To see takes time

     In the essay "A Little Vase of Flowers" in The Morville Year, Katherine Swift recalls seeing a picture of Vita Sackville-West's writing-room in the tower at Sissinghurst: "on her writing-table, among the litter of books and photographs, pen and pencils, was a little vase of flowers. She always had flowers on her writing-table, picked every day from the garden. I believe the National Trust still keeps up the tradition, forty years after her death.

    "There is something very touching about flowers seen like this: just two or three blooms, picked at random, not 'arranged'. They still seem part of the garden. And having the flowers close at hand, at eye-level, you can see them properly - get to know them in a way which we rarely do when they are growing in the garden. As the painter Georgia O'Keeffe said in the catalogue of an exhibition at the New York gallery, An American Place:

'Still - in a way - nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.' "

    In the spirit of Vita, I picked these periwinkles this morning and put them where I can see them; if the weather forecast is correct, those I left in the garden will soon be covered with snow.

Comments

[Maggie Wallace]

Lovely flowers! We have periwinkles in the garden at our new house (still renovating so still at old home) and now I'm inclined to pick a few next time we're there... Being in Liverpool I doubt we'll get snow this time round. Having said that I'm thinking that now we will LOL! Thanks for a cheerful post. :-)

[Lynne Kovan]

Lovely! I really like the idea of a simple little jar with one or two garden picked blooms. In Canada right now where there are none, but coming home tonight. First thing I'll do is pick something from my garden!!

[Cornflower]

You're welcome, Maggie - we need something a bit cheering after all the dreadful news.

[Cornflower]

Hope you find something pretty to greet you, Lynne!

[Dancing Beastie]

Beautiful. I too love to pick a single flower, or two, and put it in an old glass inkwell to contemplate. Wild forget-me-nots, for example: minute but perfect.

I hope your heavenly periwinkles don't mind the snow. We've had a lot in the past few days - my last blog post was just ecstatic ramblings about scarlet rhododendron barbatum in the snow, like Snow White.

[Mystica]

This is so beautiful. I am going to follow this.

[Anza Del Amo Florist]

I always have blooms on my work desk and everytime I look at it, I feel fresh and relax.