Many people think of daffodils as the harbingers of spring, but we gardeners know there can be many other early spring treasures delighting us before most of the daffodils begin to emerge. Whatever we think of yellow blooms, however, there is still something pleasingly cheery about daffodils and narcissi of various types although personally, I prefer the smaller varieties and those that are – yes, I have to admit it – less yellow.
Here, the first ‘Tête-à-tête’ were opening towards the end of the week, and I have picked a few for today’s vase, adding them to a Prinknash Pottery jug with stems of Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ and Pittosporum ‘Tom Thumb’. Emphasising both their yellowness and their eagerness to flower, is a tin of Colman’s Mustard, ‘Estd. 1814’. I use this traditional English powdered mustard in the tomato chutney I make and regularly have on sandwiches or with certain meals – “Red chutney!” is my usual refrain when the Golfer sets the table and asks me what he should put out…
If you would like to join us on IAVOM with findings (yellow or not) from your garden or foraged nearby, with or without condiments, then please do so by leaving the usual links to and from this post.
Rambling in the Garden 
I enjoyed reading your post this week as always Cathy. As with my taking up the challenge a few weeks back, I may well follow with the Mustard theme next time, adding to the domino effect. Here is my IAVOM post for this week: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2024/02/in-vase-on-monday.html
I like the idea of a domino effect, Noelle!!
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I haven’t heard that expression ‘keen as mustard’ for many years Cathy, so thanks for that! 😆 Lovely contrast between the little daffs and those dark leaves. Colman’s mustard is one of the few things I still pick up when in the UK. It is far too hot for German taste. (And chutney hasn’t caught on here either!) I am allergic to chilli and paprika, so anything with mustard or black pepper in serves as a substitute for a bit of heat. 😃 Here is my vase for today. Have a good week Cathy.
That’s interesting to hear about the lack of hot mustard and chutney in Germany – what are the condiments of choice there? I am guessing pickles and fermented foods perhaps?
Oh yes, lots of pickled gherkins in all sorts of variations, and sauerkraut of course. But we do have mustard, just not so hot. And a strange sweet mustard is very popular here too.
I must look up red chutney. Sounds like something I would like. Keen as mustard must be a UK thing? I love your little jug and Tete a tete was my favorite daffodil when I lived further north. Tom Thumb is pretty with the daffs. https://theshrubqueen.com/2024/02/19/in-a-vase-on-monday-wintry-whites/
I just call it ‘red chutney’ to differentiate it from the chutney the Gofer prefers – it’s a tomato chutney recipe that I use ripe tomatoes in although it does suggest you can use green ones – I can give you the recipe if you want. I assume the ‘keen as mustard’ phrase refers to its hotness ie ‘sharp’.
Oh, that is interesting, green tomato chutney is relatively common in the South. The red I am not familiar with. I would love the recipe. Keen meaning smart or attractive or both?
In th UK keen means eager, or sharp as in a keen blade, but the phrase has origins in the 17th century (in the eager context), so way before commercial mustard. Will send the recipe when I get a moment
Thanks Cathy..I have green tomatoes at the moment.
By the time spring rolls around I love seeing yellow as it the first bright color we get usually. So I was delighted to see your beautiful yellow daffs against those dark leaves. We had about 5 days of winter with almost a foot of snow over several days with very cold wind chills and fierce winds. Even the birds stayed home and away from feeders. So my beginning bulbs that were showing signs of spring are buried. But with Valentine’s Day I received a very springy bouquet to brighten my days as the air warms this week. Hoping winter has for the most part blown itself out and we can enjoy an early spring for once….https://gardenseyeview.com/2024/02/19/in-a-vase-on-monday-love-is-in-the-air/
A foot of snow – crikey! Not unusual for you though, is it? Here, we have seen none this winter…
Not unusual.
Spring is on the way. Thanks to the yellow flowers we can all take a deep breath of fresh air and know Winter is almost….I did say almost,,,over.
Easy to get complacent!
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It’s always so cheering to see those little daffies emerging Cathy. They make you feel that spring is so near. As a child I hated the taste of mustard (one of my brothers occasionally laced the contents of my sandwiches with it just to see my reaction) but I’ve come to appreciate it over the years. I prefer a grainy French mustard 😀 There was a commercial mustard manufacturer by the name of Keen but I think that the expression is older. My vase is here : https://greentapestry.blogspot.com/2024/02/iavom-hellebore-days.html
I didn’t know about the Keen mustard manufacturer – must Google it. I don’t think my brother ever tried the mutard trick, but he did lace drinks for me and my sister with salt and pepper! 🤣 I suppose I only use mustard in cooking
Joanne from ‘In My World’ posted a photo featuring ‘Keen’s Mustard’ today Cathy 😀
Thanks for the prompt Anna – I have had a quick look and was really surprised it was very much an Australian thing
It’s Keen’s mustard, Anna, and I have a tin of it in my pantry. 😊
Lovely mix, Cathy, who could possibly resist “Tête à tête”! I always get some in pots for the garden table and plant them out afterwards, they’re such reliable performers. I love yellow but my vase is white 😉 https://personaleden.wordpress.com/2024/02/19/in-a-vase-on-a-monday-visit-to-the-fairies/ Wishing you both a good week!
