mmm... artichokes!!!

I'm fantasizing about using these baby green artichokes in arrangements! What a fantastic moniker of spring!

certainly the strangest thing I grew last summer!

This is a Dutchman's pipe, Aristolochia, a fantastic vine I love! It is completely bizarre and the butterflies can't get enough of it! It is a great shade vine and it bloomed under my porch rather than out facing the light which was interesting but not so bad considering the unopened buds look more like an anatomical part of a Dutchman's body than an actual pipe... so anyways...

 
See what I mean!

Unfortunately this one didn't make it through the winter since it is zone 9-11 even though I mulched it like crazy... This year I'm searching for the perennial I've seen before in PA...

some oldies...

I found these cute photos from the day before my wedding and had to post them! I think my mom might have taken them...It was so special making my own hand tied wedding bouquet out of dahlias from the garden, green lotus pods, air plants (tillandsia), and green baby pineapple tops. 

 
At the rehearsal dinner at the Hobnob with my brother who had gotten married to my fantastic sister-in-law a couple of months prior...

Eatherley in our used-to-be-pink work room with locally grown phals and kegs for the wedding!

in times when gas prices are creeping up...

... it's really fun to fantasize about a cargobike delivery vehicle!!! Could you imagine delivering or receiving flowers from this fantastic nonpolluting mode of transportation? Maybe not as practical here in the mountains but in a city...

and a few more... this time centerpieces!

The Pro pictures from the bridal fair!

That's us! Katie and Eatherley

Our best models, Adeline and Coulbourne, Eatherley's little ones.

All of these beautiful photos are taken by the sweet and super talented KaeLee... She is an amazing photographer working in Brevard and Western North Carolina.

the 2nd day of aifd training

Day 2 was all personal flowers to wear and carry - much more interesting to me!

First was a spiral hand tied bouquet and I LOVE this style! My bark wire is a little bit spastic in this picture but it turned out to be a really interesting textural effect!

This is my cascading bouquet and all of the cascade is individually wired and taped blossoms, then taped together. It is a very romantic style and the cascades are making a comeback!

The class, of course, was too quick, so I didn't have as much time to work on corsages, but learned some great stuff and can't wait to make some for real!!!