Tuesday, September 21, 2010

September Monthly Garden Bouquet

The usual excuses popped into my head this month when I thought about collecting a bouquet.

...We've had a cold spell these last couple weeks so nothing wants to bloom...

...I haven't really got a flower garden to pick from...

But I did find some lovely green glass vases at the yard sales this past weekend (3 of them for just one dollar!) so excuses be damned and outside I went into the yard, determined to find something to put in them.
This vase is rather small in stature, only about 6 inches high, so only a tiny bouquet was necessary.  I picked a sprig of ornamental grass and a couple flowers of Darwin's Blue Speedwell and my bouquet was complete.

The ornamental grass was a gift from a neighbour this past spring.  He wasn't sure of it's parentage but it spreads like a demon so I was advised to keep it in a container.  Unfortunately I don't have any containers large enough to hold it so it got plunked into a bed where it's grown 6 fold.  I'll have to figure out a better plan for it in the spring.

Two Darwin's Blue Speedwell were purchased at a garden centre in July.  They had been cut back to only a couple inches high and I hadn't expected to see any growth until next year but to my surprise they have settled in and the plants are now a foot high and covered in blossoms.  I hadn't realized the plants would be quite so small when I bought them, I was hoping they were taller but I can't complain too much because the blooms are very sweet and the bees just can't get enough of them.
I'd like to thank Noelle @ Ramblings from a Desert Garden for creating this meme.  Every month I'm challenged to come up with a new bouquet despite the fact that I haven't yet established a formal garden (or even a garden bed for that matter!) in our new property.  I often feel like there isn't much going on in our yard and this exercise always proves me wrong.  And each month I am rewarded with a lovely bouquet for my home.  Not to mention it indulges my passion for collecting vases!

12 comments:

Noelle Johnson said...

Hello Marguerite,

I love this bouquet. I love the beautiful shape and simplicity. I do have a preference for flowers borne on spikes. Thank you so much for participating :-)

Northern Beauty Seeker said...

Hi Marguerite, I love the simplicity and colour of this bouquet. The speedwell is gorgeous - and dainty. :)

Diana Studer said...

Might be fun to share your collection of vases?

Marguerite said...

Noelle, thank you for providing the opportunity to push myself to make a beautiful bouquet when I wouldn't bother otherwise.

Ms. S - The speedwell really is pretty isn't it? I like how the tops of the flowers tend to curl

Diana - Thus far the collection of vases is small as we sold most everything when we moved east. But what a great excuse to find 'new to me' vases.

Balisha said...

Hi Marguerite...
Even with an established garden..it is hard to come up with a bouquet sometimes. Through this project, I have learned that I need to plant more "bouquet" type flowers. We gardeners are always learning. I love your vases. I look for them at yard sales.
Balisha

Marguerite said...

Balisha, I have a lot of projects I'd like to see happen and one of them is a 'cutting garden' so I can have flowers for bouquets. One of the issues is not just having flowers, but flowers that have stiff stems and lend themselves to being in a bouquet.

Deborah at Kilbourne Grove said...

Marguerite, I love your green glass, I have such a huge number of vases, have collected them over the years. I was trying to get a better look at your smallest one, could it be a hyacinth forcing glass?

Marguerite said...

Deborah - I've never heard of a forcing glass and had to look it up! I just learned something new today. What an amazing way to grow bulbs. I don't think my new vase fits the description though, the top of the neck is too small to fit any large sized bulb but I wonder if a smaller sized bulb could work. There might be a new project to try out this winter!

David said...

I Love it! You have such a nice garden blog! You're title photo is so cool...and creative. I've never thought of taking a closeup of driftwood with plants. Neato!
David/ Tropical Texana/Houston

Marguerite said...

David, thank you for the lovely compliments. That driftwood came up from a local beach into my old garden. Eventually the sweet woodruff began to overtake it and grow through it. I loved the way the plant intertwined with the wood and had to get a photo to capture it. So glad I did as I haven't now seen that garden in several years. This photo is a nice reminder.

One said...

Hi! That's a lovely bouquet. Like the photo of plants growing around a piece of driftwood. Discover your blog through visiting Noelle.

Marguerite said...

One - Hello and welcome. I liked your bouquet also, using chillies was an inspiration.