Little White Jug #3

My hydrangea is blooming and how could I resist cutting some for my latest little white jug flower arrangement? These beautiful blue hydrangea had turned pink in my garden but I had read that if you save your old used tea leaves and scatter them on the ground around the plant, it will turn the soil acidic causing the colour to change from pink to blue.

So last summer,  I faithfully saved all my old tea bags by the kitchen sink in a small stainless steel bowl, scattering them around the base of the plant whenever the bowl was full.

And wonder of wonder it worked.  Some of the pink is now lavender coloured, but other blooms are blue.

So many beautiful shades!

Turn the jug around, and every view is gorgeous with a wide range of soft pretty colours. 

Little White Jug #2

With the peonies in bloom I thought it was time to bring you no. 2 in my Little White Jug series.  I don't think there is much that is more beautiful than a pink peony, except perhaps a white one. The pink are so pretty.

And even prettier up close!

Little White Jug

Here I am, almost one year to the day since my last post. How could so much time have passed? A longer break than I anticipated, but here I am feeling inspired once again and raring to go.

I thought I would mark the occasion with a blog about my little white Lord Nelson Pottery jug from England.  This jug is very special to me because it was a gift from my lovely friend S.  She and I were on an antiquing trip in Almonte, Ontario and S. found this jug at one of the shops, fell in love with it, bought it and took it home. Some time later, she surprised me by giving it to me, not because she did not love it anymore, but because she knew how much I loved it.  Now that, is a special friend.

I picked the flowers this morning from my garden. Alliums from the bulbs that I planted last fall.

 
Siberian irises, which I just love. These are a dark blue purple and the clumps that they form are full of spiky thin green leaves. They don't last long but their slender elegance makes them a favourite of mine.

And last, but not least, in this lovely trio is a perennial bachelor button, more larger and showier than the annual variety.  This year, mine are much larger than I have ever seen them grow in my garden. Their spiky spheres are remarkable.

Put all three together and they are even more beautiful.  Have a look and see what you think...

I think they work so well in contrast with the simplicity of my little white jug.  I also think that I will continue to make other flower arrangements in this jug and share them here so you can see just how versatile this wonderful receptacle is. I am willing to bet that the mood of the arrangement will change with the flowers. Time will tell.