Yummy flower left overs!

This year at my daughter's new school I have volunteered to take over the current garden club. There wasn't a whole lot in the garden club budget so I pulled together a couple flower sales as a way to raise more money. These beautiful dahlias were donated, (thanks J.M) and a major hit after school selling at $5.00 a bunch.

At our last sale I ended up coming home with 4 left over bunches which I just shoved into a vase on my dining room table. 

Dahlias are one of my favorite flowers!! Such variety in form and color.

Pretty good for left overs I would say!

Thanksgiving Place Setting Ideas

Here are two really quick and easy ideas to make your Thanksgiving table beautiful. A friend of mine has an abundance of mini apples right now which inspired this idea. Below I have used a small piece of ivy from my garden and wrapped it around the napkin. I have just simply set the mini apple on the napkin to compliment the ivy. A name card would be a nice addition tied onto the apple stem with twine.

This next idea is a bit more work as you need glue. Cut a strip of burlap to aprox. 1.5" wide. Cut to desired length to fit around your napkin. Glue ends together and let dry. Snip an individual floret from your garden hydrangea and with a dab of floral glue adhere to the burlap.

Have fun decorating your table this year. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Fall leaves - Witch-hazel

A beautiful shrub to have in your garden for fall leaves is Witch-hazel. I absolutely love the leaves at this time of year as they look as though they have been dipped in yellow and red paint.

Autumn is my least favorite time of year for flowers. Way too many orange mums and fake plastic wreaths around. I prefer to enjoy interesting grasses, berries, leaves and branches. I do love the earthiness of autumn floral designs though.

And if you do decide to plant a Witch-hazel in your garden for some fall color, a bonus is the fragrant yellow flowers in late winter and early spring.

Summer Camping - Tofino

Once in awhile I like to post something from my life unrelated to flowers. This past August my husband and I took our 5 year old and 2 year old camping in Tofino. It was the most amazing family trip yet with our kids. Luckily we were camping with many good friends which really helped out as we don't have a lot of camping experience.

Tofino is by far the most spectacular place I have been in British Columbia. 

There is nothing quite like mornings in a west coast rain forest.

The kids were so exhausted every night from hiking around and playing on the endless beaches. A few nights we cooked dinner down on the beach and were able to see some beautiful sunsets!

A must see spot in Ucluelet is the Ucluelet Aquarium. Not only is the architecture itself impressive but the marine life was beautiful!

We decided that this camping trip will have to happen every summer. I already can't wait till next year! Do you have a favorite camping spot in BC?

White and Green Bouquet

I recently had a bride contact me from Singapore. She was coming to our beautiful city for her destination wedding! She said she wasn't too picky on the actual types of flowers used and most of the inspiration shots she sent me were a very neutral palette of whites and greens. This is what I ended up creating for her. The bouquet consists of white mums, alstroemeria, sedum, green hydrangea and cymbidium orchids.

The boutonnieres were these bright green cymbidium orchids. I find with these orchids it is best to keep things simple!

Old Field Farm Wedding

Here are a few shots I took this past weekend at an Old Field Farm here in Victoria. A great setting for a casual, outdoor farm wedding. I had so much fun creating the baby's breath wreath for the barn door!

Hydrangeas, lisianthus, and gerbera daisies were used for the "white, red and sky blue" color scheme. A color scheme obviously inspired by the location.

 

 Raffia, mason jars, burlap and lace were also used to add rustic charm.

Garden Flowers - Japanese Anemones

Japanese anemones are a late season garden flower. They don't last long as a cut flower, maybe a day or two. I had my in-laws over for their anniversary dinner recently and I did up this little centerpiece for the table.

Remember when you are wandering through your garden, be sure to look at all the interesting greenery and add a variety of different sizes and textures to your arrangements.