There’s a tradition in these parts where one collects a bouquet of seven flowers (Juhannuskimppu) — wildflowers, preferably — and puts them under their pillow on midsummer’s night to dream of their future love. Midsummer was yesterday, and I’ve been married a good long while, but I do appreciate a good bouquet still. So here’s an offering straight from Nordic folklore for IAVOM.
The wildflowers vary from region to region and from year to year. When I did this several years ago, I was able to find fireweed and red clover, but neither was out yet this time. Technically, this particular columbine isn’t a native, but the more common form is, and these ones pop up wherever they please like wildflowers, so I’m counting it.
The seven flowers of midsummer 2026:
- Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
- Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
- Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus)
- Red Campion (Silene dioica)
- Spreading Bellflower (Campanula patula)
- Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris)
- Dark Columbine (Aquilegia atrata)
Find more Monday vases over at Cathy’s Rambling in the Garden.
12 responses to “In a Vase on Monday | 22nd June 2026”
Wildflowers as the start of summer! Beautiful.
Midsummer really is the peak of it here — everything seems to arrive at once, which I suspect is exactly why the traditions all cluster into this one week. They have to pack a lot into a short season.
There’s an appalling shortage of wildflowers in my own garden at this time of year but I like the sentiment!
Yeah, if I were to try to find seven wildflowers back in my SoCal backyard, I’d be struggling to find anything worth picking too. Possibly why I find this bit of folklore so charming and outlandish lol.
What a wonderful tradition! I love all the flowers, but the Dark Columbine is really special. <3
The columbine was my one technicality! Not strictly a native, but it self-seeds wherever it pleases around here and behaves exactly like a wildflower, so I decided it counted. I don’t believe the tradition has an enforcement arm.
Oh a lovely summery meadow sort of vase – how cheery!
Hehe, that was entirely the effect I was after — tromping through a meadow with a wicker basket and a floppy straw hat like some historical throwback is its own kind of fun, and one of the many reasons I fell in love with the idea of living on an old farm 😃
That’s lovely, and I love that tradition!
Let’s face it, any tradition that sends you out to pick a bouquet is one worth keeping. We need all the excuses we can get.
I love wild bouquets and the Nordic tradition behind this one. Many of these flowers have naturalized in the US, so are familiar, growing all around us.
Many of the people have also naturalized in the same areas, so I say it’s all fair 😊