In a Vase on Monday: Pink and Proud of it!

Today’s vase is very definitely pink but I was so determined to use some of my small crop of ranunculus and they needed a little accompaniment which was quickly provided by Astrantia ‘Buckland’, self-seeded aquilegia and Persicaria ‘Superbum’ and foliage courtesy of Alchemilla mollis. Ah – nearly forgot the few sprigs of heuchera flowers added at the last minute.

Having put together a posy of some these a day or two before, as a gift for a friend, I was happy to partially replicate it for the vase with the ranunculus as an added attraction. The latter (Aviv Rose & Aviv Dark Pink) have not made sturdy plants but nevertheless each produced a number of stems with the most gorgeous blooms (meant to last two or three weeks when cut) – and getting them to flowering stage is a feat never previously accomplished in the number of years I have tried!

Although all the blooms were cut with longish stems the ranunculus heads were top heavy and in the end I used a cut glass rose bowl with its own wire support (bought last week at a car boot sale after categorically stating before going out that I was not going to buy any vases – but for £2…? not worth resisting!) and cut the stems really short instead. The ranunculus, mostly swelling buds when picked, began opening as soon as they came into the house and have filled the vase with their generous heads of petals, interspersed with the other blooms. I love to use both aquilegia and astrantia in vases, where their intricate heads can be readily admired  close up – and am pleased to see some of my newer pinker astrantia now bulking up in the garden after a slow start.

Props today are pages of Philip Permutt’s book ‘The Crystal Healer’, open to show various pink crystals, and in the little dish are six of these – rose quartz, rhodonite, rhodochrosite, thulite, pink opal and pink tourmaline. Having taken the vase and the props outside, the abundance of fallen petals from Clematis montana ‘Warwickshire Rose’ immediately suggested a location for the photograph.

So there we have it – this week’s Vase on Monday. I wonder what will you find for yours? Just post links to and from this one so we can all see what you have found to bring you pleasure this week – I am certainly enjoying my ranunculus!