I've known these two lovely girls Michelle & Caroline since they were in Infant school they were in the same years as my two daughters so it was a great pleasure and honour to create bridal flowers for the lovely Michelle's wedding to her childhood sweetheart the equally lovely Dave!!!~Jason presented both Michelle & Caroline with their bouquets of Roses, Sweet Peas and glorious Peonies, in soft youthful shades of pinks, lilacs and ivoriesThe utterly fabulous Bride's Mum SueWe headed off to St Annes Parish Church to meet up with Dave and his friends and family to pin on their BoutonnieresEach of the very special guests were given simple Boutonnieres created using flowers taken from the Bridal BouquetsDave really did look super handsome in his uniformThe Pews were dressed with posies of Roses, Ranunculas and Gypsophila in glass jarsA glorious candlelit arrangement graced the altarThe Bridal Party arrived looking totally fabulousThe adorable Flower Girls carried posies of Sweet Peas, Roses and GypsophiliaThe Bridesmaid's Bouquets included a summery collection of fresh fragrant Sweet Peas, Roses, Peonies, Wax Flower blossom and PeoniesFresh Flowers in the hair completed the lookBay Trees and Lanterns dressed the steps leading up to ChurchMichelle looked absolutely heavenly when she arrived at ChurchMichelle's Bridal Bouquet of Memory Lane Roses, Avalanche Roses, Peonies in shades of Ivory, Shell and Pink, Sweet Peas in Ivory, Pink and Lilac, Wax Flower Blossom and GypsophiliaHuge Congratulations to Michelle & Dave from all of the team here at Flower Design EventsThe celebrations moved on to The Gibbon Bridge Hotel where the top table was dressed with a traditional candlelit design of Pink Peonies, Roses, Sweet Peas, Wax Flower Blossom and GypsophiliaThe tables were dressed with elegant posies of Sweet Peas, Ranunculas, Peonies and Roses with a central Hurricane Lamp and sprinklings of fresh fragrant Rose PetalsMany thanks to Michelle & Dave and their super lovely families for choosing Flower Design EventsShare

Join us on :   Floral arrangements are the best way to make your home beautiful and attractive, and decorating your home by your self is the best way to save money as well as showcase your creativity. Putting simple yet appealing decorative accessories in your home can make all the difference. Simple and clear vases are easily available everywhere and with the help of some creativity you can make a simple vase, eye catching and attractive. Here are 6 simple steps that can help you turn a simple glass vase into a special decorative accessory for your home. Materials Required: Scissors Ribbon Pearls Gift Wrapping Paper Simple Glass Vase Aluminum Wire  1. First, take the gift wrapping paper and wrap it around the vase. Make sure that you cover the entire vase with the wrapping paper. 2. After wrapping the paper on the vase, take the ribbon and tie it around the vase. 3. Once you are done tying up the ribbon around the wrapping paper and the vase, you can cut it neatly with the scissors so that they are no ends that are left sticking out. 4. Next, take an aluminum wire and insert a pearl in it. Once the pearl is inserted, twist the wire to lock the pearl within it. Then take around 50 cm of white ribbon, take the other end of the wire and insert it in and out of the ribbon to make it look like a frill. 5. Twist the frilled wire around the pearl to make it look like a flower. 6. Then attach the flower to the ribbon tied to the vase, as shown in the picture. Your gorgeous new vase is now ready. You can put in some fresh blooms in it and place it anywhere at home. Look for an empty corner that needs a little extra something and put your newly crafted decorative accessory there for everyone to see. Visit us on : www.flora2000.com Email us on: emarketing@flora2000.com  Links: - Send Flowers to U.S.A. - Send Flowers to U.K. - Send Flowers to Germany - Send  Flowers to Canada - Send Flowers to Philippines - Send  Flowers to China - Send Flowers to Australia - Send Flowers to Italy - Send Flowers to Japan - Send Flowers to France

  Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Luke 12:27  (KJV)

