I couldn’t resist the fragrance of Korean Spice Viburnum (V. carlesii) mingling with the similar smell of Narcissus Poeticus yesterday, and added a few of the last Narcissus ‘Quail’ – equally but differently smelling – and some bronze fennel fronds. These joined a clutch of tulips – ‘Queen of the Night’ and ‘Pittsburgh’ – to create an olfactory and purply, slightly damp, vase this week, joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.


Those Tulips are beauties! All the colors in that vase! Don’t forget to eat some of those onions.
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The tulip colours are really fabulous, aren’t they? But Alice, eating the onions is indeed a problem. Well, not a problem, per se, but we never think to go out and cut a few stems or dig up a bulb…I know, such a wasted opportunity…
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The extra fun part of preparing a meal is using something from the ‘yarden’….chives, garlic chives & lettuce and veggies when there are veggies. My walking onions don’t seem to be expanding much, so haven’t used them. It’s just an extra thought that goes along with prepping meals.
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Beautiful, Chris! I love that viburnum, too. My vase has some in it as well, though it is just about done for the year, it is always glorious.
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Viburnum flowers never last as long as I’d like! Although, I have one that’s been growing in a more shaded area for some years now – although the shrub itself has become a bit gangly the flowers remain in bloom significantly longer than others, growing in more direct sunlight. Bit of a trade off, I guess.
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What a ‘breathtaking’ vase. Really quite lovely in many senses. Couldn’t resist the puns.
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LOL! Thanks Donna!
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It’s interesting that you’ve chosen flowers that pick up and highlight the colored details from the Narcissus poeticus. The first photo shows the relationship particularly well.
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I suspected you might catch that! Totally intentional, of course 🙂
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I love bronze fennel! I got a seedling from a garden in Warkworth – do you know the 2 men who live in the school house there? One of them is a past president of the Canadian Peony society. They have lovely gardens.
Another question: Have you visited the native plant nursery in Frankford? It sounds quite extensive and it’s on my list to visit. Native Themes, is the name (I think).
Really enjoying your blog.
Best wishes, Martha
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Thanks Martha! A road trip to the Schoolhouse Gardens had been planned for the end of June but may now have to be rescheduled – Jan and Mandy have mentioned it. I’ve heard of Natural Themes Native Plant Nursery in Frankford but have not yet visited. Now that you’ve mentioned it though – maybe tomorrow….
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A lovely mix! I wouldn’t be able to resist cutting a bit of Viburnum carlesii either! But the narcissi are just a bit too potent for me indoors. The dark tulips make for a bit of drama. 😃
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Thanks Cathy – yes, there tiny daffodils pack a wallop of fragrance, don’t they?
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Was it a good “smelly” combination or a bit off? I love Narcissus poeticus.
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It was good, but very strong, close up!
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I like this. The color combo brightens the deep purple so beautifully.
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Thanks – brightens and accentuates, I was hoping.
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‘Queen of the NIght’ is exceptionally dark. Most pictures that I see of it from home gardens do not show it to be as dark as it is in catalogue pictures.
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Mine are very dark, with ‘Pittsburgh’ being a shade lighter and a tad larger, at this stage.
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Haha, I had to laugh at your title Chris, as you r vase clearly does what it says on the tin! (do you use that phrase in Canada? It was used as advertising slogan for a brand of wood preservative/stain/paint some years ago). And I am sure there could be a tale to tell about Egyptian Walking Onions and the adventures they get up to on their travels…! 🤣
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Beautiful. I had lunch outdoors near a Korean Spice Viburnum once and it was delightful.
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🙂
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