Peonies, Olives and Llamas, Oh My!

The farm is Cheateau CharMarron Peony Gardens, the home of Monte Carlo Tuscan Olive Oil as well as a llama farm.  The reason I was there was that I went to go pick up a special peony bush to add to my garden of cut flowers that I will be using for the various events I will be doing this coming year. 

Maria the owner was great and showed us around the peony gardens as well as the olive groves which they were harvesting today. The weather was sunny and a bit windy however that didn't effect the beauty of this place that was set high in the East Bay hills looking over the bay and surrounding area. 

Another thing I discovered is that when all her peonies bloom you can come and buy the stalks! So, if you or you know of anyone getting married in April or May, I will be up there picking the most amazing flowers...which would be perfect for a wedding. 

Enough chat here are the photos:

 

If you want more information on the farm click {here}

How beautiful is a rose.

I love roses and if you aren't a rose lover maybe you just haven't found the right one as there are over 100 species in a variety of colors.  Most are native to Asia, with smaller numbers of species native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa.

One species is the Gallica or Provins roses that are a very old class developed from R. gallica, which is a native of central and southern Europe. The Apothecary's Rose, R. gallica officinalis, was grown in monastic herbiaries in the Middle Ages, and became famous in English history as the Red Rose of Lancaster. Gallicas flower once in the summer. The gallica comes in shades of red, maroon and deep purplish crimson. 

I plan to post more about plant species, so stay tuned for more. 

Growing

As part of my business, I am always trying to find interesting flowers. So, to help in this search as well as learn more about cultivating plants, I am going to try to grow my own. The first thing on my task list was where to plant these flowers, so I have created a raised bed especially for my cut flowers. Depending on the specific needs of the flowers, they will also be spread around the front and backyards.

Currently filled with compost and made with salvaged wood.

Second, find some cool flowers to plant now for spring.
Here is what I have so far:

Clusiana Lady Jane Tulip

Honkey Talk Tulip

Calgary Daffodil

Deinashaugh Daffodil

Snakes Head

Ariella Chezar

Ariella is all over the web with her beautiful flower compositions. She has a way of putting together interesting colors, textures and shapes in a seemingly loose composition but in a well thought out way. I just love what she comes up with. I also just purchased her book and hope to find my own distinct voice such as she did. But in the mean time, I will continue to be inspired.

Client Inspiration

I had a couple approach me recently who wanted some design options for their wedding decor. This got my creative juices flowing and here are some of my design thoughts.

They seemed like an artsy modern couple. So my first though was less traditional centerpieces using decorative lettuces, leaves and interesting foliage to add a visual impact to the table.

Another element was to add an accent color of gray and adding a modern edge with some concrete containers.

Flower Remnants

I had some leftover purple flowers and could not let them go to waste!

English Garden Wedding

Here are some preview photos of the wedding I did this weekend.

I used a combination of eucalyptus, lisianthus, carnations, pears, artichokes, decorative cabbage and other garden type variety foliage.

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