Caught out yet again by the sudden descent towards darkness, I had to quickly pluck a few things from the garden to make a posy for my lift-giver to choir early last week. Having been working in the greenhouse, I snipped a few blooms from the overwintering Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’ and plucked greenery from some ivy on the way back to the house. Back inside with my cup of ta and cake, I found my friend had messaged me to say she was unwell and not going after all, so the posy was no longer required. Rather than keep it in its interim jam jar, I sought a vase with a degree of sultriness to match the dark moodiness of the salvia blooms and deep green of the ivy and its curious flowers, coming up trumps with a blue hyacinth vase.
The end result was so pleasing, the deep colours of the ivy and the vase emphasising the mysticism of the salvia, that I decided to replicate it for today; equally dark and mystical is the lapis luzuli sphere that accompanies it as a prop.
With many parts of the UK experiencing the first frost of the season, some of us may suddenly find it harder to fill our Monday vases; seasoned IAVOM contributors know, however, that they don’t have to be filled with fresh blooms, but also twigs, branches, grasses and all sorts of dried material – and vegetables! Please do join us, and leave links to and from this post so we can see what inspiration you have found to create your own vase. Watch out also for the next virtual meeting of our blogging community – yesterday evening, a small group of us met virtually for the third time, enjoying a friendly chat on a range of garden matters and a short talk by one of the group.
Rambling in the Garden 
You nailed this one Cathy! I am drawn in by the rich brooding colors. Great to meet up yesterday from afar. Thanks for hosting and have a good week. https://pbmgarden.blog/2023/11/27/in-a-vase-on-monday-november-jolt/
Thanks Susie – I still find it surprising how much darker the salvia looks against the ivy. I really enjoyed it yesterday too and, just like IAVOM, feel it’s a privilege to host the get-togethers
Such deep and intense blues Cathy – a definite touch of the moody blues. The ivy flowers are just the right foil for those blue shades. It’s so easy to forget how early the darkness comes down at this time of year! At least in less than a month’s time we will be heading back to the light 😂 I really enjoyed yesterday’s virtual get together and look forward to the next time. My vase is here :
https://greentapestry.blogspot.com/2023/11/iavom-return-of-spider.html
Thanks Anna – I will try and remember this combination for future occasions, and my hyacinth jars too! I noticed how dark it was in the morning today too Anna, perhaps exacerbated by the drizzle that has persisted all day. I am always aware too of how soon the days will lengthen again, and to me the winter never seems as long as others might think it is. I agree, such a friendly get-together 👍
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That deep blue Salvia is quite bewitching – love the blue vase and prop too. I have resorted to dried materials this week. Really enjoyed hearing everyone’s gardening memories yesterday and look forward to another virtual meeting in the spring. 😃
Thanks Cathy – it wasn’t the most inspiring prop, but it fitted the brief to a degree and saved me thinking any further! Good to know you are planning another Week of Flowers – must read your post to check when it starts. I was quite exhausted when we finished yesterday – the responsibility of hosting, I expect!! 🤣
Beautiful vase. I love the sphere you included to reflect the colors back again.
Thank you – I have a lot of crystals, so can usually find something to suit if I am short of ideas for a prop! 😉
That is a sultry salvia. So dark and perfect for this time of year. Love that Lapis sphere with it. My vase is a gift from a friend and perfect for our Thanksgiving holiday that just passed. https://gardenseyeview.com/2023/11/27/in-a-vase-on-monday-being-thankful/
Thanks Donna – and I am pleased the US contributors to our meeting last night were able to spare some of their Thanksgiving weekend 😉
I love Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’ but mine doesn’t look half as good as yours, Cathy. Thanks again for putting our virtual meeting together yesterday and my apologies for exiting at the mid-point to get on the road for another commitment. Here’s my post, prepared on Saturday as my sunday was full: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2023/11/in-vase-on-monday-goodbye-emanuelle-and.html
I was really pleased you were still able to join us for the first half, Kris, and hope you didn’t have to rush too much to get to your next venue. I am hoping the salvia will perform for me next year too, as this is the plant I was given by the local park’s team of gardeners, when I inquired about what they did with their displays
I can just imagine you gardening in the twilight Cathy, and looking for something to arrange. ‘Sultry’ is poised against her backdrop as a muse would be, ready to be painted into immortality. And then you sat down and set up the meeting, where people from far flung places joined to share early gardening memories. I had chicken out of posting a vase until I read your post Cathy, and with the encouragement, I went down to take a picture of my ‘sticks’:https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2023/11/in-vase-on-monday-sticks.html
Usually 4.00 is my cut off time whatever the tme of year as that means it’s time for tea and cake, but if there is something I want to finish I will stay out longer, so I can tick it off my list 😉 I had my laptop set up ready well in advance of the meeting time, to ensure I wasn’t hampered by slow internet or the need for an update. It was a good evening 👍So glad you felt motivated to post a vase today after all ps I posted (by Evri) your colouring book yesterday
Nice deep blues and greens, I had forgotten about the fruit on ivy. I gave my Mystic Spires the Chelsea chop a couple of weeks ago and it is coming back nicely.
Hmm, that’s interesting. The lower stems of mine are quite woody, so when I cut my salvias back in spring (usually to the lowest emerging shoots) I am not sure how far to cut this one back..
I cut these back to about 2-3 inches and they have grown back about 6 or 8 inches now after rain and a few doses of fertilizer. The oldest one (almost 3 years) is fading away, I think.
Gosh, that’s really quick – and you clearly get new shoots growing from the base. Are your plants thick and woody at their base?
I think so, too. I looked and there are up to about half inch woody stems at the base. Growing like this in December still seems peculiar to me. The white salvias I cut back are going great guns as well.
I will be interested to see how low down mine starts shooting next year – and with rooted cuttings I always make a point of pinching them back frequently
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Lovely blues. S. ‘Mystic Spires’ does have a great atmosphere about it. I used to collect Neal’s Yard lotion bottles to get that same translucent dark blues of your vase. The gem stone sphere echoes the ivy seed heads wonderfully too!
it’s a gorgeous salvia and perfectly matches the lapis blue sphere. And I always love the seed heads of Ivy. I’m picking some now in the hedgerows to practice my Christmas wreath-making. Here’s my vase this week featuring heritage chrysanthemums from the unheated poly tunnel. https://bramblegarden.com/2023/11/27/in-a-vase-on-monday-12/
I have been too busy to catch up on posts and comments this week, so I am late visiting your vase… Hope your Mum is doing OK, and you too
Thank you Cathy. Xx
Ivy bloom gets more respect in other regions. It gets ignored here, and is associated with overgrown ivy.
And yet in the right place overgrown ivy is a beautiful thing…
Yes, in pictures from other gardens. I happen to like it as a ground cover. The problem is that it does not stay on the ground. It climbs so high into the redwoods that we can not get it down.
Ah, salvias are a plant I am very familiar with! They grow very well in my subtropical garden and it’s an advantage that if they look “leggy”, I can cut them right back and they regrow again in no time at all. Your salvias and vase are a perfect match.
My contribution for this week is here – https://homelifeonlineblog.com/2023/11/27/in-a-vase-on-monday-desdemona/
That must be a real asset, as salvias can get so leggy here – perhaps I should trim mine more than once, to help them bush out
They get leggy here as well, and trimming them more often will definitely help bush them out and keep them tidy. Good luck! 🙂
Thanks – I have certainly regularly pinched out the ones I am currently growing form cuttings, to give them as bushy a start as possible
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