Fields of Flowers

Check out these beautiful pictures of fields of Moss Phlox flowers in Hitsujiyama Park, in Chichibu, Japan.    Picture by Issei Kato.  Click here for more. (via Apartment Therapy)

Happy Earth Day!

 

Grow grass inside! Aiming to green indoor living spaces, these frames of grass modernize the old Chia Pet.  Supposedly, the grass lasts for about 4 to 5 months.  The trays can be refilled to begin the process again.  Click here for purchasing information.

Spring Centerpieces - Tutorial

Epicurious posted a slideshow with tips on how to make three different spring centerpieces.  Click here for the slideshow.  If you look closely you can see the asparagus lining the square vase for the arrangement at the farthest right. 

Some More Spring Trends

Here are some beautiful arrangements using the colorful gray trend for flower arranging this spring.   I love the big green arrangements!  They are so tall and  impressive. 

[images from the Flower Council of Holland]

Click here for some more arrangements that fall in line with this trend.

And click here for our previous post on using gray this spring. 

Spring Flower Trends

Some spring flower trends have been posted by the UK Flowers and Plants Association.  I think they are right on point with selecting gray as one of the trends.  I have seen lots of gray out there.  It is a neutral color that allows the flowers to pop against it.  Here is some  information about the trend,  which they name "Colourful Grey" (British spelling), from their site:

Colourful Grey’ symbolises all that is fabulous in nature.  Like the first splashes of dawn glimpsed over dark and sleeping hills. Like walking along a pebbled beach on a crisp, spring morning, and noticing one bright orange starfish, washed up by the surf and glowing like a flame amongst ash. Like looking up at a greying spring sky at dusk, and seeing the blues and greens of a magpie’s wing glinting in the dying sun. This is nature personified; with a duality of opposites coming together to form exquisite beauty. 

Here are some pictures of how to design floral arrangements using the gray and colorful pops of gerbera daisies.

[Pictures from UK Flower and Plants Association]

More spring flower trends to come later this week and next!

Branches

With the Atlanta Dogwood Festival coming next weekend and the National Cherry Blossom Festival starting this weekend, I thought it would be a good time to post some information about branches.  Seeing the flowers bloom on the trees is one of my favorite signs of spring!

Sunset Magazine recently posted an article about displaying blooming branches.  If you are taking the branches from a tree on your yard, clip them when the first buds open and make about an inch slit at the end of the stem.  Then, put the branches in a vase with some warm water with flower food.  The general rule is to use branches that are about twice the height of your container.  When you change the water, recut and reslit the ends.  Click here for more details and for some specific ideas for using magnolias, blooming fruit trees, flowering quince, and dogwoods!

[image from Sunset Magazine]

Spring is Here!

Happy Spring!  I love spring and everything it represents - sunny days, blooming  flowers, longer days, and new beginnings.  The light pastel colors of spring and the warmer weather are welcome changes!  Here are some beautiful floral pictures from flickr to celebrate the coming of spring!

[image from WTL]

[image from mikelens and noel zia lee]

[image from annia316]

[images from MR+G and zed.cat]

 

[image from tagon]