Let no-one say I am not committed to Cathy’s wonderful In A Vase On Monday meme. Why, I have just ventured out into the driving rain to pick some weather-beaten blooms and if that is not dedication, I don’t know what is.
Again, a simple arrangement, as it is only our second year in the garden and so I don’t have as wide a selection as some IAVOM-ers, although I am taking notes each week on what I should be planting for cut flowers.
The tulips look a little pink in this light, but they are called ‘Bleu aimable’, which I rather like, a friendly blue. They get more blue as they ripen. You can still see the raindrops on the petals.
The little blue flowers grow like a weed and I have been calling them comfrey, but I’m not sure that’s what they are – can anyone enlighten me? They have bristly stems that sting.
And of course there is no mistaking the hybrid bluebells, which are plentiful if nothing else.
Last but not least, my prop this week is my happy frog, a gift from my Francophile mum, who is on her way to France today. If you turn him over he bears the legend:”Je porte bonheur” (I bring happiness).
If it is raining where you are, why not visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to cheer yourself up with a selection of lovely vases?
Carrots and Calendula 
Oh, that flower that is like a forget-me-not is on the tip of my tongue! Does it begin with a ‘b’?? I will come back if it comes to me! Lovely selection – like a lovely woodland scene. ffffreeeeezing, isn’t it?
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I think Ali means Brunnera for the blue flower. Your frog is just perfect and really complements your bouquet.
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Thank you Linda – it is a bit of a brute – does that sound like Brunnera? I have also seen it growing wild by the side of the road round here.
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I’d just popped back to shout BRUNNERA! Thanks Linda!
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I looked at some Brunnera in the garden centre today and it does look a bit like it but is almost certainly the more weedlike Common Bugloss. Thanks for suggestions!
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Thanks for braving your rain to create your vase – I am sure you won’t regret it 🙂 I too think your blue flower is a brunnera – there are plain green leaved varieties too as well as the more common variegated ones – are the main leaves a bit more rounded than the ones on the flower stems? Good to see your Bleu Aimable as I too planted these but so far it looks as if they are the wrong variety – more Exotic Emperors instead!
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Very pretty and I admire your dedication and frog. Happy Monday.
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That’s dedication. Could your blue flower be Green Alkanet aka Pentaglottis sempervirens? They have long tap roots, are native to western Europe, and the plant is a member of the Borage and Comfrey family. They’re pretty things but like to spread.
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I think you’re right Peter. It certainly looks like the pictures on Wikipedia. Thank you.
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Dedication indeed but worth it for your pretty vase. And the tulips will open and be even more lovely.
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Your vase proves that your garden is on its way to future splendor. I love the color of the tulip, which is sadly a genus of plants that don’t want to grow in my climate. The frog is precious too – I’m also very fond of frogs but haven’t seen any real ones locally in many, many years. On the other hand, I have an endless supply of lizards.
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Very pretty, and worth a foray out into the wet garden! The blue flower does well here – loves chalky soil. Is it called Bugloss perhaps? The German name is ox tongue, probably because it is rough to the touch!
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Yes I think it is Bugloss – I love the German names they are so specific and descriptive. Thank you.
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A pretty arrangement, and sure to cheer on a rainy day. Could you perhaps send some here? Rain, that is: we haven’t seen any for quite a while.
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I have no idea what they are. The flowers look like houndstongue (which I have always called ‘forget-me-not’ both because it sounds better, and because forget-me-not did not grow wild in my garden). However, houndstougue does not sting. Actually, except for the flowers, it looks nothing like that.
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