After nearly a week away there was plenty of choice of blooms to cut, particularly as more dahlias are now flowering but sunflowers, rudbeckia and cosmos and others are still going strong too, and those asters! My goodness, they certainly last well in a vase as those from a fortnight ago were still looking fresh when we went away, 8 days after being picked, and I was pleased to be able to take a fresh posy of them up to my Mum’s too.
However, if we hadn’t been going away these lilies are what I would have had in my vase last week, so I thought I would give them the chance to briefly star by way of an apology for saying such unkind things about them. Despite their ridiculous height and bare stem the blooms are just as attractive as most lilies area but of course much larger, and they still give out an extraordinarily strong lily fragrance. I am not the only one who thinks the blooms are attractive, as one of the five I picked (consigned to the back of the vase) had a large chunk missing and a couple of earwigs were shaken out of them when they were cut so they obviously felt the long climb was worth it.
As a contrast to the bright and shiny pink of the five lilies, bright and shiny green stems of Sarcococca humilis (with embryonic flower buds) were added to the lead crystal rose bowl in which they were placed, and some moss plucked from our mossy rocks to fill the gaps. The bowl, now surprisingly heavy, was placed on some of the aforementioned mossy rocks which are just outside the back door to keep the distance the vase was carried to a minimum, and photographs were taken before I realised I had not considered any props.
I am at a loss to know what to do with this tree lily – it stands out like a sore thumb and really needs a solid background behind it but the only background tall enough to set it off is the house itself and there is no sensible place for the pot to sit. It seems only fair to allow it its transient moment of glory and thinking out of the box is clearly called for.
In the course of In a vase on Monday we have all found ourselves using offcuts or prunings or weather-broken stems at times, and today’s lilies loosely fall into a similar category. I wonder what you will be using in your vases today? After a week of missing your vases I am really looking forward to my usual Monday routine of answering comments and checking out other vases, and I know I will not be disappointed – see you soon, and remember to leave links to and from your post so we can all share your Monday vases too.
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The lilies do have wonderfully shiny petals Cathy, they would look wonderful with silver foliage don’t you think? Your bowl is gorgeous but you didn’t show us the flowers and bowl together, I’d love to see it. Hers’s my link: https://myhesperidesgarden.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/in-a-vase-on-monday-from-simple-to-over-the-top/
You can just see a bit of the crystal bowl peeping out in the first photograph but the angle I took the photo from certainly prevents a better view. I can see it quite clearly from where I am sitting now and yes, silver foliage would tie in nicely with the reflections of light on the cut glass! ps I have sent you an email
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They are lovely! I would like to have them, I could put them next to my tree dahlias which are growing down a bank, viewable although not quite close enough to touch. Here’s my vase, another borrowed one… https://absentgardener.com/2016/08/29/in-a-vase-on-monday-chrysanthemums/
It probably has about 10 trumpets in total, so is quite something in bloom – but just tall!! I am wondering what a tree dahlia is like…?
Like the lily, just tall! They are 3- 5 meters tall, with big thick stems and normal size flowers. Mine is a creamy white double, I think it is Dahlia imperialis alba shown on this blog: https://jury.co.nz/2015/05/20/late-bloomers-the-tree-dahlias-in-autumn/
I haven’t seen some of the hybrids shown, would like to get them.
Good Grief! They are beautiful but even taller than my lily!
No such moss grows here. If I had it growing on my rocks I wouldn’t dare pull it off. What a wealth of moss you must have. It looks beautiful in your arrangement. Those big ole lilies are worth finding a place. I think they are magnificent and have never seen them. Let them grow,let them blow…
It’s strange as we don’t live in a particularly damp part of the UK but the moss appeared by itself and would soon reappear if I removed it all… 😉
Welcome back Cathy. Love your rich pink lilies. The mossy-capped crystal bowl was an inspired choice of vase.
https://pbmgarden.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/in-a-vase-on-monday-gardenia-and-company
Thanks Susie – they are such big flowers but the stems are not long as they are all part of the same flowerhead so I was limited in what I could use and I had to use glass pebbles to help hold them in place
I think your much maligned lilies are gorgeous. What a beautiful colour. I love your mossy bowl too. I have featured a lily this week too, but quite a different sort. https://thebloominggarden.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/in-a-vase-on-monday-water-lily/
I know, I know… 😉 Water lilies though? Most intriguing…
Gorgeous lilies. I don’t begrudge the earwigs a bite or two, as long as we get our share.
Yes, likewise, and if the nibbled bit is hidden, that’s OK – a bit like a chipped vase 😉
Followed you from https://johnsviccellio.wordpress.com/ I know I will enjoy the beauty you share. J
Hello Jeanne, and welcome. The Vase on Monday meme has changed the lives of many of us, believe it or not.
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I’m not generally a big fan of lilies, but that colour is stunning!
Here’s mine, a little oasis of calm it what’s turning into a ridiculously busy summer…
https://duverdiary.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/in-a-vase-on-monday-momentary-calm/
Love the color of your lilies. Seems you returned just in time.
https://johnsviccellio.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/in-a-vase-on-monday-second-chances/
Thanks John – they are indeed a geat colour
I like that colour! Here’s my vase: http://timpingradina.blogspot.ro/2016/08/in-vase-on-monday-purple-white.html
Thanks Anca – me too!
