I thought “in a pickle” was American slang. The Dutch started it using “in de pekel zitten” to describe an uncomfortable situation, this translates to “sit in the pickle brine” Seems that would be a stinging experience. Easter Sunday morning found me in the garden thinking “there are no flowers to cut for a Monday vase” – I thought I was in a pickle..Not so much, this rarely proves true, though sometimes I have to look harder to come up with an arrangement. Oddly, there was an abandoned pickle jar in the garden near my Raspberry Blanchetiana Bromeliads. Being “in a pickle” passed through my mind until inspiration hit via the pickle jar. There are also some salsa jars out there I need to get rid of…
The pickle jar is wrapped with a leaf and tied with jute twine. I left the twine trailing given the casual feel of, well, a covered pickle jar. A closer view of the flowers.
The leaf wrapping the jar is from a Raspberry Blanchetiana Bromeliad. This is a mahogany and greenish red leaf plant with large (4 feet long) red and yellow flowers. The flowers start in November and are looking ragged now. They are as tall as I am when I cut them back to the ground.There are orange and lemon Blanchetiana with the appropriately colored foliage to go with the flowers. I have used the other colors to wrap vases.
The flowers:
In blue, Mystic Spires Salvia; I am enjoying these so much I am hoping they last the summer. The white daisies are Spanish Needles, an annoying native, botanical name, Bidens alba. Orange daisies are from Mexican Flame Vine (Pseudogynoxys chenpodoides); orange tubular flowers from the native Firebush (Hamelia patens var patens); Yellow daisies are Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis) and a white Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) is in the back. Two red and yellow native Gallardia round out the front of my pickle jar.
I am glad I did not find myself in the Dutch version of the pickle this Monday.
Happy Gardening, and thanks to Cathy at http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com for hosting IAVOM. Follow the link to see more spring fun in a vase..
The Shrub Queen 
I know you usually have tropical-looking vases, but today’s could almost be a UK high summer vase, as many of the contents or similar flowers can be found in the UK. No four foot tall bromeliads though!! The salvia looks most striking and is a great contrast with the more fiery colours. Thanks for sharing, as always
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, do you grow the Mexican Flame Vine as a summer annual??
LikeLike
Not sure if it will grow in the UK?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of course, LIz had one…
LikeLike
If I said ‘of course Liz would have had one’, that might sound a bit catty, but of course I don’t mean it like that at all – she just has all sorts of interesting things that the rest of us don’t!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful! Your arrangement looks very summery as if you’re already starting on that salsa theme.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, oddly it is too late in the year for a salsa garden here. Planted the last tomatoes in February.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your leaf wrapping of containers. You certainly have more flowers than me. It is funny where sayings come from and get all mixed into our daily language. I have some odd PA Dutch words that I had drop when I moved.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, the leaf wrapping speaks of Florida to me. P Dutch is a mysterious language, you probably blew some Texas minds, though sometimes my Southernisms throw people off here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always admire your beautifully adorned bottle vases! Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’ is one of my favorite plants. While it doesn’t bloom year-round, the plant is a perennial here – I’ve had some of them for years and the flowers reliably return in spring and summer. I hope you have the same kind of luck.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Kris. I love this Salvia so I hope it is the same as yours…I have killed Mexican Sage
LikeLike
Not bad for someone who thought, “there are no flowers to cut for a Monday vase” 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
there are always some flowering weeds I didn’t get to..thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a stylish vase you have made out of your pickle jar. And a lovely summery arrangment. I grew that gorgeous Mexican Flame creeper once but in those days it was called Senecio confusa. But whatever its name, I couldn’t get it through the winter, even under cover.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Liz. I am not sure how far north these will grow…apparently, not the UK. Though they would be fun as annuals..
LikeLike
Covering a jar with leaves is such a great idea… you could actually disguise any container you want… (You have got me thinking now!) I think that white salvia is absolutely gorgeous. The blue is nice too, but white is so dramatic somehow. 😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, I like the white salvia, too…I need to try some other leaves.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Is that a bromelliad leaf around the jar?
LikeLike
Great idea to wrap the jar with a leaf it looks very cool…” In a pickle ” is also an English slang term my mother was always saying it to me as a child…:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, I think my mother did as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person