Flowers

Point Reyes Stories our editors are reading, loving, and sharing this week. A Case for Getting Far, Far Away –> The New York Times “I loved Christopher Solomon’s fine NY Times essay about traveling to the most remote places in the nation—most of which are here in the West. I’ve never been to Alaska’s Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve but now I really want to go there.” — Peter Fish, editor-at-large Picnic Ideas + Point Reyes National Seashore –> Naturally Ella “As a new Californian, I’m still in awe that so many incredible spots are just a few hours’ drive away. This post on Point Reyes from vegetarian food blogger Erin at Naturally Ella has me putting this at the top of my must-see list.” — Joanna Linberg, home editor This 9-Year-Old Girl Told McDonald’s CEO: Stop Tricking Kids –> NPR’s The Salt “I love a young person with moxie and who’s a budding food activist, too boot. And what’s that? She’s from the West and likes to bake kale chips? Naturally.” — Jessica Mordo, senior editor, Sunset.com Who Would Kill a Monk Seal? –> The NYT “The New York Times Magazine cover story two weeks ago asked, “Who would kill a monk seal?” Surprisingly, the Times is both able to answer that question and raise an even more difficult one—how do we successfully and fairly balance the needs of endangered animals and dispossessed people?” — Bruce Anderson, travel editor Solo Bike Adventure –> Joy the Baker “As an avid cyclist who sometimes forgets to savor the scenery, I loved Joy’s reminder that tooling around, agenda-free, on two wheels can really feed your soul. Her spectacular Venice Beach photos and Mason-jarred picnic lunch (strawberry-lime water, orecchiette tossed with basil and pistachios, recipes included) are just icing on the cake.” — Aislyn Greene, assistant editor

We were looking forward to this wedding for ages we've been lucky enough to create wedding and event flowers for "The Buschini family" many times before and it was such a joy to meet "The Duffy Family" we knew this was going to be an amazing "Do", they all have exciting and vibrant taste, the Bride & Groom are absolutely stunning a "Golden Couple" you might say, what's not to love, this is one of those great and iconic weddings you remember always!!!!~Our super handsome Bride Groom, the totally dynamic Sam wearing a Yellow "Claire de Lune" Peony & a Darcey Rose with Lily of the Valley and "Bumble Bee" Orchids BoutonniereEach of the Groom's Men were wearing a Peony in a different Shade in their Buttonholes together with a sprig of fresh Lily of The ValleySt Wulston's in Fleetwood was the venue for the wedding ceremonyWe'd lined the pathway with candlelit lanterns and posies of fresh fragrant flowersInside St Wulstons the fabulous "Ladies of the Church Flower Team" had dressed the Altar in lemon and white blooms, we decorated the pews with posies of fresh flowers in jam jars hanging on Faye's signature long ribbons Each delicate posy was in bright vivid shades of fragrant flowers including Roses, Stocks, Peonies, Sweet Peas, Oncidium Orichids & Lily of the ValleyFaye loved the look of long ivory ribbons we continued this look throughoutOn the windowsills posies of Hydrangeas, Peonies, Sweet Peas and Oncidium OrchidsThe Groom's Mum Angela looked totally stunning and was wearing a wrist corsage of Coral Peonies the Peony being the signature flower of the dayGorgeous Guests arrived and we pinned on or attached Boutonnieres and wrist corsages each one designed to compliment their individual ensemblesThe Church was beginning to fill up, we'd placed two large pedestals at the foot of the aisle to welcome guests as they arrivedElegantly tall Delphiniums towered over the designs a plethora of Peonies, Stocks, Orchids, Solomons Seal, Roses and Hydrangeas created a colourful welcomeThe stunning Brides Mum along with the glorious Bridesmaids were next to arriveThe beautiful Bridesmaids were a vision in lemon and carried vibrant bouquets of Peonies and Sweet PeasEach of these lovely Bridesmaids were wearing Phalaenopsis Orchids in their hairThe Bridesmaid's Bouquets toned vibrantly with the girl's yellow gowns, we used a myriad of Peonies in every shade available alongside some equally glorious Sweet PeasThe Ivory Satin long "Floppy" Bows was a motif carried throughout the bouquetsOur beautiful Bride was carried in a "Malvern Car" through the busy streets of week day FleetwoodThe very Proud Bride's Father wearing an Ivory Peony with Oncidium Orchid and Lily of the ValleyOur Bride Faye looked utterly Breathtaking as she alighted the car outside ChurchHuge Congratulations to the brand new Mr & Mrs Buschini from all of the team here at Flower Design EventsThe Bride's Mum & DadOur fabulous Bridesmaids were all armed with fresh Rose Petal ConfettiThe Celebrations moved on to the magnificent surroundings of The Great Hall at Mains where the tables were dressed with a combination of our splendid Crystal Candlesticks and Crystal Cake Stands~The Crystal Candlestick topped with a magical array of vibrant blooms included Peonies in every shade, Stocks, Sweet Peas, Hydrageas, Roses Oncidium Orchids and plumes of Phalaenopsis OrchidsThe truly gorgeous Wedding Cake surrounded and topped by a vibrant collection of Peonies, English Garden Roses, Sweet Peas, Hydrangeas, Oncidium Orchids and Alchemilla MollisThe Magnificent Top Table Design a collection of vases and vessels each topped with a sphere of vibrant fresh flowersCrystal Cake Stand topped with Peonies, Roses, Hydrangeas, Peonies and Stocks and surrounded by little posies of Lily of the Valley, Sweet Peas and PeoniesThe fabulous Spencer Cartwright from Repartage Photography, I really can't wait to see his imagesOur Breathtaking Bride Groom arriving at The Great Hall at MainsFaye's Bridal Bouquet i

