april peonies

pink peonies, viburnum, hellebores, andromeda, hypercurium berries  and fern

i'll warn you ahead of time that i'm feeling a bit loopy right now.  i had to sleep with my windows open last night to cool my apartment.  i don't have a flower fridge so windows or air conditioning are my options to keep the flowers looking fresh (thank goodness for a cool spring).  our apartment faces a busy avenue and it's really a terrible thing to hear every car and truck pass by through the night.

anyway, it's administrative professional's day today and pete and i delivered a number of arrangements this morning.  we worked pretty hard on these bouquets last night, all of which showcase the peony among the other spring beauties.  it's a bit too early for local peonies, so these came france and california.  otherwise, the hellebores, viburnum and ranunculus are local and i greedily snatched up more than needed, particularly the hellebores (the spotted variety is my favorite).  and the andromeda are the ones that i cut from my friend's garden in shelter island over the weekend.

as an aside, yes, anna, i always overbuy.  sometimes things don't work out as planned so i always want enough product on hand as insurance.  i don't want a repeat of the cafe-au-lait-dahlia-episode.

peony wonder world (i used three kinds:  darker pink, light pink and white.  smelled so good):

dark pink, light pink and white peonies with viburnum, hellebores, andromeda, hypercurium berries and fern



coral glory:

coral peonies with coral and raspberry ranunculus, hellebores, andromeda, hypercurium berries and fern


woodland magic (and my favorite):

light pink peonies with viburnum, hellebores, andromeda, hypercurium berries and fern


watermelon-berry sorbet:

coral peonies with viburnum, ranunculus, hellebores, andromeda, hypercurium berries  nd fern


btw, this is likely the last post you'll see on flowers for a little bit.  pete and i are heading to london and holland!  i'm hoping to see fields and fields of tulips.  i'll try to update photos regularly but we'll see how it goes. i still need to post pictures from our paris trip; maybe i can get to them before we leave.

like a string of pearls


i'm kind of high on andromeda these days.  it's really inexplicable.  i love the drippy white bells and rich foliage.  as you may have read in my forsythia post, we drove to shelter island for the pleasure of cutting andromeda from my friend's yard.  both my friend and the bushes were so generous to me.

one of the true pleasures of spring is that the flowers and flowering branches are so fleeting.  there's beauty in the bud, in the bloom and in its inevitable fading.






khmer new year


khmer (cambodian) new year happened last week (april 12-14th).  i went home for my annual visit to our local buddhist temple for good karma.  my mother tries really hard to keep us involved with our culture and community and i do my best to comply.  we celebrate two of the bigger holidays -- new year's and the day of the dead to honor our ancestors (sometime in october).  so for mom, i try to come home every khmer new year and this time, i put together three simple bouquets -- two for home for our family's offering to this year's deity and one for the local temple.  


i'll likely botch up describing everything so it take with the grain of salt.  

each year, mom lays out an offering fruit and soda for the deity on the eve (i don't know why soda).  the fruit should be the deity's favorite fruit, but we didn't find out in time so mom put out mangoes and watermelons.  and everything needs offered in pairs.  

we went to the temple the next morning.  it's difficult to describe what's going on here, partly because my khmer isn't as good as my english.  much, if not all, of the prayers are in sanskrit and i only know a single prayer, which they didn't say this time.  i was somewhat disappointed; it's the only meaningful way that i could've participated.  just for the sake of sharing, here it is:

buddham saaranum gachaami - i take refuge in the buddha
sanghum saaranum gachaami - i take refuge in the sangha (the community)
dharmum saaranum gachaami - i take refuge in the dharma (the teaching)

i somewhat dread prayer time though.  we have to sit there with our legs folded to the side.  i'm not flexible and it's not comfortable.  i'm grateful that it lasts for less than 10 minutes.




at some point, we kneel before the buddha altar (below left), light three sticks of incense, put our hands together in front our faces and bow down three times and say "saa touk".  afterwards we place the incense in a pot (below right).


below is an offering of rice.  everyone each has a little bowl of rice and with a clean spoon, places a scoop of rice in each of the five black pots (below left) and the remaining rice is placed into the big silver bowl with our hands (below right).


when i was much younger, my parents were really good about teaching me the rituals.  however, it was an intro buddhist studies in college that helped me understand the overarching principles and the creation myths.  i'll admit that the language barrier is pretty tough (sometimes in temple, i don't know if they're speaking khmer or sanskrit -- sigh), so learning the subject in english was much easier.  for instance, i know that cambodians and other southeast asians mainly practice theravada buddhism, in which the lay people help monks attain enlightenment.  also, i learned the prayer above along with the translation.  

