It's been a crazy few weeks. Living in the basement with no kitchen access and one bathroom for the four of us makes me really, really appreciative of our home. Although we're still battling with the flooring company over their shoddy work, we've finally moved back to the main floor. We slept in our own beds last night. Ahhhh....
I missed my bed. And the kitchen. Who knew I'd miss cooking?
So, today I created not one but TWO Floral Friday arrangements to celebrate our reemergence into normal house life. We still have a few boxes to unpack, but the movers were fabulous. Our house is cleaner than it's been in...well, ever. Seriously. Huge shout out to Poole's Moving & Storage!
Today's first bouquet is a combination of wildflowers, blooms from the cutting garden, and pollinator-loving lantana. Years ago, a friend of mine (who introduced Peter and me) invited us over for dinner. She's talented and stylish, and everything she touches looks perfect, effortless. I remember two enormous lantana bushes framed either side of the front steps to her house. Inside, on her mantel, she had placed two sleek vases, each containing stems of lantana. Like Robbin, the vases were unique, minimalistic, stunning. A perfect splash of color, without fuss. Until that day, I'd never thought to use lantana in an arrangement. Now, I can't imagine excluding it.
Today's gray weather made me gravitate to color--bold, loud, crazy color. For a girl that usually wears black and taupe, my bouquets also tend toward subtle colors. Today, though, I needed something to energize me, lend a splash of brightness to the house.
The zinnias keep blooming, but I think they're on the way out. I snipped a variety of colors, leaving some blooms for the pollinators.
A few cosmos remained, so those few also became part of the bouquet.
The goldenrod, though, is blooming like mad. On many of the stalks, bees hung on the blooms, looking drunk on pollen. I avoided disturbing the bees and added handfuls of goldenrod to the mix.
The lantana, however, didn't host any visitors while I was snipping blooms. Maybe it was the weather, because typically butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees are all partying in the lantana. A few branches of lantana tie the colors of the zinnias, cosmos, and goldenrod together.
Even the vase added color to the arrangement today. Obviously, I needed a bright bouquet today! Note: lantana, when it's fully bloomed, can shed. However, it doesn't bother me. I think it looks like festive confetti, scattered on the table.
After making the first bouquet, I noticed the Japanese anemones in the front garden. I love these blooms, but I think next week they'll be gone. I had just moved one of my favorite vases back upstairs: a white ceramic bird vase that I brought home from my visit at Garden2Blog at P. Allen Smith's Moss Mountain. It's the perfect vehicle for the delicate, wispy blooms of the anemones, don't you think?
What are you celebrating this week? Did you create a bouquet to celebrate the weekend? If you did, join us on the Garden Delights Facebook page and share a photo of your creation for everyone to enjoy.
Now, I think I'll head back upstairs to the kitchen and bake an apple pie. (Did I forget to mention that my computer is still downstairs? Oh well. Maybe this weekend we'll finish moving back into the office!)
Happy Floral Friday, friends!
XOXO ~
Julie