Forced Japanese quince blossoms (Chaenomeles japonica) catch the late afternoon light. The low hedge I took them from is along the walkway outside the window. I keep the vicious thing trimmed short, otherwise it would overtake the walk and its sharp thorns draw blood from every passerby.
A windfall twig of black birch (Betula lenta) with catkins found on a walk is also included. I love the wintergreen scent of the broken stems, and sometimes chew a twig as a breath freshener. This tree’s cambium was widely used to make birch beer, resulting in its being over-harvested, from which it is only just recovering.
I know Cathy likes props, so here’s my sweet Annie resting nearby, also enjoying the sun’s warmth.
Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting the weekly meme In A Vase on Monday. Click the link to see what other gardeners are creating this week.
Eliza Waters 
Delicate and lovely 🌹
Thank you, Isha! 💕
💜🌸🕊️
This is lovely in every way possible, Eliza. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks a bunch, Dale! 🙂
Such a delicate flower despite the thorns. Pretty kitty!
Thank you, Laurie!
Flowering quince is exquisite, but the prop is better.
Ha, thanks, Tony, I must agree! 🙂
A beautiful blossom Eliza and please give sweet Annie a gentle pat from us all 💕🐈 xxx
my quince is scarlet, but I am loving the pink!
Thanks, J&A. Outside they get better light so are darker orange, but the lighter peachy colour is fine with me. 🙂
I have always wanted a white one but pink is better…
Lovely quince. We had a nice hedge row of it at one home. Pruning it was essential and…tricky! Your sweet Annie is a precious reminder of my Piper whom I still miss. 💜🙏🏻
Thank you, Carrie. Our beloveds never leave our hearts. 💜
It’s a treat to see your IVOM and snowdrops masthead!
Thank you, Ellen! 🙂
Beautiful arrangement.
Thank you, Judy. The shrub may be a menace, but the blooms are beautiful!
What a lovely scene….I want to live right there in the middle of it every day! 🙂
The color is so beautiful!
Beautiful Japanese Quince with colorful flowers!
Thank you, Hien!
I once read about putting vicious shrubs under windows to keep burglars away, your Quince might do the trick.
It would! I used to prune it by hand, now I use the electric hedge trimmer once a month and then every few years, my spouse takes the chainsaw to it! It was here when we moved in and is nigh impossible to remove.
It took me years to learn a certain early blooming tree here is quince. I suspect ours is a different species, so it’s nice to see these. I certainly was intrigued by ‘birch beer.’ That was a new one!
Thanks, Linda. Birch beer is delicious, similar to root beer.
That is so pretty Eliza! I denied myself a Quince shrub for years as those thorns are fierce, but succumbed in the end and am now wondering if it will bear flowers this year…. Great idea to keep it trimmed and bring some indoors to force. 😃 And Annie has found the warmest spot by the looks of things!
Thanks, Cathy. Quince is pretty, but must be kept under strict control, IMO.
Yes, pets are pretty savvy about creature comforts! We’d do well to follow their lead. 😉
Your cat has the right idea — a nice, sunny window! Too bad about the quince’s thorns; otherwise, it would be such a nice plant. (That’s the trouble with roses, too!)
What an absolute beauty!
Thank you, Monika. A ‘Pony’ backscratcher! 😉
Definitely! 😆
Very pretty. The kitty looks very contented, too. 🙂
Thank you, Beth. She is a dear one. 💕
Such a pretty color flower! I know Quince in a more salmony shade. We have two Black Birches near the street…(& one at the neighbor’s…on the edge of our property…we get most of the leaves)…they’re at least 30′ high…have not tapped them…gorgeous bright yellow in the Fall. Comfy Annie!
As soon as I saw this, before I read a word I thought Japanese. It is beautiful and so is Annie posing so sweetly. Her green eyes match the foliage in brilliance.
Thank you, Denise, she is a sweetie. 😻
Oh what a pretty vase – flowering twigs are so effective and that is such a pretty shade for the quince. I am really intrigued by what you told us about the birch – about chewing a twig, and the use of the bark in a beer…I like these kind of interesting snippets!
Thank you, Cathy!
The forced blooms are a lovely color! Both Annie and the branches look beautiful backlit by the sun. Your Annie looks a lot like my Pipig, only younger 😉
Thanks, Kris. They are paler than outdoor blooms, but I love the color. Annie is looking pretty good for her 10 years, and still plays like a kitten. We love her. 😻
Such a lovely arrangement complemented by your sweet cat 😊
Thank you, Belinda!
Annie is a wonderful prop! I have never grown quince but I love the idea of forcing them…..gorgeous.
Thank you, Donna. Not a recommended plant, but since it is in the yard, I use it. It blooms in time for the hummers return and it is usually the place I first see them. Just for that I keep it!
The quince flowers are delightful Eiza but Annie steals the show 😂 I was unaware that birch twigs could be used as a breath freshener and also of birch beer which sounds most intriguing. I’m presuming that the beer is alcoholic 🤔
Thank you! Annie is a dear for sure.
Birch twigs splayed open made the first toothbrushes it is surmised. Like true root/cambium beverages, birch beer does get alcoholic with age. Boiling it before bottling I think can halt the fermentation. I haven’t had it in many years, but do remember it as delicious.
A cat, catkins, and quince blossoms – so many nice things. Pass me a birch beer!
🙂 Thanks, Tom!
The quince in beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before. Of course, Annie steals the show!
IKR? I love kitties! Thanks, Julie. 🙂
The quince is pretty, the kitty cute! I also have a tabby!
Thank you, Tina. Tigers are probably the most numerous of cat coats, I’d guess. Good camouflage in the wild. 😉
I’ve never seen quince flowers before. So beautiful. Lovely Annie, too.
Thank you, Dawn!
How lovely!
Thank you, Cindy!
Two cheerful sights to brighten your day, sweet Annie and a pretty vase of quince blossoms. And you will have snow in the background come Wednesday? Spring in New England!
Thanks, Barbara. Yes, winter keeps refusing to leave!
The quince is beautiful, and so is the cat!
Thank you, Kimberley!
They are lovely for the transition from winter to spring.
Thank you, Faye, they truly are.
A gorgeous vase Eliza. I know the summer is coming when you start doing your vases! And very content cat.
MJ
Thanks, MJ. Yes, it is exciting being able to pick from my garden again. Makes me happy!
I vote for many more photos of Annie to accompany your pretty vases.
🙂 Thanks, Alys. As you know, herding cats is nigh impossible, but if I get lucky… 😀
Indeed. Perhaps that’s why each photo capture is special.
Beautiful, light-filled snaps! xo
Thanks much, spring is slowly coming!
Your vase arrangements are always lovely, but this week Annie stole the show!🙂
Ha, yes, sweet faces trump flowers every time! 😉 Thanks much!
These are beautiful blossoms – and Annie isn’t half bad either 🙂
🙂 Thank you, Andrea!
The quince blossoms look stunning in the vase, Eliza. If left, do they form fruit? Annie is a beautiful prop – that was my mum’s name. 🙂
Thank you, Joanne. Without being attached to the plant, and no pollinators inside, the blooms wither and are tossed. However, outside, some blooms will form a hard, apple-like fruit.
They may be similar to a quince tree I bought late last year. I would never have thought to bring the blooms inside as I buy fruit trees for fruit! But I suppose in cooler climates, pollinators are not always available – I hadn’t thought of that! Yet another difference between the two hemispheres.