A few weeks ago I answered the door to the postman and was given an unexpected package from Sarah Raven - on opening the box I found a lovely Flower Vase Set had been sent to me as a thank you for my involvement as an occasional guest blogger at Garlic & Sapphire.
Beautifully packaged this lovely gift set contained a teal coloured stained glass vase and a packet of seed - in my case pale cosmos although other varieties and colours of vases are available from Sarah Raven. Although I decided to use this gift for myself, it would have made a lovely present for a friend.
To liven up the photographs, I have used a bunch of stocks that I had bought the previous day from the flower stall at my local market. Stocks are one of my favourite flowers at this time of year and are deliciously scented.
I did make a conscious decision last January not to buy flowers throughout 2015 as I grow so many myself. I wanted to see if I could manage on just what I grow and I was surprised to find that I did not miss buying flowers.. Perhaps if my bulb planting had gone better in the autumn and my greenhouse was now full of blooms I would not have been tempted into buying flowers at the market again, but I have to admit that having started it is not just stocks but also a few bunches of tulips and daffodils that have made their way home with me in the last few weeks. There is something so uplifting about a vase full of spring blooms and after last years abstinence I am really enjoying indulging myself again this year. As soon as the garden fills up I promise that I will stop, but over the last few weeks the days have felt less grey as I have enjoyed my shop bought blooms.
Readers of In A Vase On Monday will recognise the lovely teal coloured stained glass vase - I have already started to collect all the colours and this was a welcome addition to my collection - more is always better with small bottles!
As I mentioned on Monday I am delighted to be joining the team of regular Garlic & Sapphire Sarah Raven bloggers with a monthly look at my Cutting Garden.
So a big thank you to Sarah Raven for my surprise gift - I will be ordering one or two of these to stash away in my present box (does anyone else like to keep a few small treats and some cards tucked away for last minute gifts?) and I am sure you will be seeing more of my lovely stained glass vase collection as the spring bulbs start to bloom. I also have those lovely pale cosmos seeds to sow later this month - I will be showing them in flower in my Cutting Garden reviews in the summer.
A few weeks ago I answered the door to the postman and was given an unexpected package from Sarah Raven - on opening the box I found a lovely Flower Vase Set had been sent to me as a thank you for my involvement as an occasional guest blogger at Garlic & Sapphire.
Beautifully packaged this lovely gift set contained a teal coloured stained glass vase and a packet of seed - in my case pale cosmos although other varieties and colours of vases are available from Sarah Raven. Although I decided to use this gift for myself, it would have made a lovely present for a friend.
To liven up the photographs, I have used a bunch of stocks that I had bought the previous day from the flower stall at my local market. Stocks are one of my favourite flowers at this time of year and are deliciously scented.
I did make a conscious decision last January not to buy flowers throughout 2015 as I grow so many myself. I wanted to see if I could manage on just what I grow and I was surprised to find that I did not miss buying flowers.. Perhaps if my bulb planting had gone better in the autumn and my greenhouse was now full of blooms I would not have been tempted into buying flowers at the market again, but I have to admit that having started it is not just stocks but also a few bunches of tulips and daffodils that have made their way home with me in the last few weeks. There is something so uplifting about a vase full of spring blooms and after last years abstinence I am really enjoying indulging myself again this year. As soon as the garden fills up I promise that I will stop, but over the last few weeks the days have felt less grey as I have enjoyed my shop bought blooms.
Readers of In A Vase On Monday will recognise the lovely teal coloured stained glass vase - I have already started to collect all the colours and this was a welcome addition to my collection - more is always better with small bottles!
As I mentioned on Monday I am delighted to be joining the team of regular Garlic & Sapphire Sarah Raven bloggers with a monthly look at my Cutting Garden.
So a big thank you to Sarah Raven for my surprise gift - I will be ordering one or two of these to stash away in my present box (does anyone else like to keep a few small treats and some cards tucked away for last minute gifts?) and I am sure you will be seeing more of my lovely stained glass vase collection as the spring bulbs start to bloom. I also have those lovely pale cosmos seeds to sow later this month - I will be showing them in flower in my Cutting Garden reviews in the summer.
