There was only ever one contender for today’s vase, the last before Christmas, and that was the blooms of the only hippeastrum that I have this year (although I have four saved from last year but they are all leaf and no flower).
For some of you this may be a contentious action – but I am firmly of the belief that 17½ inches of bare stem not only just isn’t attractive but is also at serious risk of an accident. Cutting it down to 10½ inches was done in the blink of an eye and with no regrets, and popping it into this shapely green glass vase and adding a few tiny pebbles to keep it fully upright made it a quick and easy vase to create when pre-Christmas time was at a premium. This Peter Nyssen variety is called Green Magic and was described as ‘greenish white marked with wine red’ but it is the fine red stripe drawn carefully around the rim of the petals that proved to be the most striking feature. It was planted on 11th October so took just over 2 months to reach this flowering stage.
I rigged up a photo shoot location inside today (largely because of the height of the plant in its pot) by draping table runner from a picture on the wall to act as a background, thus mirroring the narrowness of the result, but misjudged what the lens really sees and, even with cropping, some of the undisguised background creeps in. The title and the props of a 2017 year planner (aka diary – why do they call it a year planner?!) hark back to my prodigious hippeastrum of last year which produced FOUR stems, and although only two actually developed into flowering stems these both consisted of 5 or 6 trumpets of fully double blossoms – so if Green Magic is still only a single, he may consider looking for a date…
If you have time to find a stem of something to pop in a vase today – and remember, it need not be a flower or even plant material or even a vase, just something from your garden or foraged locally – then please share it with us by leaving the usual links to and from this post. It will bring joy and pleasure, as they always do…
Rambling in the Garden 
Green Magic, indeed!Merry Christmas, Cathy!
My vase:http://timpingradina.blogspot.ro/2016/12/in-vase-on-monday-winter-freshness.html
Thanks Anca, and the same to you.
Such a beautiful flower, Cathy. I am yet to get the hang of getting them to flower at Christmas! And I agree that all that stalk is redundant. Here is my Christmasy offering for this week: https://edinburghgardendiary.com/2016/12/19/the-midas-touch/
Thanks Joanna. Green Magic came from Peter Nyssen and the catalogue said it should flower in about 8 weeks – which it did, pretty much spot-on
Green Magic is lovely Cathy and removing extra stem worked out fine. I seldom think to buy these bulbs and am regretful when I see how beautifully they bloom. Hope your Christmas is a happy one. If I can put together a vase next week I’ll have made one along with you for the entire year.
https://pbmgarden.wordpress.com/2016/12/19/in-a-vase-on-monday-yuletide-and-green/
Thanks Susie – and I really ought to buy more of them although this year I was hoping to get some of last year’s to flower again
I like Green Magic, although I think it is Wine Striped Magic, very pretty. I have some in the garden and they have yet to even tease me with a bud (an old solid red variety) I like your green runner and diary – I think I have done a vase every week this year as well, it is like having a diary of what is in bloom year round, which is nice and provides some reference as to when things flower. Here is my vase:http://theshrubqueen.com/2016/12/19/in-a-vase-on-monday-chrismukkah
Thanks Amy, and yes, I too will often look back over my vases to check when something was blooming
I haven’t grown any for years and when I see a gorgeous one like yours it makes me wonder why I ever stopped. I say why not clip it for a vase since you will get another flower. Though there will be a rather long wait for that to happen. And thank you again for creating such a lovely meme. It makes Mondays something to look forward to with anticipation. Happy Christmas.
Thanks Linda – yes, I suppose I shouldn’t rule out another flower altogether although there is certainly no sign of another shoot yet 😉
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Lovely Cathy, and I too agree that it looks better having been cut. My vase this week is a bit of a cheat as it wasn’t cut from my garden, though some was foraged from my parents’ garden so I hope I just about got away with it! https://warwickshiregardener.wordpress.com/2016/12/19/i-cheated/
Have a lovely Christmas.
Oh thanks Eleanor – I know from previous years that some people say they couldn’t possibly cut theirs, but I certainly think they look far more attractive cut down to size. As always, foraged is fine!
You have arranged the stem well with the green patterned fabric and planner. That is a beautiful Amaryllis. Here we grow them in the ground; they bloom in spring and are happy with a dry summer. Tulip hybrids fail here because of our winter heat waves, so Amaryllis take the place of tulips.
I’ve managed to do a vase for today, and am grateful for the motivation your meme provides.
https://pieceofeden.blogspot.com/2016/12/in-vase-for-monday-december-19-2016.html
Have a lovely day!
Didn’t take much arranging though, hb! Thanks for commenting and joining in this week – it is always interesting to hear how plants do in other parts of the world
That is very pretty Cathy. I do like the paler amaryllis with fine strips of colour. Mine are not flowering yet and I have forgotten what colours they are, so it will be a nice surprise! I really like that background too. I am afraid I shall have to miss a week as I am at my Mum’s in the UK for a few days, but hope to have something for next week. 🙂 Have a lovely week!
