I've never cut Forsythia for the house before and I really pleased I have chosen it for this week's Monday Vase post.
My forsythia bush is to be pitied. It grows right up against the fence and has struggled for years in the shadow of a large sycamore in my neighbour's garden. With their clearing of the boundary more light has flooded in and with the removal of the sycamore the competition for moisture has diminished. Just as the shrub is flexing its muscles with the improved environment so I too want it to grow and expand to soften the fence line and break up the view. I remembered reading Christopher Lloyd, probably in the Well Tempered Gardener, saying that when you prune forsythia you shouldn't prune it into a mound but you should remove the odd stem to keep the shrub within its boundaries. This is the approach I decided to take as well as taking into account the lessons learnt last week at Ashwoods about thinning the canopy of shrubs.
The vase is a Poole pottery one bought from the local flea market a few years ago and this is the first time I have used it for flowers. For some reason I just thought the blue grey of the glaze would work with the yellow flowers. I'm not 100% sure if I am right but I quite like the effect.
As for photographing the vase - well the fact that instead of the usual backdrop I have been using this year the vase is plonked on the dining room table demonstrates just how difficult it was to photograph the stems well. However, I think the simplicity of the setting fits the simplicity of the stems well.
Thank you Cathy for hosting this meme every week which is making me think a little laterally about what I can bring indoors. Check our her blog for more Monday vase posts.
