It’s a great time of year for flowers. The first tulip has emerged from the garden, the quince japonica blossom is abundant and beautiful, and the hellebore are still putting on a marvellous show.
In a vase this Monday, I have a collection from the garden which caught the early morning sun. Hellebore are still the stars of the show, with the most stunning colours and delicate form.
The first tulip has emerged, and I just can’t get enough of that quince blossom.
Today’s vase is a very simple ceramic jug. I like it’s 70’s / ‘Good life’ vibe.
Thanks to Cathy, blogger at Rambling in the garden who created this lovely meme, where gardeners from around the world share vases of homegrown flowers to start the week. Visit her blog to see more.
The sunrise this morning was practically perfect. All was quiet, except for the birds. I put out more bird seed, and hoped the cat will stay asleep a little longer.
I’ve had a tidy-up / sort-out, and got the garden nick-naks out and ready for action.
They’re catching the sun rather pleasingly on the conservatory windowsill, along with some of last week’s posy, which is drying in the pot. Sadly, overwinter, one of our discoballs perished. It’s snapped around the equator. So I’ve lost a disco ball and will have to think of something fun to do with the leftovers. That big fancy blue lantern was a wedding gift, and the little purple one a birthday pressie. The star vase of orbeez and spider plant is experimental, I hope it’ll work!
Also in vases today, an experiment with glycerin.
Apparently it can preserve flowers and foliage. I’ve used a third glycerin to two thirds warm water in the vase on the left, and just water in the vase on the right. Let’s see how it goes…
I’m drying flowers too…
And I’ve revamped and refreshed my other website, fromeblooms.com with loads of new pictures and links to an etsy shop I’m starting… and stories of green-goings on in Frome, including a video I made of Frome Tree Day, when we planted native species by the river, and heard talks about foraging.
A researcher from BBC Radio Somerset has invited me to talk about blogging, so I might even be on the radio this Thursday – to potentially dozens of local listeners 😉
As I often say, I hope that your plans and plants are coming along nicely. I’ll close with this dramatic transformation that took just a second and heralds the start of spring.
Doing The Plan 
All looking very delightful! We haven’t nearly so many flowers yet in the far north, but the daffs are out in force, winter pansies reliable as ever, tulips on their way, pasque flowers, doronicum and trollius (the last two both from the plant sale run by our university’s botanical garden) waiting in the wings. So wonderful to see our gardens coming back to life! xx
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It is indeed, and how nice to have a couple of botanical garden specimens in the wings. I like the sound of Doronicum and Trollius – who could be Shakespearean characters, but Leopard’s Bane and Globeflower would make a good name for private detectives. 😉
Enjoy the spring blooms!
J x
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Love your enthusiastic post! Do keep us informed about the glycerine experiment. In summer my flowers don’t last very long as it is so hot everywhere!
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What an interesting post, Jen – I have enjoyed reading all of it as well as seeing your pretty vase I am struggling to thing of how to describe it as the colours are quite unusual – ah! harlequin! that’s the word I wanted! A striking change from the more usual spring flowers – thanks for sharing it. In your garden, I like the paved area under your tree which looks so effective. My Mum has used glycerin to preserve beech leaves and it is really effective so I am interested to know how well it works with flowers
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What an exuberant arrangement of early spring treasures! I’ve never heard of preserving flowers using glycerin but will have to investigate that.
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Ha! I think this is the first flowering quince displayed so far! It is my favorite too; that classic orangy pink! (I think it is one of those special colors that only girls can see, like ‘salmon’ or ‘peach’ or ‘coral’ or some such.) I sort of like all flowering quince, but this one seems to be the most traditional.
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Just seeing your sunshiny photos and feeling your enthusiasm almost convinces me that spring is here. Your vase is lovely and your decorations too. We are only very slowly warming up here, but I know that feeling when the garden furniture is first put to use and can’t wait!
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Lovely colours in your vase. I will be most interested to see your preserving results.
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