In a vase on Monday: sticks and stones

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artisan jug, forsythia, horse chestnut, in a vase on Monday, mitchell-finch online, pickle pot, snape maltings, sticks and stones

I have not managed to join Cathy https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com with her Monday vase for a couple of weeks but this week I have got some sticks to show.

The first sticks are prunings from a friends forsythia. They were tight buds on Saturday and thanks to the warmth of the kitchen the yellow flowers have begun to open. In a pickle pot it is a bright shot of yellow. 

Forsythia is not a shrub I really like but there is no denying, it does give a shot of colour after the browns and greys of Winter.

Then there are the other sticks.

This is a jug of horse chestnut sticky buds with a couple of stones. 

Small pebbles hand decorated by Mitchell-finch online. These twigs were removed as part of preparation for a new structure in the garden. More about that another time. 

I do love to see sticky buds, they were a childhood favourite. 

Have a good week.

In a vase on Monday: brown and sticky

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Aesculus hippocastanum, brown snd sticky, camellia japonica, horse chestnut, in a vase on Monday, sticky buds

At the bottom of my garden are three Horse Chestnut trees, Aesculus hippocastanum. The sticky buds have suddenly started to open.

Rather brown and very sticky might seem somewhat dull compared to the array of brown and sticky chocolate eggs some of you may be scoffing and compared to some of the wonderful Spring flowers used at Cathy’s blog https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com

Brown maybe but never dull, the trees offer sticky buds, flowers and conkers . A favourite of children and bees. Those buds facing Northeast are still tightly shut whereas those facing southwesterly, see below are opening.

Trees are fabulous and the Horse chestnut is one of the greats. So far mine have not suffered too greatly with the Bleeding canker which now infects half of all UK horse-chestnuts. Not wishing to depress you at Easter, on your day off, I will not mention any more about the list of disease attacking our horse chestnuts. .
To end instead is a picture of a cheery sight, pink Camellia japonica in the sunshine.
Happy Easter.