Category: Uncategorized
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Big Flower Seeds for Easy Sowing
When I’m chatting about gardening at the farmers’ market, the topic of seeds that are easy to sow often comes up. Many flower seeds are tiny and a bit fiddly to sow. (I’m making a note to talk about tips for doing this in a future post…) But there are numerous easy-to-grow flowering plants with…
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Gardening with Self-Sown Seedlings
If we let certain plants go to seed after flowering, their dropped seeds may sprout later on, or self-sow. The most likely plants for self-sowing are annuals and short-lived perennials that a) produce lots of seeds, and b) have seeds that aren’t too fussy about their germination conditions. Finding self-sown seedlings can feel like such…
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Forcing Branches into Bloom Indoors
From late winter into spring, the delicate blossoms on flowering deciduous shrubs and trees are a welcome sight. To fast-forward the enjoyment of their flowers a bit, and maximize how long they stay in the house before the blossoms start to drop, you can force them into bloom indoors, by cutting them when they are…
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Flower Arrangements for Various Table Layouts
‘Tis the season for Thanksgiving and winter holiday meals… If you’re hosting any gatherings, the tips below are meant to help you balance the aesthetics of the event with the logistics of helping your guests enjoy some yummy food and beverages. 🙂 Here are my thoughts on creating or purchasing flower arrangements that will be…
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Forcing Bulbs for Indoor Winter Blooms
As you savor autumn’s crisp, sunny days and bright, cheerful pumpkins and chrysanthemums, consider sparing a thought for your future winter self—the lethargic, bedraggled one who doesn’t want to get out of bed in the morning and longs for warmth, light, and a bit of color. If you tuck certain bulbs in your fridge during…
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California Native Annuals for Spring Flowers
California is home to a host of native wildflowers, including several that make great cut flowers. At the end of this article are descriptions of three of my favorites. The natural cycle of all three is to spread their seeds during the summer and fall, sprout and develop strong roots during fall and winter rains,…
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Summer Flowers for Dried Bouquets
Here are the flowers I’ve been drying this summer, all of which keep their color and shape well as they dry. The stems pictured above are in the same order, from left to right, as the list. After learning about each flower, you can read on for some general tips on drying and arranging these…
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Arranging with Summer Flowers
When putting together flowers, the steps I follow and the proportion of stem categories vary a bit, depending on what I’m creating: a market bouquet, a bowl centerpiece, a gift vase… But the stem categories themselves are similar in any situation, so I’ve put together a list of these below. Check out each category for…
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All About Lavender
A Bit of Background Lavender (the genus Lavandula) originated in the Mediterranean/Eurasia, and has been used for its scent and medicinally for more than two thousand years. There are more than 45 known species of lavender, and some of the most commonly grown in gardens are L. angustifolia (or English lavender), L. stoechas (or Spanish…
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Scented Foliage for Bouquets and Teas
Herbs and scented-leaf geraniums are some of my favorite plants to grow for bouquet foliage. Their soft leaves bring a subtle, refreshing scent and make arrangements feel like they’ve just come from the garden. Several of the plants I use for bouquets also taste great in tisanes (herbal teas). Here are the plants that I…
Local flowers from St. Helena, CA 