This time of year brings out the gardener in so many of us. I love how the garden can become “my favorite place to spend time,” yet each individual space is so uniquely different according to our styles and personalities.
My garden is my favorite space because it’s so deeply personal. It's a small space, but I'm truly attached to it. The precious soil holds 30+ years of memories. 30+ years of the ebb and flow of life. She’s stood quietly through all the seasons, celebrations, smiles and tears. To this day, I lift the latch of the iron gate and I'm reminded of the early days when my children in their bare feet and curious smiles ran around giggling and collecting seeds, pausing only to measure their height against tall stands of bachelor buttons, cosmos and cleome.
My garden has known both soft and vibrant hues and heavenly fragrance, as well as weeds, spent blooms and seasons of neglect. She’s weathered storms elegantly and been very forgiving when I’ve passed by with barely a glance.
But this year…..she’s dressed in glorious new life and hope held in each new bloom and bud that forms. She’s ready for the dance as spring swirls into summer and beyond.
This year….yes, this year seems different somehow as my love and fascination for all things floral has grown and blossomed even more. I so enjoy sneaking out very early in the morning (while the bees are still sleeping) to gather long stems either for a photo shoot or to simply enjoy in a vase next to my sink.
Much of what I harvest from the garden is used in my still life photos, but I also love the abundant supply of floral material found at Trader Joe’s. I find such joy in creating floral arrangements, and I’ve decided to start sharing some of my arrangement recipes with you here on my blog. From the very simple to the more elaborate, each creation will be different, and I look forward to sharing them.
I decided several years ago that I would treat myself to a bundle of fresh flowers each week; just simple blooms found at the grocery store. Well, that has certainly evolved over time, LOL. In fact, last month, to celebrate my birthday month, I signed up for a monthly flower subscription. Sort of indulgent, I suppose, but I reasoned that it might save a trip or two to Trader Joe’s if I’m greeted with a fresh new delivery of blooms each month.
I signed up through BloomsyBox.com and I am loving it! I mean, who doesn’t love getting beautiful fresh flowers delivered to their door, especially when you get to be surprised by the variety and color combo?
I received my first shipment last month, and I can tell you….they….were….amazing and lasted nearly 2 weeks (I did change the water a couple times and gave the stems a fresh cut)! My 2nd bundle will be here this week, and I CANNOT wait.
Included in my first bouquet were 6 gorgeous lavender-pink roses, several stems of fragrant purple stock and snapdragons, a few lilies still in the bud stage and shiny green lemon leaf (salal) for filler. All in pristine condition! The people at BloomsyBox take great care in packaging and do a wonderful job keeping the stems stable in the box during shipping. Initial thoughts? I’m impressed and so happy to have these beautiful blooms to work with for my photos. I spritzed them with a little Crowning Glory to keep them looking fresh and beautiful as long as possible.
___________________
For today, I'd like to share this recipe with you (below). This is a combination of stems I picked up at Trader Joe's along with several little beauties I plucked from my own garden. (Plus, it's my very first attempt at wrapping a bouquet, LOL).
I also have to share this amazing little bucket I found during a birthday shopping trip with my sweet friend, Martha at Home Goods (for a whopping $5!!! What.....???). It's a cute little bucket with dividers meant to carry cleaning supplies, but the moment I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for gathering my flowers from the garden, AND the dividers keep each ingredient separate. PLUS it holds water, so it's perfect!!!
SPRING GLADS AND LILACS
INGREDIENT | AMOUNT | SOURCE |
Pink Gladiolus | 5 stems | Store-bought |
Lilac (lavender color) | 5 stems | Store-bought |
Lilac (white color) | 5 stems | Store-bought |
Iris (white) | 5 stems | My garden |
Cala lily (dark pink) | 3 stems | My garden |
Wax flower (pink) | 5-7 stems | My garden |
Bamboo palm fronds | 3 stems | My garden |
I knew I wanted to make this a front-facing arrangement that I could lie flat and wrap in paper. I started with the bamboo palm then added the gladiolus, holding them firmly in one hand. I then added the lilacs, wax flower, iris and cala lilies just making sure to keep even distribution between all the ingredients. I finished off the arrangement with a spritz of Crowning Glory Floral Spray to keep them looking fresh and wonderful for as long as possible.
If you don't have access to the same floral material I used in this recipe, please don't let that deter you. You can easily substitute them with whatever you have on hand. There is great joy in gathering beautiful flowers to arrange and enjoy in your home or to share with a friend. Be blessed today and always and create something lovely!
P.S. If you have a favorite flower that you'd like to see in an arrangement, please leave a comment below and I'll do my best to use it in a future post.
