Wild landscapes (and flowers)

I tagged along with my husband’s photography gig in Easter Washington this past weekend… it was exhausting, but the drive was so beautiful.

I think I will always love car rides through the countryside… I can stare out a window for hours. This drive I’ve made periodically since I was a kid. It’s always interesting, but I’ve somehow never seen it in Spring. It has never been so lovely.

Living in Nature

One thing I love about European floral design is that it does not hold to specific formulas or strict spacial rules – it is influenced by what’s available and by nature’s design. I love wild, garden type arrangements – bringing nature inside; bringing a little something wild and beautiful into something otherwise formal and artificial. But sometimes, living in the city, I forget what nature even looks like! My world is a world of parking lots and cubicles. I do love the city with all its stone and steel and iron. And the city does have a little nature – the ivy and moss that covers those walls and gates, and the trees someone years ago, thankfully, did not cut down. Being in the city is lovely, but everyone needs a little green.  I wish I had a more! So I buy house plants for my little house, and do floral projects for clients – it is a breath of fresh air.

Salix discolor [Pussy Willow]

As January rushes past with a blur of wind and rain, and the occasional leftover dead leaf, a few hints of life greet us, reminding us the sun hasn’t really forsaken us, and that flowers are soon to be upon us. I am a Winter lover: naked trees, bright green grass, though slightly downtrodden, and cloud filtered daylight actually bring me joy and a sense satisfaction… there is a subtly complex beauty in the network of tree branches the way they are visible in Winter that I can stare at for hours. I so enjoy them that I do not spend Winter depressed and pining for flowers.

Delicate Blues and Greens

Here’s an example of a delicate blue pew/chair/hanging arrangement. These arrangements are so versatile - they can go from the ceremony to the reception and be attached to almost anything. They have just enough movement to feel fresh and a little wild, with a little softness to keep it romantic.

Leafy Centerpiece