Take My (Baby's Breath) Away

Baby's Breath has a slightly less than desirable reputation as a cheap filler flower from the grocery store.  And it can look a little, well, tacky with a dozen red roses (just my opinion!).  There is a time and place for everything, though, and so it is with Gypsophila.  In the language of flowers, this one means "everlasting love", so really it can be fitting for a wedding celebration.

I was reading a favorite blog today and came across stunning wedding flowers.  And the real gem was the Baby's Breath.  I liked it so much I was inspired to do some searching and found an abundance of very pleasing arrangements of nothing but Baby's Breath.  It is airy, fluffy, ethereal and quite dreamy when used alone.  That is the key, sometimes... even with carnations, another flower with a bad rap- by massing them together you create a strong visual and high impact.  Not bad for cheap flowers, right?

This is the photo that caught my eye and started my hunt...

I love this blue, black and white scheme

Wreath, would dry well

Simple bouquet, with satin ribbon

Really elegant ceremony decor

Church decor, snowy and wintry

What a statement

Love the round shape mimicking the ceiling

Red, White, and Coo

This week I was able to do something for a group of women who I admire greatly.  Operation Shower, a non-profit organization that puts together baby showers for pregnant wives of deployed military personnel, recruited me to help out with the decor at a shower here in Atlanta.

I was, of course, providing the floral decor, and I wanted it to tie in with the rest of the shower.  Pinwheels were provided by Pinwhirls, the custom party printable graphics by Anders Ruff, and some of the goodies for the expectant moms were graciously donated by Carousel Designs.  The shower took place at the Birdies for the Brave outpost on the 16th green at the PGA Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.

Below are pictures of the florals, from start to finish.  The color scheme was red, white, and light aqua, and it was a lot of fun to put together!

It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of something that brings joy to the families of the military!

Show Stoppers

While the blooms are usually in the spotlight when we think of flower arrangements or container plantings, there are some pretty interesting non-blooming elements that deserve a little attention.  Two of my favorites play very strong supporting roles and are so amazing in fact that they could steal the show.  They work wonders in both cut flower arrangements and planted containers.

Coleus are truly gorgeous leaves that grow in a great variety of colors aside from green, from deep burgundy to orange and purple to bright pink- with so many variations that an arrangement of just Coleus would satisfy me!  Here's a cool trick- pick up a pretty plant at your nursery, snip a few stems, and place in a small vase on a windowsill.  Before long, roots have sprouted and you can transplant them to a pot if you want.  I love mixing coleus with other summer-flowering annuals to create a loose, casual backyard bouquet.

Henna

A rainbow of leaves

Kiwi Fern

"Fall" foliage

Velvety red Coleus with a combo of garden cuttings and store bought flowers

My other fave is a Rex Begonia.  Sold as houseplants, I like to keep a few on hand and snip leaves here and there.  These leaves are stunningly variegated in shades of green, red, pink, purple, silver and brown and have incredible texture.  They also grow in a nice range of asymmetrical shapes, from smaller hearts to large spirals. The hairy underside of these begonia leaves is usually a deep red and can be just as striking as the front.  I really think that Rex Begonia leaves enhance floral arrangements to such a degree that they are as interesting as the flowers!

David Austin roses and the veiny underside of a Begonia leaf

Escargot

Begonias are the focal point

Cowardly Lion

Stained Glass

"Backyard Bouquet"

Wild Flowers

It's late summer and the heat is really getting to me!  Sometimes I don't think I can stand it and wish I could go to the north pole for a little while.  Many plants, though, certainly can take the heat, and they really thrive around here with very little help.

The garden at my parents' house is a perfect example of using drought and heat tolerant plants that really require no extra attention.  As large as their plot is, the strategy is a good one.  If a plant doesn't thrive on its own or requires a lot of extra water to stay alive, it's not getting a spot here- a little tough love, if you will.  This yard is all perennials, too, with the exception of a few planters here and there.  It really is an oasis in the city, and the only thing that reminds you that no, you are not in the country, is the occasional faint hum of the MARTA train in the distance.  This garden is a wildlife sanctuary and is home to many birds.

Nestled on the corner of a gravel road, the entire property is about 1 1/2 acres, part of which is a deep ravine that I have fond memories of exploring as a child.  The creek at the bottom is where I spent a lot of time catching crawfish and salamanders and I learned about native plants, such as Trillium and ferns, along the path that led down to the bottom.

The garden as it exists now was not nearly as extensive back then, but has grown over the years as gardens will.  About a decade ago my parents did a major overhaul and had a dry river bed installed, along with a fish pond and many many plants.  Their goal- to have not one blade of grass that needed mowing- has been reached, but maintaining and improving the landscape is certainly no less trouble to keep up.  Trouble is not the right word, though, as my mom would be happy to spend all day every day out there in her paradise.  A friend gave her an engraved stone which says it all...At Peace In My Garden.

Here are some photos I snapped this week, in the heat of the midday sun.  They really don't do the garden justice!

One of several paths leading to the dry river bed

Two views of the dry river bed

Dad converted the playhouse he built for us into a shed
and I painted the door

Reclaimed window on the shed

Black-eyed Susans are everywhere!

They are a great source of food for birds in the fall

One of the stone stacks my dad builds- inspired by the cairns
in Iceland- and a beautiful rock surface

A stone "snake"

Hibiscus are absolutely awesome

Leaf of a Canna Lily

Fish pond, and home to several vocal bullfrogs

Butterfly bush

Bright Garden Phlox

Chartreuse leaves and pretty orchid-like bloom of a Toad Lily

Peonies Envy

Okay, so I didn't really come up with that title- believe it or not, Peony's Envy is a flower farm and display garden in New Jersey with over 30,000 peony plants!

The peony is named after Paeon (also spelled Paean), a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower.  The herb known as Bai Shao, in particular the root of the Chinese Peony, has been used frequently in traditional medicines of Korea, China and Japan.

As a cut flower, peonies are usually available April through June, and then again a few months later in October through December, with a few that might be found in July and January as well.  So really they aren't as hard to procure as you might think, if you aren't particular about color.

So what makes a peony everyone's favorite?  For me, the large blooms and layers and layers of luscious petals always draw me in.  Colors range from white to deep red with so many shades of pink in between.  And such gorgeousness of course comes with a price- they can be quite expensive even at wholesale cost!  But usually the desire to have the flower overcomes the desire to save money and the result is big impact.  A bridal bouquet of peonies is so luxurious!


Two of my favorites, Garden Treasure and Coral Charm, were luckily available this week, and I got to use them both in centerpieces for a bridal luncheon at the Swan Coach House.  Garden Treasure is a yellow flower that is available in June and November usually.  Coral Charm starts out as a deep pinkish coral and as the bloom opens and goes through its life cycle fades to a soft peachy pink.  I chose a lavender shade of rose, "Cool Water", to balance the yellow and coral colors.  Baby green hydrangea with accents of tea olive foliage, butterfly weed, and blueberries rounded out the components of these arrangements.