Thanks Cathy – I am trying to get away from the more traditional amaryllis colours as I used to always have a red one. PN didn’t have the one I bought last year ths time round otherwise I would have bought it again! Hope you have a lovely time with your Mum – where in the UK is she, and will you be staying for Christmas?
I’m near Northampton… the family helped my Mum celebrate her 80th birthday at the weekend! I shall be home before Christmas though. 🙂
Glad you had a good family celebration, Cathy – have a safe journey home again
A very handsome flower. Sorry he’s still single but it’s kind of you to help him try and find a date. Thank you for making In a Vase on Monday such a fun meme. Happy Christmas, Cathy! My contribution is here: http://outlawgarden.blogspot.com/2016/12/in-vase-on-monday_19.html
He is quite handsome, isn’t he?
I don’t think I’ve ever had a Hippeastrum grow so tall. All of mine are planted in the ground and I don’t expect to see flowers for a while, if I get any at all this year, so I appreciate seeing your beautiful specimen. My vases were plonked together due to time constraints this week too: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2016/12/in-vase-on-monday-different-palette.html
Do they grow taller when they are grown inside, as these have to be in the UK, do you think?
Since I’m the one who always notices (and wants) the thing that’s not for sale in the catalogue shot, it’s fitting that I’m swooning over your table runner. What a lovely pattern! Of course the Hippeastrum is gorgeous, and I too would have cut it — or at least I would like to think I’d have the guts and brains to do so.
My WV: http://www.thedangergarden.com/2016/12/in-vase-on-monday-to-give-away-and-to.html
I honestly can’t remember where the runner came from – it was probably a present but I really don’t know who /where from. Not immediate family or friends, certainly. Just thinking now that if I kept it on the table I might not accumulate quite so much clutter on it…!!
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I am very jealous of your hippeastrum Cathy – I do love them but rarely think to grow them in my greenhouse – well done on your forward planning! I am linking in this week but not with a vase I have made myself – rather the beautiful flowers that were made for my mothers funeral. I will be back in January making my weekly Monday vases and until then I wish you and the Golfer both a very happy Christmas. xx
Peter Nyssen has quite a selection although not the beauty I bought last year. Thank you for making the decision and time to link in with IAVOM this week, especially with such a poignant contribution, Julie
Truly very lovely and great to see the detail. You did the right thing in chopping. In the past I’ve tried stakes and tying the stems to window catches but neither was attractive or safe! I don’t have any this year but now I ‘m thinking about getting some…
Here is my vase: http://ablogaboutcompost.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/in-vase-on-monday-skeleton-stems.html
Haha – haven’t tried the window catch technique yet!! If I don’t receive any at Christmas I shall be looking out for half price ones in the shops so I can grow some more 😉
A beautiful hippeastrum! I love the light, wine-colored streaking. I don’t think it makes that much difference in longevity if it’s used as a cut flower. It certainly relieves the plant of its burden.
My post this week: http://wp.me/p3O3z4-1BQ
Yes, they do seem to last just as long in a vase although ideally I would like to have snipped this one while it was still in bud
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I have one Amaryllis that I got from a swap. It was started from seed in 2012 and has yet to produce a bloom. The leaves, tho, are quite handsome…almost like a squid agave. Your presentation is fab.
http://bannersbyricki.com/archives/5705
Aw, thanks rickii – I suspect it will be a long haul! Sometimes I think that they are one of the bulbs that is hardly worth trying to keep from year to year – I have certainly not managed it successfully before
A lovely way to share your amaryllis. So beautiful. I’m down to very few options from my garden now, but here is my offering this week.
Thanks John – and I am trying to guess what you will have included this week from your limited options…
Your Amaryllis is beautiful in that vase and I love all the finishing touches! Here are some greens and blooms from my garden ofr in a vase on Monday at http://landscapedesignbylee.blogspot.com/2016/12/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-foliage.html#.WFiHklMrKUk
Thanks Lee
I have never yet managed to get a hippeastrum to reflower. Just like you, I get plenty of leaves. I wonder what the secret is. I agree, they look ridiculous in a pot with their giraffe necks. But as a cut flower they are fabulous. I love this one, what a beauty.
Thanks Chloris – at least the bulbs I kept from last year are still fat and healthy. I did try to stick to the recommended watering and feeding regime, but it didn’t last and I am unsure what to do with the ever-growing collection of leafy bulbs which, of course, are not very attractive…
After a week of ice and snow, things are warming up here! https://lindylecoq.wordpress.com/2016/12/20/seasons-greenings-in-a-vase-on-monday/
Oops, nearly missed your vase Lindy..
Thank you for letting me know about the image problems with my post! Here’s the post with photos
https://lindylecoq.wordpress.com/2016/12/20/seasons-greenings-in-a-vase-on-monday/
Wasn’t sure if it was just me who couldn’t see them…
That is a fine specimen. I can never get excited by amaryllis but I really like the marking.
I used to always treat myself to a red one each year but now it needs to be somthing a little different – and these days I will always cut them as I think they look so much better this way
Yes much more attractive in one of your vases
Thanks Dorris