In a Vase on Monday: Light and Shade

January 19, 2026 by Cathy

As I join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for our weekly vases, the sun is shining but the temperatures are low and once again I find myself sorting through some dried materials in my cellar. I wanted colour in my vase today, so I picked out some more of the pretty pink everlasting flowers – Helipterum – and added some dried golden grasses and dried meadow flowers.

The lampshade to the right of this scene cast an attractive shadow. On the left is my bowl of dried Helichrysum flowers.

Moments later I came back to take more photos as the sun had moved lower in the sky, illuminating the arrangement!

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Some clover and Melica ciliata caught my eye, and another grass too…

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And there is this seedhead, which I have found in the meadow two years in a row. I have no idea what it is, as it is clearly an insignificant flower that only stands out when the seedheads form. Any ideas anyone?

UPDATE: Ingwer has found out what that plant is: Thlaspi arvense or Field Pennycress. Thanks Ingwer!

The Pulsatilla seedheads dissolved into a ball of fluff when I picked them up, but placing them in this bowl gave them their moment of glory. They look so soft and pretty as they capture the sunlight and seem to glow.

The vase also contains some wild Achillea, Nigella seedheads, a poppy seedhead, Knautia macedonica and some other grasses.

But I still feel the stars are the pretty pink and white everlasting flowers. ❣️

Have a great week, and I hope you get some winter sunshine!

Ten Days of Plantness 2026: Days 5, 6 and 7

January 18, 2026 by Cathy

Ten Days of Plantness, running from the 12th to the 21st, is a brilliant way to brighten up a cold and snowy January. Frank at Sorta Like Suburbia thought this up a couple of years ago and I am pleased to join in the fun. If you want to know more, pop over to Frank’s blog, or take a look at my recent posts for days 1 to 4.

So today, for days 5, 6 and 7, I am sharing some purchases made on my visit to a large commericial garden centre on the other side of town. I usually prefer my local nursery, but they have almost nothing at this time of year. Even though many shelves were empty and the outside section was closed, the garden centre managed to fill out the houseplant section with mainly orchids and peace lilies etc. So, for Day 5, this is where I found a bargain Cyclamen for 2,99€! It is a lovely deep purple colour (it looks paler and redder in the photos), but I chose this one for the added interest of its pretty leaves.öx

For Day 6 this gardening magazine, strategically placed next to the till, was so tempting with all those spring snowdrops on the cover, so I succumbed! A bit of colour and inspiration is nice in the winter. And what more could you ask for on a cold January morning… a coffee, some flowers and something gardening related to read. 😁

And then, for Day 7, a bunch of gorgeous tulips and roses. They were actually bought at the supermarket on my way home, so were very reasonably priced. Do you buy cut flowers in winter too? It is so nice to have flowers in a vase at this time of year and I really love this colour!

I have three more things to share for the rest of the Ten Days of Plantness… coming soon!

Have a lovely Sunday!

Ten Days of Plantness, 2026: Days 3 and 4

January 16, 2026 by Cathy

Ten Days of Plantness, running from the 12th to the 21st, is the brainchild of Frank at Sorta Like Suburbia and is intended to brighten up the coldest days of the year and hurry Spring along. If you want to know more, pop over to Frank’s blog, or take a look at my recent post for days 1 and 2. There are so many benefits to joining in. Here are just a few:

You have fresh green and a splash of colour indoors IN JANUARY!

You don’t need an excuse to go the nearest nursery

This will prompt you to wake up out of hibernation modus and get a seed order placed!

👍👍👍

The weather has been atrocious recently – icy and very cold – but over the past couple of days the ice and snow has gradually melted away, and the first thing I did (naturally!) was visit the big garden centre the other side of town!

More on that soon, but for day three I am sharing a recent seed order which has just arrived. I usually buy my seeds from a couple of suppliers, one of which lists everything on the order confirmation in German with no botanical names and no photos, so I will spare you that. But they do package the plain seed envelopes so nicely into larger decorative envelopes, separating them into Flowers, Vegetables, Herbs, Perennials, Biennials and – strangely enough – Cosmos, which gets a package of its own!

