Week 22, as we revisit the 10-year anniversary of the book Slow Flowers A glass pitcher with brightly colored Icelandic poppies, inspired by my 2013 version Icelandic poppies are the theme of this “week 10” of springtime, as they were a decade ago when I created two arrangements for Slow Flowers, the book. I wrote: “Why do we love them so? Perhaps it’s because of their pure, vibrant petal colors with the charming button-like centers. Or it’s their uncomplicated forms – they remind me a lot of the way I drew flowers as a child.” Playful poppies in a glass pitcher I created two arrangeme ..read more

Week 21, as we revisit the 10-year anniversary of the book Slow Flowers Reviving a vintage basket for an arrangement inspired by the original Slow Flowers bouquet from 2013 I worried about how I was going to pull off my self-imposed “assignment” — to recreate the bouquet that originally appeared in my 2013 book, Slow Flowers. But things worked out, albeit with a slightly new version of ingredients. Pale green roses determined the palette for this soft, cottage garden-inspired arrangment from 2013. I titled the original piece “A Softer Side of Green,” a nod to the central element, ‘Supergr ..read more

Week 20, as we revisit the 10-year anniversary of the book Slow Flowers Slow Flowers Revisited – peonies, allium, lady’s mantle, and white stock. In the 2013 edition of Slow Flowers, for the 20th week of the year, I featured a design called “First Peonies,” and the focal flowers were red peonies grown by Gonzalo Ojeda of Ojeda Farms. The ‘Purple Sensation’ alliums (Choice Bulb Farm) and tender green lady’s mantle foliage (from my former garden) were seasonal accents. First Peonies of the Season from Slow Flowers 2013, page 32 This year, though, I couldn’t find ‘Cowanii’ ornamental white a ..read more

Week 19, as we revisit the 10-year anniversary of the book Slow Flowers The addition of Smoke Bush stems elevates the design, adding another dark-hued ingredient to the mix. A graphic pop in this contrasting botanical palette. The original “Chocolate-and-Vanilla” arrangement from the pages of Slow Flowers, published in 2013, was one of my favorite designs created for the project. To make it, I used some beautiful white-flowering viburnum cut from a friend’s Seattle garden. I do not think this is the Snowball variety; it might be Korean spice viburnum. My friend no longer owns the propert ..read more

Part Two: The Edible Flower: A Modern Guide to Growing, Cooking, and Eating Edible Flowers The Edible Flower What’s for dinner, honey? “Oh, I thought we would have Spicy Thai Beef Tulip Cups!” Say what? And you thought tulips were simply for vases? Not anymore. Try adding some tulips to your slaw dishes, too. I ordered three copies: one for a gardening fiend/friend, one for a flower farmer, and one for a Mother’s Day gift. Edible Flower Cake with Sweet Geranium, Black Currant and Vanilla Flowers are much more than pretty posies. “We want to show you they can bring unique flavor, beauty, season ..read more

Part One: A Year in the Edible Garden, by Sarah Raven Author Sarah Raven and book jacket for A Year in the Edible Garden A feast for your eyes and your body, Sarah Raven’s combo of food planted with flowers is a work of art. Honestly, A Year in the Edible Garden (released in the UK as A Year Full of Veg) by Sarah Raven, the beloved British gardener of Perch Hill, has genuinely made veg gardening an art form. I am doing everything I can to copy her. In the book’s introduction, Raven makes excellent points about what you may or may not want to grow. Consider Brussels sprouts or cauliflowers. The ..read more

Week 18, as we revisit the 10-year anniversary of the book Slow Flowers Still Life with Local Lilacs and Ranunculus Lush details of spring lilacs and ranunculus blooms The timing was perfect for this week’s plum lilac-forward arrangement, inspired by the white lilac bunches I featured one decade ago. The vase is the same, a pale mint-colored vintage vase with an opening that measures 5-by-5-inches and a 3-inch depth. It’s a small but perfectly-proportioned vase. As with the prior design, I used a small flower frog in the base. It’s an important mechanic, especially when using woody branch ..read more

Week 17, as we revisit the 10-year anniversary of the book, Slow Flowers Slow Flowers Week 17 with anemones, tulips, and indigo blue vase Amazingly, I still have this indigo blue vase that I featured in Slow Flowers (2013) for a design called “Jewel Tones.” “Jewel Tones,” from Slow Flowers book 2013 Not much has changed in my 2023 approach to a new bouquet in the same vase. The neck of the vase is just 5-inches in diameter, so in order to keep stems from looking tight and erect, I cut the anemone stems a little longer to be coaxed to spill to the sides. We all know that tulips continue to ..read more

Week 16, as we revisit the 10-year anniversary of the book, Slow Flowers Fresh and Fragrant from Slow Flowers Book 2013 “Springtime is embodied in this vase, isn’t it?” The opening line of the arrangement that appears on pages 26-27 of the Slow Flowers book ask about a grouping of locally-grown lilacs, hellebores, and fritillaria. I loved this arrangement so much! Week 16 of 2023 florals inspired by original Slow Flowers Book In recreating it for 2023, I sought inspiration from the palette, textures, and gestures of each stem. The lilacs are not yet blooming this year, a symbol of the inc ..read more

Week 15, as we revisit the 10-year anniversary of the book, Slow Flowers Hellebores, spring bulbs, and a Frances Palmer vase, Slow Flowers 2023 “A Floral Welcome” from 2013 (Slow Flowers Book) This week’s arrangement is a bit of a departure from “A Floral Welcome,” which I created for my Slow Flowers book project in 2013. That piece featured Jello Mold Farm-grown Helleborus orientalis and Leucojum aestivum, harvested from my Seattle Garden — arranged in a glass wall vase that I hung on the front door. Love the forms of this vase and the flowers it contains. Close up detail of Frances Palm ..read more