We’ve rounded up five of the best up-and-coming designers from around the West and asked them to design rooms inspired by iconic spaces featured in Sunset issues from the 1940s through the ’80s. Their rooms will be on display at the Reimagining the Sunset Home exhibit at our annual Celebration Weekend festival in Menlo Park, California, June 1-2, 2013. This week we sat down to get to know Vanessa De Vargas, who is designing the home’s master suite. Name: Vanessa De Vargas Title: Interior Designer, Owner Company: TurquoiseLA Age: 39 Twitter Handle: @TurquoiseLA Instagram Handle: @TurquoiseLA Facebook Page: facebook.com/TurquoiseLA Pinterest Page: pinterest.com/TurquoiseLA What is your area of design expertise? Vanessa De Vargas (VDV): I find that my expertise lies in mixing modern and vintage pieces. I like the combination of the two looks when I design homes–I love the contrast of something new and old. It makes a room feel lived in and not overly decorated. Describe your aesthetic in 7 words or less. VDV: Modern and vintage with a minimalism twist. How does the Western lifestyle influence your designs? VDV: My clients live outdoors and indoors almost all year so I tend to use colors from nature like blues and greens. What room are you working on for the Reimagining the Sunset Home project? What excites you most about this assignment? VDV: I am designing the bedroom and master bathroom. What I am most excited about is using colors like dark red and blue and materials like the fabrics and tile that I have not used before. I also love that we are making the home a throwback to the past but also addressing the needs of modern lifestyles. Tell us a little about your vision for the room. VDV: The vision for the room is clean and modern but with an vintage-ethnic vibe. I want the rooms that I am decorating to feel well-lived-in and have a sense of the past. I will be designing a headboard and four-poster bed with Sunbrella fabric and custom drapes in white panels made of sheer fabric. The master bathroom will be inspired by an image I found in my McCall’s design book. It has ALL the elements I am working with. I will also be installing Chinese vintage hardware to the cabinets and a custom lucite stool. What is your advice to homeowners who are dealing with dated home features and a small budget? Are there any quick-fix solutions for things like ’70s dark-wood paneling or popcorn ceilings? VDV: My advice is to always embrace the elements if you dont have the money to do a full overhaul; buying new hardware and paint is always a great and fast result too. And always do your research by looking at books or searching for like items on Pinterest for ideas. If you’re still not sure what to do, contact a designer for a 2-3-hour consultion. Pay the money to sit with a professional and bounce ideas. They will save you a lot of money and heartache in the end. Any advice for aspiring young designers? VDV: Start with your own house and experiment. Try new things and try to make things on your own. It’s good to know how things work and to understand the process. Also do your research: look at blogs and buy lots of design books, new and old. History repeats itself and it’s important to know how the different eras started and what influenced those styles. As I mentioned, part of my inspiration for this project came from the vintage McCall’s interior design books I have collected over the years. It just goes to show that design is always evolving and always comes back around!

