A glorious winter’s day, perfect for gardening, was foreshortened by a late start before being curtailed by increasing cloud cover and light showers. With the wisteria pruned, I continued with the rejuvenation of one of the bold borders, a task abandoned a couple of weeks ago in favour of more pressing Christmas plans, before realising in the rapidly fading light that Monday was going to be vaseless if I didn’t do something about it quickly.
In fact, it is still ‘vaseless’, as you can see – drawing on my encouragement to other bloggers to think out of the box for their Monday contributions by doing so myself we have instead a cheap gold tray from Lidl with a dried pomegranate and a sprig of holly, sitting on a Christmas tablecloth. I don’t know whose tree the holly came from – it was a struggle to get berries from our crown-lifted tree for our front door wreath and even so the few berries were each held singly on their stem, unlike this little sprig with its huge cluster which must have blown in from the prunings of someone else’s.
If you can squeeze the time out of your busy Monday then do please think out of the box and share some pickings or foraged material with us; as well as brightening the day for other bloggers and giving them ideas they can use themselves it will undoubtedly bring pleasure into your own life too.
Rambling in the Garden 
It’s lovely to see things in close up and appreciate them. I love a vase stuffed full as well as the next person, but I also enjoy the seasons and how we have to look harder in winter. I love going through the seasons with IAVOM with people who look closely! We have a holly hanging over from next door but the berries are tantalisingly out of reach. I wonder where your’s came from? Here is my contribution: https://ablogaboutcompost.blogspot.com/2019/12/on-door-on-monday.html
It’s odd, as both sprigs I found in the garden were cut short so perhaps they were not actually prunings but from out of a wreath or similar that the wind had pulled apart? We never used to have a problem with our own variegated holly until we crown-lifted it, unless the redwings got there first!
I agree with Alison…the less we have, the more we appreciate simplicity and the intricacy of the natural world. All is calm after the winds: pleased you have managed to get jobs done in the garden Cathy. Dried pomegranates never thought or seen them before: quite beautiful. My contribution: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2019/12/in-vase-on-monday-all-is-calm.html
I dried this pomegranate a couple of years ago, Noelle after seeing one of another blogger’s IAVOM post – it dried really successfully which to me is a better outcome than eating it!
I love that golden tray and it’s seasonal still life! So rich and really rather opulent! I didn’t manage a vase this week I’m afraid – for a number of reasons – but I have come up with another floral offering which I hope you and fellow IAVOM contributors will enjoy! Amanda https://therunningwave.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-substitute-vase-on-monday.html
The tray was heavily reduced (50p perhaps) and very much an impulse buy but I have used it before on IAVOM and I know I will use it again – it’s ideal for Christmassy non-vases!
Simply perfect Cathy! Have a happy week.
Thanks Susie – simple, but pleasing, and ideal for a busy week although this one will not be as hectic as last. It’s garden things I want to get done this week and no longer Christams stuff!
I like dried pomegranates better than fresh and I wish I had one of those gold trays, very lovely and seasonal combination.. holly berries can be so variable, I guess we are relying on bees for abundant fruit. Here is my ‘vase’, Happy Monday and thank you for hosting. http://theshrubqueen.com/2019/12/16/in-a-vase-on-monday-holiday-bus-again/
I prefer the dried to the fresh pomegranate too! I am guessing the holly was a spefically prolifically fruiting variety
Seems odd to like dried version, I like the taste of Pomegranate but not all the seeds.
Good one.
Thank you FR
Perfect in its simplicity, Cathy. Thanks, as always, for hosting, even as the picking get slim. My own vase this week (just one!) was the result of a bit of a scavenger hunt: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2019/12/in-vase-on-monday-something-little.html
Scaveniging is a good discipline at this time of year, I think, Kris!
Hello Cathy, apologies for being missing over the last few weeks – the weather has been very much against me and I admit to getting older too. I commend your ‘vase’ today … it’s imaginative and the holly berries are lovely. The gold tray sets them and the pomegranate of perfectly – very festive too. My offering this week is in complete contrast – here’s the link: https://silverscrappers.blogspot.com/2019/12/in-vase-on-monday.html
Cathy I love your tray: it has a lot of Christmas with the fabulous holly and the pretty dried pomegranate. It’s perfect. As with either and with such good work you can prepare such divine things. Greetings from Margarita.
Time poverty sometimes brings inspiration, Margarita! Hope you have a good week
Cathy has brought you a lot of inspiration! Have a great week too. Greetings from Margarita.
Glad to read that you were able to enjoy some time in the garden yesterday Cathy. It always seems more precious if you can at this time of year. I like the reds and green against the gold – a really festive offering. The contents of my vase have seen better days but I still thought that they looked pretty :https://greentapestry.blogspot.com/2019/12/in-vase-on-monday-golden-brown.html
Having got the bulk of Christmas stuff out of the way I have set myself the task of emptying that bold border this week (and preparing for the next stage). The middle of February seems frighteningly close and perhaps I shouldn’t have started this yet – AND there are too many winter flowering things beginning to appear…
Hi Cathy, I could have sworn I left a comment earlier but it seems to have disappeared without trace. Apologies for not being around much these last few weeks – getting out into the garden hasn’t been easy. I really enjoyed your ‘vase’ with a difference and the holly is lovely – wherever it came from. We have two very young holly bushes but no sign of berries on either one. I suspect we have two males. If so, something will have to be done. My vase couldn’t be more different from yours – here’s the link: https://silverscrappers.blogspot.com/2019/12/in-vase-on-monday.html
I have just been checking my spam comments and found two from you lurking there – it’s a long time since I have had to retrieve any genuine comments. It explains why your comments seemed to just ‘disappear’. Hope you had an enjoyable festive season and are able to get out in the garden again
Great idea! It doesn’t have to be complicated to be beautiful. Happy Holidays!
Simple and stunning! I love it.
Neat.
Sorry it seems ages since I joined you Cathy.
If I wasn’t hosting I might not be posting either! I know it’s a difficult time of year for you Dorris, and my thoughts are with you x
That one is so simple, I could almost do it. I am not so artistic that way though. Someday . . . I will do a vase.
Look forward to it Tony – but I am sure you could also plonk a few flowers in a vase if you wanted to 😉 But why not just go on looking at other people’s IAVOM instead?
That is all I do . . . is looking at what others do. Besides, theirs are prettier than what I would do. I can grow just about any flower, but beyond that, I really don’t know much about what to do with them.
But you are generous with your plant knowledge, Tony
Knowledge ain’t always pretty. Someday, when work settles out, I will get a picture of something, maybe with fruit it it! Oh, I just thought of something! Oh, . . . yes, I will be back someday with that one!