Burpee Seeds: Sow A Smile Campaign is Floral Glory

I was so happy to see Burpee Seeds introduce a creative and generous campaign that supports my mission to find delight in every day life.
This spring, Burpee introduced "Sow A Smile," an initiative to spread happiness through the wonder of growing and giving flowers. Yes!

As a garden writer, I received 10 packs of Sow A Smile seed mix (Baby's Breath, Candytuft, Scarlet Flax, Red Corn Poppy, Calendula, Cornflower, Zinnia, Sulphur Cosmos, Catchfly, Gloriosa Daisy and Plains Coreopsis) to share and a super cute Burpee mason jar vase to hold some floral glory once they are in bloom.

The mission of the program is for the public to grow the seeds in the packet and then when they are in bloom, cut & give the bouquets away to make someone happy. It is a great example of living with intention. I would also call this having a master plan - looking into the future and taking steps to ensure some fun ahead.

I recently ordered some Red Lime zinnia seeds from Burpee and when they arrived, the envelope included a "Sow A Smile" seed packet and instructions. This tells me that the program will spread far and wide and that gardeners will be spreading joy from coast to coast in a few short months. Great job, Burpee. The world is a better place when people connect and share flowers. Bravo.

Stay tuned: I promise to grow and give bouquets from these free seed packets this summer. I should be able to sow a smile in a week or so, after the last risk of frost.

#sowasmile #burpee #burpeeseeds #finddelight #momentsofdelight #gardening #startingseeds

Flower Arranging: A New Kind of Layering

When I try something new and it is a success, you are the first to know. My blog is a chronicle of my life and the things that I think will bring you delight.

Do you have a clematis vine? My purple clematis (it looks like it could be the Bonanza Clematis??) blooms faithfully every summer and on good days, you can see a few purple blooms wafting on the vine when standing in our family room. I love when a plan comes together. 

Anyhoo, I wanted to use the clematis in an arrangement in the kitchen and in a moment of clarity, I tucked a small rose into the center of the flat clematis bloom. I tucked the stem in between 2 petals and floated it in a beautiful open floral bowl. I added a few clematis leaves and put out placemats in the same color family. I love this arrangement!

Have you ever tried layering blooms?

My Favorite Entries in Floral Competition at 2015 Northwest Flower and Garden Show

I was captivated by two entries in the Floral Competition at the Northwest Garden and Flower Show in Seattle, Washington and interestingly enough, they were both rectangular. 

The multi-compartment arrangement (above) was designed by Debra Prinzing of SlowFlowers.com. When she led with aqua, she stole my heart. This artistic presentation makes the idea of collecting floral bouquets completely reasonable, don't you think?

I loved this painting called "Sunset Blooms" by Art of Forest Blooms. A crowded collage of color and texture - with a heavenly scent to boot! I would hang this on my wall in a minute. It reminds me that I don't reach for the oasis often enough. Bravo. #NWFGS

Seattle: Unexpected Farmers Market in Bellevue

There's nothing like driving to Joann Fabrics for inspiration and finding an active farmer's market in the parking lot! I bought  myself a Whidbey Island ice cream bar (butterscotch) and set out to choose a bouquet of dahlias. 

The day was warm, so I decided to take the flowers into Joann's with me, rather than leave them in the car to wither. I received a lot of compliments on the bouquet in my basket and I'm sure that it inspired others to go out outside and choose some flowers for themselves! It's not everyday that fresh flowers are brought to your doorstep. Take advantage of it when it happens. 

Tah-dah! Here they are on display in my room. 

Spoiled by Mother Nature: My Birthday Bouquet

She did it again. I've being spoiled by Mother Nature, who came up with these beautiful flowers just in time for my birthday. 

Daybreaker roses, David Austin Abraham Darby roses, Bill Warriner roses, coral verbena, fresh mint arranged in a Lychee can from the Asian market in Seattle.

Portland: Sweet Pea Central

I am spoiled! We were invited to tour a garden in Seattle (pictures to come in a blog post soon) and I was sent home with this spectacular bouquet of Sweet Peas, fresh cut from the garden just for me.

I have only grown Sweet Peas in my garden once (why? I ask myself, why?) and the starter plant was so small I only had one vine of blooms, certainly not enough to cut. Do you remember when I wrote about it?

I have always loved Sweet Peas and I even had a Laura Ashley comforter that was covered in vines of these cherry red and lavender blue blossoms.  I distinctly remember making my bed in college and a sorority sister helped me by teaching me that "the blooms grow up the bed" as a secret to knowing which direction the pattern should be going on the bed spread. The lessons you never forget. 

I've had this bouquet blooming in our hotel room all week and it still looks beautiful!

Stemless Bouquets: When Flat is Fabulous

I have been meaning to show you these interesting stemless floral arrangements.  I saw them years ago at an open market in Lucerne, Switzerland (before I had a blog) and I love their simplicity.

Have you ever had the courage to cut off all but an inch of a rose's stem?  The bud will be just fine as long as it can get to the water. I am planning to recreate an arrangement like this this summer. 

I will use several frogs (sharp pin based support for flowers) in a low rectangular ceramic display. A few hydrangea blossoms, a bit of moss, maybe some verbena. I can't wait to see how it turns out. I think that flat is fabulous.

Right now I can only dream - but I can see that my roses have buds coming, so that's a good start.  What kind of flower arrangements are you dreaming of?

