Thursday, June 28, 2012

Thursday's News


1) I got a new camera, whoopee!!!!! I love it.

2) The Cutting Garden is blooming like mad! That means that from now through the fall frosts I will be using Botanique-grown flowers in nearly every arrangement I make. That makes me smile... real big.

3) The Summer Subscription has started! This week's palette is a sweet blend of lavender, pale yellow, sapphire, and periwinkle...
 In this week's subscription arrangements: 
And the final piece of news (this one is super exciting): My wonderful friend Melissa of Flying Bear Farm has started a weekly farm stand on Saturdays, from 11am-3ish, in front of Makeda Coffee on the corner of N. 78th St. and Greenwood Ave in Phinney Ridge. This week, I will be bringing her small bunches of Botanique-grown flowers to sell along with her organic veggies! Come on by this Saturday to pick up some Seattle-grown goodies from Botanique and Flying Bear Farm. Hope to see you there!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Hard to go...

Blue Cornflowers
We are about to go on vacation for a week. I know it will be great, and that we really need a vacation, but it is so hard to leave the garden right now! It is coming to life with so many gorgeous things!!! This is such an exciting time of year, everything is growing so fast. All the hard work of the early spring and last fall is really starting to pay off. Check out this garden goodness!

Purple Clematis
Bunny tail grass
Iceland Poppies
The first Sweet Pea!!!!! It smells amazing....
Bullet Allium, starting to break bud
Dark Purple Cornflowers
Not to mention the dahlias are growing like gangbusters, the snapdragons, bells of ireland and larkspur are all budded, the zinnias and amaranth are growing on for a late summer harvest.... I could go on, but I think I'll stop at that! Suffice to say, this tiny little plot is just pumping out the blooms, and is set to do so for the rest of the summer! The Botanique Summer Subscription is starting on June 28th, and if you want to get in on that (and nab some of these lovely flowers for yourself), you can sign up here.

Flowers harvested from the Botanique Cutting Garden
Have a great week!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Primary Colors (with a twist)

That twist would have to be Allium 'Hair-' possibly the most incredible flower I have seen at the market this year.
Holy wow, how I love the entangled movement of this flower.
These arrangements mark the final week of The Botanique Spring Subscription! We are taking a week off (and going on vacation!) before starting up the Summer Subscription on June 28th.
This week's subscription arrangements included:
If you missed out on this season's subscription, don't fret! A whole new round of subscriptions is starting up two weeks from today (June 28th) and I can't wait to share the summer's amazing flowers, fruits and berries, unique textural elements, and colors with you! We have added an option to do a shorter, four-week subscription for those who will be out of town for part of the summer, or would simply prefer a shorter subscription. Both subscriptions can be purchased here.
There are a limited number of subscriptions available, so sign up soon to reserve your spot. If you are giving the subscription to someone as a gift, please let us know and we will provide you with a pretty card to give them describing the service. And feel free to email me with any questions: emailbotanique@gmail.com
Local, seasonally-inspired, weekly floral designs, yes!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Katie and Jeff


I am so happy to share some of the professional shots from Katie and Jeff's magical wedding in Big Sur last month! They are such a vibrant, creative, and fun-loving couple (can't you tell!?!) Designing these flowers was extra-special because Katie is one of my best friends from college, and I completely love her and her new hubby Jeff! Getting to apply my love of flowers to the wedding of such dear friends felt like a huge honor. All photos by Karin Apollonia Muller unless otherwise noted.


They got married at Rancho Rico, a gorgeous ranch at the top of a winding, dirt road, perched on bluffs overlooking the ocean. I have yet to see any place more beautiful than these bluffs. On the day of the wedding, the air was full of mist- you couldn't see the ocean, but the mist made the already dreamy place feel even more magical.


The flower palette was a romantic mix of garden rose, peonies, astilbe, maidenhair fern, camomile, honeysuckle, lisianthus, and succulents that Katie cut from her garden in LA. We went with a color palette of soft pinks, ivory, and apricot, with pops of yellow and bright pink, and all the bouquets were wrapped in vintage lace that Katie found on Etsy.

Photo by Joe Schmelzer
Audrey the flower girl was the sweetest little creature you could possibly dream up- she looked like a little forest nymph! I made her a flower crown of lavender, roses, scabiosa buds and succulents, and I love these photo of her sitting in front of the mirror, putting it on.


One of my favorite shots of the ceremony:


The chuppah was made from gathered branches by a few of Jeff's good friends, and decorated with a whimsical mix of hanging, green amaranth, craspedia, Italian ruscus foliage, peonies, sweet-smelling stock, scabiosa, and curly willow.


The groom and groomsmen lookin' groovy:

Photo by Joe Schmelzer
Katie looked absolutely stunning- is she not the most elegant, gorgeous bride you have ever seen!?!!!


Some of my fav's of Katie and Jeff:

Huge congratulations to Katie and Jeff!!! I love you both so much, and it was an absolute honor to do the flowers for your wedding.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Pretty and pretty

Apricot, ivory, blush, bronze, and white, with butter yellow highlights.... my favorite color palette.
 This weeks subscription arrangements included:
I am so thrilled that clematis is back in season! I love how much movement it brings to arrangements.
And those Iceland poppies and peonies aren't so bad on the eyes either...
The Spring Subscription is nearly over- just one more week left! But if you live in Seattle, you can sign up for the Summer Subscription (begins June 28th) here. Eight weeks of lovely, locally-sourced arrangements...

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

The Dock......


........ and the DUCK......

I have to admit, he was a very cute duck. But when he started walking towards that white aisle runner, all I could think was, "Oh my God, what if he POOPS!!!!" I considered chasing him off. But one look at my dirty shoes and I realize that I would be doing more harm than good. I contemplated waiting it out for the next few hours, watching Mr. Duck and trying to monitor his every move before the wedding took place. But in the end I realized that this was a dock on the water- Mr. Duck's turf, not mine. I had to go, and had to hope that he would be respectful of the white aisle, the white flowers, and the wedding guests....


I later heard that the wedding went off without a hitch. The flowers and the aisle looked great, and Mr. Duck was nowhere to be seen....