Wednesday 1 June 2011

Bringing you roses

If you are looking for my giveaway, you will find it here, but let's move swiftly on to a bit of beauty to help us through the week.


As you know from here, I like a bit a of aesthetic excellence, and I love a bit of floriferousness, so I offer you a little something from my garden to jolly along your Wednesday.

(Amy of During Quiet Time is organizing a Linky Bloggers' Garden Tour - it would be nice if you could join in with your own little patch, or if not, have a look around the others.)

In the past couple of years we have been concentrating so much on the productive, self-sufficiency side of things that flowers have been rather abandoned by the wayside, but I started out as a flower gardener, and this year I decided that my psyche needs flowers, and so does my B&B, so rather than pay for air-freighted flowers produced in uncertain conditions, I would exploit my own labour. So I sowed a few seeds in amongst the vegetable ones, and I also bought in some tiny plug plants from Crocus and Sarah Raven, and now my B&B guests can reap the benefits of my springtime exertions.

Lady's mantle, white valerian, delphinium blue. red valerian,  delphinium white

With two members of the family suffering badly from hay fever, I don't usually get to bring my flowers into the house, but running a B&B gives me the opportunity to indulge in a little light floristry in a rather amateurish way.

... and cranesbill, and lupins, and catmint, and roses


But the good thing about garden flowers is that you don't have to worry too much about the initial arrangement - they all move about the vase as they settle in, and some decide to lounge about, and others to stand upright as a result of the picking and plunging, and it seems that whatever you do, the effect is one of lovely disorder.


Sweet disorder

And before I go, and while the Head Chef isn't looking, I'll share with you a little purchase I made when I, um, accidentally pressed a button whilst perusing a very lovely Etsy shop. Amy is not only a gardener, she is also the most talented needlewoman, and somehow this wonderful zippy bag found its way into my bathroom.



And not only is the front made of fabric screenprinted by Amy with cottages and apple trees (just like mine), the back is yes, flowery, with individually quilted flowers. 

How on earth does she quilt those petals and circles so neatly? I always struggle with curves (and even my straight lines aren't that straight).


And I can't even practise sewing curves for a bit - my dear Rose (even my sewing machine is a flower)  is off to be fettled up today, and she will be absent from our happy home for a couple of weeks. All I can do is go and gaze longingly on the productions of others, and muse on my past creations: Fresh Sewing Day at Lily's Quilts has a nice little selection to admire, but perhaps this is a form of self-torture?

Such is the trauma of parting, I can't find words to express my separation anxiety - will dearest Rose have changed when she returns, will our relationship be the same? Karen has written most expressively about this - read what she has to say, as I can dwell on such a painful separation no longer.

She exits in search of a length of black lace and six yards of bombazine.

20 comments:

Amy Friend said...

Your flowers are beautiful! Thanks for sharing your love of the bag I made. It means a lot :)

Shortbread and Ginger said...

Lovely flowers - I enjoy seeing mixed bunches. As you say, they all settle into their own little sphere!
Liz

Karen L R said...

"lovely disorder"...Martha Stewart, eat your heart out!

:-)

(hooray! you took the plunge and sent your sewing machine off to the spa! well done.)

Little Blue Mouse said...

Lovely flowers.
I'm sure Rose will be missing you too!

Marigold Jam said...

Just my sort of flower arrangements - lovely! Hope Rose will be so glad to be back that she will whizz round curves without a murmur!

Helen Philipps said...

Beautiful flowers, Pomona! They look so gorgeous to me bunched all together, I always like the mixture of colours and shapes as they settle into place. Love the little bag too.
Helen x

The Weaver of Grass said...

I think cottage garden flowers beat hothouse grown ones hands down. I agree that don't need much arranging - they arrange themselves.

Frances said...

Your garden's flowers surely are allowing you to create lots of pretty arrangements. I like what you say about the flowers sort of arranging themselves!

I can understand how you might have accidentally clicked something that lead to your having that great little zippy bag. It is well designed and very well made.

Now that leads me to commiserating with you about the current absence of your sewing machine. I still have the same heavy duty, yet "portable" Singer sewing machine I bought in 1967. It can stitch forwards, backwards and do zigzagging. Nothing more. I have had it serviced once. Once!

I know it is well over time for me to get a new machine, but just cannot quite say goodbye to old faithful yet.

xo

andrea creates said...

very pretty flowers and garden!
sewing curves is not easy...

sara said...

While Rose is partaking of copious amounts of machine oil and gentle rub downs, you have time to snip and play with your beautiful blooms without any worry that Rose may become jealous of your new found love.

I love the way your different blooms sit so happily together in such casual and gay abandoment, very pretty.

lily x

greenrabbitdesigns said...

Your flowers are gorgeous! I love casual arrangements in vases, so much nicer that those formal arrangements where flowers are made to do things that nature never intended for them!!
Vivienne x

Anonymous said...

Love garden flowers!

I saw that little bag when Amy posted it on her blog. Her screen prints are amazing.

sarah-jane down the lane said...

Ah Sewing Machines do occaisionally need to be fettled don't they? Gorgeous flowers, cant beat a garden posy! I'll keep you posted on what it's like on the"other side!" tee hee,

Sarah xXx

Anonymous said...

gorgeous flowers :)

p.s. the word verification is 'clangers' lol!

Serenata said...

Lucky guests, those flowers are beautiful. Fancy that bag finding its way to your bathroom. :-)

magic and drudgery said...

beautiful flowers, beautiful beautiful flowers. I'm very jealous as the weather has been bonkers up here since I planted out my seedlings. They all look terribly battle worn. I'm hoping the next few days of sunshine provides a tonic.

Lola Nova said...

What wonderful flowers! I too have decided to give flowers some space in the garden along with the vegetables. That is how we gardened when we first moved in to the house and I think we had much better crops with a variety of flora mixed in.
My machine needs tuning and I haven't taken her in because I can't bear to be without her. Need to do it though. Just think how happy Rose will be when she returns.

menopausalmusing said...

I just LOVE bunches of flowers like that...... I too just go out and snip and then let them find their own way to settle in the jug/jam jar.

Unknown said...

Your flowers are beautiful, I like there hap-hazsardness! More natural, it is my next to-do to grow more flowers for cutting, just sweet peas so far. Hope separation from Rosie is not too much of a long one xx
Sophie

Katherine said...

Judging from the beautiful flowers you're sharing here, I would love to hang out in your garden. I bet those blooms smell as lovely as they look.

Gorgeous bag - I can see why you couldn't pass it up. Love it!

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