Is it really mid-November?!
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“Oranges and lemons“, say the bells of St. Clement’s
“You owe me five farthings”, say the bells of St. Martin’s
“When will you pay me?” say the bells of Old Bailey
“When I grow rich”, say the bells of Shoreditch
“When will that be?” say the bells of Stepney
“I do not know”, says the great bell of Bow…
(English nursery rhyme)
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My vase this week for Cathy’s meme In a Vase on Monday not only looks full of zing, it smells citrusy too!
Lemon balm at the front and lemon verbena at the back provide the greenery. (And the cake in the background was also lemon-flavoured!)
The Physalis look like little mandarins and their colour is so cheerful indoors in November – especially when the sun manages to shine across the whole dining room to catch them on the north-facing windowsill!
The fading grapefruity yellow Chrysanthemums from the pot on my front doorstep, along with a couple of lemony Antirrhinhums, were looking like their days were numbered. They will probably last longer in the vase than outdoors this week.
I think the star today is the golden and tangerine Hypericum, which combined the two colours in my theme so beautifully. It has never flowered so long before. (Should I prune it or not? It has usually been cut back by now.)
The finishing touch was two Pennisetum flowers…
I can’t quite believe that I still have flowers in my garden for a vase in the middle of November. Enlightening and uplifting!
Thanks again to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. Go and visit her and see what she and many other participants have put in their vases this week.
🙂
Words and Herbs 
I should not be looking at this post before breakfast–it’s making my stomach growl! Very pretty citrus-colored mix, perfect for the season but also fresh and cheerful.
I hope you had a nice breakfast after reading my post! 🙂 The smell of the lemon verbena is so lovely still!
I’m so glad your Antirrhinhums are still flowering Cathy; mine are full of buds but no flowers today. Beautiful lemony colours for a very fresh looking vase, I agree that your Hypericum is a real star, I wrongly always think it is a rather boring plant but it is perfect like this.
These were the last antirrhinums Christina. Our cold and damp nights have made them go limp and slightly mouldy so they will have to go this week! I love my Hypericum, although it got terribly scorched this summer. I must read up on how to prune it and perhaps that will strengthen it for next summer. The wild ones are lovely too.
wonderful
🙂 Glad you like it.
That is zingy, I love it! The smell of crushed Hypericum leaves is one of my favourite smells as it reminds me of an old neighbour, we used to chat over the hedge and I crushed the leaves in my hand as we spoke. Your cake is a great edible prop!
I have never tried crushing the leaves, so must try that out. Isn’t it lovely the way smells can bring back memories. 🙂
Gorgeous flower arrangement. The colours are just the perfect combination to cheer up any wintry day. Love the physalis. My lemon balm and hypericum have both gone over so I’m envying you yours but I do have antirrhinums still – no yellow ones though. That cake looks inviting 🙂 Elizabeth
Thank you Elizabeth. My hypericum got a new lease of life in October and started flowering again! And the lemon balm spread into a gap in one of my rocks where it is very sheltered. 🙂 I am glad I chose a yellow antirrhinum this year as it has been lovely on the doorstep all summer.
How refreshing! And what a wonderful combination of colours 🙂
Thanks Amy! I was very surprised how fresh it looked after putting everything together!
Really fabulous Cathy as citrus is perfect this time of year….I love the colors and especially the Hypericum. Mine may still give me some foliage but each day more foliage drops from the cold and snow. Great mix of textures and materials.
Thank you Donna. It’s a case of using up the last odds and ends now so I was pleased I had some hypericum still to match up the colours!
As you and others have said that hypericum really earns its keep here – almost worth growing just for the occasional vase!! I love the shade of yellow on the ‘fading’ chrysanths – and I trust the lemon flavoured prop was planned…?! Thanks so much for brightening our November, Cathy.
Hi Cathy. Actually the lemon cake was a coincidence, but having bought a bag of lemons a few days earlier maybe I just had lemons on the brain! I cheated and picked the flowers on Sunday, and they still look just as fresh tonight, so I can enjoy the sunny colours for a couple more days until we get to see the real sun again!
There is something most attractive about a big juicy lemon ….
Beautiful, Cathy! I love the Physalis – I’ve never tried growing that but perhaps I will give it a try. A new crop of snapdragons have just appeared in our local garden centers here (I guess the end of your season coincides with the beginning of ours). I’ve been turning my head from their siren call as they’re prone to rust here but maybe I’ll cave and find a place for a few in my garden this fall.