Seattle: Pike Place Market Flowers: Faint or Levitate

If I had been wearing a blood pressure cuff, I know that the bells and whistles would have been going off.  I could hardly stay on my feet I was so happy with the selection of flowers at Seattle's Pike Place Market.  I didn't know whether to faint or levitate.

I bought 3 stems of the pink/white peony tulips (above). I believe it is the variety called "Angelique."

I mean really, look at all the tulips! I always say "Spring is like the Circus - it only comes to town once a year."  You may find the blog flower-heavy right now, but it is Spring and I am celebrating.

I also bought a dozen of these pink and pale yellow tulips - I think they are "Blushing Beauty."  It is hard to tell from the photo, but when I got them in water in the room, they opened up as large as wine goblets.  Magnificent.  

Flower Arranging: Vintage Canister is an Unexpected Vase

In the spring, summer, fall, I am flower driven. My interests collide when I can take a vintage oatmeal canister (my mom's find from an antique show) and fill it with flowers from the garden.  Could this arrangement be any prettier?

A melange of color and texture that gets your attention and holds it for a few beats.  When I see this arrangement, my brain ping-pongs around these thoughts:

• How can the colors of that hydrangea be so delicate? Pale celery green and puff pink together is perfect. 
• Why don't they make more pretty china canisters - clear plastic Oxo containers are just not beautiful.
• This grouping would translate beautifully to fabric. Where is Laura Ashley when I need her?
• I have to plant bellflower and more yarrow next year (then I write that in the Notes portion under May in my 2014 calendar.)

Looking at beautiful things is good for you.  Making a bouquet and seeing it every time you walk into the family room is even better.

Casual Flower Arrangements: Roses and Snapdragons in Juice Can Bouquet

It has been a challenge this summer; I have been out of town so much that I've hardly given my rose garden the attention that it deserves.  I have nineteen roses planted in a bed around my patio and while I tend them daily in March/April/May, it feels like they hardly see me June/July/August.  I pop home, for a week at a time, but it isn't nearly enough.

On the flip side, I've become an even better at traveling with flowers!  This particular bouquet of roses and snapdragons in an ALOHA juice can made it through the 5 hour car ride like it was nothing at all.  I slip a sandwich baggie over the top of the bouquet to keep it safe (and to limit the allergen exposure for my husband).

Do you love the vase?  I will be selling bejeweled versions in my Etsy store next week. Stay tuned!

Travels With Flowers

I should be packing.  We are heading up north for the weekend, but instead of assembling my shoes, shirts and socks, I have gathered some roses, snapdragons and lantana.  Can you blame me? 
  
Long ago Dan said that my Native American name would be "Travels With Flowers."  I just can't leave a beautiful (and perishable) thing behind.  So now that I have made some bouquets fresh from the garden, I can concentrate on the more mundane items on my list, like my laptop, camera, phone and chargers.  I'm packing it all up so that I can bring you delight on the road...

Now, who wants to pack the cooler?

Bridal Bouquet

I arrived at the cottage like a bride carrying this bouquet. Can you stand it?  It is all very appropriate too, because this week is our 21st wedding anniversary.  

This year, for the first time ever, my two Eden climbers are blooming like crazy. They are covered with clusters of 5 blooms.  I decided that I couldn't leave them behind, so I cut off bunch after bunch and layered them on top of each other and the result was this perfectly round, solid bouquet of pink-tipped roses.  I wrapped the stems tightly with floral tape, gave the bottom a fresh cut and dropped them in this water-filled jar that I had covered in pastel Anna Griffin paper tape.  Although it may be hard to tell, there are at least 40 roses in this bouquet.  Swoon.  Happy anniversary to me indeed.

#annagriffin #roses

Lily of the Valley

My best friend has a large backyard that is beautifully landscaped with sun and shade areas.  The shady sections are almost completely covered with Lily of the Valley - my estimate is at least 5,000 pips!  Her family loves it and for a week for two in May, the air is heady with muguet du bois.

And right around this time of year when I get an 8 am text - "are you awake?"  She stops at my house on the way to work bearing 2 giant bouquets of Lily of the Valley that she picked that morning.  One bouquet is for me; one is for my mom.  In the language of flowers, this gesture most surely means: love.

Thank you, Kim, from the bottom of my flower-lovin' heart.

Go For Green

When you are out "getting your garden on" at the local plant nursery, don't forget the green!  I can't tell you how many people were surprised (and delighted!) by this little bouquet in my kitchen last year. 

I combined "Green Envy" zinnias (you can buy seeds or plants) with some of my Golden Variegated Sage.  So pretty!

When the flowers and the leaves are green, it is the perfect example of something being beautiful and interesting.

Flower Arranging Tip

As far as I'm concerned, the flowers do all the work when it comes to flower arranging.

I love to build a small bouquet of complimentary colors and shapes - making sure to include some green leaves (and a touch of mint!).

But my secret weapon...

Orchid clips! Often called "daisy clips" they are small green or brown clips that hold an orchid stem to the supporting stake.

These clips are perfect for holding the flowers in your small bouquets just how you want them. I always nab one of these clips off my orchid and "re-purpose" them here!

Once you've arranged each flower into the bouquet, hold the stems together and clasp them securely with an orchid clip.

Voila! Your bouquet is ready to drop into a vase of water. When the water needs to be changed, the entire bouquet lifts out easily, you refresh the water and then return the bouquet to the vase. No rearranging, no drooping stems.

Let the gardening begin!