The lilacs are blooming, the sun is shining, and I’ve just finished tucking a couple of dozen dahlia tubers into the perennial garden. It’s time to get cleaned up and have a mug of tea.
The table is already set with Chelsea Porcelain from the Royal Collection Shop. I spotted this pattern on a trip to London a few years ago. While I managed to restrain myself from purchasing any to lug home, I did avail myself of their worldwide shipping at a later date.
The scalloped plates in the collection featured in an earlier table, Chelsea Porcelain Plums.
Both Queen Mary (Queen Elizabeth’s grandmother famous for her acquisitive nature, so much so that she was known as “Mary the Magpie”) and the Queen Mother had a great fondness for Chelsea Porcelain. Their antique pieces inspired the modern reproductions that comprise this collection.
The colours are vibrant, with beautifully detailed flora and fauna.
Who knew that a cabbage leaf could make such an attractive motif?
The blue convolvulus and ivy frame it nicely, along with the brightly coloured insects.
Butterflies adorn the side plate. I’m not sure what the flower is. It looks like a flowering shrub, given the stem. Honeysuckle?
The lilacs brought out the milder purple shades in the porcelain, so I used tumblers in the same shade (Pottery Barn, years ago, long discontinued).
The green in the bamboo tablecloth from Pomegranate was just the right shade. I thought it might be too busy, but I think it works.
And who can resist lilacs? Such a short season, such a heavenly scent. I snip a few for my bedside table as long as they last. It’s a wonderful way to wake up!
The dinner plate is Aerin Scalloped Edge in Green by Williams Sonoma. Again, long been discontinued, but sometimes available on eBay.
Oh, happy day.
Ok – time for this girl to get herself back outside and tackle the roses. If I can get the dead branches clipped away before they get too advanced, it makes things a lot tidier as the season progresses. The die-off is concentrated in the lower areas; removing it helps a lot with weeding, too. The clippings from three bushes filled two wheelbarrows. I have all the cuts and scratches to prove it!
But it’s definitely worth the effort. The garden is coming along beautifully.
Don’t you love spring? All clean, shiny and hopeful!
One more look at the table.
Enjoy the day, all.
Oh, those gorgeous lilacs! I love the scalloped edges on the plates, too. Happy spring!
Thanks Joy! It’s a pattern that will take many different arrangements.
What a beautiful table!
Thanks Lauren!
Gorgeous and perfect for Spring
Thank you, Patricia!
Beautiful table Helen! The tablecloth with its pretty spring green color lends itself so well to the purples and blues in the Chelsea porcelain plates. And I can almost smell those lilacs from here – I agree it’s a heavenly scent! Enjoy them while they last and wishing you a happy upcoming Mother’s Day!
Thanks so much, Kim!
I hope you have a Happy Mother’s Day, too – however you’re celebrating. 🙂
Really beautiful.
And lilacs are our favorite!!
Lilacs…nothing like them, is there? I’m eagerly awaiting the white ones, which are a little further behind in their blooming cycle.
Dear Helen, We are swooning in lilacs here too, with Amazing Parrots as a foil. I got the usual cafe au lait dahlias in, along with two new ones, Belle of Barmera and spikey Penhaligon’s Watermelon The mystery flower on your china looks more like artistic license (in terms of colour) with plumeria. Possible, given the Victorian love of the exotic? I do like your pairing of green and amethyst, and I am jealous of the sun-dappled terrace…we have had 4 days of rain and highs in the 50s, with more on the way in a massive low-pressure system!
I love your new dahlias, Beatrice. What luscious colours! Interestingly, Belle of Barmera is one of the varieties included in the Antique Blush Mix I obtained from Eden Brothers, the others being Sam Hopkins and Fairway Spur. I also bought the Old Rose Mix, which comprises Caitlin’s Joy, Muchacha, Bacardi, Night Silence, and Beatrice. Like you, some Cafe au Laits, and I added four Labyrinth as well. Let’s see how they do!
Good call on the plumeria. It does indeed look like a romanticized version.
I hope the weather turns round soon for you. We are finally getting sunshine and warm temperatures, allowing walks on the beach.
We are all removing vast quantities of dead wood from frost-nipped hydrangea. Sadly, it’s going to be a dismal blooming season this year, but next year will be fine. Very disappointing for all concerned.