A group of us were invited to a wine-tasting cum dinner party Sunday at the home of friends in the neighborhood. Cindy and I are gardening pals, so she invited me over to play with flowers on Saturday afternoon! We went through her gorgeous garden armed with clippers and buckets of water, and then proceded to make a number of arrangements to display around the house. Below are a few of the results of our labors.
These first two images depict a Victorian sculpture that belonged to Cindy's mother that rests at one end of the fireplace mantle.
I like how she contrasted the drama of the figure with an airy group of plants: Spirea, Ninebark and Anemone japonica 'Honorine Jobert'.
This big pot rests at the foot of the fireplace. I tried to balance the size and strenght of the pot with a big display of dried material that was subtle enough not to detract from the pot's elaborate design. The stems with the long yellow pods are the seedheads of Hosta 'Whirlwind.' Next year I'm letting more of my Hostas go to seed to see if I can end up with any of these lovely stems.
This arrangement uses Hydrangea flowerheads that have been drying for about two weeks. Interspersed are three candles arranged asymmetrically.
In the center is a small jar holding Ninebark, red Barberry and more Anemone. Dried Sedums add contrast between the Hydrangeas.
Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what other gardeners are putting in a vase today!