I’m enjoying these little signs of spring clustered around the house in tiny vases. This collection on the kitchen table – each vase is only an inch high – contains flowering rosemary, choisya, purple-leafed sage, white cyclamen and a few sprigs of the winter-flowering honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima, that I planted by the gate.
And over in the sitting room there are fragrant ‘Paperwhite’ narcissi on pebbles, white hyacinths in forcing jars, and more tiny vases – this time filled with a posy of violets that were miraculously in flower. (This corner was arranged for an aticle in The Sunday Telegraph; its components are now dispersed throughout the house). I like a lot of white flowers in the house – they are a peaceful presence to welcome in the new year after all the visual cacophony of Christmas.
The hyacinths have been lovely. I love them most just as the buds are splitting into separate flowers and opening – before they have become top heavy and threaten to topple over in their glass. I keep them in the porch where it is cold enough to prolong their flowering period and where their scent – too strong for some all the time – can hit one coming in and going out. They remind me of the ones in last year’s January post here.
And the last of the lovely ‘Paperwhites’ are just coming into bloom. I shall miss them until next November – they are a bit of a winter ritual with me; a talisman to take me through the cold months and out the other side into spring. This year we will be cheating a little and heading off on holiday somewhere hot. (Well why not? We haven’t been far afield for ages and everyone has been stuck with colds…)
So I’ll leave you with a poem again. A few years ago I had one of my favourite jobs ever: writing a book about flowers to go with beautiful photographs of flowers arranged by the interior designer Tricia Guild (the book I am writing now is another of the ones I have worked on with her). Anyway, as well as thinking up things to say about lovely flower pictures (it’s a hard job but someone has to do it), I had to compile a list of quotations about flowers that we could drop in alongside. One of my favourites was this, by the painter Georgia O’Keeffe (and one of the reasons I love my tiny glass vases so).
“Still, in a way
nobody sees a flower
really
it is so small
we haven’t the time
and to see takes time
like to have a friend
takes time.”
For background on our journey converting two Victorian railway carriages into an eco-home, plus more writing on gardens, interiors, green issues and other subjects, plus lots of photographs and information on past and current books, please visit my website.
The paperback edition of 
.
Your flowers are so beautiful, it must make everything so cheery in the house on a cold, bleak, winters day. I’m going to try my hand at some winter flowers next year. I do hope you enjoy your hot holiday, will be nice to be warm. Last year we went to visit my brother in law and his wife in Arizona for Christmas. It was really nice to be able to go out in short sleeve shirts in the middle of winter. Anyway, hope you have a wonderful day.
I love winter flowering honeysuckle. When we moved into our flat it was one of the few things that had managed to survive in the overgrown neglected garden and it’s just so pretty. It flowers at just the right time of year to cheer you up in the dark months. I can’t imagine not having it in any of my future gardens now – it’s such an important presence to me!
Such gorgeous arrangements and I can only imagine the heavenly aroma.
All of my hyacinths are now tied up in one form or another as they bow ever so slightly each day.
I am in the midst of bud jars and small recycled bottles filled with twiggy catkinnny bits and spring flowers, it is a little ad-hoc and I love it!
What a beautiful job to have to write about flowers! The sage and rosemary looks lovely mixed in your arrangement and so fragrant too! I shall try it at once!
I was thinking of you as I picked up a second hand book called “a portrait of the artist as a young girl”edited by John Quinn with a forward by Seamus Heaney. I have been enjoying it immensly and I keep thinking of you, I wonder why? It is a collection of portraits of childhood in Ireland by nine women writers….anyway, sorry for that random tangent!
Sarah x
Your blog is so calming Elspeth! Love the little vases of flowers and the arrangement looks good too. Will you link to the article when it comes out {she says lazily}.
How wonderful to be going off somewhere hot. I feel quite envious. Oh and I loved the poem too, I’m going to copy that into my journal. Actually, loved the whole post (can you tell?).
Yes, I agree…..a lovely, lovely post. Thank you for sharing your calm, elegant photos. Have a sunny and heat-soaked break.
I especially love the Roman hyacinth in the cup. I think blogs help us to take the time to appreciate the small moments that bring us a little joy each day.
Thanks for the lovely comments:
Re Mousy Brown’s comment about her journal, I forwarded it to Clare at Three Beautiful Things, and she has written a post about it. Check it out on http://threebeautifulthings.blogspot.com/.
Knittingoutloud: Yes cups are great for one hyacinth bulb – just the right size. I sometimes give a nice mug as a Christmas present with a hyacinth bulb planted in it with moss around the top and a ribbon round with a festive label – but for myself, it is a nice use for well-loved mugs that get too chipped to use. When displaying the bulb, I just make sure the chip is at the back!
Dana: Thanks for good wishes.
Deb: Lovely to hear from you again – and I shall be looking to your fantastic blog for inspiration as am going to be gardening regularly with the Reception Class at Mary’s school after half term. Glad you like the poem.
Sarah-Jane: How sweet of you! That John Quinn book does sound interesting – and Seamus Heaney is another favourite poet of mine.
Nina: Glad you are enjoying your hyacinths, too – I wonder if you know some friends of ours in Broadstairs who run the lovely Oscar Road Cafe?
Alison: Yes that honeysuckle is lovely isn’t it? So welcoming in winter.
Jennifer: Lovely to hear from you – Arizona was our second choice for hols – and actually my sister has booked a couple of weeks in a vintage trailer park there!
xxxxxx
E
Beautiful flowers Elspeth, so inspiring. Sunshine and heat seem very appealing too. Hope that you have a good holiday.
I love the Georgia O’Keefe quote – I always copy out the poems that you share with us.
Thank you!
Beautiful post |Elspeth, I love the simplicity of your flowers all-in-white.
I have Trica Guild’s (and yours) flower book, one of my faves, I come back to browse it time and again.
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Love to come and have a look at your beautiful place, and look forward to your new book. Have great holidays with lots of sun, here it is snow again and again, love Martine
I recently bought your book, The Wonderful Weekend Book. I read it cover to cover and still keep going back to dip in to it every so often. What a gem! It has inspired me. I have taken to writing letters to my friend on Sunday evening, she was delighted! And I have a conservatory that smell’s like heaven and looks beautiful with the narcissus and hyacinths dotted about. Oh and we reinstated afternoon tea at the weekend. Love your photo’s too. I also live in a railway carriage, on a nature reserve on the south coast so will be looking to you in the future for some more inspiration!
Hooray! I’ve been able to get into your blog after so long Elspeth. I just cannot access you from my Blog list which has been most baffling! I managed to get in by going onto AOL.
Your displays of spring flowers are beautiful. I love the simplicity and pureness of white flowers too.
Off to catch up on all the posts I have missed.
Jeanne x
That poem is so beautiful but I can’t believe that I read it today of all days. There seems to be an unplanned by me theme going on for the past three days. Everywhere I go I’m hearing, “stop and be in the present.” I feel like a dry plant who’s thirst is being slaked by a good soaking in a sink of pure water.
Thank you!
Katy Noelle