In a Vase on Monday: Peace, Prosperity and Goodwill

And that includes goodwill to the poinsettia, which is NOT my favourite plant but having a December birthday invariably means I receive one most years at sometime during the month – so rather than letting it languish as I have a tendency to do it has been snipped and used in today’s vase.

The intention was always there for a seasonal vase of some sort, but the addition of the spiky green blooms of Chrysanthemum ‘Green Anastasia’ was prompted by their sudden half-hearted appearance during the week and adds a ‘je ne sais quoi’ to the overall effect. I have been completely underwhelmed by the performance of the chrysanthemums I tried out this year and am unlikely to repeat the exercise although I wouldn’t discount the lack of chrysanthemum experience of the gardener as a factor in their relative failure. Nevertheless, their bright-greenness sits well alongside the spiky ivy flowers and the variegated holly.

Mindful of the drying effect of bringing potted snowdrops inside, I moved last week’s ‘vase’ outside after a few days, recycling the witch hazel and twisted hazel (both looking as fresh as they did a week ago) in today’s vase. The vase itself is a small glass container (about 3″ high) with a slightly incurved rim, designed to hold a tea light, and as the poinsettia was relatively top heavy the stems were inserted into floral foam. I use the latter only rarely and in retrospect glass pebbles would probably have provided equally effective support. To hide the foam I gathered up a square of silver tissue paper, fastening it out of sight near the rim with a rubber band.

The vase was photographed outside against another sheet of decorative tissue paper, this time covered in stars, but finding appropriate props wasn’t quite as straightforward. I remembered these bright red money envelopes almost immediately – they came in a package from Hong Kong with a Tai Chi jacket which the Golfer is giving me for Christmas, with instructions to fill them with money and give them as gifts for good luck and prosperity* in the new year – and they certainly complement the equally bright poinsettia. In the absence of anything dove-like (a chicken would be a poor substitute) to symbolise peace it took a little scouring of the premises to come up with this acrylic hologram of the world held safely in a pair of compassionate hands, a peaceful gesture indeed.

As this is my last vase before Christmas I would like to wish peace, prosperity and goodwill to you and all mankind. It may be a mere speck in the bigger picture but our Monday vases have generated untold goodwill amongst bloggers and readers and enriched our lives in many different ways – so please continue to do so by sharing your own vases in the usual way, leaving links to and from this post.

With seasonal love to you all, Cathy

* kung hei fat choy congratulations and be prosperous