In a Vase on Monday. Bonkers!

I have been rereading E.A. Bowles and his account book ‘ My Garden in Spring’is a wonderful monitor that my preferred season is on its elbow room . Bowles dedicate a whole chapter to what he call ‘ The Lunatic Asylum ‘ corner of his garden where he grew his ‘ demented plants ’ . I was go to use ‘ moonstruck Asylum ‘ as the title for this post but my girl is a Clinical Psychologist and she would be appalled if she saw it . Nowadays we have done aside with these awful berth and we are more caring and understanding about genial health issues . I trust I get aside with using the word ‘ bonkers ’ . Bowles first intended nominate a Nipponese garden but then he realised that such garden bristling with‘bronze cranes and stonelanterns … giant toad frog and pagoda ‘ had become stylish . I am sympathetic with his revulsion at the idea of cause a stylish garden , after all which serious horticulturalist relishes the idea of being voguish ? So then he decide to hoard plants with abnormal and weird characteristics instead .

His first and most gaga occupant was the twisted hazel , Corylus avallana‘Contorta ’ which was then quite new . It was found growing in a hedge by Canon Ellecombe in 1863 and he gave a piece to Bowles . He sum quite a few elders and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree with Witch ’s broom . He grew strange or stunted form of laburnum , ash and viburnum . I do n’t know if they are still available but I am not concerned in seeking out industrial plant just because they are weird . But I love the corkscrew hazelnut tree in wintertime . It has lovely longsighted catkins and looks beautiful backlit by the sun . Unfortunately its twisted leave of absence see awful in summertime .

Corylus avellana‘Contorta ’

Corylus avellana‘Contorta’

I am certain Bowles would have included Meuhlenbeckia astoniin his lunatic asylum if he had watch it . This shrub come into its own in winter when it looks like shiny tangled copper wire .

Meuhlenbeckia astonii

Meuhlenbeckia astoniicomes from New Zealand . It is a sight of thin wildly zigzag bare arm and I love it . It is even mad than the hazel tree .

Corylus avellana‘Contorta’

Bowles included a dwarf form of the nativeDaphne laureolain his moonstruck mental home and as I have this popping up all over the garden it is a skillful one to put in my vase . The piffling yellow flowers are not extremely fragrant but I hump the glazed , green leave .

Daphne laureola

I wait around the garden but the rest of my plants seem quite reasonable so I complete off with a rose to impart a bit of panache . After all a pink wine in January is bonkers .

Meuhlenbeckia astonii

My jug , a rather eccentric present from adorable , but eccentric booster , is peculiar as the pouring lip and the hold are on the same side making it useless for pour . Given the person stand for on the jug this is perhaps knowing .

He is clear having a sorry fuzz day but it is a bit tedious .

give thanks you Cathy atRambling in the Gardenfor hosting In a Vase on Monday . If you pop over there you will find lots of creative January vases with no lunacy call for .

Meuhlenbeckia astonii

28 Responses toIn a Vase on Monday. Bonkers!

Oh to have Daphne popping up all over ! As to the jug eccentric , I think his bad whisker days are perpetual …

The meuhlenbeckia astonii is most intriguing Chloris . What does it get up to in the summertime ? Now that is one vase that I would not simply give home room to 🙂

Daphne laureola

In a Vase on Monday. Bonkers!