Today’s vase was inspired by the heart-shaped pebble found when I was bagging up the cobbles previously used around the base of the roses on the paved area to deter weeds, but recently lifted and washed. Notwithstanding its unusual shape, it is extraordinarily tactile, with the indentation perfect for curling a finger into when held closely in the hand. Recent consolidation of ‘stuff’ in the house reminded me of the existence of this Carlton Walking Ware Valentine hearts mug*, produced I think in 1986, and roped into service as a vase:
What to fill the mug with? I started with stems of Japanese flowering apricot Prunus mume ‘Beni-chidori’, still not quite open, and snipped a handful of stems of evergreen grass Carex ‘Everillo’ to accompany them before deciding on stems of Cornus sericea to support the emerging pinkness of the apricot. It wasn’t till I brought the snippings inside that I realised how well the pink and redness picked out the colour on the mug. There was no way the grass was going to stand up by itself, so glass pebbles were used to hold the stems in place.
The evergreen grass looks good in the vase and is perhaps underutilised for this purpose – definitely a resource to turn to again. Is there any in your garden that could be snipped for a vase today? With or without an evergreen grass, please share any vase you are able to create by leaving links in the usual way.
* in hindsight perhaps I could have saved the vase for mid-February…
Rambling in the Garden 
I love a good garden find, especially a rock! I like the grass, too. Happy Monday and thanks for hosting. https://theshrubqueen.com/2022/01/24/in-a-vase-on-monday-zinnia-conversion/
The cobbles are all much larger than this, so it was a real surprise to find the heart
Love, right?
Indeed 💕
Hearts are always in season..My Grands and I recently had arock painting day. Good find.
It was a lucky find, wasn’t it?
Very nice Cathy. The carex adds a softness that balances the hard stems. I love the special stone you found. https://pbmgarden.blog/2022/01/24/in-a-vase-on-monday-assemblage-and-light/
Using the grass was a shot in the dark so I am pleased it worked well, once I worked out how to stop it flopping in the vase
Inspired to try that grass and it was a success.
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What a fun ‘vase’ Cathy! The grasses look surprisingly lush and green for January, but I believe your winter has been fairly mild so far. The pebble is a nice touch. I used to find the odd fossil in my old garden, which always made me smile. I am way behind with blogs this week, but am participating anyway and hope to catch up with reading others soon. 😃 Thanks as always!
Ooh, finding fossils in your garden must have been fun! Carex are great for providing greenery in the winter and I should get more
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This is a fun vase and the story of the stone and the material are a great basis for your post this week Cathy. Evergreen grasses certainly come into their own in the winter; https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2022/01/in-vase-on-monday-never-mind-width.html
I have never thought of using these grasses before, but will certainly do so again – and I should do a recce of all possible vases in the house one of these days!!
You can bring the mug/vase out again in February, Cathy. It’s very cute! I periodically pick up heart-shaped stones here (our property was a rock quarry in the distant past). My husband is never impressed when I offer one to him, though. Here’s my post: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2022/01/in-vase-on-monday-from-exuberant-to.html
How ungrateful your husband is!! A rock quarry? Like an excavated cliff, or more like excavation from the ground itself?
Cute little vase.
Thank you 😊
I love those little feet on the vase Cathy and wonder if it might decide to walk from wherever you left and find another spot. If I shared your house I would be tempted to help it to travel. Maybe you could use the prunus in next week’s vase if the flowers have fully opened in the warmth of the house by then 😀
Haha! The prunus is just beginning to open, I am pleased to say
Flowering apricot is so pretty. I know of only one pair of old trees in San Jose. I can not imagine why it is so unpopular here, where fruiting apricot trees were one of the main orchard crops years ago. Flowering cherries, although uncommon, are somewhat popular, particularly in Japantown, but they dislike the climate. Flowering apricot might have been a better option back when the cherries were planted.
Buds on the spigs in the vase are just beginning to open now and have a detectable fragrance