Hath not old custom made this life more sweet (Shakespeare, As You Like It)
In no way had I envisaged today’s vase, but my journey to the bottom of the garden, secateurs in hand, was cut short by the sweet smell of Choisya dewitteana ‘White Dazzler’ which reached my nostrils as I stepped through the back door, despite being a good 10 metres away. This choice shrub was all but smothered in the aromatic blooms, much like its early summer offering, and certainly not what one would expect on a damp November day. Bewitched by the fragrance, I chose to enhance it by adding a stem of the adjacent Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’, itself smothered in puffy pink pompoms, and with just a few more steps plucked a choice bloom of Rosa ‘Olivia Rose Austin’ to complete the posy. The blooms were stripped off their lower foliage and conditioned in hot water, before being placed in a small glass cuboid vase, needing no further embellishment other than a few of the Golfer’s sweets.
Searching my dictionary of quotations (sometimes books are still better than the internet!) for a reference to prompt an appropriate title, ‘fragrance’ drew a blank, but ‘sweet’ provided the quote from Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’, which in view of IAVOM’s impending anniversary seemed especially apt. The nine year old weekly custom of finding material in my garden to cut and put in a vase has certainly made my life more sweet.
Next Monday is the ninth anniversary of the meme, and as usual I am offering a challenge, just a small one, but this year with a twist. The vase challenge is to create a hand-held posy, but the twist is to join me in a virtual Zoom get-together at 17.00 GMT the day before, Sunday 13th November, with or without a hand-held posy. If you would like to join in let me know in a comment, and I will forward the link to the email address linked to your blog, probably a few days before. I know who the regular participants (with or without vases) are and hopefully will not need to limit numbers. Don’t know about you, but I am both excited and a little apprehensive about the event!
My anniversary blog post on Monday will go ahead as usual, so please join in with the usual links, just as you can do today.
Rambling in the Garden 
I do love this posy with the rose at its centre. Has the Choisya flowered before at this time of the year? Its foliage is lovely too so a great plant. Yes I would love to join you. Here is my arrangement: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2022/11/in-vase-on-monday-early-november.html
Thanks Noelle – it’s so un-Novembery, isn’t it? The choisya usually has a few random flowers out of its normal season, but never as many as this. I have noted your name as a participant 👍
Pingback: In a Vase on Monday: Heavenly Blue | Words and Herbs
A gorgeous rose Cathy, and both the Viburnum and Choisya must complement the scent wonderfully. Ooh, how exciting! I have never used zoom before but will practice this week and would love to participate. And I will plan for the challenge too… Here is my vase (well, two actually). Have a great week!
The choisya fragrance is astonishing, Cathy, and I can smell it as soon as I come into the kitchen. Good to hear you plan to join us for the get-together 👍
Oh such a pretty vase Cathy. I didn’t realise that choisyas can flower now and scent too is a great bonus. I also have a dictionary of quotations lurking in my bookshelves which I should bring out more often. I’m not sure whether my clumsy fingers will rise to next week’s challenge but I can certainly participate in the twist and look forward to meeting some blogging friends. I have a rose in my vase this week too which is here : https://greentapestry.blogspot.com/
Having a few late flowers is normal, but mine has beyond a few this year. It’s lovely to find a perfect rose to pick, isn’t it, as in this damp weather they are so easily weather damaged
Your vase is a visual delight and I can almost imagine the fragrance it carries. The rose is perfect. I’m excited to join next week! https://pbmgarden.blog/2022/11/07/in-a-vase-on-monday-savory-and-tang/
Thanks Susie, today’s vase certainly came as a surprise to me! Your name is on the list 😊
If only fragrance carried over Zoom, Cathy! Olivia Rose Austin is the perfect centrepiece to your pretty bunch this week. I would love to join you, but I think 1700 GMT is 3.30am here, so I think this pregnant lady will be tucked up in bed! I’m sure it will be a fun occasion for those who participate 🙂
My bunch this week is also fragrant:
https://plantaholicoz.blogspot.com/2022/11/in-vase-on-monday-sweet.html
Have fun and hi to everyone from me in Australia
Horticat
Yes, I’m sorry about that. I did try and work out if there was a time that might work for Europe, North America and Australia too, but unsuccessfully. If possible I will record it and let you have a link to that, if you like. Today’s vase is so unexpected, as it could easily have been June, but not for the viburnum perhaps, although it does have random blooms throughout the year
All good, I think it’s pretty impossible to choose a time that suits everyone. It would be lovely to see a recording if possible. Thanks Cathy 🙂
You are welcome 👍
Today’s arrangement is both beautiful and unexpected, Cathy – even here in usually sunny Southern California, roses are hard to come by in November. I will try to make it to the Zoom call. 17:00 GMT translates to 9am PST. It’d be fun to see many of you, if only virtually.
