Posted on by Donna

In A Vase On Monday: A Rosy Surprise

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What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade.  

~Gertrude Jekyll

 

 

The roses have begun to bloom, and while some are quickly fading in all the rain, others just keep blooming away.  I have several Knockouts and a variety of climbers and rose bushes, but most without a name.

My favorite is ‘William Baffin’.  A climber that acts more like a bush.  This beauty has grown 7 feet tall and about 6 feet wide.  It occupies the back corner of the bog garden chock full of blooms for weeks.  It is the first rose to bloom in my garden.

 

 

 

roses collage

You can see the semi-double deep pink roses in the front half of this vase (in the top 3 pictures).  I added white allium blooming later in shade along with a few left over blooms of Goatsbeard.  I added a couple of other pink roses (bottom picture) from the Side Garden.  I am not sure if the tags are still on them, but I will have to hunt in the soil to see if I can find them.  I placed the blooms in a small milk bottle prized by my husband.

So why is this vase such a rosy surprise?  I put this vase of roses together in honor of my Aunt Mary…Mary Rose is her full name.  She just turned 93 in March.  Some of you may remember the story I wrote about my Aunt 5 years ago.

Two years ago, I submitted a story about Mary Rose in response to a call for memoirs dealing with women who helped in the war effort.  They came to be known as Rosie the Riveters.  And although my Aunt did not work in a factory during WWII, she did work as a civilian supporting the war.  

I found out several weeks ago that my story was accepted, and that it is going to be published online on July 5th through Women’s Memoirs.  Once I have the exact web address where you can read the story, I will publish it on both my blogs.

 

 

 

sm coneflower vase

I also put together an additional small vase for my special room; my sanctuary.  I love just walking out my front door and snipping a few Echinacea, lavender, Anise Hyssop leaves and a persistent mini Hollyhock (Sidalcea hybrida) that I thought I had removed from this garden.  

 

 

 

chive vingar collage

In the middle of spring, my garden starts to deliver its bounty of veggies and herbs.  And although I have a post about my veg garden coming up on Wednesday, I wanted to share a few interesting harvests.  The first is chives, or more specifically chive blossoms.  I love adding chive blossoms to salad, but I recently saw a few recipes for chive blossom vinegar, and thought I would try it.  The one that seemed easiest was from Rachel@Grow a Good Life.

Pick the blossoms and fill a jar.  Heat vinegar and cover the blossoms.  Store in cool dark area for a few days.  The strain out blossoms and use.

 

 

 

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Here is the finished product…a beautiful purple color with a wonderful chive flavor.  The peonies in this vase were grown from buds snipped outside that bloomed a couple of weeks later indoors.  A bit smaller than what they would be if left on the plant outside to bloom.

I used the chive vinegar in salad dressing, and then I thought I would use it to pickle the garlic scapes that I snipped this past week.  

 

 

 

scapes

I saw several recipes last year for pickled garlic scapes, but after I had already used all mine in skillet meals, sautéed veggies and scrambled eggs.  So I decided this year I wanted to set several aside to pickle.  And as I had an abundant crop again, there were plenty to pickle and use in other dishes.  Here is my easy recipe for Pickled Garlic Scapes.

 

 

[yumprint-recipe id=’4′] 

Well I hope you liked these simple vases, and simple recipes using what might be considered scraps instead of harvest.  I’ll let you know in a couple of weeks how the pickled scapes taste.

 

I am joining in with a few memes this week as I prepare these vases:  Cathy@Rambling in the Garden for her wonderful meme, In a Vase on Monday, Today’s Flowers hosted by Denise@An English Girl Rambles and Judith@Lavender Cottage who hosts Mosaic Monday.

 

 

So what are you harvesting from your garden now?

 

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Next up on the blog:  

Wednesday I will be updating my veg garden.  And Monday it will be time to review my June garden.

I am linking in with Michelle for her Nature Notes meme at her blog Rambling Woods.  It is a great way to see what is happening in nature around the world every week. 

 

I am also joining in I Heart Macro with sharetheloveLaura@Shine The Divine that happens every Saturday.

All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Gardens Eye View, 2010-2015.  Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only. 

71 Replies to “In A Vase On Monday: A Rosy Surprise”

  1. So much beauty in your garden and in this post! Lovely roses and peonies and… chive blossoms. Your recipes look very interesting.
    Have a lovely week!

  2. Yum! Yummy vase, yummy recipes. I heard of that chive vinegar from You Grow Girl – I will have to try but most of my chives are finished blooming now. Pickled garlic scapes? Yum! A beautiful rose, Donna. My swamp rose is loaded and still going even after the deluge of rain.

    1. I am thinking I will make some Garlic Chive Vinegar when they bloom later this summer Kathy…same recipe, different bloom….I bet you could make this with nasturtiums and other flowers too.

