In a Vase on Monday: Golden Days

It is FREEZING here and the garden is iced over! So once again I am sharing some dried flowers picked last summer. I chose a golden theme today, as I think back to the golden days of July, and a hot morning when I cut some of this plant material, with very little idea of what it would look like six months later! I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her In a Vase on Monday meme. Without this meme, would I ever have even thought of drying flowers for winter vases? 💐

The striking grass seedheads were picked from the meadow as far as I remember, so my hare vase seemed a good choice.

The main part of this arrangement is the Alchemilla. I like the way the flowers have dried in particular, although the foliage is not as pretty. I was able to distinguish the golden flowers left of the Alchemilla due to the silvery stem – curry plant,  Helichrysum italicum. When I cut these, I had no idea that they are also known as Italian strawflowers and that they would dry so well.

IS this yellow flower a Calendula? It looks remarkably similar to a dandelion! 🤣

Another success was the Calendula. I had sown quite a few in containers and planted some out into the garden too. They did so well in our very hot and dry summer, and they dried beauitfully. Picked when at their best, the colour has only faded a little and the flower heads are remarkably intact.

Oriental poppy seedheads were also picked at various stages of the year – they tend to get burnt or blown over, so picking them to dry out completely indoors turned out to be a good decision.

Another material in this vase is Salvia nemorosa stems, best seen in the first photo (full of seeds but they dry very well). I have plenty more good dried flowers and grasses to last me into spring, but at some stage I will of course mention the failures!

I hope you also have something flowery indoors this week, but if not, do visit Cathy to see what she and others have shared in their vases today.

Have a great week!

 

 

 

 



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