In a Vase on Monday: And So to Bed

Sometimes a vase and its contents, props and title come together like a dream and this is one such time. I know I used roses last week, but a new flush of these tiny apricot blooms proved too hard to resist and so a post was born.

The roses are in a large galvanised tank on the paved area and thus visible, like last week’s roses, from the kitchen windows, and with the name ‘Sweet Dreams’ so many opportunities were suddenly at my disposal, arriving in a rush. Reflecting the fact that not everything in the garden was as fresh and alive as these roses and possibly past its bedtime, I also picked some spent flowerheads of Inula magnifica (which hold themselves magnificently throughout the winter), rose hips from ‘Parkdirektor Riggers’ and almost bare stems of Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’.

The pickings were placed in a mug which I thought was produced for Ovaltine but when I googled to check found instead it was made for Bournvita, a malted chocolate drink made by Cadbury, in the 1950s or 60s. This was confirmed when I looked on the base – but see what else it said… See what I mean about everything coming together?! The props were easily found, a doll’s hot water bottle and a candlestick which we found in the loft.

There were lots of late roses around last week – the UK has been very windy and damp since then with severe flooding in places but still mild, so it will be interesting to see what has survived these conditions and made it into your vases. Beyond the UK the weather will have been even more variable and seeing vases from across the world on a Monday always brings unexpected delights – so don’t forget to leave links to and from this post so that we can share your pleasure.

‘Night ‘night, sleep tight, sweet dreams…