When I set off into the garden yesterday to pick materials for today’s vase, I fully expected to come back with a little posy and certainly not a bunch, Winter not being quite as generous in her offerings as other seasons of the year are.
I had clocked the presence of berries on a symphoricarpos (snowberry) growing in the hedge outside the back door, and these were my planned starting point for this week. I noted our local garden centre had about 3 different varieties of this on sale recently, smothered in pretty berries but, from my experience of trying to dig it out of the hedgeside some years back, when I christened it ‘the Devil’s plant’, it’s not a plant I would risk deliberately choosing. My efforts to remove it and its wayward roots failed, but at least now that it appears to be part of the hedge itself it does regularly attempt a peace offering of its berries, albeit sparse. Emphasising their subtle pinkness (below right), the last lingering blooms of a young Leycesteria formosa were added to the developing bunch, along with spent heads of Viburnum tinus (the latter two below left):
The viburnum is growing at the base of the hedge with the symphoricarpus, and the spent heads of the viburnum were included as an afterthought to accompany its pink-tinged fresh blooms. The leafy viburnum added bulk to the bunch but after adding stems of Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ for its redness I couldn’t resist also cutting a handful of stems of ever-useful Pittosporum ‘Tom Thumb’, adding even more colour and bulk. The now sizeable handful was placed in a newly acquired (from the ‘tip shop’, a charity shop at our local recycling centre) vase with a practical fluted rim.
Watching over the proceedings and clutching her own little posy is my little push-up flower fairy, trying not to look envious of my larger bunch. Whether you have a posy or bunch or single stem, please join us on IAVOM with a vase or jar of your own, leaving links to and from this post .
Next week is Christmas Day, but it is also a Monday and I shall still be posting a vase, probably with minimal text, but may not be responding to any comments immediately. As always, you are welcome to join me.
Rambling in the Garden 
I love your little fairy and she has made me smile today! I’m going to buy a purple pittosporum for the glossy winter foliage. I love the winter flowering viburnum and have Eve Price in the back garden and a new variety in the front. Have a lovely day Cathy. Here’s my contribution, actually flowers from last week of November but thought it would be useful for people to see how I overwinter my dahlias. All the best.Karen x
I heartily recommend Tom Thumb, which is a relatively compact and shapely variety. I tried to get Eve Price when I was looking for a viburnum but it was out of stock – shouls have waited, perhaps, or looked further afield…
I am grateful for any kind of flowers at this time of year, Cathy…
Yes, they are precious, aren’t they?
Always, Cathy… 💖
Oh that’s a veritable handful of attractive blooms, berries and foliage Cathy. I curse my physocarpus (gifted by my parents) daily. It should have come with a government health warning and is fully deserving of your nickname for it! My vase is here : https://greentapestry.blogspot.com/2023/12/iavom-in-pink.html
Thans you, Anna – will you try or have you tried to remove the physocarpus? Or perhaps it holds some memories because of the links with your parents…
The flower fairy looks quite taken with your bouquet. I love foliage and berries in a wonderful combination. And December flowers! Tom Thumb is my UK favorite. I have several devilish plants I have given up getting rid of. Thank you for hosting. https://theshrubqueen.com/2023/12/18/in-a-vase-on-monday-catching-the-christmas-bus/
Thanks Amelia – I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of my gatherings, and especially the way the vase helps them splay out. The vase was definitely worth the £1 I paid for it! I a off to catch your bus now…! 🤣
I like the splayed vases, too. And the bargains..
This is my kind of bunch. Very nice and really colorful.
I absolutely love the colors of this vase and those pink berries. Thinking similarly I created a vase with pink berries too. I will pop in for Christmas but probably without a vase. Perhaps Boxing Day I will have a vase. Not sure. Thank you for a year of inspiration and flowers. My vase is a holiday vase this week as Sunday and Monday (24th and 25th) will be busy here as we are hosting neighbors both days. https://gardenseyeview.com/2023/12/18/in-a-vase-on-monday-holly-jolly/
Thank you Donna. How kind of you to host neighbours on both days – we often ask people we know who are on their own if they want to join us, but mostly they say no. so it will just be the two of us. I will make my vase the day before and schedule it, but that’s what I do every Monday!
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A lovely wintery bouquet! My contribution this week: https://wp.me/p3O3z4-395
Thanks Eliza
Beautiful arrangement. I love berries in any arrangement. They add such a point of interest. I was able to gather more evergreen this week to take part in the IAVOM. I will leave a link.
Thanks, even just a few berries can add an extra something, can’t they?
The rich foliage dotted with the pink berries are lovely Cathy. Isn’t it rewarding when you discover and assemble such a nice harvest? Thanks for hosting. https://pbmgarden.blog/2023/12/18/in-a-vase-on-monday-still-life-with-calla-lily/
Thanks Susie, and yes, I was really surprised with the result of putting together the material I had collected
Yes, itt turned out great.
I love your pink berries and the pink fairy fits the bill as the perfect companion. Flower power is slim even here in sunny, warm Southern California. However, there are clouds this morning so maybe we’ll actually get a bit of rain as predicted. Thanks for hosting, Cathy! Here’s my post: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2023/12/in-vase-on-monday-as-good-as-flowers.html
You must have fingers permanently crossed for rain, Kris!!
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This looks such a very elegant vase. Lovely accents and colours. I always love seeing pittosporum in arrangements. It’s the slight crinkle to the leaf edge I think? Happy Christmas Cathy!
Here is my vase/wreath: https://wp.me/pM8Y1-91n
Thanks Allison, and it still looks good a week later – I agree about the pittosporum too
I am joining you late in the day, and will enjoy viewing all the other vases in spare moments over the next few days. Tom Thumb in the story was small, but in your vase it towers over the cutest of small fairies. I love the generous nature of your arrangement Cathy. Wishing you the happiest of times over the next couple of weeks, and I shall hopefully be joining you on Christmas Day. Here is my vase this week: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2023/12/in-vase-on-monday-group-activity-at-our.html
And I am a week behind with comments Noelle 😉 Thanks for your good wishes and I hope your Christmas preparations went well too.
Mr S caught flu, not covid, and now I have succumbed, my birthday festivities will be postponed to some time next year!
Oh no, Noelle, what a shame. I hope neither of you have been stricken down too severely and between you can manage to get by and look after each other…
Your comment about “the devils plant” is relatable. I think we all struggle with one or two in our garden. That said, you’ve created a lovely winter vase using what’s on hand. Merry Christmas.
I have snow berry growing through my hedge. It is a bit of a brute and the worst thing about it is that the foliage all dies back in the winter leaving big bare patches in the hedge. I’m trying to smother it out with other things but so far not very successfully 🙂
Yes, it can be quite scrubby, can’t it? Here, the hedge has thickened out with other things now so we don’t get the gaps we used to
I imagine it is, Tony
Is Symphoricarpos native? Symphoricarpos albus is native here, and I happen to like the white berries, but it does not make enough berries to be planted intentionally.
Your vases are always so inspiring: The berries add magic to the arrangement. I hope to join in the meme soon. Thanks for hosting!
I think after all these years I have got better at thinking out of the box and looking for opprtunities I might have missed in the early days – and I think it’s the same for most of those who contribute to IAVOM
Love the snowberry Cathy! I hope to have something for next Monday now I’m back home. 😃
I do agree the snowberry is pretty, Cathy, but that’s where my admiration stops!!