I suppose I like all sorts of miniature things – these just seem so perfect.
So do I! Time to shrink, Beverley Nichols used to say ☺️
Oh yes…sigh, I must re-read him soon… 😉
That phrase is new to me, Cathy 😉 I do like yellow but I admit that a little can go a long way. I prefer the smaller, multi-flowered Tazetta Narcissi myself. Some of mine flowered in January, only to have their faces planted in mud during our heavy rains. The larger flowered varieties seem to be waiting out these atmospheric rivers so there are no daffodils in my arrangements but I do have quite a few early bloomers to offer: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2024/02/in-vase-on-monday-rhapsody-in-blue.html
It’s always interesting to hear other about people’s tastes in different things – the world would be a very different place if we all liked the same things!!
Love this. The dark vase and pittosporum create a dramatic arrangement with your selected yellow daffodils. Daffodils excepted, I’m not a big fan of most yellow flowers either Cathy. Thanks for hosting. https://pbmgarden.blog/2024/02/19/in-a-vase-on-monday-some-first-daffodils/
The pittosporum is too useful a foliage plant to ignore for vases. It’s so strange about yellow, as there are shades of it that I find perfectly acceptable – like the yellow of some rudbeckias for example
‘Tete a Tete’ seems to be the flavor of the year. I just mentioned that somewhere else. Does it stand up to weather better than those with larger flowers, such as the formerly common ‘King Alfred’? I remember ‘King Alfred’ from when I was a kid. However, mustard bloomed much more abundantly and about the same time. It was a naturalized cover crop in the orchards, so was everywhere!
I suppose being a short variety it is probably better able to stand up to it weather, but I have never grown King Alfred so I can’t really compare them
Oh, ‘King Alfred’ is awesome! However, even here, it flops into the mud. It works better in crowded colonies, but that takes time, and some of us tend to divide crowded clumps.
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Daffodils are a sentimental favourite of mine as they were my Mum’s favourite flower. As for the mustard, we have Keen’s mustard here in Australia. I’ll update and add a photo for you into my contribution for this week ~ https://homelifeonlineblog.com/2024/02/19/in-a-vase-on-monday-3/
I love your mustard prop this week. It’s the perfect accompaniment for your mini daffodils. Your Pittosporum looks so different from ours. I like using it in a vase as well.
It just seemed the right colour – I did wonder if I could fit the stems in the tin and use it as a vase, but the scale wasn’t right. The mustard tin I am currenetly using the contents of is a larger size, so in the future that may be an option
I will stay tuned.
I do love Colman’s mustard myself! Not to mention small yellow daffodils! 😉 They are set off so nicely by the dark foliage. I keep hunting for good plants with dark leaves that will grow well here, but they are scarce. Silvery leaves come a-plenty for desert growing, but not dark red or purple, it seems.
I’ve actually posted a vase for the first time in so long… I’ve lost all track. Here are some spring blooms from my garden: https://smallsunnygarden.substack.com/p/in-a-vase-spring-in-yellow-and-white
P.S. Thank you for still being here with this inspiring theme–I’ve missed it!
Shame the pittosporum would not work for you, Amy, as it is such a useful plant and grows into a lovely informally rounded bush – athough I could do with giving ours a light trim (need to check out when to do it). It’s lovely to have you back and now joining us on IAVOM again – I have thought of you often and wondered how you and your sister are doing
I have been trying to comment on your post, Amy, but have been unable to do. It wanted me to update my profile and although I didn’t really want a ‘profile’ I put something in each box and worked out that it also wanted an image which I managed to do. When I click on ‘save and post’ it just comes up with the ‘no entry’ symbol and ticking or unticking the ‘subscribe to newsletter’ makes no difference. Any suggestions?
Hmm, that’s confusing. And no, there shouldn’t be any need for a photo or anything like that–nor even for a profile. I’ve sent an email to what appears to be your current subscription address… or have I got that wrong? Please do check all possible spots for it, as the posts sometimes end up in odd places, obviously including Spam folders! If it’s not going through, I’ll go the opposite route and give you my current blog email here. It’s easy for me to correct manually, if that is the difficulty. ❤
Very pretty
Pure loveliness; especially with the mustard for color reference. 🙂
Thanks Beth