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

Bulb & Books

I get all giddy this time of year-why? The babies are on their way! Bulbs I mean- and I'm going to be knee deep this year.  700 tulips- I'm doing the Giant Darwin Hybrids this year, and a few single lates (cannot do without more Queen of the Night).  Here's some images of what's coming up for us this spring!

Queen of the Night- Single Late Tulip

This is Fritallaria meleagris or 'Snakeshead Lily"

And thank goodness I've got some help getting 700 bulbs in the ground. I've hired Anna -and she comes from a very strong garden/landscape background. She's just on board for two weeks, but she's made a huge difference in the rose garden already.  It's so nice to know she'll be coming and helping me out in the garden with the cultivating, caring, and cutting.  She's also a floral designer-so YEAH!

Tulip Banja Luka

Oxalis adenophylla

No, this is not a cut flower, but I LOVE wood sorrell.  It reminds me of old-fashioned woodland gardens.  They are very hardy here in Bonny Doon (zones 8 & 9) and usually spread into decent sized clumps within a year or two, and are stunning while in bloom in mid-spring.  Besides, in the language of flowers, Wood Sorrel means JOY!  Here's an excerpt from one of numerous Language of Flowers books.  This one is Written by Frederic Shoberl, Louise Cortambert, Louis-Aimé Martin

Is this cool or what? Google has digitalized BOOKS!! wow! Where have I been? This is amazing! I mean, I remember they were going to do this- and so is UCSC, but I'm just blown away.  You can search for your books, read the most popular passages in them, see on a world map all the places mentioned in the book, and BUY the book.  Now here's where we need to get some help google.  We need independent book store links here....duh.  Some of us don't like to buy from the big box guys while we can keep our local, independent stores in business.  Hhmm- something to think about.  Why cant I just send this link over to my local book store, and they'll just automatically order it for me...just like that.  I don't even have to pick up the phone.  Casey Coonerty, of Bookshop Santa Cruz & Amy Stewart, of Eureka Books...can we do this?   

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.   

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!

Spring

I never really related to the meaning of 'Spring is in the Air'....until this morning.  While enjoying a cherished morning walk in the garden before work with my camera and coffee -I could literally smell spring (yes, even over my strong cup of Turkish-style coffee!).  What does it smell like? Well here goes my try at waxing poetic-
Sweet, like earth soaked in sugar, new leaves pungent with chlorophyll, earthy,  sun-dried wood, musky wild plum blossoms, daffodil sweetness carried on a soft breeze of coolness, with warmth inside it, whispering hints of  summer-
OK, well how was that? Can you relate? :)

Then I snapped back into reality when I realized the weeds have overcome my garden again, but they're plants too, right? NOT in my garden...we'll have none of that business...they have plenty of other areas where they can congregate.  So I wonder how long it will take to get things back in order. Oh well! So the image at above is my Waterlilly Magnolia.  It's only about 5' right now, and 4 years old, but I can only imagine how spectacular the entire property will smell when it's really mature.  I love this tree.

And here's the new Snow Parrots (Astilbe too) forcing their way up through my wonderful Bonny Doon Vineyard grape pumice.  Grape pumice consists of the stems, skins and seeds left over from pressing the grapes, and it's very high in phosphorus. I have been mixing the pumice now with our animal manure and composting. I think the combined grape pumice and manure is advantageous because it adds vital minerals and nutrients to the soil -as well as added nitrogen.  I'm hoping this will work as a slow release fertilizer.
More on this later...

In the mean time- we're busy moving our studio from downtown Santa Cruz back up to Bonny Doon.  In some ways it's going back to the good 'ol days when I walked into the garden, cut a few things, and then threw together spectacular floral designs.  It's going back to forward thinking- inspiration, and it's settling a longing for me.  Like I always say, it begins in the garden .  I've built my business on that idea, and I look forward to spending more time in the garden as well as our little Kiosk on Pacific Ave.  It will be dressed in its 'garden' attire a little more now!

