power plant

Verbascum has some interesting names in German, and here are just a few of them translated: King’s Candle, Heaven’s Candle, St John’s Candle, Thunder and Lightning Candle, Ogre’s Candle. Most of them refer to the tall slender stems covered in tiny flowers as candles, so that is what I am doing today for my In a Vase on Monday arrangement, as I join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her weekly meme. (And I added a real candle too. ) My Verbascum is V. thapsus ‘Alba’ – one I grew from seed. Sown in autumn 2023, I wasn’t expecting flowers in 2024, but there were a couple of stems that indeed flowered last year. This year the other plants have all flowered and seem remarkably well-suited to our hot and dry spring and summer, of which I am glad. I do believe they have spread a bit too. For some cool vibes on this very hot day, I chose silvery Artemisia foliage, Lemon Balm,  Savory and Sage as companions. The lovely white Scabiosa Perfecta has opened, so I cut the first flower t...

I recently bought myself this sweet garden ornament, and have christened him Basil. I can’t bring myself to put him outdoors though! So this week he is watching over my vase of blue flowers picked mainly from the Moon Bed. The Eryngium (Lapis Blue) is one of two I planted this spring and I am impressed with the progress it has made. Other blues are Scabiosa Perfecta Blue, Campanulas, Geranium Rozanne, a sprig of Veronica longifolia ‘Blauriesin’, and various snippets of foliage. I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her In a Vase on Monday meme. Why not visit her to see what she is sharing today. Have a great week, and Happy Gardening!

Sadly our dear old Anouk passed away at the end of May. She lived to a ripe old age for a dog her size – something between 14 and 18 years we think – and at least the last few years that she spent with us here were peaceful and happy. I have been filling a space with flowers since then, regularly refreshing various vases. Here are a few of them from the past two weeks. I think I will slowly get back into blogging this week and look forward to seeing what Cathy at Rambling in the Garden and other vase creators will be sharing for In a Vase on Monday.