Things are changing in my garden as plants come in bloom and foliage is making its presence known. This week’s Vase on Monday features some of these new things, but I wanted to take advantage of an “old standby,” the camellia with a few stout blossoms left.
The “old” is our venerable ‘Governor Mouton’ Camellia japonica. The “new” are foliage from ‘Empress Wu’ hosta and the deep lavender blossoms of ‘Mahogany’ Ajuga reptans, and yellow Gerbera daisies.
I have potted a number of Gerberas this year to add to our cutting choices. I suspect you will see some of them again.
Please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden who hosts this wonderful idea of displaying a vase each Monday filled with items from our gardens. See what she and others are sharing with us this week.
A Walk in the Garden 
So pretty. Love the color of the ajuga.
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Thanks, Marian. This ajuga…Mahogany…has really done well over the winter.
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Absolutely stunning John. I can’t believe you have hosta already fully grown and gorgeous foliage.
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Thanks, Donna. Most of my hosta are still filling out, but ‘Empress Wu’ is leading the pack.
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I love ajuga, and their flowers. That one looks quite tall for the species…is it??
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Thank you, Monica. The ‘Mahogany’ ajuga is a bit taller than I have seen in other ones I’ve grown.
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So lovely. The yellow in the ‘Empress Wu’ hosta really sets off those gerber daisies.
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Thanks, Susie. My Arranger knows how to pick them.
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Empress Wu is very imposing – I wonder if she is available here in the UK? Are your ajuga flowers monstrous in size or have I got the scale wrong? Or is it nothing like A reptans? Your camellias have been stunning, haven’t they? Thanks for sharing, as always
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Thank you, Cathy. This is ajuga reptans ‘Mahogany.’ Its flowers are some ten inches which, in my experience, is pretty tall.
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Lovely to see your camellias again John – they flower for such a short time that it is good to make the most of them. My camellias are just starting to flower and my hosta’s have not even broken through the soil yet – you must have a great climate!
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Thanks, Julie. There are still a few buds on the camellia, so I should have them for a week more or so. Some of my hostas are still only a “pencil” showing, but most are leafing out at various stages.
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I’m amazed by your hostas in full leaf! Glad you could use your Camellias again – they are so pretty and should be enjoyed to the full. Since taking part in this meme I have lost a lot of my fear of cutting things to bring indoors.
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I find I’m trying to think ahead to be able to have something for a vase each week. More annuals in the garden this year.
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Hope you will write a post about your camera at some point. Such great color!
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Interesting that you should suggest that. What I have found is that I seem to get truer color with my iPhone camera. The Nikon seems to wash out some of the brighter colors, particularly the reds and deep pinks. Consequently, when photographing flowers in color, I tend to use the iPhone. I may be missing some special setting on the Nikon, which I should investigate.
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The Gerbera is such a wonderful pure yellow. Interesting what you said about your nikon. We’ve just invested in a nikon SLR (it’s been a while since I’ve used one but I’ve found the colour representation excellent, so far I’ve really only used it on automatic and aperture priority and left the camera to work out everything else.
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Thank you, Christina. I feel like a real amateur with the Nikon. I should probably put more time into learning the finer points. Perhaps a class?
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I find it a bit intimidating. I’m going to attend a class but it will be a double learning process with new Italian words and new concepts with the camera. Which Nikon did you buy?
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My camera is Nikon Coolpix L110. I’ve had it for several years. Good luck with the class.
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Very pretty. I never thought of putting Ajuga in a vase but it is very effective.
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Thanks, Chloris. This is the first time we’ve used ajuga in an arrangement.
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Very lovely, John. I really like the addition of the hosta leaves and how they play against the yellow gerbera.
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Thank you. I’m fortunate; my Arranger has an eye for just that sort of thing.
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Such a lovely background with your Hosta leaves. The Ajuga is very effective, especially against the yellow daisies. Our first Ajuga flowers appeared yesterday, and now I’ll keep them in mind now seeing how beautiful yours look in a vase. How summery your vase looks this week!
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As noted, this is the first time we’ve used ajuga in an arrangement. I agree that it is a worthy addition.
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It works perfectly- I don’t think of Ajuga as a flower and mostly ignore it- but must reframe that opinion 😉 Cheers!
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