This order includes much the same as every year: Borage, Salvia viridis (in case not many of last year’s seed themselves around), Strawflowers, Cosmos, Calendula, Aubergines!, Runner Beans, Swiss Chard, and a few perennial herbs to help fill out the Words & Herbs Bed.

The other seed order includes quite a few vegetables, in the hope that I can get at least some of my vegetable garden set up again (it had to be sacrificed when the greenhouse foundations were put in).

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Lots of beetrooot, as I ran out last year… I think the slugs were eating the seedlings and I had to keep resowing.

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I am especially looking forward to the Sunflowers, and a new Echinacea ‘Mellow Yellow’.

And a lovely Cosmos too…

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Roll on Spring!

My fourth plantness purchase for this year was a small pot of Narcissus from my local supermarket last week, probably Tête à Tête. I placed it in the cooler cloakroom in the hope it will last longer out there. Only one bud was showing on a very short stem when I bought it, and look at it now!

Do visit Frank to see what he has found for Plantness this January. I’ll be back with more Plantness purchases in a couple of days. This is such a wonderful way to chase away the winter blues!

🌺🌸🌺

Five Favourites, January 2026

January 14, 2026 by Cathy

A frozen and somewhat snowy garden does not have to be lacking in winter interest, no matter how cold it is. Even so, it is hard for me to choose ‘favourites’ when there is actually little choice at all! However, these five plants I have chosen are indeed plants that catch my eye when there is very little else happening, and I do love all of my plants anyway!

1. So the most eye-catching in winter is probably the Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’. The red stems stand out especially against a frosty or snowy background and draw my attention to them all the time.

I have several planted in the long ‘Edge border.

2. On the edges of the garden and in the meadow we planted many trees when we came here, including some silver birch. Watching them grow has been such a pleasure. I love the bark in particular in winter…

…or the silhouette of the tree against a blue sky…

3. Naturally I have to include a grass in my favourites and this time it is Miscanthus ‘Red Chief’, looking not so red these days. On a dry and windy day earlier in the month the seedheads were magically fluffy…

Then after a couple of weeks of frost and snow they have become smoother and far more elegant. Hard to believe it is the same plant.

4. Silvery foliage really stands out in a winter garden and Helichrysum italicum is possibly the best of all here. It does not darken or decompose at all and withstands our winter temperatures with grace.

5. I chose an Amaryllis as number five, since it would otherwise probably not get a mention on this blog. This pale pink one looks lovely on a windowsill with a snowy scene outside.

I couldn’t imagine a winter without at least one Amaryllis (Hippeastrum), and both of mine have flowered twice for me, this one being ‘Sweet Star’.

What is giving you pleasure in your garden at the moment? If you would like to join me in posting about your five favourites each month, please do! Leave a link in the comments too. Have a great week!

Ten Days of Plantness, 2026: Days 1 and 2

January 13, 2026 by Cathy

It is finally the 2026 Ten Days of Plantness! Ta Da! Hosted by Frank at Sorta Like Suburbia, this is a meme designed to make January more bearable, as the garden slumbers (under snow?) and we are patiently – or not so patiently – waiting for the first crocuses to pop up and surprise us. I joined this meme last year and found it such a great excuse to get some cheap and cheerful flowers for indoors. And it is a good time for replenishing my houseplants (which I repeatedly seem to kill off). If you invest in ten plant-related things between the 12th and 21st of January – the coldest time of the year – Spring should arrive early. Well, that’s what Frank says anyway! LOL!

The hiccup this year is that our garden centre did not re-open from its Christmas break before the ice and snow arrived, so I only have a couple of plant-related objects so far.

Firstly, a lovely bunch of pink and purple supermarket tulips. I admit to buying tulips regularly in the late winter, but these are the first of 2026. They are cheap and cheerful, but probably won’t last as long as proper florist ones. Needs must!

