In a Vase on Monday: Purple Haze

I realised yesterday that whilst I was rambling I was subconsciously also ‘prowling’, looking for ideas for today’s vase. The dark purple hyacinth that had recently opened in a container down the side of the house was the most likely contender, as it was one of a mixed collection of hyacinths that came free with something else and as such I had no qualms at all about cutting it. This produced the title but then required other purple hued flowers to complement it. Sprigs of a pink wallflower acquired over 18 months ago but so far having failed to flower were definite contenders because at last there were flowerbuds with a hint of colour! Still at their height, a couple of multi-headed hellebores were also  chosen, even though I knew their life in a vase would be limited and, in the hope that this might encourage more flowers, a couple of the purple drumstick primulas. A pulmonaria was also included but is barely noticeable and on hindsight was not necessary.

Foliage was harder to come by and although I was hoping for heuchera leaves there were none with long enough stems that hadn’t been mangled by whatever mangles heuchera leaves during the season. Fresh tendrils of honeysuckle were investigated as most had purple backs to their young green faces but again length was an issue until I found two suitably long shoots on the honeysuckle being trained up a tree in the woodland. To provide some ‘haze’ and a loosely purple link some ethereal wild plum blossom was the final piece in the jigsaw.

In the absence of a container in anything remotely purple, a short dumpy glass vase was chosen, but filled with amethyst crystals which also had the benefit of supporting the stems. The backdrop is a textile created and hand dyed with natural dyes by Younger Sister and the last minute addition of a teeny tiny purple teddy completed today’s display. Suddenly, there is a far greater choice of raw materials available and already I am hankering after next week’s vase, such is the pleasure of this challenge!

If you would like to join in, find flowers or foliage or whatever in the garden or thereabouts and post a picture of your creation, leaving a link to this post and a comment on this blog with a link back to yours. In no way is it a competition to create the most inspiring vase – just see it as a personal challenge and enjoy the creation process, as I and others have done.