May Flowers Galore!

 Why do all my lovely Spring flowers have to bloom at once???

This little arrangement is on my dining room table & I just keep refilling the vintage milkglass vase with fresh flowers.

My lily of the valley beds are pumping out oodles of little white bells on tiny, thin stems.  Ever since Jan from the blog, Bessie Mary,  was bitten by a poisonous snake, while gardening,  I've been VERY careful when gathering these flowers.  

I wear heavy rose thorn protection type gloves to reach deep down inside the clusters to gently pulled them up, one at a time.  I just adore their fragrance & my Mother always had a bouquet beside her Mary statue during the month of May.




 Our ornamental pear trees were full of beautiful white blooms last week.
And my lilac tree is in full bloom now!  You can smell it while sitting in the gazebo, as it is right outside the door.




 Judith, (from Lavender Cottage) this shot is for you!  
She loves butterflies & anything lavender.
You might remember she was my Tea Exchange partner last year.  I'm still enjoying some of the delightful items she sent to me.







Because my lilacs grow in the form of a tree & not a bush, I can't cut armloads of them, but rather have to trim the tree very carefully, to maintain its shape.



 Even a few sprigs waft their heavenly scent throughout the house.  I created a little vignette in my favorite corner of the kitchen.  I think my teapot, with its spring bunnies, is a Bordallo Pinheiro knock off.  There aren't any markings on it at all, but it certainly looks like that style of pottery. The pretty teacup & saucer set is by Darice.





The pink peonies & purple Egyptian iris are in full bloom now.
Glorious clusters of heady scented blooms!!
 
I grew up with these flowers & they were dug up & brought to my parents 2nd home when they moved.  My sister now lives there & shared some of the cormes with us when we moved into our new home.  They have flourished!



I also have some white ones that are on the opposite side of the house & they have yet to open.  Different sun exposures, I guess.



 My first tip is to try to clip the opened center blooms & leave the other buds on the stems to blossom later.  The short stems work well to create a floating arrangement in my Mother's almost antique wedding gift.
My parents were married in 1936, so this bowl is 77 years young.  There are candlesticks to match it, too.  It won't be a "true" antique until it is 100 years old.

Another tip for you is to always remember to put something UNDER a vase of flowers if you are setting it on glass.  The moisture can actually leave an etched ring on the glass & if someone scoots the vase, glass on glass can scratch.  Ask me how I know this! 

I hope you've had a blessed month of May, filled with flowers & wonderful scents that remind you of home.

Thanks for stopping by The Gazebo House today.
I'm linking to Cuisine Kathleen's Let's Dish party &
Yvonne at StoneGable for Tutorials, Tips & Tidbits &
The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sundays as well.