Monday, August 24, 2015

In a vase on Monday, the kindness of gardeners edition

There was a gift bag left on my porch last week, in it was this vase. I have three very kind people to thank, but I have no way to get a hold of them, so I thought maybe an "In a vase on Monday" post might be just the ticket. Oh and do you think they nailed my style? In my hand is the gift vase, on the wall and the shelf, it's siblings. I love it!

Since the vase came to me via the kindness of gardeners I decided that would be the theme. I set up shop on the patio and walked around the garden taking cuttings of plants given to me by my fellow gardeners. Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) leaves were the starting point. I wanted this to be a bigger arrangement than one might expect for a petite vase.

Pittosporum divaricatum acts as a wire frame work.

And the seed pods of Magnolia laevifolia, some of which end up sort of fused together.

I'd been putting off cutting this big, non-variegated shoot from my otherwise variegated Ginkgo. Thinking it might work in the vase I decided it was time. It didn't end up being used it but it's good I cut it. Can't have the whole thing going green on me!

More Magnolia laevifolia pods (the branches themselves just didn't look right in the vase and were already wilting) are joined by Crocosmia 'Orangeade'...

And a few branches (and seeds!) from Grevillea x 'Neil Bell'...

The finished product!

This was just about the end of the Crocosmia,

The seeds are just as lovely though.

So kind of the Pittosporum to lend support.

Kris, who blogs at Late to the Garden Party, always shares the backside of her Monday vases, I decided to follow suit. I'm glad I did because the Loquat leaves glow!

Thank you to those very special people who left the vase for me to discover. Thank you to my gardening friends for all the plants you've given me that grace my garden, and those in this vase. You've all touched my heart in a big way...

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see the creations other gardeners have come up with!

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

35 comments:

  1. That's a lovely arrangement, just full of such interesting things. I love how the Magnolia pods drape over it. You have such an enviable knack for this design stuff.

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    1. Thank you Alison! Oh and btw the Magnolia pods have now broken open and are showing off their red/orange seeds. Kinda cool eh?

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  2. Great shaped vases - and a sizzling colour too!! I love what you have done with this flatter one and the way you chose your contents. All will have a history attached to them which makes them so special. Those magnolia seed pods are fascinating - never seen anything like them before! And what a vibrant crocosmia! Lovely post Loree - thanks so much for sharing.

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    1. Thank you Cathy for giving me the forum to thank some lovely people.

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  3. Gorgeous. Mister Kitty wishes he could see it in person...

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  4. Impressive! In beauty, sentiment and restraint - ... I think your ikebana is on point

    From Wikipedia - for those not familiar

    More than simply putting flowers in a container, ikebana is a disciplined art form in which nature and humanity are brought together. Contrary to the idea of floral arrangement as a collection of particolored or multicolored arrangement of blooms, ikebana often emphasizes other areas of the plant, such as its stems and leaves, and draws emphasis toward shape, line, form. Though ikebana is a creative expression, it has certain rules governing its form. The artist's intention behind each arrangement is shown through a piece's color combinations, natural shapes, graceful lines, and the usually implied meaning of the arrangement.

    Another aspect present in ikebana is its employment of minimalism. That is, an arrangement may consist of only a minimal number of blooms interspersed among stalks and leaves. The structure of a Japanese flower arrangement is based on a scalene triangle delineated by three main points, usually twigs, considered in some schools to symbolize heaven, earth, and man and in others sun, moon, and earth. The container is a key element of the composition, and various styles of pottery may be used in their construction.

    Spiritual aspects:
    The spiritual aspect of ikebana is considered very important to its practitioners. Silence is a must during practices of ikebana. It is a time to appreciate things in nature that people often overlook because of their busy lives. One becomes more patient and tolerant of differences, not only in nature, but also in general. Ikebana can inspire one to identify with beauty in all art forms. This is also the time when one feels closeness to nature which provides relaxation for the mind, body, and soul.

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    1. Never in a million years would I have thought of this as ikebana but reading what you've copy/pasted here wow, maybe! Except for that minimalism thing, I stuffed everything I could in there!

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    2. ... same here - I was going to say it kinda reminded me of an Ikebana ... and so I thought I better look it up just in case I was way off base - even in stuffing the tiny hole!! you met the requirements for the minimalism... crazy --- have a great talk!!! I'm still procrastinating looking up plants for a friends garden :)

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  5. Hi.
    It's really beautiful, I love the pop colours ; and the plants that you choose seem so exotics seen from Paris.
    Thanks for sharing,
    Emma

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    1. Thank you Emma, for stopping by and commenting.

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  6. That's lovely. Those gorgeous loquat leaves just make the arrangement. Do you think the gift might have been a little "thank you" from a reader for the Green on Green tour?

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    1. Oh yes Jane it was, I know who it's from and they were guests during the tour. Sorry I didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't know who they were....I just had no way to get a hold of them directly to thank them!

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  7. This is an amazing vase...love the orange unusual shape...and you filled it perfectly with such exotic plant material.....professional and quite a creative design.

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  8. As I'd expect, you've done wonders with unusual flowers and plants, Loree. I'm really impressed by the Crocosmia seeds - another reason I should grow the flowers. Those Magnolia seedpods are very odd but I rather like them.

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    1. You should grow some Crocosmia Kris! And this one has an especially lovely flower.

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  9. Really beautiful Loree! I may have to join this meme next week, as my first thought is that I don't have anything this pretty in the garden right now, but I suspect I'm wrong if I look around.

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    1. Thanks Alan, and I hope you do join in...I bet you've got tons of interesting and beautiful things.

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  10. What a stylish and fabulous arrangement to complement such a lovely gift!

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    1. Wasn't that a thoughtful gift!? And they had no way of knowing that it arrived the same night I got some bad news, it was a big warm hug from caring people.

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  11. Looks great! Perfect for that vase. Trippy Pittosporum. "Trippy" is not a word I normally use, but it seems to apply to that Pittosporum.

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    1. Yes, I have trouble seeing you using the word "trippy" very often - thanks for breaking it out for the (deserving) Pittosporum.

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  12. Well, that's just stunning. You have such a talent for floral design. I love your shelf display too, with the little gardener pushing a wheelbarrow.

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    1. Thanks Pam! That gardener/wheelbarrow was part of an anniversary "card" from Andrew a few years back.

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  13. Such a strong design of textures and bright color. Very nice.

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  14. Now that's what I call a proper flower arrangement! Absolutely stunning. Well done

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  15. Quite the artistic arrangement, I like the curved lines of the Crocosmia seedpods, and the bright orange of the Crocosmia flowers to pick up the orange of the cool vase. The Magnolia seedpods are a attractive drape, and the Loquat leaves have a great sheen. I grow that too, but have given up on ever getting fruit, or even flowers. I'm sure you deserved some appreciation after putting opening your garden for the tour.

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    1. I've seen flowers on Loquat trees in downtown Portland, where it's warmer (don't know if they set fruit). I doubt I'll ever seen my trees bloom, but that's okay. It's the foliage that thrills me.

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  16. Awesome colors, beautiful arrangement, great theme! Here's to thoughtful friends [raises glass in tribute].

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  17. Beautiful gift, and incredible arrangement!

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  18. The sentiment driving this post is as engaging as the end result...which is stunning.

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