  Good afternoon dear Friends ~ It is a few minutes after 4 p.m. EST in s.e. FL. The skies are dark to the south, and thunder is rumbling in the distance.  Monday morning we had heavy rains with flooding in some areas getting over 5 inches of rain, then in the middle of the night we had a slow moving thunderstorm with torrential rains which brought more rain.  I prayed and read for awhile, waiting for the storm to pass over, finally it did and all was quiet again. My heart goes out to all who have lost family, loved ones, homes and businesses with these tornadoes that ripped through their area. The pictures and videos are heart breaking. May God be with these people as they go about rebuilding their lives, and continuing on, even with heartbreak. Rough times are ahead, especially with the grief and the missing of loved ones. It is devastation like we are seeing from these storms that make me appreciate so much, even with my own loss, as, I haven’t lost everything.         I am thankful for our little haven. *** Below are some of the flowers from the last couple of days. Spiderwort, with Borderer in the background. Spiderwort is so ‘easy’ to grow.  Some consider it a weed and a nuisance. Not me. This is Thryallis.  A wonderful shrub that gets pretty large.  I saw it at the botanical gardens and their specimen is huge. The flowers sweetly scent the air. Mine is in a pot right now. Whirling butterflies. Here is the morning glory bush cutting in the early morning in the scullery window. It’s barely light outside. I like how the light from the overhead light is shining down on the blooms. (By the way, nice roots formed on this so I planted it in a pot today.) Here it is a few hours later with the bright outdoor light behind. This is more the true color. This is the wonderfully scented unknown lavender rose I bought recently. Here it is on the left, with the McCartney rose on the right. This little sweetie is ‘Kathleen’ one of my very favorites and bought many, many years ago. She has a delicate sweet scent. Here is ‘Borderer’. An early morning view in the scullery.  This is what I come out to when I make coffee in the mornings, sometimes it’s darker out and sometimes lighter, depending on when I wake up.  This part of our kitchen is a dream come true and I love it. We took out a wall between the kitchen and the utility room and renamed that new space the ‘scullery’, definition~ a place where dishes are washed and food is stored. As an aside, DH worked in the Navy scullery when he was in boot camp in 1969, washing dishes.  He also voluntarily washed dishes in our scullery too. I wash dishes looking out into the ‘secret garden’, pure delight.  Thank you dear husband for your skills in making this dream become a reality, and in all the other dreams we built around here. I enjoyed being your ‘helper’ all through our years together and this project was one of my very favorites. It made our cottage seem so much bigger. Look at the sweet reflection in the window.   is Forever FlowerLady Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Psa_36:5

Is your office looking a little drab and colorless?  One way of making your office a little brighter and a little more alive is to get a few green plants.  These plants will look great, and they may even make your office feel a little cooler and more soothing, too. While we often think of (Read More...)

It, Sambucus canadensis ‘Aurea’ is more functional than ornamental here, used to provide shade for seating in a prime garden viewing spot. It is not really a tree, but rather more of a large shrub, with judicious pruning required to keep the pathway clear underneath. But that’s okay. I like to prune. The foliage was […]