      My swamp rose is a blaze as well and I cannot get over the blooms that keep coming even in the rain….and the pollinators are just in a frenzy on this rose….a perfect rose in my book. I have not cut any as I don’t want to irritate the bees….I had to be careful just to get the chive flowers….they are busy and do not tolerate any interference from me. I love how the flowers close in dark or cloudy days and in rain to preserve the flowers.

  3. My eye went right to the chive vinegar mosaic. I made some a few years ago and it is time to make some more…it really is a beautiful color.

  4. What beautiful mosaics. The wonder of summer is the glory of the garden and it is such a wonderful way to spend a day just leisurely walking through so many gardens! Have a grand day!

  5. what gorgeous flowers you shared 🙂
    I will check out the link about your Aunt……
    and I will try your recipe, my chives are wild here in Texas 🙂
    Thank you for your wonderful post this morning, I needed it
    Take Care…You Matter
    )0(
    maryrose

  7. Donna, beautiful way to put a collage of your Echinacea and Lavender together. Congratulations on getting your story accepted for publication.

  8. Your chive vinegar is so pretty. I snipped off all the dried blossoms just yesterday and will wait for some new ones to form. Your bouquets are lovely, especially the pink roses.
    I’m harvesting raspberries, blueberries, cucumbers, arugula, radishes and lots of herbs these days. I love going out to my garden to see what’s going on there.
    Have a great week.

    1. Lorrie your harvest sounds wonderful….mine is a bit delayed here but I expect a busy July. Have fun making the vinegar.

  9. Congratulations on being published. It is indeed a thrill and I look forward to reading your piece….right after I whip up some chive vinegar (so pretty). Oh, and your bouquets are very nice too. The goatsbeard is a nice touch. What a jam-packed post!

  10. Best wishes to your Aunt Mary Rose! Your vases, as usual, are very pretty but I’m particularly impressed by the chive vinegar this week.

  11. The chive vinegar is a lovely light pink Donna and so easy to make. Darn, I wish I had read your garlic scape recipe before I chopped mine up and froze them for soups and frying later on.
    Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday.

    1. Now see I didn’t even think to chop and freeze some of mine Judith….I will do that next year too. The chive vinegar will be a light purple as it begins and the longer you leave in the blossoms the more it turns magenta.

  12. Oh well done for having your writing published, Donna – look forward to reading it in due course. And I am very tempted by your pretty pink chive vinegar… Your ‘William Baffin’ is a lovely pink and your goatsbeard always looks lovely – mine tends to go brown really quickly on the plant – no idea why. Thanks for sharing such an interesting post

    1. Thank you Cathy….my goatsbeard lingers longer in damp shady conditions…and if it is not too hot. That chive vinegar is so easy….fun to try and oh so pretty!

  13. Donna, your roses bush sounds awesome and so big. I love the pretty vases and arrangements. The Chive Vinegar is new to me, thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Have a happy day and week ahead!

    1. The roses are so beautiful Susie, but not as bountiful as I would love although my fairy roses are starting now…they pump out roses until the first freeze.

  16. Yum! I made chive vinegar last year but ate most of my flowers in salads this year. It’s a shame you can’t preserve those roses Donna! Gorgeous, and the second vase is a summer dream too.

    1. Cathy, I wish the roses would last longer although if I cut back ‘William Baffin’ it may have another flush of blooms. I hope to make more vinegar next year as I have so many chive blossoms, but the bees would be very upset if I didn’t leave them some.

  17. You already know I love your blog from earlier comments. I have a question for you. Are you able to present your photos in collage fashion because of the theme you have selected or because you have added something to your photos that allows you to do it? I love the effect. Being able to present your photos with this artistic tweak is fresh and fun. If you have time, would love to know so I could play too.

    1. Stepheny I am happy to share how I make the collages so you can have fun with it and play too. I use Fotor.com. Once I upload pictures, I make the collage in Fotor….then I save it from Fotor to my computer, and upload it to my blog….no special theme needed. There are other websites I plan to try too as I love creating collages as you can see! Have fun playing and feel free to email me if you have any questions….

  19. What a great post Donna! I love all your flowers this week and your recipes – I often use chive flowers in salads but have not thought about other possibilities. Congratulations on getting your story published – I will look forward to reading it.

    1. Thanks so much julie and yes, definitely use those chive blossoms in a vinegar….and thank you too for your support of my Aunt’s story!

  20. Congratulations on having your story accepted for publication, Donna. You are an excellent writer, so I am not surprised. Your vases are lovely — the echinacea grouping is my favorite. My roses are a big disappointment so far this year due to the tremendous amount of rain we are experiencing. I hope the second bloom later in the summer is better. P. x

    1. Pam, I was surprised to see so many blooms on ‘William Baffin’ this year given the weather, and my swamp rose is chock full too…the Fairy roses are blooming well as are the Knockouts I didn’t move….but climbers are continuing to just limp along more here because of the spring heat and then cold. Let’s hope our roses will pull out of their doldrums. And thank you Pam for your kind words about my story!

