The Slow Flowers Podcast is the award-winning show known as the “Voice of the Slow Flowers Movement.” Launched in 2013 as the original flower podcast, we’ve devoted more than 10 years to covering the business of flower farming, floral design, and the Slow Flowers sustainability ethos. Listen to a new episode each Wednesday, available for free download here at slowflowerspodcast.com or on iTunes, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
February 13th, 2013
SPRING: Two types of pink tulips, Oregon grown; plus pelargonium foliage, white ranunculus & deep purple-blue anemones from California
I came home Sunday from a weekend in Portland, where I lectured about “Slow Flowers” and demonstrated eco-floral design techniques at the Yard, Garden and Patio Show. It was a great way to kick off the 2013 flower & garden show season, thanks to the very warm and supportive welcome of the Portland community.
I enjoyed a very special treat because some longtime family friends, including Donna Davey and her husband Bill Davey came to the event. In 1984, Donna designed the flowers for Bruce’s and my wedding. Pretty amazing for both Donna and me to reminisce about her influence on me . . . 28-plus years later! The bridal bouquet she designed used gardenias and I will always associate that wonderful fragrance with our marriage.
Live demos always have their surprises and this one was no different. My tulips had very floppy stems and they did not cooperate. It was my intention to recreate the bouquet on the cover of Slow Flowers, but the tulips I procured from a local Oregon grower the day before didn’t play nicely with my scheme.
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February 13th, 2013
“A Display of Daffodils”
A trio of fresh, enticing elements creates this cheery arrangement
Ingredients:
15 stems black pussy willow (Salix gracilistyla ‘Melanostachys’), grown by Charles Little & Co.
12 stems ‘King Alfred’ daffodils (Narcissus ‘King Alfred’)
7 stems maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris), grown by Peterkort Roses
Vase:
8-inch tall x 6½-inch diameter green-tinted glass vase
Start with a framework of twigs…then add other stems of flowers and foliage
Eco-technique
Timing is everything: I love all three ingredients in this charming arrangement, but there is one drawback to mixing and matching them. The pussy willows gave me two full weeks of enjoyment; the daffodils looked great for a full seven days; and the maidenhair fern began to dry out after just a few days. Maidenhair ferns hail from tropical rain forests, meaning they prefer warm, damp, shaded conditions. Our homes are too dry for their liking.
The best way to extend the life of a maidenhair fern (as a cut ingredient or as a house plant) is to keep it out of sunlight, away from a heat source and frequently misted with water.
NOTE: Each Sunday of this year, I will post my photographs, “recipe” and tip for that week’s floral arrangement, created for my new book, Slow Flowers. Enjoy the floral journey through 52 weeks of the year~
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February 13th, 2013
“Callas and Cherry Branches”
Simple, graceful, seasonal: Calla Lilies and Flowering Cherry Branches
Ingredients:
9 stems white calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica), grown by Oregon Coastal Flowers
6 branches white flowering cherry (Prunus sp.), harvested by Oregon Coastal Flowers
Vase:
20-inch tall x 7-inch long x 5-inch wide clear glass vase
Place a layer of pebbles in the bottom of this vase to give it visual weight
Love the ombre-coloring on these calla lilies!
From the Farmer
Calla curve: When cut, your callas may have a tendency to curve. Patrick Zweifel says this is normal and can be minimized by storing the cut flowers (heads down) in a box overnight. Also, once they are cut and placed in a
vase, leave the curved flowers toward the container’s outside rim. The callas will naturally straighten up toward the center.
NOTE: Each Sunday of this year, I will post my photographs, “recipe” and tip for that week’s floral arrangement, created for my new book, Slow Flowers. Enjoy the floral journey through 52 weeks of the year~
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February 13th, 2013
“A nest for my orchids”
A classic indoor plant, each cymbidium stem holds several blooms – the antidote to a dreary winter day.
Ingredients:
20-30 cut stems colored twig dogwood (Cornus sericea), grown by Oregon Coastal Flowers
1 spray Cymbidium Sleeping Dream ‘Castle’, grown by Peterkort Roses
Vase:
7-inch tall x 4-inch square clear glass vase
4-inch tall x 5-inch long x 3-inch wide clear glass vase
From the Farmer
Orchids as cut flowers: According to Sandra Peterkort Laubenthal, whose family grows roses, lilies and orchids in greenhouses outside of Portland, Oregon, cymbidiums can be displayed as a flower-studded stem or cut individually off the stem for floating or inserting in floral tubes. It’s hard to know, however, how fresh the flower is. “What makes the most difference is if they are cut right after blooming,” Sandra says. “Look at the lip to see if it has turned pink or is otherwise discolored. This is an indication that the flower has been pollinated by an insect – and that dramatically shortens the cymbidium’s lifespan.”
NOTE: Each Sunday of this year, I will post my photographs, “recipe” and tip for that week’s floral arrangement, created for my new book, Slow Flowers. Enjoy the floral journey through 52 weeks of the year~
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February 13th, 2013
Yes, I have her signature in my used copy of “Flowers in House and Garden,” published in 1937. Signed in pencil, the inscription is dated February 1939.
Lately, I’ve been reading a lot about the first celebrity floral designer, Constance Spry.
The famous Mrs. Constance Spry
If you haven’t heard about her, check out the newish biography called The Surprising Life of Constance Spry, by Sue Shephard (2011). Mrs. Spry was at her peak of popularity between the two World Wars, and I loved reading about her magnificent cutting garden that supplied her London studio and shop called Flower Decoration in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.
Speaking of Flower Decoration, that is the name of a volume that Mrs. Spry wrote in 1933. Re-issued in 1993, you can find it online used, filled with her strong opinions, witticisms, and black-and-white photographs of floral arrangements. These are a little dated, of course, but what stands out to me is the eclectic lineup of ingredients, which includes many flowers, foliage and edibles that today’s hip floral designers think they’ve popularized.
Guess what? Mrs. Spry did it first!
The rest of us have just discovered the ingredients with which she created lush, naturalistic, unfussy bouquets. Cherry tomatoes, grape clusters, gourds, fig leaves, sea-kale, agapanthus seed heads, amaranth, rhubarb and artichokes are wonderful floral elements showing up in couture bouquets and magazine spreads. But Constance Spry used them first – and that’s quite fun to RE-discover.
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February 13th, 2013
“A Blue Bowl of Blooms”
Two completely different flowers – vivacious tulips and intricate witch hazels.
Ingredients:
2 dozen mixed spring tulips, grown by Alm Hill Gardens
7 branches witch hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’), harvested from my garden
Vase: 5-inch tall x 9-inch wide cobalt blue vintage bowl with 6½-inch opening
From the Farmer
Direct from the source: When you shop for flowers at the farmers’ market, be sure to ask questions about where and how the flowers you purchase were raised. There is nothing better than meeting the farmer who actually grew your bouquet. You never know when that connection will lead to an invitation to visit a local flower farm!
NOTE: Each Sunday of this year, I will post my photographs, “recipe” and tip for that week’s floral arrangement, created for my new book, Slow Flowers. Enjoy the floral journey through 52 weeks of the year~
Posted in Book reviews, Creativity, floral design, Gardening, Plants, Slow Flowers: 52 Weeks, Writing | No Comments »
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