppy seedheads, nigella flowers and seedheads and Dianthus ‘Green Trick’. I had intended to include Cosmos ‘Candy Stripe’ but there were only 3 partially open flowers, all on quite short stems, and they quickly drooped although will no doubt perk up later – but the vase certainly looks better without them.

The Ammi majus flowers also look less happy when cut although the seedheads stand up for themselves, but the orlaya adds both texture and movement as does the briza and look set to be great additions to future vases. The nigella flower with its feathery sepals demands to be touched and its seedhead is no less desirable, and whilst the dianthus is equally tactile the one head and small apology for a head at the front of the vase from the three plants I had from Sarah Raven shows they are not yet very productive. The seedheads of Papaver ‘Black Peony’ are another story of mixed success – lovely dark flowers, although not as double and ruffled and peony like as the seed packet suggested, but each flower has lasted barely a day and there was never more than one open at a time so they will never be contenders for a vase in this form, more’s the pity. Still, the seedheads are pretty!

Ideally I would have liked a smaller vase for today as the stems were fairly short, but having decided it needed a solid colour this was the smallest green vase that would hold this quantity of stems. Realising it also required a non-busy background to set off the different shapes the photos were taken in our downstairs spare bedroom, where the discreet blue pattern on the wallpaper could have taken a blue instead of green vase, but I wasn’t going to change it at that stage.

Quite a ‘plonked’ vase today, but I particularly like the tactile quality – and it was completely different from last week’s which I was able to enjoy for several days, particularly with the hemerocallis opening up a new bud every day and the crocosmia, even when the petals dropped, maintaining its stature all week like a heavily lacquered hairdo. Who knows what next week will bring – or what other contributors will have in their vases today? If you would like to join in, post your vases or containers of self-picked material (keep an open mind) and link it to this post, with a link from this post back to yours so we can see what will be giving you pleasure this week.