Happy Christmas

These are little hearts I made with some Christmas fabric from my stash. The tree is a cheap one I bought for a display a couple of years ago. I came across it again while looking for something else. The pot is from the shed (I gave it a good clean), the ribbons are also from my stash.

I hope you all have a happy Christmas and New Year. I'll see you in 2012.

Flowers in the Holiday House - part 2

I wrote about this arrangement in my last post. I only had time to take a couple of photographs before the clouds gathered and the light became too poor for photography. I took advantage of some bright conditions at the weekend to take some close-ups.

I didn't know what effect the glycerine I used as a preservative would have on the berries and hips.

I very pleased with the Rowan berries which kept their colour.

Some of the rose hips turned this dark red while other hips stayed a bright red. The poppy appeared in my garden one year. I leave them to self seed so that I can have these lovely seed heads.

Flowers in the Holiday House

I'm visiting Jane at smallbutcharming for Flowers in the  Holiday House.

Except I don't have any flowers. But I do have these.

This pot contains the glycerined rowan leaves and berries I did in September; dried poppy heads and rose hips (also preserved in glycerine), all from my garden. I have also added cones I've collected elsewhere. The berries, hips and cones have all been wired.

Both the charity shop bottles below contain grasses from my garden.

 This is Calamagrostis brachytricha

 This is Molinia caerulea subsp. arundincea 'Transparent'.

Christmas tree and decorations not up yet, I'll be putting them up on Wednesday. 

A bowl of cones

I have these cones in a cream bowl during the autumn and winter months. I collected them on a favourite walk whilst on holiday in the Lake District two years ago. Every time I look at them I remember that walk.

We left the car and walked through the Hope Park...

... we paused to admire the trees outside the theatre....

...before continuing along the shore of Derwentwater...

...passing Derwent Isle in the centre of the lake..

....before reaching Friar's Crag...

 ...to sit and admire the view before turning back.

The garden in November

The weather has been several degrees higher than it should be at this time of year, making the plants in the garden a bit confused.

I planted this Rowan in 1995, 4 months after we moved in. The leaves normally go a nasty grey-brown colour and fall off. This year they have turned this lovely golden colour. A result of the weather? The blackbird has been finishing the last of the berries.

I love the shape and colours of this Hydrangea quercifolia.

Schizostylis coccinea, a plant given to me several years ago. It always flowers in November. 

Euporatium rugosa 'Chocolate' loves its new home although its going over now.

Verbena boniarensis is still flowering.

Flowers in the House

Jane is kindly hosting Flowers in the House.

Euporatium rugosa  'Chocolate'

I moved this dark leaved Euporatium in the Spring. I had planted it close to the house and it did not seem happy. It has only been moved a few feet but it has made a huge difference as it's new home is damper. I haven't been able to pick it for a vase before as there have only been one or two flowers.

Scented leaf Pelargoniums

These Pelargoniums have been in the garden all summer. They are not hardy so I have moved them to the sunny warm porch. I lost the ones I had last year which I kept in the garage.

Three weeks ago I wrote about preserving leaves in glycerine. The leaves are now a lovely chocolate colour and I am especially pleased with the berries.

 I'm not sure how to display them yet although I am thinking about a terracotta pot.

A new purchase from a charity shop. I think summery alchemilla and roses will look good in it next year.

October in the garden

Lots of good things going on in the garden.

Abelia grandiflora

Euporatium rugosa 'Chocolate'

Geranium 'Rozanne'

Aster latiflorus 'Black Prince'

Calamagrostis

Gaura lindheimeri 'The Bride'

Gaura lindheimeri 'The Bride'

Geranium

Anaphalis triplinervis

Self seeded Verbena

I took these photographs at the weekend when the weather was still warm. Temperatures have now dropped with the first frost of the season forecast for tomorrow.

wedding show flowers

Last weekend I exhibited my new business at my first wedding show. I thought I would share the flowers with you here.

 

 

Cosmos and Clary from my garden for my own stand

Preserving with Glycerine

As requested, here is how I preserve leaves in glycerine.

Glycerine (or Glycerin) is available from chemists and pharmacies. I bought mine from Boots for 89p.

I used one part glycerine to two parts water. I used cold water but it would probably dissolve better in warm. Give the mixture a good stir to dissolve it.

It is a bit late in the year for deciduous leaves but these rowan leaves from the base of my tree are quite green so I thought I would try them.

Cut the stem on a slant and put straight into the mixture. I recut the stem after I had finished photographing it.

I had to make up more mixture to make sure the cut ends of the stems were covered. Now all you have to do is wait around three weeks.

The leaves will turn brown as they absorb the glycerine.

This is a branch I did in September. The leaves have turned a lovely chocolate brown and I'm glad I left the berries. None have dropped off. 

I added acer and a cotoneaster twig to see if they would work but the acer just shriveled up. I am optimistic about the cotoneaster.

I am preserving more oak leaves. If I have enough,  I will show you how I made the hoop in last weeks post

Good luck.