  21. How interesting–chive blossom vinegar! I would never think to do it, but I imagine it would taste great! Your vases are pretty as always, Donna. Congratulations on the publication of your story!

    1. Thanks so much Beth for your support….I love learning about new ways to use flowers from the garden…I hope to experiment with other blossom vinegars too!

  22. Thank you so much for the chive vinegar recipe, I will definitely make it and your rosy pink vase is a delight. Isn’t it nice having vases of flowers around the house, it just feels so summery! It is great you are writing about your aunt’s wartime experience, this primary source material is invaluable to historians.

    1. You are welcome for the recipe Sarah. And yes I adore the flowers around the house. I couldn’t agree more that these wartime stories are so important and I wish I had captured more from my Uncles too.

  23. how beautiful, Donna, love the roses, and what a great story about your aunt … congrats on the upcoming publication … and thanks for your good wishes and support … hope to return to blogging soon sharing my own gardening adventures 🙂

      1. Donna, I planted sunflowers and geraniums in two separate terracotta pots on my deck. The geraniums are fine but the sunflower blossoms got chewed up by either critters or insects. Can you explain why the geraniums are intact? Not sure what I did wrong with the sunflowers but maybe they’re more susceptible to bugs?

        1. Well my friend geraniums usually are left alone by critters due to their scent and it is hard to find geraniums at a nursery that have not been sprayed with some chemical making insects less likely to go near them. Sunflowers are planted by seed and usually not sprayed by us as they don’t need to be and we want the insects to flock to them….and they are much loved by bunnies and deer especially in their sprout stage before they flower. I have to net mine that are in pots on the patio. I don’t believe bugs got your sunflowers but I would need to see pictures to be sure….my assumption is the critters ate them most likely deer.

  24. Gorgeous arrangement! And congratulations on the publication of your story – that’s so exciting!

    And yum! – pickled scapes! I made some two years ago and we really enjoyed them. Think it’s time to make another batch…. 🙂

  25. all your vases look lovely – esp the roses. My solitary rose bush features in my vase today….
    your aunt sounds an awesome lady and I’ll look forward to reading more about her…. thanks for the info about chive vinegar – I’ll have to give that a go… I read earlier on another blog that chives are good for keep slugs/snails away. It’s been nearly 30 degrees in Manchester this week (v unusual) and I’ve still got slugs eating things – grrr….
    have a lovely week in your garden – Love bec xx

    1. Thanks for the support Bec…..chives are an amazing herb and so easy to grow….they just keep growing and will spread a bit….sorry to hear about the slugs…I get them here too.

  26. Thanks Donna for your recipe, I will do it when have enough veggies. I liked your vase with peony and collage.

  28. June is my favorite month, as both my husband and I have birthdays in June, and now my fourth grandchild, a girl, was born in June this year.

    Your flowers are lovely! We had an excessively rainy and cool spring so everything is slow growing here. I am finally seeing soem pretty flowers bloom and my herbs are doing well. My chives are sprouting flowers–I will try your vinegar recipe!

    Happy 4th of July, Donna!

    1. Wow that is a slow start Pat so the vinegar recipe is just in time for you! June is a special month in the garden here and it is the birth month of my mom….so glad you enjoyed the post…still very rainy here!

  29. Hi Donna! I tried to imagine what is your garden looks like! I read your post and I thought what a beautiful garden and beutiful roses! I only have a small balcony, so I can just harvest little amount of parsley.

    1. How lovely you have a bit of a garden as that is how I started my gardening years ago….thank you for your visit and lovely thoughts.

  31. Pingback: Dear Friend and Gardener: What’s Being Harvested | Gardens Eye View

  32. I forgot about chive vinegar, thanks for the reminder! I’ll have to take a look and see if any are still in bloom.
    Congratulations on having your story published!

  33. First of all congratulations on being published, how wonderful that is! Your blog is really delightful and I found it lovely and interesting as well. Roses, the vase filled bouquets charmingly beautiful! If you have time, please stop by my 6 year blog anniversary, I would love your visit~

    1. Thanks so much Mary…I did stop by earlier but you may know me from my other blog, Living From Happiness. I often confuse folks with my 2 blogs….I am so happy you stopped by here as well to my garden blog….and again many congrats on 6 yrs of blogging. Such a fabulous accomplishment….your is one of my favorite blogs.

  34. Oh Donna… Cheerful and colorful post. Love all the flowers and happy to see that the rain didn’t harm them. Those pickles remind me of some my Grandmother used to make… Michelle

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