We were to be away over the weekend and my Monday vase, instead of being put together on Sunday, was created on Thursday and the posy given to a friend so she could appreciate the sweet peas. It would have been a shame for their scent to languish in our absence, enjoyed only by this fairy chicken (yes, I know!) and the other contents of my chicken shelves (mostly egg cups) from whence she came.
The sweet peas are the first of the Winter Sunshine varieties to flower. Sown in October and planted out in the greenhouse in January they are bred to flower in lower light conditions – so not strictly ‘winter’, just ‘early’ – and need to be grown under cover. My neighbour, with whom I shared seeds this year, has risked planting his outside which I feel is a mistake but having emphasised that they need to be grown inside it is his choice to ignore that advice. On warmer days this last week the typical sweet pea fragrance was beginning to make itself known and as more blooms appear the working greenhouse will take over from the Coop as the scented focal point of the garden.
Fresh and delicate and colourful in appearance, some airy-fairy companions seemed appropriate partners for the sweet peas, so they were joined by Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’, recently uncovered Epimedium ‘Frohnleiten’ enjoying the exposure after having the old foliage removed, dangly Leucojum aestivum ‘Gravetye Giant’ and an ever-useful arum leaf. The arum leaf was not from the A italicum ‘Marmoratum’ outside the back door, but a smaller leaved variety that has been in the woodland edge border since its inception and which doesn’t have Marmoratum’s distinctive berries: I daresay there is a label somewhere within the clump. The blooms were temporarily popped into one of my many Caithness Glass vases before being passed onto my friend, and the chicken fairy (which presumably came with an Easter egg in tow) flew back onto her shelf.
Perhaps some of us might come up with an Easter themed vase next week? I know a certain blogger has at least one egg-shaped vase which might be shared with us on seasonal occasions such as this, but despite periodic searches on eBay I have not yet come up with one to add to my own collection. Ah well, at least I know can do something with chickens… But that’s next week – what will be in your vases today? I look forward to seeing them if you choose to share them by adding the usual links to and from this post.
Rambling in the Garden 
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Good gracious – sweet peas now! It still feels like winter out there in the icy wind. You are a magician Cathy. Your chubby fairy chicken makes me laugh – she’ll never fly will she, having eaten too much chocolate presumably.
I had a field of narcissi to play with this week: https://daffodilwild.wordpress.com/2019/04/15/celebrating-narcissi/
It is such a treat having the sweet peas now and they will go on flowering till at least the end of June when I will remove them to make space for tomatoes. They are so easy to grow as long as you have a greenhouse or similar
Amazing – I don’t have a greenhouse – or green enough fingers I suspect – so it is lovely to enjoy yours through the airways.
Glad you are enjoying mine then – although I am sure you could be as creative in your gardening as you are in other things… 😉
Creative gardening ideas are there in abundance – putting them into action and getting them to work is quite another matter! Ha!Ha!
Shame there are only 24 hours in a day!
Pingback: this week’s bouquet – in my spare time
Lovely vase! I didn’t know you could grow sweet peas in a greenhouse. What a treat to have them so early. I have never had the pleasure of growing them as I doubt they would enjoy our short springs and hot summers. How wonderful you can extend your season with a greenhouse and enjoy them twice as long. Love to hear how your neighbor’s do, who didn’t heed your advice.
I have epimedium in my bouquet too. I didn’t know it came in yellow. I’ll have to hunt for some in that color.
https://customcomforts.blog/2019/04/15/this-weeks-bouquet-18/
Perhaps this variety might be the one to try so they could flower earlier before it gets hot? If you look at Owl’s Acre website they should be able to advise you. In the UK the yellow epimediums seem to be the more readily available
Delightful sweet peas. I’m also taken with the brunnera, which I realize has failed to return in my garden. Thanks for hosting, Cathy. We’re still dealing with health issues here but taking time to participate today was good medicine.
https://pbmgarden.blog/2019/04/15/in-a-vase-on-monday-vintage-purple/
Thanks Susie, and I am glad IAVOM is aiding recovery in irs own way
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I didn’t get around to sowing the Sweet pea seeds I had left and I think they will be too old next year. The greenhouse is so full at this time of year I fear they are something I will have to do without, but I can enjoy yours although obviously not the scent which is their best feature. I’m sure your friend was very pleased with them. Here’s my link: https://myhesperidesgarden.wordpress.com/2019/04/15/in-a-vase-on-monday-dutch-irises/
Thanks for hosting.
Yes, I don’t usually sow anything more than a couple of years old either, although some of this year’s sowings are! I sometimes wonder if we could ever have ‘too big’ a greenhouse, although the old and ill-placed wooden one that was in our garden to begin with seemed too big at the time… I wouldn’t think that now though!
I really need a shade house or Lathe house like Kris, but I don’t really know where I’d put it!
Just keep it in mind as you work in the garden and one day with some lateral thinking the solution might just pop into your head…
😉
Its all about having that wonderful greenhouse of yours, where the garden fairies work their magic. That’s a lovely arrangement, and what a sweetpea! Here is my offering: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2019/04/in-vase-on-monday-rolling-stone.html
Aw, thanks Noelle – and they are such a vibrant shade of pink. There was a white bud opening the last time I looked but in total there were 10 different colours that I mixed together
Your sweet peas are so…sweet! 🙂 The last few times I attempted to grow them they didn’t do so well. The Brunnera flowers look just like Forget-me-nots!
