Dark, dramatic purples inspired this arrangement on a chilly spring morning in Alabama.

Arranged in a Moscow mule mug, today’s IAVOM includes:

1. Jean Scherer tulip: The purple petals are so dark they are almost black. These theatrical blooms look almost otherworldly against the bright greens of early spring. A few days back, the blooms were completely open, but they closed when cold weather returned. As soon as I brought this bloom inside, it opened right up again.
2. Heuchera ‘mocha’: The new spring foliage is a lovely purple–a hue so deep it almost looks coffee colored, as the name suggests. As the foliage ages through the year, it becomes more of a dark green.
3. Red-veined sorrel: These leaves will make their way into my salad tonight.
4. Foliage from a black parrot tulip (not yet in bloom): This tall, sculptural leaf was calling my name for today’s arrangement.
5. Foliage from a Camelot lavender foxglove (not yet in bloom): I interspersed the green leaves with the heuchera ‘mocha’ leaves to help them stand out.

To see what gardeners around the world have put “In a Vase on Monday” visit Cathy’s blog, Rambling in the Garden, and be sure to see all the comments below her post.

Note: The “vase” here is a serving vessel for a refreshing drink called a Moscow mule, a combination of vodka (2 oz), ginger beer (5 oz), lime juice (0.5 oz) and fresh mint served over ice. The traditional mugs were copper. Modern Moscow mule mugs like this one are stainless steel with copper plating on the exterior only (otherwise, the copper will react with the acidic ingredients and leach into the drink). Apparently, the Moscow mule was invented in the 1940s, but it’s become popular again in the last decade. After a family vacation where we drank a lot of these, my in-laws gave us a set of the mugs as a Christmas present! Here’s a link to mugs I have.