Be careful with the Physalis Kris. It is VERY agressive and once you’ve got it you will never get rid of it! How funny that you are now getting snapdragons in your shops. I would definitely give them a go as I have also had problems with them before now but this year they were perfect.
Very beautiful arrangement. I love the colors, and I can smell the citrus. Perfect combination!
Thanks Sue. The colours are very cheerful and the overall effect makes me smile!
Oranges and lemons! I love the chrysanthemums. How lovely it looks and with a lemon cake too. You are right it is amazing to have all these lovely blooms to pick in November. I love your arrangement, it is so fresh and pretty.
Hi Chloris. Thank you – every time I look at it I am amazed all over again! 🙂
This is so beautiful and invigorating Cathy – a great combination of materials! I have decided to try growing the Physalis next year – I know you have said it can be invasive but I have a lot of space so can probably cope with it – do you have any advice about what situation it would prefer?
Hi Julie. I think the Physalis likes full sun, but apart from that will grow anywhere! It spreads by underground roots and has even come up several metres away from the nearest visible plant. I will never be able to eradicate it, so I have decided to just pull up as much as possible every spring and enjoy the rest!
Beautifull, beautiful. I love the orange and yellow theme and the flowers you chose. The hypericum is wonderful. Sorry I don’t know about pruning it.
The Hypericum was a nice surprise as it started flowering again in October after suffering a bit in the sun in summer. 🙂
Just gorgeous! I’m not familiar with Hypericum, but it is so sweet! I have some snapdragons blooming here, under an inch of snow, but blooming nonetheless. And I know you’ve written how invasive the Physalis is, but I do wish I had some for fall decor. I suppose I could just find a nursery that sells it and save myself a lot of weeding! Will you be posting the lemon bread recipe soon? Yum! Finally, “Oranges and Lemons” is stuck in my head now, thank you very much! Have a great week!
Wow, those snapdragons are tough little plants! You could perhaps grow some Physalis in a pot. I curse the plants when they pop up in spring and I literally pull up hundreds of them, but then in autumn I think how pretty they are! The cake was a vegan version of my Lemony Lemon cake https://wordsandherbs.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/lemony-lemon-cake/ but the recipe needs a few adjustments. It was nice and citrusy though!
I had neve seen this delightful version of such wellknown lines . . . thank you [smiling! . . . have repeated the first couple of lines most days of my life . . .
As children we used to play a game to this song and I found a link explaining the origins here: http://bussongs.com/songs/oranges-and-lemons.php Glad you liked it Eha, 🙂
One can´t believe it is Mid November. But with the citrus fruits fragrance in the air December is near:A heart (and nose) warming arrangement!
Yes, the smell of mandarins and oranges reminds me of Christmas too. 🙂
A beautiful splash of colour for November. The physalis are brilliant and I can almost small the lemon from the verbena.
I sometimes think I prefer the smell of lemon verbena to actual lemons, but it’s a close thing!
A lemon theme, how very clever! Bet that cake is good too.This bouquet is very cheerful indeed and quite appropriate to celebrate this beautiful November. The Physalis is a great addition – wish I had some, I’d turn it into a garland with fairy lights. 🙂
I always collect some of the Physalis for decoration Annette. They look so pretty around the house and stay there through winter till they get too dusty and the new plants are starting to appear!
How wonderful to have lemon balm & verbena looking so good now. The physalis look like the are following each other in a small circle … it all has added a zing to my day – thanks!
You’re welcome Cathy! We all need some zing in November!
What a fun nursery rhyme to lead into your arrangement, Cathy! The yellows and orange are certainly lovely, too. That last picture absolutely captures the look of the vase beautifully. So nice to visit you! Have a wonderful week 🙂
And thank you for visiting Dana! 🙂 I’m already wondering what will still be available out there next Monday… 😉
Your Chinese lanterns are definitely glowing in that third photo Cathy. Isn’t it great to have so many flowers on mid November 🙂
Absolutely! I am so pleased with the cheery vase this week and hope it lasts as long as possible!
What an inviting arrangement, especially this time of year. I can almost smell that lemon scent. It’s glorious, isn’t it? Well done for keeping your Monday vase going. I’m impressed!
Thanks Alys. It was not too hard this week as my annuals were hanging on, but the cold and wet is finishing off so many flowers right now! Will try and keep the vases coming though! 🙂
I know you’re up to the task, Cathy. You have the artists touch. I always look forward to your vases.