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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Monday, August 7, 2017

In a Vase on Monday

In a Vase on Monday is hosted by the dedicated and talented Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.  Click here to join in the fun!

On Sunday I stopped by one of my favorite places to dumpster dive for rocks.  A bit of a misnomer really as there is no dumpster involved simply piles of headstone samples, broken slabs of polished granite, stone cylinders, etc.  On this day, a couple slabs of one of my favorites, blue pearl granite (Not actually a granite, but a type of gabbro with pyroxene and amphibole.) jumped into my car. Blue Pearl, mostly quarried in Norway, has eye catching shiny flecks that catch reflect light nicely.  Just before using these slabs as stepping stones, they got to be the background for today's vase which came from the Glass Eye Studio sidewalk sale.


Contents are Hydrangea, Clerodendrum bungei 'Cashmere Bouquet,' bracken fern, Persicaria 'Golden Arrow' a couple varieties of Anemone hupehensis, and hanging over the side, Sanguisorba hakusanensis 'Lilac Squirrel.'


Florets/petals that fell during the arranging didn't want to be left out.

Do share what you've put in a vase this week!

16 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great place for diving. That pearly vase picks up the colors beautifully, reflects them and melds them together more than I would have imagined.

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  2. I love it all! Nothing in my vase today. Last night I threw out perfectly good sweet peas and dahlias from several vases. We are vacating the premises for our Rockaway vacation. I caught you post as i was doing a final check at the computer before shutting it down.
    See you later.

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  3. Pyroxene and amphibole! Words that don't roll off the tongue that easy. The vase display is easy on the eyes though; I can just imagine all my garden squirrels running around with pink tails.

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    1. I didn't know those words until I did a little digging on the internet about this stone.

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  4. Beautiful pieces of polished rock and what a gorgeous vase to put your blooms in some unusual (to me) varieties in there. Do you know why is the persicaria called 'Golden Arrow'?

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    1. It's called 'Golden Arrow' because of the shape and gold color of the foliage.

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  5. 'Lilac Squirrel'! Sometimes I have concerns about the people who name plants...Your flower collection makes a beautiful ensemble, though. I'd love to have that Clerodendrum and the Sanguisorba growing in my own garden. As to your "dumpster diving" operation, it seems that the PNW offers no end of wonderful weekend diversions (as well as terrific deals).

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  6. Well done! What you going to do with the slabs?

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  7. OOOOooooo that vase looks like it is filled with sunshine. Then you put those gorgeous flowers in it. I love those pink fluffy drapey plumes.

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  8. A college friend of mine made a patio with headstone leftovers. Looked great, but was slippery as hell in the winter with the snow. How do you go about creating a relationship that allows for this type of dumpster diving? Do you just call and ask?

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    1. The polished stone is slippery when wet so I intersperse other paving materials with the shiny bits. Years ago, while headstone shopping, I noticed the pile outside the fence and asked. If you don't want to wait for a death in the family, calling and asking is a good idea. In some places, they don't keep the scrap piles outside of the fenced area because of liability issues but all places that cut granite for counter tops, headstones, etc. have scraps, mistakes, and test runs that they get rid of.

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  9. That stone is fabulous, Peter. Yet another thing to be envious about! I see in your previous comment that I could go snooping to find similar here - good tip!
    The vase is lovely and I esp. love the soft look of Sanguisorba hakusanensis 'Lilac Squirrel.'

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.