forsythia


forsythia are in full bloom everywhere in NYC and Long Island.  pete and i drove out to shelter island earlier today to visit some friends and harvest many, many stems of andromeda.  we were greeted with a sea of forsythia's brilliant yellow blooms alongside the L.I.E. (long island expressway).  it was truly a gorgeous sight but it reminded me that i'm terribly behind with my garden planning this year and probably won't get anything started seed-wise until mid-may!

typically, blooming forsythia signals me to prune my garden roses.  i need to get to massachusetts soon to take care of it (or have my dad do it -- yikes!).




tulips


i have this love-hate relationship with tulips.  not sure why.  perhaps i see them too often.  it seems like either the greenhouse- and/or field-grown kind are available at least 10 months out of the year.  and they're always on sale, e.g. 3 for $10 (not that there's anything wrong with that; i've been known to indulge in supermarket flower specials from time to time).

but, these days, i'm really liking them, especially the double and the parrot ones.  and if they're fringed, particularly the queensland variety, i absolutely need to have them so badly that i'll completely re-arrange my flower buying to incorporate them.




BTW (by the way), i'm doing a new exercise lately to work on my color selection.  the basic premise is to use some of the same flowers but add a different bloom or two to change up the color scheme.  i'll post my other arrangement later this week.

where is spring?

bouquet of ranunculus, bearded iris, sweet peas, clematis, lilacs and peach campanella roses

it's cold here.  it caught me by surprise this morning on the way to spin class.  yep, folks, i'm still spinning monday and wednesday mornings.  monday's classes are usually pretty nice -- a good way to start the week.  but the instructor for wednesday's class is brutal (in a good way, of course).  she makes sure that i sweat and pant and nearly faint at least three times over the course of 45 minutes -- very intense.  naturally, i've signed up for her class this friday (pray for me, please).  my legs are burning.  i've consumed two glasses of wine to help relax my muscles ;)



 and a little garden snake baking in the morning sun.  he kept me company as i was taking photos.

york harbor


in massachusetts this easter weekend.  we went to york harbor, maine yesterday to wish sarah a happy birthday with a posy of purple and gold blossoms.

i love sarah's apartment; it has a coastal new england vibe about it.  the apartment itself feels nautical and she's brought many components of the outside in with a great collection shells, weathered elements and ferns and other plants potted in vintage vessels.  i could never replicate this myself so perhaps capturing it would be the next best thing.  sarah's lucky to live in a place like york harbor.  pete and i often talk about moving back to new england, but we'd miss nyc terribly.

posy of clematis, ranunculus, sweet peas, lilacs, tulips and peach campanella roses
clematis, ranunculus, sweet peas, lilacs, tulips and peach campanella roses
clematis, ranunculus, sweet peas, lilacs, tulips and peach campanella roses
clematis, ranunculus, sweet peas, lilacs, tulips and peach campanella roses













soul pyscho (i mean, soul cycle)


bouquet of lilacs, 'putamayo' carnations, hellebores, sweet peas and clematis

i'm so tired today i want to cry.  this morning was my first morning working out in a really intense way.  i was up at 5:30am for a 6:00am soul cycle spin class.  pure utter torture.  arms. arms.  now double time!  pedal.  pedal.  i left the studio with sia stuck in my head -- "hey i heard you were a wild one, ooh...."  

and before i pass out tonight, i wanted to share this bouquet.  when i have consults with brides, i get a lot of "i don't like carnations" or "anything but carnations".  i get it.  we largely see garishly colored carnations mixed with baby's breath and leather leaf ferns being pushed out from those big box flower companies -- not so pleasing.  but i'm noticing a renewed interest from designers to elevate the carnation's status (see the summer 2012 issue of martha stewart weddings).  and i'm buying what they're selling.  carnations can look very upscale when accompanied by more luxurious flowers and they're inexpensive.  look at this week's bouquet and last week's too.  give them a second chance.






cotton candy

redonkulous ranunculus, hellebores, narcissus, sweet peas, fritillaria and spirea

from last weekend, colors remind me of cotton candy.