It was such an honour to be involved with this glorious wedding our beautiful Bride Karen is the daughter of Sharon "Head Honcho & Chief of All" at Samlesbury Hall, the team at Samlesbury are truly wonderful and their passion for this historic and magical hall can't be shown more beautifully than for the lovely Sharon to want to celebrate her daughter's marriage within its walls.~Our beautiful Bride together with her Bridesmaids were getting ready in The Bridal Lodge at Samlesbury Hall when I found her to present the Bridal Bouquets of White Peonies, White Hydrangeas, Sweet Peas and Lily of the ValleyOur Ruby headed off to St Leonard the Less in search of Karen's Bride Groom Tim and his party to pin on their BoutonnieresThe Bride Groom's Boutonniere of fragrant Lily of the Valley, Rolled Rose Petals, Champagne Grass, Akito Rose, Sweet Peas, Hydrangeas and Eucalyptus leavesThe Groom's Men's Boutonnieres of an Akito Rose with Champagne Grass, Eucalyptus and Sweet Peas looked clean, crisp and elegantThe Bride Groom's rather special Boutonniere in all white fitted his lapel perfectlyTim, Karen's uber handsome Bride GroomThe utterly adorable Flower Girl carrying a tiny posy of Sweet Peas, Roses and Baby PeoniesThe utterly fabulous Bride's Mum SharonKaren's gorgeous Bridesmaids were dressed in pearl greyThe beautiful Bridesmaids Bouquets of White Peonies, Sweet Peas, Lily of the Valley and RosesSharon really did take everyone's breath away when she arrived at Church, she was wearing fresh Flowers in her hair a Combination of Peonies and White RanunculasGorgeous!! Huge Congratulations to Karen & TimTim and the adorable Page Boy Finlay were wearing matching BoutonnieresKaren's Luscious Bridal Bouquet of "Bowl of Cream" White Peonies, White Sweet Peas, Lily of the Valley and White Hydrangeas completely sublime!!The celebrations moved on to the wonderful surroundings of Samlesbury Hall, where Angela and her team were ready to welcome the guestsThe tables were dressed with a combination of high and low table designs, for the higher designs we used our classic "Baroque" style candelabras filled with Hydrangeas, Roses, Freesias, Stocks and Dendrobiums and PeoniesOur fabulous Candlestick Topiaries filled with Fluffy White "Snowball" Hydrangeas, David Austin's Patience Rose, Sweet Peas, Stocks, Dendrobiums and white Peonies Along the magnificent Top table where guests would be sitting on both sides of the table we'd arranged a plethora of various vases and vessels each filled with a posy of White Peonies, Roses, Hydrangeas or Sweet Peas or Stocks in between and amongst was an array of votives and indoor oil burnersOn the dining tables "Plumptious" bouquets of white Peonies, Roses, Hydrangeas, Freesia, Sweet Peasand David Austin's finest "Patience" Roses were placed in varying sizes of glass cubes amongst a plethora of candles in rustic glasswareOnce the candles were ignited and and the festoon lights illuminated the Great Hall became utterly magicalThe beautiful Cake looked perfect dressed with fresh HydrangeasHuge thanks to Sharon, Karen & Tim for choosing Flower Design Events to create Bridal Flowers for such a splendiferous DayShare

