On My Bookshelf: Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden + Floret Daffodils in Bloom

Oh what a busy spring it has been so far...  In addition to seeding and weeding I've also been reading!  The new book by Erin Benzakein of Floret Farm is the latest to capture my attention and I am learning so much from its pages.  It includes detailed directions for growing, harvesting and arranging  seasonal flowers and features many interesting and unique floral varieties to inspire readers to plant and tend a gorgeous cutting garden throughout the year.

Last October I was enthralled with all the stunning floral beauty I saw on Erin's Instagram feed, and I ordered some daffodil bulbs from Floret for our entry garden and to fill in a few pots on the back patio.  I wasn't sure if they would grow up to be as spectacular as those shown online since I planted most in containers, but I have been happily surprised to find them healthy and beautiful in the spring garden.

Below are a few photos of the flowers which have been blooming in succession since late February.  It has been exciting and fun to see these unique varieties flourish!



Here is the first daffodil to bloom, "Sir Winston Churchill".  These are small flowers with several blossoms per stem and a rich, sweet scent.



The "Pink Charm" daffodils grew tall and dense with greenery in these ceramic pots.  Isn't the color amazing?



I like to keep flowers growing in a bowl on our patio table during the rainy season.  It is usually too cold to eat outside but we see them from the kitchen window so it's worth it!



These are "Flower Drift" daffodils.  They have a pretty yellow and orange center.



Blooming this week is the "Deinashaugh" daffodil.  It is a beautiful soft peach color with multilayered, fringed petals.  Isn't it exquisite?



I'm still awaiting the last of the daffodils, which are budding and about to open.  Hopefully, by Easter they will bloom and I will post them on Instagram.

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On My Bookshelf: The Natural World of Winnie the Pooh

For the legions of readers who were entranced by the playful pursuits of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh as they frolicked through the magical world of A. A. Milne, this book provides a delightful experience.

The Natural World of Winnie the Pooh is a charming and informative volume that connects the memorable stories with the environment of Ashdown Forest in England, which inspired the Hundred Acre Wood where Pooh lived. Written by expatriate author, landscape designer and historian Kathryn Aalto, whom I had the pleasure of meeting recently when she returned home from England and spoke at our local garden club, this volume is an extensive interdisciplinary and well-researched study of both literature and landscape.

When the book appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list, as an enthusiastic gardener and admirer of the natural world, I knew it was one I must read. During my years in graduate school, I managed the children's department of an independent bookstore. There I spent many Saturdays sharing the endearing stories of Winnie the Pooh with a sea of happy little faces at storytime. The children all loved the yellow bear and his adorable animal friends, as I did during my own childhood.

After a thorough and enlightening introduction, the book begins with a discussion of the creative collaboration between author A. A. Milne and illustrator E.H. Shepherd. Rich in biographical detail, the childhoods of both are highlighted, as is Milne's experience with fatherhood while raising his son, Christopher Robin.




Next, an exploration of Ashdown Forest leads readers on an armchair tour of the places in Milne’s world where the stories originated. A lovely mapping of landscape to literature, this section has photos of the legendary Poohsticks Bridge and the original walnut tree where Milne’s son, the real Christopher Robin, once played with his stuffed animals. There are also many "nice places for picnics" represented, reminding wanderers to stop and enjoy the beauty.



In the last section, a very helpful visitor’s guide to the flora and fauna of Ashdown Forest is provided detailing its many unique and beautiful plants, birds, insects and animals. Photographs of specific flowers, butterflies and creatures of the habitat entice those who choose to wander the public footpaths.

This captivating volume transports readers back through childhood memories into the wonderful world of Winnie the Pooh and explores the relationship between setting and story, landscape and imagination.

For more information about this book, please visit the publisher, Timber Press or Kathryn Aalto's website.

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On My Bookshelf: Exciting New Botanical Books for 2016

Hello and happy February!  As the second month of the year begins, I am planning a reading list for the year ahead and thought I'd share a couple of the titles I am eagerly awaiting.  In 2016 I'll be sharing more book reviews as the "On My Bookshelf" section of The Gilded Bloom grows.  I hope you'll read along...

Botanical Style by Selina Lake

Botanical Style by Selina Lake, a talented interior stylist, and bestselling author of Romantic Style among other inspiring titles, is a design book about bringing nature, plants, and flowers into the home.  It discusses the sources of botanical style and then explores five different aspects of the botanical look in interiors:  Vintage Botanicals, Boho Botanicals, Industrial Botanicals, Natural Botanicals and Tropical Botanicals.  It also includes styling tips and DIY projects from Selina throughout the book.  It will be available on March 10th.

The Flower Workshop by Ariella Chezar and Julie Michaels

This title celebrates the work of Ariella Chezar a renowned floral designer whose loose, unstructured arrangements are recognized for their artful beauty.  The Flower Workshop:  Lessons in Arranging Blooms, Branches, Fruits and Foraged Materials includes step-by-step instructions for 50 floral projects for all occasions.  It will be released on March 1st but in the meantime  her website is filled with flowers and inspiration to dazzle the eye. 

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On My Bookshelf: The Plant Recipe Book by Baylor Chapman

Last week at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show I had the pleasure of meeting Baylor Chapman of Lila B. Design and author of The Plant Recipe Book.  After attending her presentation about creating living centerpieces, she generously shared a copy of the book with me.   I returned home inspired and anxious to start reading.  As I anticipated, it was filled with even more inventive ideas for artful arrangements!

