November Posy

Close up of posy in pottery jug

November Posy

The weather forecasters are promising a drop in temperatures and frosts next week. This will put an end to some of the flowers still soldiering on in the garden, giving their all. We are usually lucky here: we live on a peninsula and so we’re surrounded by the sea; our frosts are mostly light and often late.

I took the opportunity to keep the summer going just a little bit longer and brought some of those flowers into the house.

Tussie mussies

My mum taught me how to make tussie mussies when I was little and I have continued to make them. I make them as a ‘thank you’, for birthday and anniversary presents, to mark the birth of a baby or just because…

I tightly pack and bind flowers, herbs and foliage to give a posy which will delight the eyes and nose.

Collecting and arranging my bounty

I wandered round the garden and collected my bounty. I was amazed at the variety that was available. I always put a single flower in bud at the centre and found a romantic pale pink rose for this.

Posy overhead viewThen I picked the rest of the ingredients: four stems of each. I found mints, rosemary, lavender, thyme, periwinkle, pinks, lemon balm, oregano, Japanese parsley, winter honeysuckle, winter jasmine, camomile, mashua, creeping borage, Californian poppy, yarrow, brassica flowers and fennel. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some.

When the weather is warm I make the posy outside and often have bees land on the flowers I have picked. On this occasion it was too cold to stay still outside so I brought my goodies indoors.  I stripped the leaves from the bottom of the stems and then, starting with the rosebud, began tying in the stems. There is a symmetry to the posy as each group of stems are added in turn. Finally I put an outer layer of fennel stems to finish it off.

Usually when I make these posies, I am more discerning about what goes into them – a colour or scent theme or such like,  but this was to extend the summer and had a bit of everything in it.

Porth Llwyd Jug

Posy in pottery jug

I will change the water every day in the little jug it sits in. I love the jug, it’s gorgeous and a gift from Porth Llwyd Pottery from my friend Nina. The posy should last for 2-3 weeks by doing this and in this little corner of North Wales we will still have a little bit of summer.

What do you do to keep summer going in your house?


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Comments

16 responses to “November Posy”

  1. Nina Avatar

    Beautiful! You’re a very talented lady! I especially like the jug – your friend has very good taste 😉 xx

  2. […] to help with our plans to have more perennial flowers for cutting and using in Debs’ tussie mussies, Lorraine sent us some great dahlia tubers. We’ll have to be patient until we can see what […]

  3. […] read this lovely blog post which reminded me of it this week, albeit in a more inedible way, on Wintery posies (or mussie […]

  4. narf77 Avatar

    Here in Tasmania we are gearing up for the long dry summer ahead. Its all stations “mulch” at the moment and we are planting out veggies maniacally (well we will be this week when we have finished our studies) in order to try to catch some of our short growing season. My grandma taught me how to make small posies but Tussie Mussies sound so much better. She was a Lancashire Lass (her words) and always had herbs and small annuals in the garden just in case someone needed a posy to cheer them up. Sometimes a little bunch of flowers is better than what the doctor ordered 🙂

    1. Debs Avatar
      Debs

      That sounds lovely- I like grandmas like that 🙂 And a posy of garden flowers and herbs is often ‘just the thing’.
      Good luck with the veg planting.

  5. Louise Doughty Avatar
    Louise Doughty

    I have a mug just the same as your jug (Porth Llwyd pottery is our local potter!) I should put a posy in it while we still have the flowers!

    1. Debs Avatar
      Debs

      Aren’t they gorgeous? And isn’t the pottery an amazing place? Get out there and make yourself a posy 🙂

  6. Joanna Avatar

    Beautiful photos and words, thankyou for sharing this! I have no idea how to tie stems in, do you do it with thread or somehow weave the stems together? I imagine lots of people will be trying to make a tussie mussie this morning – I will see if I can… xx Jo

    1. Debs Avatar
      Debs

      Thanks Jo. I use wool to tie the stems in. I secure the wool first round the initial bud and then wind it round adding new stems as I go. I go round once with the wool for each group of stems added. Good luck with yours! I’d love to see a picture 🙂

  7. Camille Biexei Avatar
    Camille Biexei

    How lovely! Thank you. Here in NYC I have few fresh flowers and herbs available, but I did delight my nature-loving heart by going on a long walk in Prospect Park in the mist. I miss my home in the Rocky Mountains.

    1. Debs Avatar
      Debs

      Hi Camille, thanks. You don’t need loads of anything to make the tussie mussie, just a few bits and bobs. NYC is very different to the Rockies, I would miss my mountains if I moved away too.

  8. Margaret Avatar

    That’s beautiful. I may have to go round my garden now and see what I can find. I even have a little Welsh pottery jug to put them in

    1. Debs Avatar
      Debs

      Thanks Margaret. Sounds like you have all the necessary equipment to hand- good luck 🙂

  9. Wadders Avatar
    Wadders

    How pretty! And a lovely idea xxx

    1. Debs Avatar
      Debs

      Thanks Liz. I love making them, they are always different xx