Monday, April 30, 2018

Night-scented stock . . . . . . .


Can you smell the fragrance?  
The night-scented stock Matthiola longipetala  has such a memorable perfume.
I haven't grown them for many years but when I find them at the store - these are from
 Trader Joe's - I grab a couple of bunches to bring home. That lovely fragrance
 immediately reminds me of my mother's garden long ago in England, a place
 I reveled in during childhood.

The dining room table is looking quite 'green' with the remaining stems of the
 amaryllis still growing. . . . . later they will be cut back and the bulbs dried for a replant,
and hopefully a rebloom come winter. 
Then there's the pot of fresh basil picked up at Lidl last week - I've been snipping
 leaves to add to recipes. . . . . . . a taste of Summer already! 
The lovely purple stocks, greenery added from the garden.

Ahead are several days of major Spring Cleaning - once the pollen is done.
This year brought an exceptionally heavy pollen season - especially oak.

Washing all the china takes time - some days I think about disposing of 
many of the dishes but haven't quite reached that point and so they remain!
Actually I enjoy spending a couple of hours washing and drying them, by hand
 of course as many are antique and fragile, and replacing them all clean and
gleaming. Many of you also collect dishware, antique, vintage, even new - I've
 seen your stunning tablescapes and china cabinets.


7 comments:

  1. Your table looks lovely with the flowers and basil. We are having some major work done starting today in our back "yard". Once that is done, then I need to clean the back deck and furniture of all the pollen, so we can enjoy the last of spring and coming summer.

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  2. I buy stocks at Trader Joe's too, for their fragrance. Thanks for the reminder. I do have a fragrant bouquet one of my sons gave me for my birthday, with Oriental lilies and pale green roses.

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  3. I have never smelled nor seen night scented stock and will try and find some. I love fragrant flowers.

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  4. Hello Mary - it was lovely to visit your blog today. I admit to dipping in every now and again, but didn't often have the will to comment. A page has been turned, and I am back on the comments page! I love the night scented stock and will look for some for my new garden.

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    1. I’m thrilled to see you here dear H. I know how it is with life’s ups and downs - blogs are time consuming and time flies. I think of you often and am hoping this year we will be in touch more often again!!

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  5. I just purchased some stock flowers, but I don't know if they are the night-scented stock. I will look at the tags in the morning as the plants are not yet in the ground but tucked under a light blanket outside until I get them in. They do smell wonderful.
    Your dining table looks so pretty with the vibrant green and purple against your neutrals.

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  6. So beautiful! My mother always loved having stock in the garden. The purple is stunning mixed with all the green. Our amaryllis is blooming right now in the greenhouse and didn't bloom when it was suppose to in the winter. Now wonderful if it will blooms again in the coming winter.

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