Flowering Branches

Have you noticed… the trees are coming into bloom!  The forsythia has been doing its best to march on like good soldiers through the chill of late March.  And now this week the cherries burst forth!  Not generally a pink or yellow fan, somehow the shocking contrast between the forsythia and cherry blooms makes me quite giddy! The magnolias are gracefully opening their voluptuous flowers like the Madonnas they are.  The quince buds are swelling, promising their coral charms in just a few more days.  Apple, pear and dogwood blossoms are surely not far behind.   These delicate heralds of spring are so fleeting, here today and gone with the next spring rain.  Go out and have a picnic under the cherry trees this weekend!

I entered the photo above of flowering quince
in the Gardening Gone Wild Picture This Photo Contest.

2011 Philadelphia Flower Show

The first full week of March saw the return of the annual Philadelphia Flower Show downtown.  This show is hugely popular and attracts visitors and designers from around the world.  I was fortunate to be able to snap a few pictures during set-up hours before the crowds descended upon the displays.   The theme was “Springtime in Paris” and the show entrance reflected it perfectly with a large replica of the Eiffel Tower and carousel animals made of flowers throughout.  Click on the thumbnail images below to view them full size.

March Madness

After what seemed like an especially long and snowy winter, spring suddenly sprung up last week like a flashing neon arrow in the dark, pointing you off the freeway for a midnight grub stop.  If 75 degrees and bright hot sun don’t get your attention in mid-March, I don’t know what will.  So I quickly scrambled out from behind the computer, where I’d spent winter days emailing clients and placing orders for farm supplies and pretty design do-dads, and got myself into the flower fields again.   It’s a strange double life I lead at the moment…case and point: yesterday I was in the field, ankle deep with my muck boots in mud, weeding the larkspur bed one hour and then the next I was hurriedly scrubbing the dirt from my nails and putting on a dress and fashionable riding boots for a meeting with a wedding client.  Spring is definitely a bit nutty around here… 

There’s so many signs of growth in the fields, albeit some are tiny and require a keen eye to see.  Others are pretty blatant, like the Allium and Narcissus literally growing before your eyes, at least 2 inches in a day!  The Baptisia are just starting to put out tiny shoots at soil level.  The Abelia and Hellebore are in full bloom!  The Larkspur seed sown last fall has begun to germinate and put out tiny frilly leaves among the mat of weeds that seem to always have the upper hand.  The Aquilegia and Dicentra are leafing out nicely, so fresh and green.  The Ranunculus are doing great under the low tunnels.  The Anemones are sprouted but I fear it may be getting too warm for these cold weather lovers already.  I pruned back the Hydrangea paniculata bushes yesterday and noticed they’re already pushing out tiny leaf buds.   Freshly sown sweet peas should send up tender shoots in a few weeks.  Most of the perennials in the field are showing some green again, though the deer are sampling from them, and I need to get the fencing fortified pronto. 

Made With Love

Meet the most wonderful man in the world…my dad!  He’s worth a mention for many reasons, but I thought I’d introduce him today so I could tell you about the great pedestals we built together last weekend.    Sure, I could have gone to a wholesaler like all the other florists and bought a generic set of pedestals to use in weddings this season.  But I absolutely love working with my dad in his wood shop, and hand-crafted one-of-a-kind elements (vs. mass produced) are much more our style here at Love ‘n Fresh.   So, into the wood shop we went! 

My dad is a meticulous man who takes tremendous pride in everything he makes.  A farmer for nearly all his 68 years, he’s had many opportunities to be inventive, but perhaps not so many to be purely creative.  Since retirement, wood has become his art…he’s amazing at figuring out how to make something without any pattern and then measuring and cutting very precisely so that it’s perfect.  I love to watch him concentrate.  And even more, I love to watch his smile flash wide across his weathered face when he’s happy with what he’s built. 

Aren’t these pedestals just perfect?  They’ll get a coat of dark rich stain yet, but you can already tell that many a couple is going to be thrilled to stand between them as they say their vows.   There’s much Love in these pedestals already!

Behind the Lens

I’m a wedding blog addict, I confess.  I tell myself it’s OK because I need to stay abreast of industry trends and creative new ideas for flowers and decor.  But really, I’m just smitten with staring at beautiful images.  Lately there have been a number of “inspiration shoots” popping up, no doubt because the wedding biz is a bit slow in the winter and those of us involved with making wedding magic are getting cabin fever.  Love ‘n Fresh was part of a super fun and funky photo shoot for Valentine’s Day that got featured over here on Ruffled. 

I thought it would be fun to share some of the images that I took of the day, the ones that aren’t nearly as polished as those that Emily and Cassidy so beautifully shot.  I get a kick out the juxtaposition between the “behind the scenes” atmosphere and that of the perfectly framed finished photos.  I hope you enjoy getting this sneak peak too.  The photo shoot started with the gang gathering at Wren & Field’s studio and then taking the show over to One Shot coffee shop, which really is the most beautiful space you can imagine.