Hi, Paul :)

What a lovely gift! Your vase sounds beautiful :)

I'm not exactly sure how one would use such a vase *in* a garden: it might be at risk for breakage or weather damage, and it might be a bit too colorful for the peaceful, subdued color palette most Japnese gardens use (especially small ones).

OTOH, your vase might look lovely inside by the window or door framing your garden, perhaps with seasonal flowers, branches, or grasses cut from your garden (or bought from the florist :) arranged in it.

:) Evelyn

Hi, Paul -

Like Evelyn, I'm concerned as to whether or not your vase was intended for outdoor use. I have had a single drainage hole drilled in each of several large Chinese "fish bowls". I use these as jardinieres or exterior pots for cymbidium orchids. These are in the shade most of the day on my patio, and are never subjected to weather extremes. Good luck!

I think the idea of using it by the window or door to frame a garden is a good one.
The person who gave it to me said that the top was covered with plastic wrap that had holds punched in the top for long stem grass with large plumes. The top was reinforced with a clear tap after the grass was inserted.
Thank you both for your suggestions.
Paul

Miscanthus is one of the seven plants of autumn, so they would be a good choice for your vase.

Fran

"Seven plants of autumn" Fran? Explique.

According to Merrily Baird in "Symbols of Japan: Thematic Motifs in Art and Design," the Seven Grasses [or plants] of Autumn (aki no nanakusa) theme is native to Japan and dates to the eighth century. She says the seven plants were "bush clover (hagi), pampas grass (susuki, obana), arrowroot (kuzu), wild carnation (nadeshiko), ominaeshi, fujibakama and bellflower (kikyo, asagao)." She says the composition has changed with time, and sometimes now includes the chrysanthemum (which is not native to Japan), morning glory [I thought morning glory was asagao...] and other flowers. (My reference book says "ominaeshi" is Patrinia scabiosaefolia and "fujibakama" is Eupatorium fortunei.)

Lee

well done Lee. ^-^
How about seven grass of spring ?
mike

Paul,
In North American gardens, anything goes if the effect is aesthetically pleasing. I haven't seen vases in any of the pictures of Japanese gardens I've seen, but some traditional Chinese gardens seem to have used urns and ceramic fish bowls as part of their decoration, especially in the spots where there is seating.

Lee,
Are you going to New England Grows? If you are, let me know! I plan to attend all three days because there are a bunch of good speakers this year.

Hi Lee
I am ging to send you a email and like to ask you few thing about new England landcsapeing.
Please Do not delete. It is Not junk mail ^-^.... mike

Hi there Mike and Cady --- I sent private replies to you both. Sorry so late --- I've been away.

Now about the Seven Herbs of Spring. I'll just give you what Merrily Baird says verbatim:

"In a custom imported from China, the Japanese around 911 began observing the Festival of the Young Herbs (wakana no sekku). On the seventh day of the New Year of the lunar calendar, nobles presented to the emperor a gruel made from seven plants that came to be known as the Seven Herbs of Spring. This gruel was believed to help ward off illness throughout the year, and eating it gained popularity among commoners during and after the Heian period.

"The plants identified with the Seven Herbs of Spring vary, although they are inevitably a mix of root vegetables and herbs. Among those most frequently cited are the white radish, turnip, shepherd's purse, chickweed, Japanese parsley, braccia chinensis, cottonweed, and laminum amylexiculi. Artistic presentations of the Seven Herbs of Spring as a group are rare in comparison to the widespread use of the Seven Grasses of Autumn."

So there you have it! Maybe I should try eating some of it to ward off this pesky cold....

Lee

I am Chinese. I love green plants in beautiful vase in public occasion and flowers in various vase made in Jingdezhen,the ceramic centre in China. I mainly deal in craft ceramics and home decorative porcelains in a ceramic import and export company.
With decorating function and aesthetic features, porcelain and pottery products are popular in people¡¯s life and public occasions. Among them, Chinese ceramics have been widely accepted by the world for their wide range of artistic expressions of life and Chinese culture, various styles and mature technology. We want to cooperate some company or some shop to sell Chinese ceramic. If you have some interest, could you kindly contact me for more information ?

Ann
Nanjing Pensure Science & Technology Co., Ltd
Tel. 0086-25-83727807
Fax:0086-25-58073309
Email:anhong_2007@hotmail.com