This banana coloured Primula, also purchased from the supermarket, is fresh and warming at the same time. It is standing in a cooler room to keep it from going over too quickly, as the indoor ones inevitably do. But as Frank says, longevity is not a priority when it comes to the Ten Days of Plantness! 😆

Weather permitting, I will be visiting the local nursery/garden centre by the end of the week, but I have a couple of other things to share already, so I will report back for days 3 and 4 of the Ten Days of Plantness very soon! In the meantime, many thanks to Frank for thinking up this little challenge. And if you feel like joining in, from the 12th to the 21st simply share ten plants or plant-related items you have bought in January. (And if you read Frank’s post here you will see that the rules are very flexible!) 😁

In a Vase on Monday: Golden Days

January 12, 2026 by Cathy

It is FREEZING here and the garden is iced over! So once again I am sharing some dried flowers picked last summer. I chose a golden theme today, as I think back to the golden days of July, and a hot morning when I cut some of this plant material, with very little idea of what it would look like six months later! I am joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her In a Vase on Monday meme. Without this meme, would I ever have even thought of drying flowers for winter vases? 💐

The striking grass seedheads were picked from the meadow as far as I remember, so my hare vase seemed a good choice.

The main part of this arrangement is the Alchemilla. I like the way the flowers have dried in particular, although the foliage is not as pretty. I was able to distinguish the golden flowers left of the Alchemilla due to the silvery stem – curry plant, Helichrysum italicum. When I cut these, I had no idea that they are also known as Italian strawflowers and that they would dry so well.

IS this yellow flower a Calendula? It looks remarkably similar to a dandelion! 🤣

Another success was the Calendula. I had sown quite a few in containers and planted some out into the garden too. They did so well in our very hot and dry summer, and they dried beauitfully. Picked when at their best, the colour has only faded a little and the flower heads are remarkably intact.

Oriental poppy seedheads were also picked at various stages of the year – they tend to get burnt or blown over, so picking them to dry out completely indoors turned out to be a good decision.

Another material in this vase is Salvia nemorosa stems, best seen in the first photo (full of seeds but they dry very well). I have plenty more good dried flowers and grasses to last me into spring, but at some stage I will of course mention the failures!

I hope you also have something flowery indoors this week, but if not, do visit Cathy to see what she and others have shared in their vases today.

Have a great week!

In a Vase on Monday: Slowly But Surely

January 5, 2026 by Cathy

Very slowly the days are growing longer. Five more minutes of daylight in the last five days alone! Have you noticed any difference where you are yet? Some sunshine and a fine dusting of snow have brightened things up here too, but clear skies mean cold temperatures, and the garden is frozen solid. So my vase this week is made entirely from dried material. 😁

In 2025 I made it one of my goals to dry some materials from the garden for dried flower arrangements. I cut all sorts of things, experimenting with shrubs, perennials, annuals and grasses… even weeds! I hung the materials from some cheap plastic shelves in a relatively cool and dim room, and the results have exceeded my expectations. However, my first attempt at arranging some of them made me realize how delicate they are!

The dark red leaves at the base are, I think, Physocarpus. They are. ery crumbly. I will have to label things in the future as some of my materials look so different to when I cut them in the summer.

The perennial Briza and Allium seedheads retained their shape and colour beautifully.

Purple statice is the focal point..

… but the vase also has some wild grasses, poppy seedheads, Queen Ann’s Lace, and an Echinacea seedhead.

I really like the Echinacea, and will definitely dry more of those this year. And the wild grasses and the fluffy Melica ciliata seedheads are lovely too, but very fragile.

I also used my newest vase – a miniature glass encased in an ornate pewter stand – which was a gift from my Mum at Christmas, matching my pewter snail perfectly.

Some colourful dried everlasting flowers that I grew last summer fit nicely in it.

They are called Helipterum roseum, and I hope to grow these again this year as they last so well and are such pretty little flowers.

The intensity of the colour is quite remarkable, and I think I like these even better than strawflowers.

(My little snail serves as the prop today… slowly but surely the light will return!)

If you have never really dried flowers before I can absolutely recommend trying it – the joy and pleasure of finding colour to display in my home in the middle of winter is such a boost! I used a couple of books for inspiration, which I will share soon.

I will also be sharing more of my dried flowers in the next few weeks, until the garden comes to life again.