First, an update on my windowsill gladiola jug. The last few glads from my second planting started to open on the weekend and since we haven’t had any rain for a few weeks, with none in the long range forecast, I thought I’d snip them now and let them drink long and deep in the jug. Joining them are a few Echinacea (white and purple), some pink Zinnias, Dahlia ‘Arctica’ and Dahlia ‘Creamsicle’ plus a lovely surprise: the deep purple Hyacinth bean vine flowers – Lablab purpureus. The vine has reached about eight feet – almost three metres – in height after a very late seed sowing and is loaded with flower buds. These are the first to open.
The main event today is a new frog, hence the Ribbit in the title. Since I started following Cathy and her blog Rambling in the Garden I’ve discovered many new-to–me flower species and several new ways to display them in a vase. A floral frog is a device meant to sit in a container, either at the bottom or the top, and hold up flower stems. They come in different sizes and shapes – mainly round although I have seen rectangular and square frogs, and are commonly made from metal with spikes, or glass or ceramic with holes.
I visited a local vintage shop on Saturday and found a great selection of glass frogs. I chose a clear one meant to sit at the bottom of a vase and this green glass one meant for the top of a container. Happily and by great coincidence I has purchased a small vase at the same shop a few years ago – nothing special, I thought at the time, but I liked the shape and the colour. Lo and behold, it may just be that the frog and the vase belong together – they are THAT perfectly matched in size and colour!
The thing about many of the glass frogs I’ve come across is the holes: they’re quite small. Perfect, though, for Verbena bonariensis – one of those flowers I read about in Cathy’s blog. Here’s the vase, plus a few bonus shots of the Verbena, demonstrating why I and so many gardeners love to have them floating high in our gardens. Have a great day everyone!!
County Gardening 
I had no idea there are flower frogs meant for the top of a vase. I’ve only seen them used in the bottom. This one does look like a perfect match, and it really makes that vase into something special!
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A cursory internet search failed to provide a different name for this accoutrement and it’s a tidier name than ‘glass lid with holes,’ eh? The vintage shop owner had been to an auction and came back with a few dozen frogs sold by a collector – it was quite fabulous to see them all at once. But I’m really curious, now, if the vase and top were made by the same company or it’s just a happy coincidence they fit so well together.
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Beautiful array of flowers, Chris. I like to think the frog insert has been reunited with its base. V. bonariensis is and attracts great beauty.
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Thank you!
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‘Creamsicle’ Dahlia is quite pretty! Wicked fun, that the frog fits on the vase. The Hyacinth Bean Flowers are gorgeous…have you grown them before & have you eaten the beans? I love viney flowers…have several pots of Morning Glories ‘Pinwheel’ & Borlotto beans. The verbena is a pretty flower…have many volunteers. I love all your little squash.
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Creamsicle is very bright and pretty, with its hue changing as the days go by – it becomes a muted orange instead of bright and shiny.
I’ve grown the Lablab before but haven’t attempted to eat the beans. It’s possible, I know from reading about them, but not worth the effort. I just love the foliage and flowers.
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I liked the mystery of your title, Chris, not revealed till later in your post, and I agree with Susie that it seems likely that the top was reunited with the original vase. In theory, frogs of all sorts are a practical solution to supporting stems, but sadly so often they are not quite the right fit for the stems we want to use, which is why I tend to end up using pebbles or glass beads quite often instead. Your green vase is perfect for your verbena, though, and I am really curious about the lablab in your first vase and need to investigate it, although I suspect it is not something that could be grown here
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I have a couple other similar glass vases (same shape, different colour) – I wonder if there are frogs out there in the world waiting to be reunited with them as well… 🙂
The Lablab won’t over-winter here of course, but it’s such a fast growing vine – less than three months from seed planting to flowering – that I bet it would work in your garden. The vine is vigorous though, and multi branching at each leaf node (where the flower stems also emerge) so any support/trellis needs to be quite tall and sturdy.
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Well, well, I have Googled and it seems to be grown as an unusual vegetable here, with beans eaten raw or lightly cooked. The leaves are meant to be edible too. How curious!
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But if you cook the beans after they become hard, you need to use a few changings of water to remove chemicals they secrete…very curious!
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I don’t think I will be seeking out any seeds to sow after all, Chris…!
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Like shoreacres, I’ve never seen a frog meant to sit at the top of a vase but I think that’s a great idea – and what serendipity that you already had a vase that fit it. I love the lab-lab, which reminded me that I have seeds I’ve yet to plant to grow that vine.
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I saw, at the vintage shop, two types of glass frogs. Bulkier ones, with depressions in the glass (not holes) and normal rounded edges, obviously meant to sit at the bottom of a container, and these ones, flatter, with a definite rim/edge/depression around the edge that indicates it could sit atop of something. Also, these flatter ones have holes all the way through the glass for sticking things thru.
I think the trick is to make sure you have a container/vase with a mouth the right size for the frog – in which I was really lucky to have!
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Beautiful colorful vase with the ‘Creamsicle’. The Verbena is perfect. I do need to invest in some frogs.
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A worthwhile (and not huge) investment I think!
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I did not know the frogs went in the top, either. I have one like that and use it in the bottom of the vase. Thanks. I like V.bonarensis too and the simple arrangement in the green vase with frog in correct location works well. The mixed vase reminds me of why we garden!
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Why we garden – yes, exactly!
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Wow, what luck that the frog fits so well in the vase! It looks wonderful with the Verbena in it! 😃 I have never seen that kind of frog for sale, only the spiky sort. Your windowsill vase also looks great and evolves beautifully week by week. I like the climbing Lablab, which I had never heard of before. Looks a bit like perennial sweet pea. And the dahlia is, of course, gorgeous!
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Thanks Cathy! The frog is definitely fabulous and the Lablab is wonderful not just for its flowers but the foliage.
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Tee hee – lablab. That is an amusing name. Their seed look like they are wearing tuxedos.
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It’s my favourite name, and one that’s hard to forget!
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Huh. I think I have a glass frog, passed on to me from a non-gardening friend who got stuff from her grandmother. I puzzled over it for a while, especially since it didn’t come with a matching vase and the holes, like you said, were kind of small some of my flowers. I’d like to try it out, now, but have to figure out what to use it in…
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A new challenge! I’m thinking it may work for ornamental grasses or colourful dried twigs as well…
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