Flower Workshop - Vancouver

Last weekend I had an incredible weekend in Vancouver at a floral show and workshop. I met some great people and I was able to ask them a million questions about the floral biz. As I'm dying to have my own shop one day I'm trying to learn as much as I can. The design show was presented by Dee Baunsgaard a very inspiring designer originating from Denmark who now resides in Toronto.

Below was our afternoon creation. We had to create a grid on top of the bowl using the orange sticks and then the flowers were grouped on top of that.

 What do you think of this "different" design?

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.