art of flowers...a blog by The Bonny Doon Garden Company

UnforgetTables

An exciting event like this is just what keeps me on my toes, fuels my enthusiastic, and creative desires, makes my heart race, stresses me out, and all that other fun stuff!

I hope you can join me and my crew at this really cool event! It's free, and open to the public, but if you want to mingle with Annie, me and the other artists, and experts (there will be some really highly enfluencial people here), you can purchase your cocktail party tickets from Annieglass.

I will be 'gracing' some spectacular tables at this celebration of Annie's 25th Anniversary, and it will all benefit Jacobs Heart, an organization that I'm proud to be directing my creative energy in supporting.  Full of exciting seminars, and mine will be one of them! I'm giving a mini-seminar on Decorating your home with flowers and other natural materials. 

I sure hope to see some of you there!

Water-Smart

I'm looking forward to seeing some water-smart gardens this weekend...

here's the link and it's going to be less $$ is you buy your tickets first!

I'll share what I learn!!!

Monterey Bay Master Gardeners

Sissinghurst

Well- yes, it has been a while! I've been in England and Turkey for the past month with my family, and -WOW! - has it been incredible!

I have to say...the highlight of all my travels though, was the 6 hours I spent at Sissinghurst Castle and Gardens and I wanted to share some images with you. 

Here's the blackboard that was out in the tower upon entrance into the walled garden.  It's just so cool to read here what's happening in the garden- check it out- they've got a head-gardender, an assistant gardener, 5 full-time, 1 partime and a careership gardender (intern).  The grounds were impeccable, and there were so many innovative ideas that I'll share with you too- later.

What is it about English gardens that I'm am just completely crazy about? I just wanted to lay down here in front of this wall and never leave.  EVER.  Can I duplicate this? YES! Somehow I feel an overwhelming urge to create my own little Sissinghurst here in Bonny Doon.  This is actually what I've been working on for years, but with a more sustainable approach.  Obviously we're not blessed in Bonny Doon with those little summer showers quenching the thirst of those lovely English border flowers.  So, my answer to that is 1. mulch, mulch, mulch. 2. plant somewhat English border flowers, but with perhaps a little more drought tolerance. 3. and finally, there is definatley a need in my garden for WALLS. Both brick, rock, and hedges made of yew, box, and arborvitae.  Once I get them established, we'll be fine most of the year without regular watering.   

Of course the beauty of the English garden is displayed at the picture at the left.  It's the formality of the hedges, mixed with somewhat informal mix of plantings enclosed.  LOVE IT.

All is well

Thanks to God and the fabulous firefighters we have here in California- I was able to return home Friday.  Today is Sunday, and after gathering up all our livestock yesterday- who were dispursed down to the Fairgrounds, and the horse to a ranch in Soquel- we are all home safe, and slowly the air is clearing, and life is returning to normal. 

I feel exhausted though, probably because of the mental and physical stress an ordeal like this can cause.  I cannot stop thinking of the two sets of friends we have that have lost all and part of the their homes to the fire.  It was an incredibly fast traveling fire, and was fueled by our highly volatile chapparel, manzanita, wild yarrow, santolinas.  The oils of the native plants are similar to kerosene.  I am so thankful---beyond words, that they've managed to contain the fire up to almost 100% today.  Here's an image that I grabbed off our local news coverage.  This is the intersection not even as close to the fire as my house is...I'm just so thankful.  It seems so surreal to see this intersection in the photo, our familiar home territory.   

FIRE

I cannot believe I'm even writing this...

I'm posting an entry about the current wildfire that is raging this afternoon, and evening in Bonny Doon.  I know there are a lot of you out there that cannot get ahold of us, so here's the update.  We have been evacuated, and we're in Santa Cruz   currently at my brother and sister-in-law's home.  I'm here with my daughters, but Nezih is still up there--waiting it out.  As of about two hours ago it was about 1/4 mile from our home.  The sheriff came to the house and pretty much pulled him and my brother-in-law out, so they drove down the road and they're sitting in the car and waiting...

Please keep us all in your prayers, all the friends we have and our neighbors too--our dear neighbors at Bonny Doon Farm--they are right in the middle of the fire trail.  Our animals- our horse has been kindly loaded into a neighbors trailer, and taken to a ranch on the coast...our goats, chickens, and sheep are all still there, but we've notified animal control and they've assured me that they will go in and get them out.

Hopefully my next post will bring better news- I am confident.

God Bless our Firefighters.

Tessa's Garden Workshop- POSIES!

