I thought I was planning a ‘blue’ vase today with a few touches of purple, but as it turned out the purples and pinks outweighed the blues so a reference to the Moody Blues in the title seemed less appropriate; instead, I plucked one of their album titles out of the distant recesses of my brain (but the CD prop is ‘The Very Best of the Moody Blues’ and not ‘Days of Future Passed’) although I never professed to have understood what this title meant.
The blue blooms were larkspur and clary sage ‘Oxford Blue’, while the pinks and purples were provided by dahlias ‘Willo’s Violet’ and ‘Happy Single Juliet’, Amaranthus caudatus, Cosmos ‘Fizzy Rose Picotee and ‘Click Cranberries’, Helichrysum ‘Bright Rose’, Clary ‘Sundae Pink’ and leaves from Heuchera ‘Neptune’. Willo’s Violet has proved a disappointment as I misled myself with its size, expecting something rather larger than this small pompon variety, entirely my fault! This, and two other varieties, were bought as ‘young plants’ from dahlia specialist (Halls of Heddon); I was too late to order them as tubers so young plants, presumably taken from cuttings, were the next best thing and you could choose your approximate week of delivery, which was useful. As long as I read their catalogue more carefully I might order from them again next year…
It has been a struggle to access my ‘vase cupboard’ in recent weeks because the room it is in is stuffed with the contents of the back sitting room, still set up as the ‘pop-up cafe’ required for my garden openings; even so, I didn’t think I had a blue vase of the right size for these blooms and I have improvised…the vase is sismply an empty tin can, wrapped in a piece of blue card and stapled into a cylinder. It certainly does the job.
It was a real pleasure to have the pick of my cutting beds for today’s vase and I look forward to many weeks of similar abundance. Whether or not you have cutting beds or an abundance of blooms, please consider picking even just one stem from your garden and popping it into a container of some sort and sharing it with us by leaving links in the usual way…or just keep the pleasure of it to yourself if you must.
Rambling in the Garden 
Ingenious use of a tin can Cathy. A wonderful selection and variety of blooms.
No cutting bed for me but the gardeners in my village certainly came up trumps for the Flower Festival this weekend: https://daffodilwild.wordpress.com/2018/07/09/in-a-vase-on-monday-flower-festival/
It certainly makes a versatile vase, Sandra – just change the wrap!
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Wonderful deep purples and shades of, real moody blues – you are so clever. This is my short post for today’s In a Vase Monday https://wp.me/p1jkAI-3zQ
Thanks Ronnie – I think the blooms could easily have done it without me though!
The colors and the variety you display in this week’s vase are wonderful Cathy. Couldn’t resist going to Spotify and playing Moody Blues. Despite my preference for blues and purples, my garden is decidedly pink this week. Thanks for hosting.
Thanks Susie – I am very fond of some of the tracks on the greatest hits CD. Look forward to seeing what blooms you chose from your pink palette…
Looking at these color scheme is cooling me off. We are having a scorcher of a summer here in the Midwest and these colors remind me of cooler temperatures. I love that you always encourage us to look at the garden, really look, and use our imagination to create vases. That is the little garden of Magic when it comes down to it. To love it all. Today I’m sharing some things popping up in the garden that are wild and others we don’t remember planting. 🙂
https://magnoliadarjeeling.com/blog/that-wildflower-feeling. Thank you for being such a lovely host always.
Thanks MD – it does look a cooler arrangement than some, doesn’t it? Just what we need in that case! And yes, I agree that IAVOM does make us look at our gardens more closely
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Lovely blues, and definitely moody! You must be watering away to have such vibrant colours. My cutting patch is looking a bit worse for wear I’m afraid. Just about managed to pull a vase together!
https://carrotsandcalendula.co.uk/2018/07/09/in-a-vase-on-monday-spell-rain-and-time/
The cutting beds look vibrant, Ciar, dry and faded elsewhere 😦 Being environmentally responsible I am trying to water sensibly but looking round other gardens recently I can see what a difference frequent heavy watering is making
Tapestry colors of summer, the Moody Blues! Dahlias and Sages are some of my favorites. Those catalog pictures can be frustrating. It is not raining much here as well, turns my garden into the Sahara with humidity. Here is my vase http://theshrubqueen.com/2018/07/09/in-a-vase-on-monday-fruitless-effort/
Yes, I am enjoying looking at it – and I shall treat myself to a play through of the CD soon! I think the larger dahlias I thought of as ‘pompons’ are actual ‘decoratives’ but of course I am no dahlia expert!
