The Grinch meets Big Bird!

Dr. Seuss came rushing to my mind the minute I laid eyes on the “Dianthus barbatus Green Trick ‘Temarisou”. The flower looks like it would only grow in Whoville, or that it could have given birth to the Grinch!!!! (it would definitely explain all the green fuzz) It is a green pompom looking flower on a stem that looks like the stem of a Carnation. To compliment my new green furry friend of a flower, I picked out some rather fuzzy looking yellow Sunflowers and some cool looking soccer ball like flowers that I don’t know the name of. I finally knew what it would look like if The Grinch and Big Bird got together!!!! They’d make a good couple if you ask me!

Cost: $20.00

The majority of the flowers went into an arrangement that my Mom had asked me to put together for her friend that she was going to visit for brunch.

Since I had some company coming over for dinner, I decided to make a very modern and sleek arrangement as a centerpiece for the table with the remainder of the flowers. After rummaging around the house, I decided to use wine glasses, two candle holders that were given to me as a gift, glass bowls, and other glass containers I found as vases for the flowers.

Tip: Sometimes, less is more. So don’t be afraid to use only one flower in a vase/container as a centerpiece or an accent.

Raven’s Eye Design

It’s always great to see what else is going on in the floral world in and around the Bay Area. Last week a dear friend of mine, Jaime Scott of Raven’s Eye Design, emailed me some fantastic photos of an eco-friendly wedding that she recently designed flowers for. Below is her description of the lovely event and photos of her creations;

The Setting: Secluded Redwood Grove in the Oakland Hills of California, July 2010
The Couple: Seventh Grade Math Teacher/Facilitator for Youth Sports and Activities; Both have a passion for bicycling and resource conservation

The bride had a very relaxed attitude toward the flowers and the groom was fine with whatever flowers the bride chose. My bottom line instructions were to have colorful flowers with no icky stink. And of course, stay within their budget.

I had the flexibility to choose and arrange their flowers as an expression of their personalities. They are both earnest and unpretentious people that have the ability to light up a room when they enter.

Red was the color du jour. The flowers had to resonate in the shadowy redwood grove. I was told the groom has a fondness for tulips.

The flower palette would be red Dahlias, yellow Sunflowers, orange Tulips, and seeded Eucalyptus. This combo would provide color contrast against the forest backdrop as well as a diversity of complementary textures. Swatches of fabric from altered bridesmaids' dresses were used for the bouquets.

For containers, we re-used an assortment of glass jars. Guests were encouraged to take the table arrangements home, with or without the container. Any leftover containers went into the recycling bin; flowers left behind were composted.

Summertime and the Livin’ is Easy….

Saturday was a rare sunny summer day in San Francisco, and from the minute I stepped foot into the Flower Market and took a look at all the gorgeous Dahlias that lined the stalls, I immediately went back to my teenage years; summer days by the pool at my dad’s cottage, the sweltering heat of Tehran’s environs, and my mom adoring the Dahlia’s that the Gardner had planted and her saying “I love Dahlias!” All of a sudden Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong’s voices crept into my head… “Summmmmertiiimmmeee and the livin’ is eaaaasyyyy…” Ok, I’ll spare you the “text singing.”

As the seasons change, so do the colors at the flower mart. The summer season is known for warm tones that embody the sun and its entire splendor, and by gosh did all the vibrant oranges and reds in the flower selections represent that warm summer vibe!

This week’s design revolves around Dahlias and Mums.

Price: $17.00!!!!

Since it had been a while that my alter ego “Phantom Floranista” hadn't left flowers at the doorsteps of SF residents, I decided that I’m going to do a summertime strategic delivery to small businesses in North Beach. I grabbed a recycled “Pavel’s Yogurt” tub, and a Trader Joe’s hummus container, wrapped them in some wax paper, secured them with rubber bands, and started play with the flowers.

For the smaller arrangement I created a mini bouquet, secured it with a rubber band, then placed it in the container to prevent it from falling apart.

Tip: when you have very leafy flowers, make sure you remove leaves from the part of the stem that will be in contact with the water. Leaves contain all the food that a flower needs to grow, however when it sits in water, it rots, hence killing your flowers much faster.

¡Viva España!

For 125 minutes on Sunday July 11th,2010, the entire world stopped, put their differences aside and watched while the Netherlands played against Spain for the most prestigious title in football! It’s no fun to watch the final of the world cup alone, so what better way to join in on the universal enjoyment than to have dear friends come over to cheer, chant, and root on our favorite teams. Low and behold SPAIN won, and I won the bets I had placed! OLEEEE OLE OLE OLEEEEE!!!!! WOOHOOOO!!!! Ok. Now that I have gloated about winning my bets I’m ready to move on… Glad I got that out of the way…. On to flowers.

The San Francisco Farmer’s Market was all a buzz on Saturday. Strawberries, apricots, oranges, nectarines, anything and everything edible you could ever want could be found, including awesome deals on really great locally grown flowers. I decided that I had to support my Spanish boys by designing this week’s floral arrangement around their country’s flag colors.

Shopping List: Yarrow, Crocosmia, Poppy Seed Pods
Cost: $19.00

This week’s arrangement ended up going into a black spherical vase I had purchased last year for a gig I was doing. Its round shape was perfect to show case the Yarrow as the main flower, and the Crocosmia and Poppy Seed Pods as accents:

When it’s all said and done, it’s the love and energy of dear friends that make a party special, so here is a shout out to all my peeps that made World Cup 2010 a super experience…oh, and to those of you who lost your bets, I accept cash and checks. Thank You & Viva España!