The Plant Recipe Book is organized very much like a cookbook, with a short introduction, some discussion of materials and planting techniques, and a pictorial table of ingredients to be used in the forthcoming plant recipes.  Designed to showcase specific plants or plant combinations, the 100 arrangements are clearly explained with step-by-step instructions.  Each plant recipe is also accompanied by stunning photographs of the ingredients, process and finished product.

The emphasis Chapman places on a distinct fusion of plant materials and the use of creative containers gives her designs a refreshing and recognizable look.  An amaryllis lives happily alongside calla lilies and peperomias in the wooden bowl shown above, while tulips find themselves in a pot of coral bells and ivy in another design.  This freedom from tradition imitates nature and inspires readers to experiment with both unconventional plant combinations and unusual vessels.

Although there are many arrangements featuring well-known plants like begonias, African violets, and hyacinths in classic pots and vases, some of the more exotic recipes focus on the use of moss, lichen, and even mushrooms to create modern, decorative pieces that blur the boundaries between floral design and art.

Exquisite combinations of succulents, like those seen in the arrangement on the cover, abound throughout the book, with plants inhabiting unique containers like picture frames and window shutters.   Other exotics, such as orchids, are shown in elegant planters like the glass apothecary jar above.

This book is a fascinating volume filled with inspiring practical guidance for creating beautiful and lasting living arrangements for the home that provide an alternative to the fleeting nature of cut flowers.  

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Decorate with Flowers

Creative and inspiring, this beautiful new book by Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring brings a fresh approach to floral design by presenting DIY flower arrangements that add flair and personal style to one's home.  This unique volume provides a holistic approach to flowers by considering how they influence decor and entertaining style.

Garden flowers, grocery store bouquets, and farmer's market finds take on new life when cleverly styled and placed in the right container.  Tips on selecting and properly handling flowers along with easy to accomplish step-by-step arrangements form the first part of the book.

The following chapters focus on styling flowers and fusing them with decor and design to create a personal and meaningful effect.  This portion is organized by style and color, including sections on Natural, Market, and Coastal decor.  Each chapter presents a creative inspiration board and a related DIY project, like the example shown below, where Liberty prints have been used to cover flower pots.

The arrangements shown are stylish and never fussy, made with color and design principles in mind and showcasing a variety of colors and textures.  Unique containers and floral displays are featured such as the coffee mug vase and the floating bowl of flowers pictured.

As a former student of both Holly and Leslie in the celebrated class, Blogging Your Way, I have always been dazzled by their collective sense of style and design.  Holly is the founder of Decor8 design blog and is also well known for writing Decorate, and Decorate Workshop.  Leslie is a freelance photographer and stylist who has worked for clients such as Hallmark Cards and Stampington & Company.  She also blogs at A Creative Mint.  They are both remarkable ladies and such an inspiration!

Decorate with Flowers was published by Chronicle Books and is available through Amazon.com and at bookstores.

All of the photos in this post were graciously provided by www.decoratewithflowers.com.

The Gilded Bloom is now on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.  For more floral inspired ideas and updates,  please connect with me on these networks.  You can also follow The Gilded Bloom on Bloglovin' or via email using the subscription box near the top of this page. Hope to see you there!

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Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life

Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell 

The latest addition to my library is a wonderful new volume called Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life written by Marta McDowell and published by Timber Press.  This unique book explores the garden as a catalyst for Potter's creative work and chronicles in detail the many plants that inhabited her world.

Beautifully written, it reads like a novel while also providing biographical research, historical detail and a seasonal tour of her garden as it may have existed in the past and as it exists today.  Part biography, garden journal and travel guide, McDowell has captured the many aspects of Potter's garden inspiration and her evolving passion for plants in this well-researched book.

Part One reflects upon Beatrix Potter's gardening experience and how it was shaped throughout her life.  An early fascination with plants leading to a later ability to illustrate them in her stories is covered in this section, as are the many gardens and settings that influenced her work.  Informed with rich biographical detail, it provides a glimpse into Potter's life and her love of the natural world.

Part Two chronicles a year in her garden reimagined season by season through her writing, artwork and photographs.  This section serves as a garden journal, weaving together quotations from Potter's writings to illustrate the natural beauty of the garden at different times of year.  There are also many current photographs of the gardens at Hill Top Farm in England's Lake District, the estate where she once lived.

Part Three provides a travelogue of Beatrix Potter's world.  Here we encounter the gardens of her youth, explore the Lake District and the many places that influenced her study of nature.   We also visit The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction, a site devoted to celebrating her life and stories.  There a scarecrow in rabbit's clothing from The Tale of Peter Rabbit adorns a reconstruction of Mr. McGregor's garden, shown below.

For more information about Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life, please visit the publisher's website.  

Pages from Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell

The Gilded Bloom is now on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.  For more floral inspired ideas and updates,  please connect with me on these networks.  You can also follow The Gilded Bloom on Bloglovin' or via email using the subscription box near the top of this page. Hope to see you there!

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A Victorian Flower Dictionary

"A flower is not a flower alone;  a thousand thoughts invest it."

- A Victorian Flower Dictionary

This fascinating volume was gifted to me recently and I have been studying its contents ever since.  Always interested in floriography, I have had a little pocketbook of flower meanings for years which I often consult when making a painting or styling a bouquet. 

A Victorian Flower Dictionary, by Mandy Kirkby, provides a more comprehensive interpretation of flowers and also discusses the history and symbolism of various blooms.  Fifty flowers are featured in the book with an illustration of each and a summary of its importance in history, literature, art and Victorian culture.  Also included is a short dictionary of additional flower meanings and a guide to recommended flowers for specific occasions.  A lovely, thought-provoking introduction by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, author of the popular novel, The Language of Flowers enhances this reference.

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