I love the colors and would never have guessed that your vase was a tin can! How creative! It must be nice to have such abundant flower beds just for cutting! 🙂
My simple vase this week:
http://heirloomcottagegarden.weebly.com/blog/in-a-vase-on-monday-fascinated-by-herbs
I can recommend even just a small cutting bed if you can squeeze one in – mine are not huge, perhaps 4 or 5 sq metres
Your improvised vase is marvelous and works perfectly with the flower colors. You are very resourceful! My sort of vase this week is here: https://outlawgarden.blogspot.com/2018/07/sort-of-in-vase-on-monday.html
Thanks Peter – and a ‘sort of vase’ from you too…?
ooo love these dusky blue tones . My vase this week is quite the opposite ! https://gardenbook-ks.blogspot.com/2018/07/in-vase-on-monday-zinnia-season.html
Thanks Kathy. The clary sage is doing especially well this year – I wonder if it loves the heat?
The rich, dark colors are wonderful! The Moody Blues were among my favorite groups back in the day too. The dark blue Lisianthus I’d intended to use this week were incinerated during a very long, very hot weekend but I came up with alternatives: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2018/07/in-vase-on-monday-blast-furnace.html
Thanks for hosting Cathy!
Oh, what a shame about your lisianthus 😦
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Yes, a most mysterious title indeed, and gorgeous tones in your blue and purple vase, Cathy. I rather like the tiny purple pompoms of that dahlia. A glorious colour. Mine is here, and you’ll see that I went to Derbyshire and entirely failed to visit you on my return journey as time was quite tight, but hope to be down again sometime soon: https://edinburghgardendiary.com/2018/07/09/two-lavenders/
I still like the small pompons – but I did want big purple ones, which I realise now are probably classed as ‘decorative’ … Oh, and I shan’t put the kettle on and get the cake ready until there is a confirmed date on the calendar!!
I love the blues and purples, and excellent vase improvisation! I’m back this week after a long hiatus. I still was plopping flowers in vases, but I just never got around to writing about it.
http://www.thedangergarden.com/2018/07/in-vase-on-monday-im-back-not-that-i.html
Good to have you back again Amy – and pleased to hear you were still picking and plonking!
I love the colors in your vase this week! I’m still such a newbie at combining things, I made three different small arrangements this week. My post is here: http://bonneylassie.blogspot.com/2018/07/in-few-vases-on-monday.html
Thanks Alison – I have to say that most weeks there is not really much thought giving to combining things, just what at that moment I think might go well together, and then some things may get left out. I left out some Sweet William and more amaranthus this week. Oh, and mostly I try and pick in oddd numbers, but that wasn’t the case this time!
Cathy I love all the flowers of the bouquet and the vase is ingenious and looks beautiful. The blue, pink and purple colors are wonderful. I really like the Espuela de caballero, the Salvia “Oxford Blue”, all the Dahlias, the Amaranthus caudatus, the Cosmos and the leaves of Heuchera “Neptune”. And I really like blues music. Greetings from Margarita.
Glad you liked everything, Margarita!
This is a beautiful mixture, definitely the Moody Blues. I like the little pom pom though it does pay to read the description. Last year I had some which turned out to be very short and they were smothered by the tall ones. This year they have their own space. Excellent vase improvisation! I would never have known. Here is my link:
https://ablogaboutcompost.blogspot.com/2018/07/sweet-as-sugar-candy-in-vase-on-monday.html
Yes, short dahlias don’t sit well in the average border – not mine, anyway! The pompon one, thankfully, is not short so is fine where it is
What a good idea the improvised vase is…… You can change the colour to suit any arrangement. This may seem a daft question but how do I add a photo
Thanks Chrissie. To add a photo you would need to have a blog which is very easy to start up – my blog is with WordPress but there are others. If you wanted any more help just ask. Some people also post theirs on Instagram as well as on their blog but I don’t think you can link it in the same way
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Hi Cathy, what a gorgeous display, in my very favourite colour. Long time no see, I’ve been busy and I’ve missed having time to take part in this lovely meme…. But today I found time, and I’ve got homegrown yarrow in my vase today, along with snaps from a very busy day! 🙂
Good to know you have managed to squeeze a post in and hope your busy time has been something enjoyable! Welcome back!
