Wordless Wednesday: Yet Another Late Monthly View

A Week of Flowers, Day Seven: Dahlias at Their Best

For the final day of this meme, hosted by Cathy of Words and Herbs, I am remembering dahlias at their peak at the end of September, after rallying following the earlier extreme heat.

A week of Flowers , Day 6: No Reason to Feel Blue

For the sixth day of a Week of Flowers, the annual meme hosted by Cathy of Words and Herbs, I am taking the slow boat and revisiting this IAVOM post from early July – love those blues!

In a Vase on Monday: Oops…

…there’s nothing in it!

Actually, there IS something in it – water and a tiny stray piece of stem – but not the blooms I had picked for the stylish studio glass vase, designed by Michael Bang for Danish firm Holmegaard in the 70s or 80s. It is such a tactile piece and in such a glorious deep green but, as can often be the case, stylish does not always mean practical, and the five holes distributed around the body of the vase do not support any stems placed in them, unless they are thick solid stems that can be wedged in place.

The stems I had picked, however, were neither thick nor solid, and evaded any attempt at wedging with a slice of arum stem, so with time and light rapidly fading I grabbed whatever vase I could that would hold these short stems of fantasy Chrysanthemum ‘Kiyomi No Meisui’. Unlike the pink ‘Sahouse Joy’ that featured in a vase a couple of weeks ago, these blooms have not fully opened and on past experience are unlikely to do so now, but it would be a shame not to see more of them at close quarters, so here they are, in a pale green IKEA vase:

It has been a  hectic weekend, following a hectic week, but perhaps I can get on top of things again in the coming few days. If you would like to join in with a vase today, picked and plonked, or picked and artfully arranged, please do so and leave the usual links to and from this post.

A Week of Flowers, Day 5: Tulips

Today’s reminiscing is about tulips, with pictures from the end of April and early May, with species tulip ‘Little Beauty’ (above) and Tulip ‘Exotic Emperor’ below:

I added more of usually reliable parrot tulip ‘Victoria’s Secret’ (below) last year, so will be eagerly awaiting their potential return next spring.

I have no idea what variety the twisty-petalled tulip shown below is, because it came from a mixed bag of pink or purple tulips; nevertheless, it is very pretty, and together with the tulips above reminds me that spring follows quickly on after winter here in the UK. Thank you to Cathy of Words and Herbs for encouraging us to post reminders of brighter times in our gardens through her annual Week of Flowers.

Six on Saturday: Glow

Earlier this week, Elder Daughter took me and The Poppet to Glow, the seasonal light installation at RHS Wisley. Those who have visited Wisley may recognise some of the features, albeit seeing them in a completely different way. The installation above was animated and accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s ‘Waltz of the Flowers’, the music I usually use with my End of Month videos (note to self, yet again I have overlooked an EOMV post…grrr!). Coloured lights projected onto the iconic Laboratory are reflected in the Jellicoe Canal in front of it – glorious!

Together with the above, please enjoy a further five glowing pictures of Wisley, my contribution to the Six on Saturday meme hosted by Jim of Garden Ruminations.

There was also a glorious display above the lake beside the glasshouses, with fire, water and laser lights alongside the lights and music, but sadly I was so mesmerised I didn’t take a still shot of it. All-in-all it was a most enjoyable visit and very different from the display at The Savill Gardens in Windsor Great Park, my treat last year, where the focus was more on the installations than on the garden features – both very worthwhile seasonal visits.

A Week of Flowers, Day 4: Combinations

Today’s photograph was one of six combinations for a Six on Saturday post in the middle of May, featuring three stars of the late spring border: allium, astrantia and aquilegia. Sadly it isn’t the best of photographs but, nevertheless, these three always make a great combination and mark the start of a summer of burgeoning borders.

Thank you to our host, Cathy of Words and Herbs, who is encouraging us to look back to some of the brighter spots of our gardens from earlier this year.

A Week of Flowers, Day 3: Buzzin’

My contribution to third day of Cathy’s (Words and Herbs) Week of Flowers showcases a pair of bees enjoying the nectar of Veronica longifolia ‘Marietta’ in mid July, supported by persicaria (probably’Orangefield’) and an agapanthus grown from a seedling supplied by Chloris of The Blooming Garden

Looking back at pictures from my blog earlier in the year is such an uplifting experience, so Cathy’s idea of making A Week of Flowers (chosen during the depths of what can be the greyest time of the year for many) an annual meme is a brilliant one, bringing joy to both participants and readers. Why not pop over to her blog and be wowed by her and other participants’ contributions, and perhaps join in yourself?

A Week of Flower, Day 2: Just Hanging About

I am celebrating Day 2 of Cathy at Words and Herbs’ annual Week of Flowers meme with our wisteria at its peak, on what looks like a cloudless day in the middle of May.

A Week of Flowers, Day 1: Really?

I was scrolling through potential photos for Cathy of Words and Herb’s annual Week of Flowers meme, and was taken aback by this shot of one of the bold borders at the end of June, as I really don’t remember it looking like that, with all those bushy geraniums! No doubt there will be more surprises for me as we progress through the week…