 

Designer's Choice

When someone orders a Designer's Choice at our shop, it means just like it sounds...it's the choice of the designer of what flowers to use, what greens, a color scheme, a texture, etc.  However, since I especially hound over the 'girls' as to what they're work should look like, producing the 'right' designer choice can be challenging at times.  I trust my girls to do something tasteful, but with reference to the principles set forth in our shop.  There are certain no-nos that we really try to abide by.  Everyone knows these by heart, and just to keep everyone on their toes, I introduce new qualities e& practices very once in a while.  We need to stay on top of what our work portrays, as it's imperative to operate our shop with a pioneering spirit. 

Here's a recent example of a designer's choice.  We'll use this image to update our website.  This particular designer as used mainly spring blossoms, which definitely works for this season, but come spring and into summer, we'll need to update with a newer seasonal version. 

This is beautiful, isn't it? It is a good example of what our principles are..somewhat pave'd in style, and the use of colors are harmonious, and not too broad of a palette. 

I think it's a good example of what an everyday arrangement from our shop would look like.  I'm happy.  And that says a lot sometimes!

It's over

The last of the dahlias popped up & open yesterday and over the weekend--like lighted orbs they seemed to be saying 'wait! don't forget about us!' Right before a long winter sets in for us we are having an unbelieveable HOT indian summer.  It's a little TOO warm for my liking--normaly I love indian summer because it's like mother nature letting us out for one more recess before the big test. I'm not looking at it that way this year though, at least I'm trying not to.  I intend to be in the garden all winter this year--since I am blessed to live in a zone where we don't really get to much of a hard freeze.  Just enough to let the peonies, lilacs and forsythia wallow in the ice to store up some bloom--just barely.

In our warm snap, I have planted lots of cool weather veggie seeds with my youngest daughter like baby mescluns, radish, lettuces, bok choy, and chinese cabbage.  YUM.  I am hoping our weather cools so these babes get happy.  I have lately been inspired by a book I'm reading by Barbara Kingsolver- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  I am almost finished with the book, and I feel like this book has had such a profound enfluence on me, and the way I live my life.  I have truly enjoyed it and I feel compelled to read the entire book aloud to my family.  Check it out--very inspiring.   

Autumn rings in...

I'm so bad at posting my thoughts and daily happenings in a timely manner.  I really will work on this!

First, here is an image of a design named 'Tapestry'.  This was put together rather quickly--sometimes those are the best! The materials are mostly from my own garden--the exceptions being the pomegranates, and the black baccara roses.  I named it Tapestry because...that's what it looks like to me--an old priceless piece of tapestry taken from a castle wall somewhere in the deep woods of Ireland...or Scotland (miss Snapdragon Jayne that was for you!) Anyway, back to California--So of course this piece was put together for a purpose, and it came about with a phone call from the editor of Santa Cruz Magazine who knew I really know how to whip out a spectacular floral design :)  Anyway it will be featured in their 'faves' section of the Holiday issue due out in November.  I'll post a link when it's there! AND if your interested in ordering this hot little babe check out Tapestry on our web site. 

Second, can you even believe this...the Amy Stewart book-signing came and went --fabulously I should add, and MY CAMERA BATTERY WAS DEAD AND I COULD NOT FIND MY CHARGER.  uugggghhh!!! I'm so mad.  We had so much fun though--all went so well but I was a little dis-heartened at the turn-out, about 75 people.  I don't know I guess I was expecting an onslaught since I sent out so many e-blasts, and post cards, but I'm being told that if I got 2% in attendance then that's pretty good--so I'm happy.  Thank you Amy for being there, and to all our flower girls--I love you guys so much.

And last, currently I'm preparing for a workshop this weekend--it's for Fall Centerpieces.  Check out Fall Centerpieces for more info on this--and all you locals, I hope to see you there!  It's going to be luscious!