i've been told recently that i don't smile enough.  maybe in certain circumstances.  i have an old picture of myself at 24 -- young, naive, still green behind the ears -- and i had a big smile on my face, like a really genuine smile that if you saw it, you'd likely smile back.  i was happy to be in nyc;  happy to be employed; happy to do whatever took to move my life forward.  someone commented on that picture recently; he couldn't believe that i was the same person.  i told him to come see me on my day off.  i'm surrounded by flowers then and then he'll really know what i'm like.  that smile is not gone, just hidden.

ranunculus, hellebores, narcissus, sweet peas, fritillaria and spirea
ranunculus, hellebores, narcissus, sweet peas, fritillaria and spirea
ranunculus, hellebores, narcissus, sweet peas, fritillaria and spirea
ranunculus, hellebores, narcissus, sweet peas, fritillaria and spirea 
ranunculus, hellebores, narcissus, sweet peas, fritillaria and spirea

the spills

ranunculus, poppies, narcissus, sweet peas, carnations, white cherry blossoms, spirea and jasmine vine

i managed to spill two vases today that were filled to the brim with water.  real klutzy, i know.  both times pete just looked over and shook his head.  

we went searching for more properties this weekend, but struck out on all five.  some of the homes were too big (like 6 bedrooms and bathrooms too big) or the land didn't work -- too hilly or rocky -- or too close to an upscale race track.  we're hoping april will bring more inventory.  




early spring lovelies

bouquet of white ranunculus, japanese scabiosas, lavender and purple sweet peas, white hellebores,
mini carnations, viburnum, bridal wreath spirea and dusty miller

still looking for our country home (my future flower farm).  it feels like an endless and daunting task, perhaps we'll get lucky this weekend.

it's not easy finding something that could handle the plans i have stored in my head -- a large rose garden, expansive peony beds, tree peonies and hellebore plantings along the woods, clematis climbing up anything and everything, a rolling red poppy field and the list goes on forever.  i imagine myself wearing trucker hat in the driver seat of my pick-up truck with compost piled high in the back.  i bet pete's rolling his eyes right about now.  ok, so maybe it'd be pete driving the truck.  but, still, it's my dream.

so while i dream and daydream of my future, here are some flowers i've put together recently -- a little celebration of early spring.

bouquet of white ranunculus, japanese scabiosas, lavender and purple sweet peas, white hellebores,
mini carnations, viburnum, bridal wreath spirea and dusty miller

bouquet of blush ranunculus,lavender and purple sweet peas, fritillaria, mini carnations,
bridal wreath spirea, viburnum, scented geranium and dusty miller

bouquet of blush ranunculus, lavender and purple sweet peas, fritillaria, mini carnations,
bridal wreath spirea, viburnum, scented geranium and dusty miller

bouquet of white ranunculus, japanese scabiosas, lavender and purple sweet peas, white hellebores,
mini carnations, viburnum, bridal wreath spirea and dusty miller


bouquet of blush ranunculus, lavender and purple sweet peas, fritillaria, mini carnations,
bridal wreath spirea, viburnum, scented geranium and dusty miller

bouquet of blush ranunculus, lavender and purple sweet peas, fritillaria, mini carnations,
bridal wreath spirea, viburnum, scented geranium and dusty miller

bouquet of blush ranunculus, lavender and purple sweet peas, fritillaria, mini carnations,
bridal wreath spirea, viburnum, scented geranium and dusty miller

bouquet of white ranunculus, japanese scabiosas, lavender and purple sweet peas, white hellebores,
mini carnations, viburnum, bridal wreath spirea and dusty miller

bouquet of lavender and purple sweet peas and scabiosas -- makes me all giggly

bouquet of lavender and purple sweet peas and scabiosas



happy birthday, flowers by busy B!

urn arrangement of coral and peach ranunculus, soft peach icelandic poppies, coral lisianthus,
purple anemones and hellebores and secret tulips
with japanese spirea, bridal wreath spirea, sumac, viburnum and jasmine vine
bouquet of coral and peach ranunculus, coral lisianthus, purple hellebores and secret tulips
with japanese spirea, bridal wreath spirea, viburnum and jasmine vine

bouquet of coral and peach ranunculus, coral lisianthus, purple hellebores and secret tulips
with japanese spirea, bridal wreath spirea, viburnum and jasmine vine

my gosh, how time flies!

it's my blog's birthday today and i've teamed up with my new photographer friend, Adeline of Sweet Adeline Photography, to help me celebrate.  Adeline is simply amazing and completely gets my style.  this is our first collaboration and i'm looking forward to doing more with her.

