Today's vase was made principally from cyclamen flowers in pink and white. These have been blooming on the patio - blooming more or less continuously for weeks. We are keeping them in pots since there is little chance of their surviving summer in the open garden, but at least a reasonable one for keeping them going indoors through the difficult months.
They are certainly in their glory now!
As you can see, some Dianthus also slipped into the mix.
One little red "Daniela" rosebud did as well...
...along with a stem of Russelia equisetiformis "Big Red".
This made for a slender arrangement in a little pot that I originally used to test a new glaze recipe. I used the wrong firing cycle for the test, however, resulting in an unusally blistered glaze - and little helpful information! At any rate, the size and shape were right for today's material so it was pressed into service.
Thanks, as always, to Cathy at
Rambling in the Garden, the home of the Monday Vase meme.
Happy Monday!
Weather Diary; Sunny and cold! High: 56 F (13 C)/Low: 32 F (0 C)
A cheerful vase for the time of year, happy Monday Amy.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed it, Brian! Happy Monday :)
DeleteI really love how you put the cyclamen in this vase with the small red blooms...brightens the deep colors and makes for a lovely winter vase.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Donna! I had to scavenge a bit this time as the garden is in a little lull right now (this should not be a lean time here - that's May, June, July!), so I snipped whatever I thought might work, and the effect was a fun surprise for me too...
DeleteWhy does the thought cherry brandy chocolate, and delicous almond cream chocolates come to mind? Probably because it is Christmas and your colours remind me of my some of my favourite things! Great Close up pictures Amy.
ReplyDeleteWell, it sounds like just the thing, Stasher :D Very happy you enjoyed the pictures; I think cyclamen is great fun to photograph!
DeleteAs Donna says, the dianthus really complements the pink of the cyclamen - and thank you for sharing the info on trying out the new glaze. There has recently been a series on UK television called 'The Great British Pottery Throwdown' which I have really enjoyed watching - like Bake Off but with pottery rather than cakes!
ReplyDeleteI am lucky I had planted the dianthus when I did and that it continues to flower well. I am discovering an unintended lean time in my plantings and will have to correct that for next year!
DeleteAs for the little pot, I made two separate changes at once to my firing schedule, which resulted in a hotter kiln than usual. My tried and true glaze took it very much in stride, but this one sulked, to say the least... Sometimes I am a bit jealous of potters in the UK, where there is such a rich history of ceramics; I can't imagine getting a watching audience for potters here... despite the fact that it is a very unpredictable and exciting sport ;-)
The blistered vase is quite nice, Amy! I love the cyclamen. They have me wondering what happened to the plants I put in last year. I don't know if they perished or have simply been buried under other plants. A scavenger hunt may be required.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed the vase, Kris! My sister has worked hard to convince me it's not a total loss - a difficult task when it was intended to turn out with a smooth texture and reddish color... I hope you find your missing cyclamen plants! I recall one California blogger recommending trying the species cyclamen as they are, after all, Mediterranean natives. They would naturally go dormant in the heat of summer, and I even tempt myself with the thought of trying them here, as close under the patio overhang as possible...
DeleteAmy, this is just such a gorgeous vase - I was loving it on Instagram and now I can see it in close up. There is something about the choice of colors which just works so perfectly together. The darkness of the vase and then the pink of the cyclamen are wonderful. You are very talented at seeing unusual color combinations which are just stunning!
ReplyDelete- Kate xx
So glad you've enjoyed it twice, Kate :) It was fun to tuck those soft pinks and whites into the dark vase (which has a slight red tone to it anyway!). I do like to combine colours... ;-)
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