Surprise! A Rhody blooming in December. This one is R loderi ‘King George’. A couple of stems of Camelia sasanqua ‘Kanjiro’ echo the touch of pink in the mostly white Rhody. Some Rainbow Leucanthoe and a sprig of Dusty Miller (I know, many things go by that name but who knows which one this is) provide filler. I photographed it on the ledge so that I could get the whole thing in the picture frame, including the bird sculpture by local artist Babette Harvey.
Its final destination was the dining table, where the Leucanthoe echoes the color of the plum tablecloth.
Now won’t you click through to Rambling in the Garden, where Cathy comes up with a beautiful vase every week of the year, regardless of the weather, and challenges us to do the same.
I have been looking for this rhododendron. If you know of a source, please let me know.
You might contact the Rhododendron Society. In the meantime, I’ll keep an eye out and let you know if I see one.
Another deep sigh from me over the rhododendron flowers.
A deep sigh is a lovely compliment.
Camellias and Rhododendrons, wow! And a cute little birdie companion. Fabulous.
Thank you, Beth.
That’s quite lovely Ricki.
Lovely is as lovely does, and you do it so well.
The weather (or climate) not sure which is to blame at the moment is gifting us all blooms out of their usual season. Love the metalic look of your vase too.
Must look on the bright side of climate change while trying to work it out.
A beautiful rhododendron blossom – I love happy surprises in the garden. 🙂
Those surprises keep us going, don’t they?
The little bird sculpture really complements this in its galvanised pot, rickii. Lovely to see your rhododendron in December – I have one that often flowers in winter too (‘Cheers’) but no sign of any buds yet
Come to think of it, this Rhody bloomed at an unexpected time last year too. No mater how often it does it, it will still come as a surprise.
King George is beautiful and wow, nice container.
It’s copper, with lots of patina…seems more flower-friendly than other metals.
Very pretty and I love the bird! This arrangement echoes Oliver Herford’s poem, “I Heard a Bird Sing.”
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.
“We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,”
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.
Peter, you seem to have a song or a poem to fit every circumstance. This one lifts my spirits.
What a lovely Rhodo, does it have a scent? The vase is lovely too, and seems to echo the plum tablecloth as well. And it’s a very sweet little bird.
No scent that I can detect
Very elegant, perfectly arranged. You know how.
Wish I was smart enough to figure out what “iavom on t” meant.
No reflection on your intelligence…I’m just not very good at throwing out those initials to stand in for In a Vase on Monday…on Tuesday. Glad you liked the vase, tho.
Added a How to Pond link to my current post for you.
That vase is wonderful, the texture and soft colour add an extra layer of magic to the flowers.
Fabulous! Thank you Diana. I’m off now to check it out.