Here’s my post: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2022/11/in-vase-on-monday-fall-flowers.html
We can get random roses well into November and even December, but they are usually a bit worse for wear because of the weather – this one is so perfect. I realised the Zoom meeting would be early for you, but hope you can still make it. If it is a success we can always reconsider times for the future
Pingback: Phloral Arrangements – Monday in a Vase/Bejeweled – MINDING MY P'S WITH Q
Your arrangement is lovely. I can almost smell the fragrance here in New Jersey. I love Werther’s and carry them in my purse. Delicious. I will try to make a hand-held posy, not sure of the zoom though, I have yet to take part in a “Zoom.” I’m afraid I am a bit of a dinosaur.
Thank you – it seems astonishing to have fragrance like this in November, but any late-flying insects will love the blooms that are attracting them with it. I can understand why you might be reticent to try Zoom, but can assure you it is very easy. Clicking on the link I wil send should take you straight there and as a newbie the important thing is to remember to allow sound and video camera. I will send you the link anyway, and then you can decide when the time comes
Thanks, at this point, I have a return address label over my computer camera. I’ll have to see if I can pry it off…lol.
So pleased you are willing to give it a go – and please do share your name with us…?
Of course, I am a Kathy too…
Good to have aname – thank you Kathy! 😊
link text
Hope this link works…first time trying it this way.
How pretty and congrats are in order. Nothing in my garden to share but would like to join in your visit.
A, thanks Beverley – you are added to my list of participants. Perhaps there might be something else gardening related you might want to share?
I am in an almost complete revamp…lot of digging out so I can put in more cut flowers next Spring. Day lilies just don’t make good cut flowers to share .
After scrolling up and down looking for the rose, and also looking for what you had to say about the peony, I put it all together. Oops! Well, it is a delightful rose.
Haha – I was really puzzled when you mentioned ‘peony’ but then realised what you were saying… 🤣
Well, my roses are mostly hybrid tea roses, with a few floribundas and maybe grandifloras, so there is nothing of that form.
Beautiful combination of flowers and foliage, and I love the vase, too. I have one like it. Congrats on the meme anniversary! I’ll have to check the schedule re: the Zoom. Good idea. 🙂
Pleased to hear you might give the get-together a go, Beth
That Olivia rose is simply gorgeous. I have several choysias, but not that one, so will look out for a shrub. I’ve been driving around seeing them in full flower in front gardens around here. A beautiful posy. And I bet the scent is gorgeous. I would love to take part in the zoom, if you have space for me. Here’s my bouquet for the week. I think it will be just leaves and twigs next week as we have had two ground frosts. However, it’s turned very mild again. Weird weather indeed. https://bramblegarden.com/2022/11/07/november-flowers-for-my-mum/
This choisya has a really good reputation – and was highly rated by Bob Brown, which is where I first heard of it. I shall add you to my list for Sunday, Karen, and look forward to seeing you again
Yes please Cathy. Will you e mail the link please. Xx
Wow, such a pretty pink rose. I thought it was a Camellia and perfectly in season, not so much. It seems choysias should grow here yet I have never seen or smelled one, sounds wonderful Please send me a link, I would love to virtually meet the IAVOM group. We are in the midst of a potential late season hurricane here, so hopefully the internet will be up.
At this time of the year any rose blooms tend to much smaller than usual – but still welcome. Of course it’s not always easy to judge the scale of a vase – this one will be around 8 or 9″ at the most. I shall add you to my list 👍
Thank you..
Nine years? Brava! I can’t remember a before IAVOM
Me neither (well, hardly!) 😊
Pingback: Flowers from my garden- a week later…. | Bramble Garden