in a vase on (tuesday)

lilac tree

Some things put on a show that is fleeting and all the more precious because of it. Such is the Lilac at the corner of R’s studio. Cut branches too early and they will wilt almost immediately, too late and they will last only a couple of days in the vase. I think I’ve timed this just right. Most of the florets have opened, with a few buds remaining at the tip.

Lanceolata kale

I left one plant of Lanceolata Kale to its own devices after pulling up all the others. Here’s what happened: flowers that look good enough to eat (and probably are).

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These tulips used to be well-placed but are now asking to be moved to a sunnier home. A hit of red was just what this bouquet needed.

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R is always on the lookout for interesting things to add to still life set-ups. I raided his cache for this antique pitcher. This photo was taken on the deck railing in natural light.

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But bringing it inside against a dark background shows it off to better advantage. No props, but I like the fallen lilac floret on the dark cloth.

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There are many forms of lilac, but this one seems to me to be the most fragrant, and is, after all, where the color got its name. I look forward to a week of its sweet scent drifting through the house.

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By clicking on Rambling in the Garden, you will gain entry to a growing number of bloggers who are taking up the challenge of picking something from the garden each week, year-round. Thanks, Cathy, for throwing down this addictive gauntlet.

17 thoughts on “in a vase on (tuesday)

  1. I grew up with a lilac tree in the garden but I was always told it was unlucky to pick the flowers; but I’m not sure that this was not just an invention of my father who didn’t want anything cut from the garde! Your pitcher looks beautiful.

  2. Lilac fragrance is amazing. There’s something about the way they flop around that makes it impossible to make a rigid or formal arrangement with them. The quintessential old garden flower about which everyone has a childhood memory. I love your arrangement in the antique pitcher which would be equally at home in a rustic cabin or a Victorian parlor!

  3. Elizabeth~The door to the studio started out deep purple but, like all pigments with blue in them, it faded to nearly the color of the lilacs. The building itself is more of a taupe. Being in a forest zone, we have a limited palette of house colors that are allowed. Thanks for the kind words.

  4. Doesn’t this look effective? The kale flowers and single tulip are spot on and the kale stem trails most dutifully! I wonder if lilac would respond to conditioning with boiling water first – certainly worth a try. Thanks for sharing this and prolonging the pleasure by posting it on Tuesday 🙂

  5. How lovely! I love lilacs. We don’t have them here in Texas… at least my part of Texas. But I grew up with them “up north” in Wisconsin. I remember some of my very first vase arrangements in elementary school consisted of collecting several lilac blooms from my parents’ backyard. Memories…

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