for my birthday post, i wanted to do a something different from my gray wall background and found "it" while in paris.  pete and i toured the louvre over president's day weekend and spent a considerable amount of time looking at dutch still-life paintings of flowers and fruit.  i was inspired by the artwork and wanted to do something similar for the blog sans the hanging dead animals.  i also thought it'd be an interesting exercise to use similar flowers in a different palette.

urn arrangement of lemon icelandic poppies, white and gold ranunculus,
pink and purple hellebores, purple anemones and secret tulips
with japanese spirea, bridal wreath spirea, sumac, viburnum and jasmine vine
urn arrangement of lemon icelandic poppies, white and gold ranunculus,
pink and purple hellebores, purple anemones and secret tulips
with japanese spirea, bridal wreath spirea, sumac, viburnum and jasmine vine
bouquet of white ranunculus, white sweet peas, lemon poppies and pink hellebores
with japanese spirea, bridal wreath spirea, sumac, viburnum and jasmine vine 
bouquet of white ranunculus, white sweet peas, lemon poppies and pink hellebores
with japanese spirea, bridal wreath spirea, sumac, viburnum and jasmine vine 

what's surprising about this whole blogging thing is that i really love it (despite it being effing hard to create and publish original content).  at the end of almost every day, i look forward to seeing how many visitors i've received.  during the first few months i averaged 30 hits a day but now it's consistently reaching 150-200 hits a day.  it's so rewarding to see the growth in readership.  and when i can't post, i miss it.  and i miss my readers.  i love it when you come back.  encourages me to do better and more for you.

and thank you, Adeline, for these gorgeous images!

a hot mess of cuttings.  love this picture.

japanese sweet peas on valentine's day

two-toned purple sweet peas

we didn't do proper valentine's day arrangements this year with us going to paris and all.  love, it seems, came first for us this year....  however, for a few individuals, we pre-arranged some early delivery of sweet peas, simple but exquisite.  and their perfume, nothing short of heavenly.

watermelon sweet peas (left) and blush sweet peas (right)

  

planning for spring

bouquet of hyacinths, hellebores, tulips and anemones
bouquet of hyacinths, hellebores, tulips and anemones

i cut this arrangement too short, not sure what i was thinking.  i spend a lot of time sitting on the floor putting my arrangements together; space in my studio apartment is somewhat tight.  and i need to head to the fabric store to get yards of backdrop -- i love my grey walls, but monotony can get uninspiring.

i'm thinking about my gardens this spring -- what survived the winter, what to plant, etc.  i planted a lots of bleeding hearts, astilbe and scabiosas last year and i need to prune back my clematis plants and roses.  and i need to amend the soil in our garden beds and think about what annuals to plant.  i may skip the sweet peas this year until i can be around more often to care for them.  there'll be a lot of dahlias next year, i know that for sure.  maybe i'll try planting some icelandic poppies and put in some more peonies.  

bouquet of hyacinths, hellebores, tulips and anemones
bouquet of hyacinths, hellebores, tulips and anemones

fading quince



my parents and sister got 32" of snow yesterday.  we in lower manhattan seemed to get only 6" judging from what accumulated on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings.  i hope everyone fared ok during the storm.

some leftover quince from last week.  they're fading a bit, but still pretty enough to balance out the winter gloom.  i spent most of the morning throwing away dead flowers and wiping up pollen that seemed to have fallen on every possible surface.  i suppose cleaning is slightly better than venturing outside.  the sun is completely out but it's deceptively cold -- high of 30 but currently 26.  fresh air would be nice, but i'm staying where it's warm.

pete and i are going to paris the latter end of next week.  we'll post pictures on photos.

superbowl sunday

all right, party people.  the day of reckoning has come for the ravens and the 49-ers and for beyonce to pull off a perfect half-time show.  as an aside, i'm still pretty heart-broken about the pats, but i love football nonetheless.  this is my tribute to the Super Bowl.

the baltimore ravens

white anemones, lavender and purple sweet peas, scabiosas, daffodils, spirea and fritillaria
white anemones, lavender and purple sweet peas, scabiosas, daffodils, spirea and fritillaria

the san francisco 49-ers

coral and watermelon icelandic poppies, hot pink campanella roses, ranunculus and daffodils
with jasmine vine and spirea

coral and watermelon icelandic poppies, hot pink campanella roses, ranunculus and daffodils
with jasmine vine and spirea