In A Vase on Monday

I'm back to this meme after a break from what was beginning to feel like a frustrating chore, rather than a delight. My arrangements never look the way I envision them in my head, I always end up with a messy counter covered in water, bugs and off-cuts from stems, with water splashed on my clothes somewhere uncomfortable. I always try 5 different vases before settling on the same one I always use and I often cut something I don't use (Alliums actually ended up in the compost bin this week). And my garden still doesn't have the abundance of blooms that would allow me to create a really big, blowsy arrangement.

I know -- yes, I'd like some cheese with my whine.

For today's vase I picked every Gladiolus byzantinus that was flowering in my cutting garden. The flowers had already started fading from the bottom up and I didn't want them to go over before I had a chance to use them.

Gladiolus byzantinus, Dichelostemma congestum and Pulsatilla seedheads

I got sick of trying to arrange them so that they were facing in directions I liked, and finally just gave the vase a vigorous shake accompanied by an expletive and set it on the counter by the sink.

Cathy at Rambling in the Garden hosts In A Vase On Monday. Check out her post here.