Monday, March 9, 2015

Monday Vase: Monday in Miniature

Salvia greggii, Salvia elegans, Russelia equisetiformis, Monday vase meme
Saturday saw a trip to our local resale shop.  Results were two lovely vintage English bone china teacups and this equally vintage Japanese demitasse.  Yes, I was looking for something for a small Monday vase because I wanted to be able to use some Russelia stalks as the main feature.

As it turned out, I had plenty of material to draw from for this one.  Russelia equisetiformis in the centre...
Monday Vase meme, Salvia greggii, Russelia equisetiformis, Salvia elegans
...with a couple of blooms of Salvia greggii "Autumn Moon" and one of "Flame"...
Monday Vase meme, Russelia equisetiformis
...and a couple of clusters of Penstemon parryi, which is so loaded with side shoots that I thought it could spare a few flowers.
Monday Vase meme, Penstemon parryi
So the bouquet became a medley of red and pink, of trumpets and sage flowers, all in a rather colorful little cup and saucer.  I wish I had added something to show the scale as this is even tinier than it looks; the cup is all of one and a quarter inches (about three centimeters) tall.

The biggest surprise, however, was a couple of scarlet flowers from Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans).  I had already added a sprig of smallish leaves (most of the leaves on the plant were too large to stay in scale), and I needed a bit more.  I discovered the first blooming stem to the back of the plant.
Salvia elegans, Monday Vase meme
In it went, completing this little nosegay in an old cup and saucer.
Penstemon parryi, Russelia equisetiformis, Monday Vase meme


Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting this meme - not to mention providing an excellent excuse for Saturday's purchases...!

Happy Monday!
Monday Vase meme, Salvia greggii, Salvia elegans

17 comments:

  1. τεχνη!!!!!!!!! υπεροχα ολα
    αγγελικη

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    1. Thank you so much, Angela!! I had great fun thinking this one up!! So glad you enjoyed it :)

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  2. Wow. Beautiful materials and nicely balanced arrangement. The tiny cup is lovely.

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  3. How pretty! Did you use a frog to keep the Russelia standing up, or are they supported by the surrounding material?

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    1. Actually, I cut a small chunk of florist's foam and pushed it in. At first it seemed to stick in place very well; later it floated a few times, and at last it worked quite well. The worst problem has been the size of the cup, which does not really hold enough water... Thanks a lot :)

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  4. That is stunning - and I thought the tall spike was the starting point until I read through the post. What a brilliant afterthought! And of course I love the fact that it is all in miniature - you have chosen so well and clearly enjoyed the challenge. Thank you SO much for sharing :)

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    1. Actually the tall spike is the Russelia, which was the starting point! The Salvia elegans is the equally scarlet bloom at the base. In the photos it's difficult to tell them apart, I'm afraid! Russelia has very little foliage; it's mostly a mass of bright green stems so it usually needs a little something to fill out for its bare shanks; in this case, Salvia was the answer ;-) I hoped you would enjoy another miniature; I find them great fun...!

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  5. Your vase is the perfect inspiration to start the week with optimism.Thanks for sharing, Amy!

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  6. What a lovely arrangement! The tall spike at the centre really makes it, and I had to look again after you said how tiny the cup was! :)

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    1. I should have put something in "to show scale", I think! So glad you enjoyed it all, Cathy :)

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  7. Perfect! Perfect mix of flowers and perfect choice of 'vase', I love it!

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  8. Beautiful arrangement Amy. It is interesting to see what you have in flower this time of year compared to here in the UK.

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    1. I find it rather interesting myself. this is the first spring I've gardened here so it's all new to me - occasionally disorienting, but generally very enjoyable... So glad you liked the arrangement - thanks!

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  9. so pretty! I have just started working in a cutting garden as part of a scheme to retrain as a gardener and have spent three fabulous days cutting and making up bunches of beautiful flowers - am hoping to have time to join in with Monday in a Vase and show some of my creations!

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    1. Oh, that sounds so exciting! I had always been intimidated about using cut flowers, but Cathy's meme has been very encouraging and I've enjoyed it a great deal. I'll look forward to seeing yours as I know they'll be lovely :)

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