52 Weeks: Week 6 A unique vase

Posted on by

This week features a pottery vase from the Van Briggle company, an American art pottery maker since the late 1890s.  Although the company was making pieces into the 21st century, my piece was probably made in the 40s.

 

Any week now our temperatures will be cold enough that the floral material in the garden will get scarce. It hasn’t happened yet, so I was able to secure a nice selection, including nasturtiums, to grace the vase.

Dahlias, nasturtium, dicentra vine, and a pomegranate

 

The nasturtiums and the dark dahlia were a great color echo combination.

 

I’m traveling right now, so who knows what will be left when I return. Curiously, I am in the midwest and by now would expect to see a lot of color in trees. That’s not the case, although there are some bare trees, most appear to be hanging on to their leaves.  Perhaps the cause is the record rainfall and warm temperatures?

52 Vases: Week 5 Autumn Pinks

Posted on by

There are a surprising number of pink and purple flowers in the autumnal garden and I’ve taken a selection of these and grouped them into a tablescape arrangement. I have had this collection of small vases in greens and ambers that I typically use individually.  They make a nice grouped arrangement.

A close up of a few of the flowers:

Fushia, phormium, and lezpedeza (drappey purple flower aka bush clover)

Tricyrtis and dahlia

 

 

I also participated in Petal it Forward yesterday. Sponsored by the  Society of American Florists S, it’s was a fun event to share the joy of flowers.

Studies have shown giving and receiving flowers reduces stress, brightens moods and brings people together.

 

52 Vases: Week 4 – Roses

Posted on by

The sun is weakening when it is not hidden behind the clouds which form regularly.  The temperature is dropping. Rain splatters the plants pushing them into the dirt.  I still have plenty to pick in the garden: roses, dahlias, hydrangeas, fushias, a smattering of other things. This week I wanted to highlight an antique glass vase I inherited from my mother-in-law, graced with a few garden roses.

 

Flowers include: unnamed rose, Climbing Joseph’s cloak rose, fushia and evergreen huckleberries.

52 Weeks – A last burst of summer

Posted on by

Using a remaindered vase I echoed the mosaic colors (yellow, pink and a little blue) with late summer flowers from the garden.

Flowers include: Dahlias, faded hydrangea heads, Japanese anemones, clematis.

Our average first frost doesn’t typically come until November, but October days can be damp, dank and cold, shutting down flower development.  So we’ll see what the weeks will bring but til then we have this perhaps last glimpse of late summer.

The 52 Vase Challenge

Posted on by

As probably is fitting for a floral designer, I have an abundance of vases. At least 40 of some kind at last count. And that doesn’t count the other things I use as containers/vessels. I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to use every one of my vessels/vases through the year. Voila, the 52 vase project. A vase (or vessel) a week.

Most weeks I will try to use things available in the garden. And who knows where that will lead. My kick off piece is this featuring blues and whites.

IMG_0582

White garden roses
White echinacea
Clematis durandii
Aster Woods blue
Hydrangea possibly Pimpernel classic blue (grown from a cutting)
Assorted florists leaves and grasses

Summer Wedding

Posted on by

It’s hot here in the Pacific NW as it is elsewhere in the US.  It’s the time of summer, outdoor weddings when the risk of rain is low and nature is green and verdant.  While we love outdoor weddings, they have a certain danger point for floral designers – the heat and lack of humidity mean flowers wilt quickly. Something you won’t see in those lovely pinterests photos nor discussed in bridal magazines.  We do our best to provide peak beauty but the weather is a stressor on flowers and floral designers alike.

Our most recent wedding had a floral arbor.  You can see the arbor in process in these photos.

 

 

Flower colors for this wedding were greens and blushes with a bit of yellow.  These photos don’t do the setting or the flowers justice. Hoping for better photos from the official wedding.

Behind the scenes…. And earlier in the day.

 

Best wishes to the bride and groom!

 

Flourish

Posted on by

A group I volunteer with had their spring fundraiser today and a friend and I were in charge of the arrangements, color scheme, etc.

The space has a bright red wall which could have been a limiting factor. The other issue was sightlines.  And of course cost!  I chose a color scheme of black/white and green as there would be black and white comix for each participant and I wanted to echo the “flourishing” element of the theme in greenery.  To do this without being too “Christmasy” was the trick and I determined that a only touches of bright spring green would be necessary.

 

 

 

 

The red wall and an arrangement up close

 

The little dangly hearts were made out of old sheet music and the “cones” were copies of the comic fit inside the pilsner glasses.  They added the right touch of color and whimsy to the event.

The materials I used included green hydrangeas, viburnum (snow ball bush), curly willow and hosta leaves.

 

 

 

 

Focus on line

Posted on by

Did you know that Japanese flower arrangement, Ikebana, has its roots in Chinese flower arrangement?

 

Before I began preparing for a demonstration at the Lan Su Chinese Garden, I didn’t either, although I have had some training in Ikebana.  Apparently, when Buddhism crossed into Japan, flower arranging techniques associated with temple offerings crossed over as well.

 

My presentation focused on “line” which is a major feature in Asian floral design.

In very traditional arrangements, a few materials are arranged to evoke heaven, man, and earth (tallest line usually branches, middle height line – flowers or shrubs, and shortest line – usually flowers or occasionally seedpods and the like.)

 

This kind of simplicity works well in most rooms, and is certainly very useful in the spring where a few foraged branches and snips of shrubs and flowers can create a contemplative and beautiful design.

Even a few store bought flowers or a bouquet from your local grocers can be transformed. Try your hand at it. And bring a bit of spring into your home.

 

Spring….walking slowly into our lives

Posted on by

It’s been a long slow winter in most of the country and the Pacific Northwest is no exception. What keeps many of us going is the hope of spring! And for a floral designer, eking out beauty from the simplest of materials.

I’m scheduled to do a demonstration at the Lan Su Chinese Garden in a few weeks and have been contemplating the importance of “line” in eastern floral design. Although these kinds of designs do not typically show up in western weddings, the understanding of the role line takes in design is an important foundation for any designer.

In these two small examples, we see how the beauty of the coming spring can be transformed into simple, but effective arrangements.

First some photos from the garden stroll.

 

Now the arrangements.

 

One note about spring flowers — they are often very fleeting and do not last long in an inside environment. The hellebores featured in both arrangements, for example, may droop and fade within hours. A tip about these, be sure the stamens (inner seed containers) are full. These will look like fat, green, seed pods. You can cut these earlier, when the seed pods are forming as well.

I’ll be posting about my demo later this month. Or if you’re in the area, you can come join me at the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland on Saturday afternoon, March 18.