In a Vase, on Monday – the Where’s Waldo edition.

Chris Mousseau

I don’t recall ever seeing a Where’s Waldo puzzle (apparently originally called Where’s Wally, in Britain) but from what I gather, it involves finding a funny man who is camouflaging himself in various situations. Since the house still has colourful poinsettias in bloom, Amaryllis stalks shooting skyward with flower buds quickly swelling and a half dozen Hyacinth jars in the fridge, holding actual Hyacinth bulbs sending down roots and sending up the start of (I hope) very smelly blooms in a few weeks, I thought I’d scout out a few outdoor locations for a vase of not fresh flowers for this last Monday Vase of 2019. To see other vases of real flowers, pay a visit to Rambling in the Garden, where Cathy posts and hosts a weekly collection of flower-filled vases from around the world.

The vase is an ersatz Chinese urn found in a thrift store earlier this year. The ‘flowers’ are some red Osier dogwood twigs (Cornus sericea, syn. C. stolonifera), nicely coloured for the winter, and stalks and dried seed heads from my Nigella patch. A few months ago Eliza suggested I cut some and hang them to dry in order to create winter arrangements. Thanks Eliza!

I took these shots yesterday morning – we had a green Christmas here (sadly, since many of us Canadians really do enjoy a white Christmas), and only a few patches of snow are currently around (although I assure you that will change…). Freezing rain has been falling since late yesterday afternoon but should end soon – right now (eight o’clock Monday morning) it’s a light freezing drizzle…

Here’s Vase trying to blend in by a large clump of Sedum spectabile. Not terribly successful…
Here’s Vase in front of a white spruce (Picea glauca). It’s a nice contrast eh? Definitely not a camouflage situation though!
Vase is trying to hide in the last snow bank along the driveway…
Although the Nigella blends in with the fallen leaves, the bright blue Vase design still gives it away…
Vase is a bit more successful here, but perhaps it’s cheating a bit to stand in front of the very dogwood bush your twigs came from!
Here’s Vase in all its glory – proud upon a stump I use as a side table on the side patio.

Don’t worry – I brought Vase indoors yesterday, before ice started to fall from the sky. It’s now safely on my desk, where it will spend the rest of the winter. Happy New Year everyone!

14 Comments

  1. It’s fun to try vases in different spots. Backgrounds make a huge difference. Sounds like you have lots of promise flowers in the wings but the nigella deserved it’s day in the limelight. Happy new year.

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  3. You accomplished a nice contrast of color and form with the results of your scavenger hunt, Chris. Snow is a foreign concept here – or rather something viewed only from a vast distance and then only when the clouds and smog clears sufficiently to see the mountains to the east. Best wishes for a happy new year!

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  4. I love the Nigella, not sure I have ever seen the seedheads. When I used to work in the DC area I loved to use the Red Osier Dogwoods and enjoyed seeing them again. The colors
    work well together and I love a funky vase. Thinking you will have a White New Years since Christmas was a bust? Happy 2020!

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  5. The Nigella dried well for you – they look great with the dogwood. I like having summer reminders around to get me through the winter. As an experiment I tried a few zinnias and some held color fairly well. Every time I see them, I think of those lovely summer days.

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      1. The ones I saved were the ones that didn’t rot in the vase and dried in situ with satisfying color. I might consider drying some next year in silica gel to retain original color, or more likely, I’ll do the lazy way of supporting the heads in tight vases until they dry. It was interesting that some lasted better than others, usually they just rot in water.

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  6. Oh nigella seed heads are so gorgeous – why did I forget to pick some? Might see if there are any hanging around that I can rescue for nice dry vases like yours…. You have lots of colour to come with your bulbs – isn’t it exciting?

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  7. Vegetation outside the vase is as interesting as what is inside the vase. Your fir looks just like a Douglas fir. Your maple seems to be a sugar maple, but I would not know.

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