In a Vase on Monday; on the road...

I spent last week at my parents place up in Spokane. Since I knew I wouldn't be back again before Mother's Day, in May, I took my mom's gifts with me. Last week on the plant lust blog I spoke of a Salvia from Annie's Annuals – but truth be told when I bought this burgundy circle vase at Goodwill I was already thinking it would be a great gift for my mom. I filled it with a stem from my Poncirus trifoliata and a few of the paper flowers I've previously posted about...

Naturally I couldn't stop there – I asked my mom for permission to raid her garden and cut a few stems to bring in and arrange on the mantle. But there was a catch. Mom has rather severe allergies to fragrance and most flowers send her, so the stems needed to be foliage only. Oh and Spokane is about a month behind Portland. So what would be fully leafed out here, well, it was barely starting there.

Her ornamental rhubarb (Rheum palmatum) had a couple of gorgeous leaves – but they were too perfect to cut, especially when I had no idea how they would perform in a vase.

It was so bright that from inside the house the Sedum rupestre 'Angelina' looked like paint spills.

I cut a few stems.

There are slugs in Spokane, but not nearly as many as in Portland, so her Bergenia still had full gorgeous leaves...and that color! Some of these came inside...

And I'm not sure which Mahonia this is, but it's a beauty. I cut a few of the more colorful stems.

But had to do away with the blooms.

I also cut a few bits from a climbing Hydrangea that's just starting to leaf out.

And gorgeous dark Barberry...

And finally a few stems from this, a Spirea I believe?

Some of my riches...

And the finished vases...

Do the patterned vases look familiar? Mom has a collection of Royal Copley too.

As always our weekly look at vases filled with cuttings from our gardens is hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

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