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 Sunset rooms 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, on June 1-2, 2013. This week we sat down to get to know Daniel Nolan, who is designing the exhibit’s outdoor space. Name: Daniel Nolan Title: Garden Designer Company: Flora Grubb Gardens, San Francisco Age: 31 Instagram handle: DanielPNolan Pinterest:  pinterest.com/danielfgg What is your area of design expertise? Daniel Nolan (DN): Sophisticated plant combinations with a classic edge. Describe your aesthetic in 7 words or less. DN: Warm minimalism, earthy but refined. How does the Western lifestyle influence your designs? DN: We have a strong gardening culture in California that comes from living in an area blessed with such an amazing climate: We interact much more with our outdoor spaces in the West than in other regions. My approach to garden design is tied to that lifestyle; I want the garden to be stylish year-round, not just showy for summer or spring. I want good bones, quality, and to feel the same joy in my landscape in August as I would in March. What room are you working on for the Sunset Home Reimagined project? What excites you most about this assignment? DN: My space for the Sunset Home Reimagined is the outdoors, which is more than just a garden – it’s a space meant for relaxation as well as socializing. What excites me about the space is the combination of materials, from the dark decking to the light gold of the gravel combined with the plants, but I’m really looking forward to the Sunbrella screens I’ve created. I love the idea of using plants almost projected against them like paint on a canvas. Tell us a little about your vision for the room. DN: The vision for this garden is to create a gallery-like space, combining graphic plants, modern furniture, and sculpture with classic elements like boxwood, gravel paths, and muted planters. 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? DN: My advice to new homeowners dealing with dated features and a small budget is to make one big change, like installing a new pathway, repainting the porch, or refiguring plant beds. Whatever you choose to change needs to refer to the positive points of your home’s design. In selecting plants, use repetition to create cohesion in the space and don’t get distracted by adding accessories. Any advice for aspiring young designers? DN: My advice for aspiring young garden designers is to learn the basics: how to dig holes, use different types of irrigation, prune properly, and place plants for both aesthetic impact and healthy growth. The most mundane and least glamorous chores are the foundation for any good garden design. And don’t be afraid to fail with plants: it’s how you gain your confidence and develop your best ideas.

The Laurent-Perrier team will in a good mood today. The last of the hard landscaping took place and a big chunk of the garden is planted. Not long to go now.

The Daily Telegraph garden is getting close. There’s till quite a lot to do but the finisheing line is visible, if still only in the distance. The combination of shapes and form are remarkable. Let’s see what the judges say…

This was such a glorious wedding day, seriously seasonal, this was way back in October and as the celebrations were taking place deep in the heart of the Trough of Bowland it was important to include lots of autumnal goodies, "Jewels of the Season" you might say, Glossy Berries, Rose Hips, Acorns and "Classic" Hydrangeas a recipe for autumnal perfection at The Inn at Whitewell.~ The first delivery of the day was of course up to the Bride's suite to present Bridal Bouquets, Leanne's Bouquet included rich deep aubrgine Calla Lilies, Vintage toned Roses; Memory Lane & Amnesia, fragrant herbs; Lavender & Rosemary, Acorns, Rosehips, Viburnum berries, Albiflora, Thistles and Autumnal Oak Leaf Our beautiful Bride the lovely Leanne Bridesmaids in PJ's complete with Bridal Bouquets, learning how to carry them properly from our Jason Downstairs in the restaurant the scene was set with two of our lovely Regency Candelabras framing The Registrars table which was dressed with a traditional candlelit design Leanne's uber

Last month, we judged our second-annual Sunset International Wine Competition, which involved 49 judges tasting nearly 3,000 wines over the course of two days—and mind-boggling logistics behind the scenes (washing and re-washing 4,000 glasses, pouring just the right wine into each one of them every time … ). But get a group of wine pros like that in one room, and it’s not all serious business; entertainment is bound to break out. On one panel specializing in sparkling wine, talk turned to the Napoleonic-era tradition of making quick work of popping off the top of a bottle of Champagne by just using your saber (seems the traditional, slower drama is unhandy on horseback). The panel being saber-less that day, one member—Eugenio Jardim, wine director at Jardinière in San Francisco—offered to go out back and do the deed on a bottle with a common chef’s knife. He pulled it off but, if you have an 18th-century saber that needs a job, all I can say is, make sure your bottle of bubbly is very, very cold and has been

Practically Perfect Pink Phlox pilosa is blooming on for Bloom Day~It's my favorite spring plant and I am happy to say it's made a marvelous comeback from the last years droughts. Although, it's an adaptable plant it needed more moisture than we have had the last many summers to set seed and spread around the garden. This year has more than made up for those disappointing years.Next up is Penstemon. I am having a marvelous love affair with P 'Prairie Twilight' and P 'Prairie Dusk'. Both plants rescued from a big box sale rack last summer. Experts often tell you not to buy late in the season or off the sale racks because plants are root bound, etc. That has never stopped me, I've gotten my best bargains from the racks and I am careful to choose plants that can take a good root pruning. I rinsed the potting medium away from the roots, trimmed the roots, making sure none were circling the plant and then planted them in good soil (or in this case, a fast draining rocky soil that these penstemons require). (Go h

It has taken us a few days more than we expected but Ulf’s garden is really taking shape with the hard landscaping nearly finished and the planting started. We lost a couple of days at the beginning due to problems with the hedging but now we are really motoring.