The Scentless Mock Orange caught me by surprise, I hadn't noticed it was blooming. It's lovely white flowers were draped over the garden gate and waving at me to pay attention. Small bees buzzed around the 4 petaled flowers. It lit up the shady spot behind the patio gate. But, even out of bloom, it has a lot to recommend it. William Cullina says this about them: "In a favorable spot, the whole plant is wreathed in white and it is quite lovely in a loose and delicate way" They were here when we bought this house nearly 28 years ago. They are not the straight species but are most likely Philadelphus inodorus 'Grandiflora'. They are so attractive and so nearly like the species that I believe they are worth sharing. Perhaps, hearing about Scentless Mock-Orange will spark your interest/desire to locate the species for your garden.There are four species of Philladelphus in Tennessee, P. hirsutus, P inodorus, P pubescens var intectus and P pubescens var. pubescens. Although, each are found growing in my home county, I've never seen them in the local woodlands. I suspect that they are rare and possibly endangered in the wild. After studying the photos of the flowers and foliage at the University of Tennessee Herbarium website it is clear that the flowers of 'Grandiflora' are twice the size of the species, but, everything else seems the same.Like the species, my Philadelphus shrubs have a very fine upright shape, arching stems, exfoliating bark and when in bloom, lovely white flowers that have no scent.Scentless Mock-Orange has clusters of small flowers with 60 to 90 stamens in each flower. The 2 - 4" long ovate shaped leaves are simple and opposite and the entire plant can reach a height of 10'. The mature bark is often gray, but can become more of a mahogany color over time. It is more floriferous in full sun, but grows well in part shade with at least four hours of sun. It prefers calcareous or neutral soils (my garden) and can be found in nature from Canada to Florida and east to Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana. (source) It's a beautiful flowering shrub that's not only easy to grow, but, takes very little maintenance....I never water it. Trust me here, it has survived in the Garden of Benign Neglect for almost 30 years.I love this plant and want it to step out of the shadows of the woodlands and from the corners of old gardens into the spotlight. Even if you haven't the space in your garden for a shrub this large, you can spread the word and encourage native plant enthusiasts to think about adding Scentless Mock-Orange to their gardens. It would be a wonderful shrub for the back of the border or at the edge of the woods. It would be a good basic hedge/screen, a specimen in a large border or in a cottage garden. Lest I forget, it's attractive to native bees, too.xoxogailWelcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom or not; and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. Please leave a comment when you add your url to Mr Linky. Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission. Subscribe in a reader

I don’t know what the sticker price is on your average Tuesday night wine—or whether it’s different from your Saturday night bottle. (Someone recently chided me for the assumption that those would be different: “When I want a good bottle of wine, I want a good bottle of wine, Tuesday or no.”) But I can’t help but get excited about bottles that come in under $15 (a price range almost all of us nightly drinkers need) but taste like they cost more. A lineup I tried recently made me a believer again in the fact that it can be done. From a trio of irreverent, talented winemakers—Joel Gott, Charles Smith, and Charles Bieler—who have collaborated both on wines and in a recent unorthodox wine tour that involved raucous parties in bowling alleys and ping pong halls, these all have an suggested retail price of $12 (which means that you’ll probably find them for less). My hunch is that pulling off interesting wine at that price requires caring about wine at that price, plus the resources of higher-end winemaking to subsidize the process; all three of these vintners turn out much more expensive bottles as well. Charles Smith 2012 Kung Fu Girl Riesling (Columbia Valley). A gorgeous mashup of Washington apples, citrus, and jasmine, with lightening acidity to balance its touch of sweetness. Joel Gott 2012 Sauvignon Blanc (California). An aromatic wrap of tropicals and tart stonefruit softens crisp lemon-lime edged with green herbs. Charles & Charles 2012 Rosé (Columbia Valley). A lively, dry pink, with bright, cinnamon-spiced red fruit—cherry and watermelon. Bieler Père et Fils 2012 Rosé (Coteaux d’Aix en Provence). A drier rosé than the double Charles, as you’d expect from France; a wet stone character underpins puckery lemon and red berry fruit.

It’s a nervous moment when you walk into the Show Ground to find out what medal you have won. The day before (Monday) is an exhausting day with judging starting at 8.00 so we have to be in very early to make sure that everything is spotless. Then there are endless TV crews and journalists trying to get onto the gardens – there are times when we are more like bouncers than gardeners.  At 3.30 the Show Ground is cleared and the Royal walkaround starts. This year I was taking round Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice who were charming. It was a real rugger scrum when we got to Prince Harry’s garden. There must have been over 100 journalists and camera crews wanting to film Prince Harry and the rest of the Royal Family. After that there was the Gala night followed by dinner -exhausting. So you can imagine that I struggled a bit to get out of bed this morning. I was doing fine though until I found out that I had a puncture. Not a good day to have a flat tyre.  I finally got to the Show and found that both gardens got Gold which is excellent. The RHS have given out 10 Golds this year which, in my opinion, is far too many and I’m sure that there will be some debate about it. But for now, we can relax with our pot of Gold. The Australian garden got Best in Show. One day someone can explain that decision to me but for now, I will just enjoy our gold rush.