Notes From the Garden: Late Spring

I have nearly reached the 1-year mark since we transformed the front corner of the yard into a garden patch. Last year we missed the early Spring planting, so in the ground currently are: eggplants, basil, green beans, tomatoes, zinnias, and nasturtiums.  The winter was interesting in that it was actually quite cold, consistently.  I had a hunch that the winter season was going to be my finest.  I imagined huge fluffy kales and sweet pea vines climbing 10 feet skyward.  Totally wrong on both counts.  Instead, the garden has mimicked the general pattern of Austin---with everything I sowed in a pretty nuetral state throughout the winter months, and them suddenly bursting forth in the early days of Spring (which in these parts means March.  The ryhme "April showers brings May flowers" doesn't exactly apply here.  It's more like "February gloom brings March blooms") 

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Living Room wedding!

Living room wedding!   A while back, Emily had an artist friend paint a rainbow on her blue living room wall.  With an intimate group of their favorite folks, they decided to get married under the rainbow "arch."  Floral for the day was throughout the house-- tiny pink bedside table pieces, a pretty kitchen table piece in Emily's adorable strawberry bowl, and a few coffee table stunners to spread the color 'round.  Fun, sweet, simple.

Mackenzie & Nate at The Wildflower Center.

Today I am sharing a few shots of Nate & Mackenzie's wedding captured by Day 7 Photography.  This was one of the first weddings of the year, and while the winter months tend to be a bit less busy around here, it is actually when a few of my most favorite floral items are in season.  Case in point: blooming acacia.  The tiny little puff ball goodness is just the cutest thing in my book.  It is different, a little quirky, and unexpected.  It is also highly seasonal, at most available three months out of the year.  Luckily, it fit in perfectly with the wild, eclectic vibe Mackenzie and Nate were aiming for.  They had a gorgeous day out at The Widflower Center surrounded by family and friends.  Take a peek:

 

Virginia & Jeremy at Casa Blanca, March 10, 2013

 I'm going to jump the gun on this one.  I can't wait to see the professional images--but mostly, I can't wait to share this one! Here is a bit of truth:  Mother nature is finicky, and the ruler of my land.  That is the bottom line as a floral designer.  That being the case, there is often an element of improvisation (read-- substitution), or the occasional round of calls to every floral supplier within a 500 mile radius in order to show up with the best version of what your client is expecting on their wedding day.  In this instance, there were some "hope fors" on Virginia's floral ist--namely, green eyed anemones, poppies (preferably peach tones) and peach ranunculus.  We got all three--in fact, we get the very best version of all three a bride (& designer) could  ask for.  When the poppies started to open (they arrive still in their fuzzy pod casing, their color a possibility of anything along a white/peach/orange/yellow/pink spectrum) the amazing CORAL color-- of which I have NEVER encountered in my entire floral career--began to emerge in force.  It was the perfect accent to the palette we were working with!!  Next, the peach ranunculus arrived--- a hybrid variety of epic proportions which was in fact the most beautiful soft romantic shade of peach on the planet.  The result of all these elements was stunning-- and I was thrilled to deliver it to this flower loving bride.

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Tales From a Traveling Floral Designer: California

As a floral designer, travelling to California feels a bit like making the journey to Mecca, or the Taj Mahal, or the Vatican.  It is a magical land where temperate climates allow succulents to grow bigger than your head, and walking down the street you may spy a variety of flora you have only ever encountered previously wrapped in cellophane in your wholesaler's cooler.  I may have already mentioned how in Austin I often have urges to jump people's fences in order to raid their landscaping for floral tidbits... Well, if I lived in California, I am pretty sure I'd become a professional floral poacher, stealth in my black jumpsuit, shears in hand as I zig zagged across town lopping tufts of silver dollar eucalyptus from the treetops and clipping crocosmia from the roadsides.  I swear, its pracitcally begging to be taken home with you!

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