On May 10th- the day before Mother's Day - I conducted our inaugural workshop in the Bonny Doon Garden.  The weather was gorgeuous, the roses beginning their show, and the posies we made were absolutely perfect!  I met several new acquaintances, and I have to say, I was in my element!  I LOVED sharing my passion for flowers, combined with beautiful, historical sweet little posie-know-how with my new friends!  Here's some photos I would like to share --images taken by my brother in law, who has found a new passion in photography!  He's definitely doing a fabulous job--don't you think?

A mother & daughter together making posies...what a great mother's day idea!

Lessons in beauty--although I found myself thinking here- Marilyn, are you sure you haven't done this before?'

Me and Deborah Schatan (Sky Meadow Apothecary).  She gave her posie to her mother-in-law, and it was WELL received of course!

A perfect posie! Wow, and I mean perfect-o!

In Eastern lands, they talk in flowers, and they tell in a garland their loves and cares; each blossom that blooms in their garden bowers, on its leaves a mystic language bears

-james g. pervical

I am so thankful to all of my first workshop students.  I am impressed with your vigor, interest, and graciousness.  You all took something beautiful, and made it into a splendid masterpiece, never to be forgotten in the heart of the recipient.

OMG!

Is this disgusting or what? I almost died when I saw this...

but wait! Is that a cute little lady bug? EATING (hopefully devouring) those gross aphids? and the midge fly? Is that midge fly? what is it?

ANYBODY OUT THERE? DOES ANYONE READ THIS BLOG? IF SO, CAN YOU PLEASE COMMENT ON WHAT THIS 'FLY' LOOKING THING IS ON MY ROSE BUD NEXT TO ALL THE APHIDS!!!!

Posies!

Beauty...from the heart.  Imagine getting one of these from a friend, or loved one!

There's nothing like a posie with the beautiful sentiments from the language of flowers.  This particular one smelled like absolute heaven.  Lavande roses (super heavy old rose fragrance), lavender, forget-me-nots, and sage. 

Complete joy!

See more about posies and how we can make these for you, and your loved ones!

Bonny Doon Posies

Garden Buddies

This is Daisy--she is pictured here in the garden- which is where she loves to be.  She is currently with children--it's a LONG story about how she ended up in this situation.  I was upset at first- but I'm over it.  Believe me, it was her will, and some Tom's will too.  Anyway, Daisy 'helps' me in the garden a lot.  While I'm digging, she's there to make sure there's nothing funny going on in the dirt (such as gopher smell, rodent, bugs, etc).  She is extremely playful, and keeps me laughing out loud.

This is Bella, and she's my other (more steady) garden buddy.  She is literally always with me in the garden.  It doesn't matter what else in the world is going on- if she sees me put on my clogs and head for the door, she's right there, looking up at me and wagging her tail.  No matter where in the garden I am, what I'm doing, or how I'm doing it- she is there.  Tired, sleepy, hungry, it doesn't  matter, Bella is there with me...laying in the middle of everything (she loves, just turned-up earth, and will go out of her way to plop her belly out on it!)  She is a Maltese, and bred for nothing but companionship.  She is excellent at what she's doing! Keeping me company! 

Good-bye Squid Row

The middle of March marked the end of our days on Squid Row.  We closed the studio down there- and moved back up to Bonny Doon.  There are two reasons we decided to do this.  First, we could not make that location work for retail.  It is a VERY quiet, (although quaint) alley off the back streets of downtown Santa Cruz.  It doesn't make good sense for us to pay rent there when we cannot generate an income from that location.  We tried, it didnt work.  I even tried buying all sorts of cool garden-y type stuff to sell, but what really needs to happen is someone needs to lay down about $20k and market the alley as a retail destination.  Second, I felt isolated from the garden in Bonny Doon.  My inspiration, my sanctity, my heart & soul is in the garden.  Since we opened up Squid Row Studio, I was never able to spend much time at the kiosk, let alone at the garden. 

We've moved the studio now back up to Bonny Doon.  We're still working on the minor details, but it is absolutely awsome.  We can work in the studio with our doors closed and concentrate on paperwork, or floral designs, and then when we want, we open the door, and step out into the beautiful garden.  I was able to do my first big event since we moved back up the mountain last week, and I am shocked at how dependent we become -as a floral designer- to just look for inspiration in buckets.  That's nice and all, who doesn't love buckets of blooms!! BUT, how awesome is it to walk into the garden, and woods and draw creativity, and inspiration from mother nature? I love it! It's my 'motor' so-to-speak!

And so here's a peek at what's to come- this image is from last summer, taken from under the old oak tree toward the rose garden.  I've done TONS of planting, cultivating, propagting, etc. since then! I cannot wait to get past the spring flowers now in into the summer! ROSES!