Slow Bloom Bouquets

The last pastel fade of the peonies at dusk. 🩷

Flower Friday. Creativity is a funny thing sometimes. I tried this morning to go in a very different direction for an arrangement. It wasn’t working. I tried to force it for about 45 minutes before I finally gave up and pulled all the roses out and plonked them into my water glass that was sitting nearby while I continued disassembling.
After I had finished cleaning up I glanced at that glassful of roses and somehow it looked a thousand times better than what I had just been working so hard to do. 🤦🏼‍♀️
It had the right form and shape and so I decided I would accept the humility lesson and just copy that layout into this new arrangement.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget to let the flowers tell you where they need to be, and today they did just that after I exhausted my own efforts.
I’m sure you can read between the lines for real life lessons too; I so often find applications for the rest of life in the garden. Today, the lesson is to relax a bit and not try too hard to force something.

Featuring David Austen roses (Roald Dahl), Westerland roses, Italian ranunculus (Cloni “Aragosta”), bee’s friend, Iceland poppies, and Shirley poppies (“Amazing Grey”)

Mondays be Mondaying. But at least the garden looks pretty in the rain today.

Flower Friday! I’m going to attempt to post a new creation each week, just in time for the weekend. Today, David Austen Windermere roses meet Hanoi ranunculus for a perfect romantic pairing. Also featured: bee’s friend, flowering sage, and astrantia.

Ranunculus coming beautifully! I’m feeling rather under the weather today but it was good to spend some time out here regardless.

Etched Salmon peonies looking 👌🏻

I’ve been delaying this post, mostly because I was hoping I could avoid it altogether. But sometimes life pulls us in different directions and that’s ok too.
This spring season has seen me stretched by a variety of priorities, which has left me without the space and time to be on schedule with seeding and planting. Layered onto that were some early crop losses, like all of my tulips being unsaleable thanks to a wet winter and fungal issues.

As such, I am not in a position to be prepared for significant sales this year.

I feel equal sadness and relief with that statement. Taking on too much and trying to juggle all the things has a way of bringing on burnout, and I am relieved to temporarily let go of something that tends to overshadow everything else. But I am also sad because I do genuinely love bringing beauty to life through my flowers, and sharing it with you to brighten your homes and spaces.

For this season, I do intend to share my garden here, just for the sake of it, and perhaps to dive more into some of the background work and methods I use. And if you see some flowers you love and still want to purchase a bouquet or a bunch, please message me! Chances are I’ll be able to make it happen because I absolutely still have some flowers. But I will not be opening the roadside stand or doing subscriptions this year. So my posts will not be “ad” driven, to share what I have for sale. It will be more just to reflect the joy I do find in my garden.

It has been amazing to sell so many blooms to you all for the last 5 years, and I know I’ll be back again eventually, but for now thank you for the years of support and for following along here from all over the world. I hope you can just enjoy my garden as I post just to share the beauty.

Oh hey there! I’ve missed you all over the winter but I’m back!! And here is your tease that my ranunculus plant sale is coming up very soon!!

If you haven’t already you can sign up to my mailing list (link on homepage) to get in on the action! Sale email will go out on Wednesday March 11 at 9am!

These stunning flowers are among of my favourites, and I’m so pleased to be able to offer varieties that aren’t usually accessible for the home gardener. Bred in Italy, these ranunculus are considered the cream of the crop in the floristry world, and they certainly add beauty and drama to the garden as well.