Tag: sweet woodruff

In a vase on Monday: peonies

Cindy at enclos*ure17 Comments

For each of the last two springs in this house, the peony plant in the back yard has given me exactly one bloom. This week, there were eight — all but two opening fully on the same day. Their stems are very curved from being knocked over earlier in the month by a late snow and then rain and wind.  Next year, I will try to remember to rig up some sort of support before they emerge.

The blooms look red, but they’re actually a very dark pink, and they have a nice light scent. I arranged them with some wild pink geranium that comes up along the back fence (maybe G. palustre?) and some sweet woodruff. The Westerwald salt-glazed pottery pitcher is from this Saturday’s flea market.

To see what other bloggers have put in a vase today, please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. She hosts this Monday theme.

In a vase on Monday: red, yellow, orange

Cindy at enclos*ure4 Comments

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Supermarket tulips, sweet woodruff, and some other little weed wildflower from behind our fence, as well as golden spirea leaves from the flower bed.

To see what other gardeners have put in a vase today, please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. She hosts this Monday theme.

Happy May Day!

In a vase on Monday: the mermaid

Cindy at enclos*ure13 Comments


I got up this morning determined to make an arrangement for this cute little Majolica-style vase that I bought at the Saturday flea market. I found these flowers growing in the grass and along the fence in the backyard.


They include primroses, wood anemones, sweet woodruff, and a tulip.

By the time I had everything assembled, I had lost the good morning light inside.  So I spent some time wandering around the house looking for a bright place to take pictures.  At one point I was in the linen closet.  By 2:00 p.m., I was back in the living room with one-half of the curtains pulled back.


The vase is about 8″ (20 cm.) tall.  I say “Majolica-style” because after an hour (or two) on the internet I was no closer to figuring out if it is real or fake.  It cost only €8, so I suspect the latter.


I does seem to have some age, so maybe it’s at least an old fake.


I love the mermaid or siren handle.

She needs tiny pasties.


If anyone reading knows anything about Majolica pottery, I would love to have your opinion.

To see what other garden bloggers have put in vases today, please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

In a vase on Monday: tulips and sweet woodruff

Cindy at enclos*ure15 Comments

In a vase…, May 23, 2016, enclos*ureThis morning, I combined the tulips that I bought last week at the supermarket with some white sweet woodruff, or Galium oderatum, just picked from a shady spot in our backyard.

The flowers in my arrangements smell lightly of honey, but sources say that as the plant wilts and dries, its leaves will smell like fresh-cut hay and vanilla.

G. oderatum is native to Europe. In Germany, it is known as Waldmeister or ‘master of the forest.’ Traditionally in spring, before it blooms, its leaves have been added to wine to create May wine or Mai Bowle.

For a good discussion of the culinary uses of the herb in Germany — where it flavors jell-O and hard candy — see this article, “May’s sweetest herb,” in the blog Spoonfuls of Germany.

To see what other gardeners have put in a vase today, please visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.