In a Vase on Monday: Fire in the Belly

I resisted picking any of the pretty purple blend tulips that I showed yesterday as they are in a tub in full view if the kitchen windows where I shall continue to enjoy them; instead I started with some of the ‘fill a bag for 50p’ bargain tulips, in this case ‘Winnipeg’, a golden-yellow Greigii tulip flamed with fiery scarlet. Of the three stems I picked one is multi-headed with three blooms on the same stem, but it doesn’t look as if any of the others are going to have this Cerberus trait.

Winnipeg was joined by species tulip T linifolia (whose orange-scarlet pointed petals just manag to avoid being the colour of Heinz tomato soup) and a solitary yellow infiltrator to the purple mix mentioned above. As well as the tulips, rogue wallflower blooms from one of the rare occasions when seed has been incorrectly labelled (in this case it should have been Stipa tenuissima which the replacement packet fortunately contained!) were culled, along with wallflower ‘Ivory White’ which I knowingly sowed a couple of years ago before discovering that ‘Ivory White really just an apology for yellow. All these wallflowers will be removed within a few weeks as I will no longer tolerate their ugliness.

The final element was a few sprigs of dark-leaved crab apple Malus ‘Royalty’, the flower buds not yet quite open but won’t be long, and the prop was an almost belly-shaped piece of carnelian. Carnelian comes in various shades ranging from amber through oranges to reds and to browns and I particularly like this piece because of the veining in the lighter sections and the tactile nature of its polished shape, which comfortably fits in

the hand. Curiously, considering the vaguely stomach-shaped nature of this piece, carnelian is said to aid the digestion! It is also believed to be a ‘feel-good’ crystal, boosting vitality, self-esteem and personal power, all affected by imbalances in the lower chakras (the Base, Sacral and Solar Plexus chakras or energy centres) which in themselves are traditionally denoted by the colours red, orange and yellow respectively, the colour of carnelians.

It seems quite strange sitting here looking at a vase the colour of glowing embers, more often associated with the hotter blooms of late August and September, but after a quieter time in the garden with the predominant greens and whites and pale shades of winter and early spring it is refreshing sight. We are used to weekly doses of brighter and often tropical blooms from some of our blogging friends across the Atlantic, or southern hemisphere treats from the opposite season, and this pleasurable hotch potch of pickings from a range of gardens in different locations is one of IAVOM’s attractions. Why not join us by finding something from your own garden to pop in vase or container – but feel free to think creatively as it need not involve blooms, nor indeed a vase, despite the name of the meme! You can be fairly sure the result will bring you pleasure – and you can share it with us if you like by leaving links to and from this post.

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