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Two-Ingredient Flower Vases

The lovely Cathy at Rambling in the Garden encourages her followers to share a vase of flowers from our garden each Monday. It’s also a fun way to explore the creative side of flower arranging. She calls it In a Vase on Monday or IAVOM.

It’s April, so the options are plentiful.

I’ve cut flowers for three vases today, using two garden components in each.

The tall glass jar has been patiently waiting for long stems. My friend Jasmin filled it with sunflowers and brought it to a dinner party earlier this year. I’m happy to have three lovely Calla Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) stems to show off the glass shape. I’ve clipped twining green fern (asparagus setaceus) for a walk on the wild side.

A clear vase holding three white calla lilies and green fern leaves, placed on a textured table outdoors.

My second vase, also a gift, came from a friend’s kitchen. I’ve been helping her declutter, and when I spotted this pretty pitcher, I mentioned how much I loved the pattern. Portmieren debuted this collection in 1972 when I was 12. She said it had belonged to her mother, and she was getting rid of it, so lucky me. 

It’s not intended for flowers, but that’s never stopped me. My research indicates it’s a “Garden Drum Jug Pitcher from their Portmieren Botanical Garden collection,” but around here it will now be known as a flower vase. I’ve filled it with sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) and sprigs of Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa), a soft-leafed beauty from the garden.

The final vase for the day is a tiny treasure I picked up in nearby Campbell from a shop that sells items made in California.  It’s no taller than a deck of cards, but perfect for these sprigs of Silver Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’), along with more of the green fern.

A small blue vase holding a few green leaves and delicate blue flowers, placed on a black table in a garden setting with blurred greenery in the background.
A vase containing greenery and delicate blue flowers, placed on a table outdoors.

I’ve placed the first vase on our dining table,

A wooden dining table set with a floral centerpiece featuring white calla lilies in a glass vase. The table is adorned with a decorative cloth, and wooden chairs are positioned around it.

the sweet peas in our living room,

A black clock displaying the time on a wooden table next to a white pitcher filled with vibrant purple and pink flowers, accompanied by a small green bowl containing decorative cards.

and the wee vase on a shelf in my crafting room.

Two framed illustrations hanging on a wall, featuring architectural sketches. Below them is a decorative table with various items, including a colorful pot, a small painting, and a vase with greenery.

It’s sitting on my “homage to Canada” shelf, along with a photo of my mom, and other Canada treasures. The framed art above are a pair of garden designs from one of my dad’s horticulture studies. The mixed media tag with the nigella is a gift from artist and blogger Wilma Millette nd the postage card is from my friend Donna.

Please visit Cathy, our In a Vase on Monday host, at Rambling in the Garden to see what others are sharing. I promise an uplifting experience.

40 thoughts on “Two-Ingredient Flower Vases”

  2. Your vases are all so lovely Alys. I especially like the Portmeirion vase – I have a couple of things in the botanicals series too. ❣️The lilies are amazing. Your garden must be wonderful right now with those and sweet peas in flower. 😁

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    • Thank you so much, Cathy. I’m delighted to hear that you also have pieces from the botanical series. My reading tells me the botanicals have been immensely popular over the year. Kudos to the artist for creating them.

      My garden is both beautiful and stressed. Unseasobably warm temps persist, coupled with low humidity and little rain. Sigh. Are you finally free of snow?

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      • The snow went a while ago, but it has been frosty at night until just recently. Looks like it will finally get warmer this coming week though. At last! Hope you get a drop of cool rain for your stressed garden. We had a dry spell but today is a rain day and the garden is turning greener by the minute!

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        • I’m happy to hear that the snow is gone, and I imagine you’re grateful for that new greenhouse. Did you end up spending any winter days in there?

          We’ve had a weekend of rain, so things are looking refreshed. It’s such a relief.

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          • Oh yes, we had a really sunny spell in January and then at the end of February too, and we took a coffee out with us or had our afternoon cuppa out there. I even sat and did some crocheting there one day! Soaking up all that sunshine and feeling warm while it was below zero outside was such a lovely experience!

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  5. they are all lovely – the flowers and the vases. I love your “homage to Canada” shelf, a special display of those small personal items that are often overlooked. Your garden must be lovely.

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    • Thank you, Tierney. A friend gave me the Calla lily over twenty years ago. Mike transplanted it from the back garden to the side of the house at the start of our remodel. It’s prouduced two or three additional plants over the years, and they seem to grow taller each year. Was that true for you as well?

      The sweet peas have a lovely fragrance and they produce in several colors.

      It looks like your unpacking is coming along well.

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  11. My favourite are the sweetpeas in the mug in your living room at two minutes passed ten! I shall imitate it – now all I need are the sweet peas and the mug! And the clock.

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  12. Such sweet flower arrangements, Alys. Lilles have such an elegance, and they look perfect with just the three in the vase. Sweet peas were some of my Mum’s favourites, so they make me think of her.

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  13. Oh such lovely vases, Alys – thank you for taking the time to put them together and joining us. The callas look perfect in the tall vase and the asparagus fern enhances them cleverly; the soft colours of sweet peas and phlomis are right at home in the Portmeirion jug (it’s years since I have visited Portmeiron and am long overdue a return visit); and the simplicity of the brunnera in the little blue vase is endearing.

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