In a vase on Monday: Nick’s delphiniums

I’m often inspired by Cathy’s meme, In a vase on Monday, but it doesn’t usually take me to the keybord. It’s silly really, because there’s usually a vase of something from my garden on the kitchen table. However, like these flowers, they are often things I felt sorry for, that fell over in the garden or were hiding their faces in the mud.

It’s the same story this Monday afternoon. I was out picking spinach in the rain (lovely!) and saw that my husband, Nick’s, special delphinium (the first to flower of about 20) had fallen over and broken. The plant is obviously fine – it’s just the flower that suffered. Next year the delphiniums will be supported properly.

And so, because he works away from home and he won’t see it otherwise (that’s actually one of the main reasons I blog in any case) – here are your delphiniums Nick!

This variety is just rather boringly known as ‘Blue with White Bee’ – I wish I could say it was ‘Lancelot’ or ‘Guinevere’, or something more romantic.

But they do look nice cosying up with Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’, nigella and some roses that were also in need of rescuing. I’m getting fonder and fonder of the white nigella, although I didn’t take to it to start with.

At the bottom of the vase (the roses have such short stems) are David Austin’s pink rose ‘Eglantyne’ and the old white Damask that is becoming a real star here – ‘Madame Hardy’.

Can you see the little button of green at the centre of the flowers?

My last picture is a cautionary tale – of two rain-rescued roses and how different (and clashing) two reds can be. To the right is ‘Etoile de Hollande’, a climber that grows at the front of the house. To the left is D. Austin’s ‘William Shakespeare’. Not happy together in a vase – thank goodness they don’t share a bed!

I love Cathy’s Vase on Monday meme at Rambling in the Garden’. It sometimes gets me as far as taking pictures and blogging about my vases (although not often, I have to learn to put time aside). Perhaps more important (from my point of view), it inspired me to start a cutting garden, something I’d never considered before. Consequently, I’m hoping to join in with Julie’s cutting garden meme next month at Peonies & Posies. Meanwhile, thanks to all you ‘cutting garden bloggers’ for passing on so many tips about growing cut flowers.