My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.
– Claude Monet, founder of French impressionist painting
In my fervor over working on my novel-in-progress, I let go of many things. One of them was blogging. And as my garden came to life in the spring and I began making and delivering my bouquets to give away as my donation to the annual Korematsu Middle School auction, I racked up a lot of bouquets and pictures, but no blogs. So even though spring is a distant memory and we are more than half-way through with summer, forgive me if I revisit my bouquets and share them with you.
White calla lilies, daffodils, and euphorbia characias for a March 11th bouquet for Korematsu.
Miniature bouquet of dianthus, African daisies (venedio arctotis), straw flower, and rudbeckia, March 11th.
Close up of bouquet of dianthus, African daisies (venedio arctotis), straw flower, and rudbeckia, March 11th.
Another view of dianthus, African daisies (venedio arctotis), straw flower, and rudbeckia, March 11th.
Tulips, March 18th.
More white calla lilies, daffodils, orlaya grandiflora (Minoan Lace), and euphorbia characias, March 18th.
Tulips, March 25th.
African daisies (venedio arctotis), dianthus, and scabiosa, March 25th.
This academic school year, I agreed to donate two separate auction bouquet winners – 10 weeks of a weekly bouquet. I was pleased to hear that each auction winner donated $500 to the middle school, for a total of $1,000. One winning bid ended up being a gift to a parent’s mother-in-law, which was sweet. The only problem was that her mother-in-law lives off of Grizzly Peak in Berkeley, meaning up, up in the hills. The other auction winner lived, ironically, next door to Berthe, who has won the auction bouquets the last few years. This is also up in the hills, but straight up from me.
White calla lilies, tulips, and daffodils, March 25th.
Another view of calla lilies and tulips, but in the dining room, March 25th.
Close-up of the beautiful lines of the calla lily and tulips, March 25th.
For my second Korematsu auction winner, a backyard mix of straw flower, African daisies (venedio arctotis), scabiosa, and orlaya grandiflora (Minoan Lace), April 1st.
Close-up, April 1st bouquet.
I love scabiosa, and they have been growing in abundance this season, April 1st.
Close-up of burgundy and pink African daisies (venedio arctotis), April 1st.
White calla lilies and red tulips, April 1st.
Watsonias and pittosporum “silver magic,” April 1st.
Watsonias, April 8th.
Though I really enjoy putting the bouquets together – my Zen time – I added up the hours (harvesting, stripping the flowers individually, making the bouquets, and delivery) and the exercise began to become more onerous to me than bring me joy. Don’t get me wrong: When the auction winners let me know that they loved the bouquets and really appreciated them, I was over-the-moon happy – sharing bouquets brings much joy. But as I start shifting my focus to doing the things that I need to do for my writing and for my family and friends, time becomes an issue. Plus, I want to start giving bouquets to my family, friends, and neighbors. So I made the decision this spring to retire from donating bouquets to the middle school auction.
African daisies (venedio arctotis), dianthus, alstroemeria, scabiosa, and orlaya grandiflora (Minoan Lace), April 8th.
Close-up of watsonias, April 8th.
On April 8th, Isabella and I went to a bouquet tutorial at Annie’s Annuals with Riz Reyes, a horticulturist from Seattle. And he is a Pinoy!
I learned some great tips on making bouquets at an Annie’s Annuals tutorial with Riz Reyes from Seattle.
Riz Reyes and me at Annie’s Annuals, Richmond, April 8th. You can reach him at his business, rhrhorticulture, here.
Watsonias, scabiosa, dianthus, straw flowers, African daisies, (venedio arctotis), and some greenery, April 14th. A bouquet for my friend Soizic’s dinner party.
Watsonias, scabiosa, dianthus, straw flowers, African daisies, (venedio arctotis), and some alstroemeria greenery, April 15th.
Just watsonias and pittosporum “silver sheen,” April 15th.
I will still make the bouquets, but when I want to and not on demand. And I’ll continue to share them with you all here. I may have learned a few things from horticulturist Riz Reyes, who gave a tutorial at Annie’s Annuals in the spring, and from the beautiful floral arrangements at Château de Chenonceau in Chenonceaux, France. At any rate, here are my spring to early summer bouquets. Enjoy!
Tulips, calla lilies, scabiosa, and alstroemeria, April 22nd.
Geum, gerbera daisy, straw flower, scabiosa, and dianthus, April 22nd.
Close-up of April 22nd bouquet.
The other side of the April 22nd bouquet.
Watsonias, April 22nd.
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