Beautiful lilies, Cathy. As much as I love their fragrance, I’ve given up raising them as too many critters love them, too. The lily beetles are the worst, although deer can break your heart by eating the buds right as they are about to bloom. 😦
My vase this week: http://wp.me/p3O3z4-1mF
Thanks Eliza – when the lily was a bit smaller and in a border the lily beetles didn’t seem to trouble it at all, unlike others. Sorry you are troubled by deer too 😦
What a wonderful shade of pink and isn’t it funny how you end up falling in love with a plant after it flowers! I think Lilies are difficult to grow but the flowers make them worth their while. Here is my vase https://theshrubqueen.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/in-a-vase-on-monday-heliconia-overload
Thanks- and yet some people don’t have any problem with them! I am going to grow some (normal height!!) in pots next year and not risk putting them in the ground
Capricious things plants are. I sound like Yoda.
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Beautiful lilies! I have cut the last of my few hydrangea blooms and some roses for my vase: https://enclosuretakerefuge.com/2016/08/29/in-a-vase-on-monday-one-red-zinnia/
Thanks Cindy – yes, I think next week I need to look around and think what might not be there the week after…
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Those lilies are simply scrumptious. But if it’s not your favourite plant, then in my view, unless you live on some grand estate with far distant corners for hiding things, then gardens are too small and life too short to give homes to plants that are not your favourite. That’s my twopenneth! Anyway, here’s my vase for this week: https://edinburghgardendiary.com/2016/08/29/necessarily-simple-dahlias-and-cornflowers/
Ha ha – we don’t live on a grand estate but I did shove the pot to the back of the woodland edge border last Autumn, not expecting it to survive. But it did – and when I saw the buds I gave it the chance and brought it into the sunshine, but I think it will be tucked away again when the flowers are done! That was the only attention it received all year… 😉
I know the feeling. I have an azalea which has nice variegated foliage, quite Christmassy. But in spring it comes out in quite horrid red flowers and I have to hide it till they’ve gone away.
It would be a sorry thing to consign those lovely lilies to the rubbish heap, Cathy. Since they’ve done so well in a pot, perhaps they can stay there to be used as cutting garden material? The color is wonderful and the flowers are nicely shaped (despite the earwig nibbling). Thanks for hosting! Here’s my post: http://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2016/08/in-vase-on-monday-red-hot.html
Yes, I agree, but the bare lanky stam is not a thing of beauty so I think the pot will be discretely hidden away again once the flowers are finished!
I echo Kris’s thoughts. My lilies have all long finished blooming. How lucky you are to have such a late blooming variety. Who could ever have too much of that amazing scent? The color is also stunning! Welcome back. My offering is here: http://outlawgarden.blogspot.com/2016/08/in-vase-on-monday_29.html
Thanks Peter – it’s hard to believe how powerful the scent is. Mind you, the blooms would be too far from nose level if they were still on the plant!
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Oh I will have to catch up with your previous posts later Cathy as your pink lily looks the same as one I grow called ‘Robina’. It has a breathtaking perfume especially on sultry late summer evenings. My problem with growing it is those wretched red beetles. I’m briefly back at home so took pleasure this morning in bringing some flowers home from the allotment to put in a vase :
https://greentapestry.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/in-vase-on-monday-hiatus.html
Yes, I think it is Robina – I know it had a name once upon a time! I think mine was too tall for lily beetles to bother with 😉 Glad you found time to gather some blooms – thinking of you and will email again soon
I’m jealous of your lovely lush lilies. The colour is gorgeous and I am imagining their wonderful scent. My vase is here at http://wp.me/pM8Y1-2L7
It amazes me that these blooms exist considering the ‘abuse’ the lily has got!
My lily’s are long gone as well. I agree that this late blooming giant deserves its day in the sun. In response to your enigma I offer my mystery!
https://lindylecoq.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/mystery-rose-and-friends-in-a-vase-on-monday/
Yes, its day in the sun indeed! And now a mystery…?
That tree lily would be perfect here…our climate shortens them–here it would be knee high, if that. I was finally organized enough to participate, and did a red-and-yellow combination. I enjoyed seeing your trip to Scotland. Wonderful blog.
http://pieceofeden.blogspot.com/2016/08/in-vase-on-monday.html
Had to laugh at the thought of your potential knee high lily!! Thanks for your kind words about the blog and welcome to IAVOM – be warned, it’s addictive!
It’s a gorgeous colour Cathy, and using them in vases is an excellent solution. I hope to be back next week with a contribution. Have a good week!
Oh thanks Cathy. Hope you have been having a good summer and look forward to you being back with IAVOM next week
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Your lilies are so lovely, I’m glad you were able to feature them in a vase this week. Simply beautiful! You spoil us, Cathy, with such an abundance of beauty. Here is my delicious smelling arrangement, reflecting what fills our garden this week: https://forestgardenblog.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/in-a-vase-on-monday-good-enough-to-eat/
Aw, thanks! Look forwad to seeing what you have found
Those are stunning lilies. Mine are done for the season and now I am just looking at ugly brown stems. I need to leave at least a bit of stem in place so I don’t try to plant anything on top of them. My bouquet is a little late: http://eachlittleworld.typepad.com/each_little_world/2016/08/in-a-vase-on-monday-pinterest-inspiration.html
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I have my lilies in pots because of the gophers. One nice thing about it is the ability to move them around (with the help of a hand cart) to disguise any shortcomings. Yours seem worth keeping if only to star in a vase once a year.
Here’s my day late offering: http://bannersbyricki.com/archives/5584
Oh I agree, and I will be planting several sensible height lilies in pots next year too!
I grew regular lilies earlier in the season and they were so fragrant that I could turn a blind eye to the holes. Your tree lily is quite something and caused a great conversation above. My vase was https://digwithdorris.wordpress.com
Yes, I think I would agree, although the fragrance can be so strong that sometimes it’s hard to decide if that is a good or a bad thing
What an exceptionally gorgeous color! It really is exquisite. I would love to have a “tree” or two! 🙂
This is the sort of plant that I would normally give away but I think it might have got a reprieve!