The only improvement would have been a phonograph record, rather than a CD, but then the young people would know know what it is.
That’s true – and I may even have a Moody Blues LP in the loft…!
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Well, Cathy, I haven’t exactly got a cutting bed … that was an experiment that didn’t do well at all … so I just treat the whole garden as such and cut wherever I choose. I’ve stopped treating certain blooms as too precious to cut telling myself they’ll be back again next year. Your arrangement is beautiful – the combination of blues and purple/pinks is gorgeous. And making a ‘vase’ from a can was very creative. We’ve both been taking a trip down music lane today though I have gone for the seventies rather than the sixties. Here’s my link: https://silverscrappers.blogspot.com/2018/07/in-vase-on-monday-heat-wave.html
I am pleased you are able to cut any blooms from your garden without qualms about their preciousness now, Elizabeth – that was a hurdle for many of us IAVOMers! I used the same can many many vases ago and it was in my vase cupboard so I jumped at the opportunity to create an instant blue vase!
I love how you are on the opposite end of the color spectrum this week! You went from sunny to moody, even if it’s mostly moody purple. Here is my offering today: https://tssoutherngarden.com/2018/07/09/in-a-vase-on-monday-zinnias/ I have been awful about reading and commenting on others’ IAVOM posts lately, but I am absolutely making time this evening!
The blues were really calling me this week Terri! It can be so hard keep up with blogs sometimes but we shouldn’t beat ourselves up about it – most of us are probably in the same position
Thank you for the reassurance, Cathy! Also, it’s the same vase as above, but I guest posted on another blog today. Here’s that post: http://inspiredsoutherner.com/in-a-vase-on-monday-zinnias-and-buddleja/
Thanks for the mention in that post, Terri and I am so glad you are inspired by IAVOM – I couldn’t see anywhere to comment though
Also, I meant to say, from the top view, your arrangement has such as nice symmetrical swirl to it! Very artfully done!
Hmm, sadly not artfully – just pot luck probably!!
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Gorgeous rich colours this week, Cathy. That larkspur is a lovely blue. I grew clary sage last year – it did very well. Here’s my vase:https://acoastalplot.com/2018/07/09/in-a-vase-on-monday-cornucopia/ It feels much more autumnal than your lovely summery one. I blame the weather! Have a good week x
My (last year) larkspur seed failed so these were actually a car boot buy, mixed colours but thankfully all blue! Clary sage was one of the things I grew as a teenager so in some ways is quite old-fashioned as seed varieties were limited at the time (that makes me sound ancient!!). Interesting that you say your vase is more autumnal as I recently found myself forgetting that it was still only early summer as it feels as if it something like the end of August becauseit has been so hot for so long…!
Somewhere lurking in one of my cupboards is the ‘Days of Future Passed’ LP Cathy. It’s the first ever LP I bought purchased with my Saturday job pay. Many fond memories – of the LP, not so much the job. I was alway perplexed by the title too (maybe a reference to deja vu?) and also always puzzled by all those unsent letters mentioned in ‘Nights In White Satin’. A vase full of summer beauties. ‘Willo’s Violet’ may be small in stature but what a great colour. My late in the day vase is here : https://greentapestry.blogspot.com/2018/07/in-vase-on-monday-firstlings.html
Oh that’s a coincidence, Anna – I am definitely going to pop the CD on tomorrow and listen again, and I am fairly confident of remembering most of the lyrics, such is the way our brains work 😉 My first LP was probably Carol King’s Tapestry, soon after I started Uni. I now need to search for the larger purple ball shaped dahlia I wanted in the first place!
Wonderful colours, Cathy, thanks for sharing your beautiful Monday vase!Mine is here: https://timpingradina.blogspot.com/2018/07/in-vase-on-monday-2-colours-in-july.html
Thanks Anca
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that’s a truly lovely vase of flowers – but you know how much I love purple flowers (makes some notes what I might try in my garden). Here’s my vase – ridiculously late even for me – there’s been so much going on but all good. I’ve got purple lisianthus which won’t surprise you. Lots love Bec
Thanks Bec – today’s vase is now posted so do you want to link to that too so other people will get to see the link?
I’ve got another vase for today 🙂 I’m just finishing writing the post at the moment. I’m on a roll 😉
Whoohoo! Well done Bec!
It’s been so full on here since I got back from Australia…all good- but I’m getting going again with blogging and photography.
Well done Bec 🙂
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