It’s a bouquet in the snow for me again this week, but better days are coming! 🙂 I will give the Easter theme some thought…
http://yeflowerlovers.blogspot.com/2019/04/in-vase-on-monday-bouquet-in-snow.html
I give mine a bit more attention these days, siwing them earlier and potting them on befire all the goodness in the soil is exhausted – and now I am trying to remember to feed them once they are in the ground!
I feel better knowing those sweet peas came from your greenhouse. We are ending what I hope is our last really cold overnight spell. Cold enough I covered a few things and the pond froze for the first time in a week or more. Ugh. Wish spring would arrive for good here — especially after seeing your lovely vase. But I do have an offering: https://www.lindabrazill.com/each_little_world/2019/04/gbbd-4152019.html
Oh dear – poor you! Mind you, we had several frosts this last week too, although pleasantly springlike during the day – this week is looking less cold at night so perhaps we have seen the back of them…
I love sweet pras but have never grown them . My grand-dad did but in the garden . I’ve neve known sweetpeas in the greenhouse. I should look into this. They must be short and not trailing.
These are bred by Owl’s Acre – do look them up. They are climbing ones, so not short. My ordinary ones were sown at the same time in Oct and I planted them outside last week but they won’t flower for quite a few weeks yet
Lovely to see the sweet peas. I have just planted mine in the garden and hope they are not going into shock with the current cold winds and rain! As for the tulips, they are been flattened!
I planted out my outdoor ones a few days ago too, but they had already been acclimatising outside for a while
I hope you enjoyed your weekend away, Cathy. I’m envious of your sweet peas as mine are remarkably late this year. Some years they’re over and done by the end of March but this year they’re only just getting ready to bloom now (which is going to gum up the summer planting schedule in my cutting garden). Oh well, it’s just proof that we can’t second guess Mother Nature. My IAVOM post is combined with my Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day post as the 2 dates coincide again this month and here it is: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2019/04/spring-bounty-iavom-bloom-day-april-2019.html
That’s a big difference in flowering times – here the weather would only nake 2 or 3 weeks difference. These indoor ones will need to come out before I plant tomatoes, but that could be into July
Love your sweet peas Cathy, such a promise of summery things to come! My sweet pea seedlings, or rather young plants are in the process of being planted out, but it has turned very windy today, not to mention the frosts we have had every morning over the last week, so I hope they will be OK! And epimedium is another favourite. Delightful tiny flowers. Such a pretty vase. Here’s my offering this week (plus a little plea which I hope others will take on board!!) Amanda https://therunningwave.blogspot.com/2019/04/a-vase-on-monday-with-found-flowers.html
Yes, I agree, the sweet peas seem to promise so much – in the same greenhouse there are so many things that will be planted out later but my outdoor sweet peas are the only things I am confident can be planted out now. Won’t be long now, despite last week’s frosts…
Cathy your sweet peas love me. The flowers of the brunnera remind me of forget-me-nots and are divine. I really like the yellow flowers of the epimedium. The leucojum with its white flowers is wonderful. It’s a vase that I love. The fairy hen is adorable. That has good weather for gardening. Greetings from Margarita.
Yes, the brunnera flowers do like forget-me-nots and other people have said the same. The epimedium are often covered by the leaves but I have cut all the old leaves off so they can be seen
Cathy, you must have left the divine epimedium only with its new leaves that are wonderful. Greetings from Margarita.
Sweet peas already, how incredible. I have tulips for you this evening https://digwithdorris.wordpress.com
Ahah – welcome home!! The sweet peas are under cover though, Dorris – but they are a week or two earlier than the other years I have grown them
Even so I’m well impressed
😊
Oh, I cannot wait until plants start growing in my garden! Right now there is nothing, and the ground has not thawed. Your arrangement is darling especially the sweet peas! I saw a previous post in your greenhouse, how they are coming along nicely!
I wonder what I would be like if I had to wait so long for spring…definitely desperate to get going in the garden, I expect. Hope you are not waiting too much longer
Your sweet peas are so lovely. I have more than half-promised myself to learn to properly start things from seed, but this spring has still only seen my usual spindly collection of seedlings under a window. I think I need you to write a book all about it as your posts are always inspiring me to try again…
Your chicken fairy is certainly one to bring a smile!
I have been plant shopping again 😉 …: https://www.smallsunnygarden.com/2019/04/15/in-a-vase-a-harmony-of-reds/
Aw Amy, I am glad you find my posts inspiring – it is always good to be able to pass on useful things I have learned. Do you aspire to have a little greenhouse in due course?
Would love to if I could ever budget for it. It’s difficult to keep temperatures nice for plants in my kitchen! 😉
In the UK it is not difficult to find 2nd hand greenhouses available at little cost, or sometimes free to someone who will come and dismantle
The spring’flowers in your vase are pretty ( my English is school English…I’m French ☺ )
I know your blog on Pinterest. It’s very interesting.
Have a good journey.
Welcome Jacqueline, and thank you for your kind comments
Cute chicken fairy.
You got snowflake too! That is what I grow instead of snowdrop. I really don’t understand the allure of snowdrop.
No, some people don’t, but for others it helps to brighten those early months of the year
Some have told me that I would understand the allure if I were to experience a long snowy winter during which not much blooms. That is a foreign concept to me.