Pink rhododendrons

It was recently my mother-in-laws birthday. I wanted to do up some flowers for the dinner table which I knew she would appreciate as she is a avid gardener and plant lover. My neighbor has a this spectacular bush ( I think it is some kind of butterfly bush) which hangs into my other neighbors yard which allowed me to snip a few pieces for my design. As I just finished snipping the "orange ball flower", I then noticed my neighbors gorgeous pink rhodo with it's orange speckled center right beside me. Perfect!

I then added some lily of the valley greens and some podocarpus and voila! This design only lasted about 3-4 days but I absolutely loved the combo of orange and pink. I had a lot of fun putting this together, and if anyone knows the name of the "orange ball" flower let me know!

In my Garden - June

Finally summer has arrived here in Victoria and the gardens are full of glorious blooms! Peonies, iris, poppies and rhododendrons to name a few. Here are a few shots from my garden....

                                                        

yellow poppy

purple iris

these yellow iris are growing out of a pond

bleeding hearts

Red roses and aranda orchids

Not all flowers pair well with orchids. I enjoy mixing orchids with roses because I think it helps to make the rose not so traditional. And, I also think of both of them as quite luxurious. This past week, I provided flowers for a 40th wedding anniversary dinner party at Victoria's Union Club. Ruby red is the chosen color for 40th wedding anniversaries and it turned out it was very suiting to the interior also. The greenery reminds me of mini palm fronds, and why not, as summer has finally arrived here in the "garden city".

Peace Lily

 I have very few plants in my house. One of them is a peace lily from my mother-in-law and it's currently blooming. I have always heard that house plants are good for the air in your home. I was curious, so this is what a quick google search told me.....

1) House plants clean indoor air from many environmental contaminants, including benzene, ammonia, formaldehyde, and other pollutants.

2) House plants make people feel calmer and more optimistic.

3) Plants fight fatigue, coughs, sore throats and other cold-related illnesses by increasing humidity levels and decreasing dust.

I love it! We can clean the air in our homes with something as simple as a plant. And, if you work in an office it's a must have!

Phalaenopsis Orchid Bloom

This floral installation is a great example of how one can use only a few blooms but still create something memorable. I love mixing textures! Here a single phalaenopsis bloom floats atop fluffy green reindeer moss which has been placed on top modern white gravel. Behind the row of orchids are some cylinders holding iris greens which just add a little more impact to the over all effect.

Succulents - Aeonium

For some longer lasting, low maintenance plant life in your home try succulents. They need very little care, just a bit of water when you can remember and perhaps the pulling off of dead leaves once in awhile.

In the pictures below aeoniums are planted in my 18 Karat's "salt" vases which have a lovely salt like texture to them. And I have finished them off with some glass gravel.

Spring bouquet - Deep purple lisianthus

The trend of various shades of purple in weddings is still going strong! This small bouquet features only two flowers but the striped ribbon adds a nice finishing touch. Deep purple lisianthus and berzelia were used. I love the berzelia balls because they are so unique. I think a bouquet of just berzelia would be great too.