At this time of year there’s only a little light, and not a lot of flowers in the garden, but I gathered a few hardy garden blooms and charity shop finds to brighten up the dinner table.

It’s harder to find homegrown flowers in winter, but in our garden there’s usually enough for a little vase or two.

On the left, the crystal candlestick which bounces rainbows around the room. In the centre, a rose called ‘Mamma Mia,’ lovingly grown from a bare root rose that we planted here last year. And on the right, some fancy salt and pepper pots from Conran, which almost successfully balance style and function.

The vase, wooden coaster and all these table objects were found for less than £5 at Frome charity shops and vintage markets. The roses grew in our garden.

I’ve been growing roses for vases for a few years, and it’s an absolute joy to have them. I’m astonished that they still bloom in December, but some of them do sometimes. They’re a hardy, beautiful addition to any garden.

The most economical way to get roses is to order bare root plants in summer, which are delivered in winter. I’ve ordered a few for next year and will find a good spot for these plants on the hugelmound when they arrive.

Admittedly, at this time of year I rely on filling out vases with stems and evergreens, and a few gathered sparkly things from my extensive collection of sparkly things (doesn’t everyone have one?) 😉

We are also able to report an ongoing supply of flavours from the garden. The fruit is all finished, and most of the leaves have fallen, but we still have some chard, sage, parsley growing on, and a pleasing variety of chillies in the greenhouse, from which hearty soups emerge.

The plan is to keep on growing and sowing, and gathering what we can from the garden to bring to the table. It’s a challenge and a pleasure to keep on doing the plan, and we’ll have spuds, sprouts and brocolli for Xmas if all goes well…

As ever, I hope your garden plans and plants are coming along nicely.

Jen x