Flowers & Floral Design
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Last Saturday, we spent our morning literally walking in circles mesmerized by the many fragrant varieties of blooms that form the lavender labyrinth at Bees N’ Blooms farm in Santa Rosa. Lavender fans, flower lovers, and farm enthusiasts will find this to be the perfect summer outing. The lavender labyrinth and farm are nestled at the foot of Mount Taylor on the Santa Rosa Plain and are home to thousands of honeybees, and native bees, cut flowers, and farm animals.
On a brisk and sunny morning in February, Debbie and Herb Rowland graciously invited Flowers and Grapes into Pacheco Ranch Winery (PRW), their family’s private historic 70-acre vineyard and winery in eastern Marin County. PRW has produced complex cabernet wines at this historic site for generations, and winemaking is still a family affair. However, while we were there to capture the fleeting beauty of their blooming vineyard this spring, we also discovered the property’s stately historical elegance and learned about their family’s rich legacy as vintners in the celebrated wine country of Northern California.
May Easter bring your life color, brightness, joy and, of course, lots of chocolate eggs and bunnies!
What I love most is celebrating the many types of love on Valentine's Day. Like the many different flowers in my garden, there are many types of relationships to celebrate the love in them. You are never too young or old to exchange a Valentine.
Anyone can turn simple garden or store-bought flowers into a special Valentine bouquet. Flowers become Valentines when they express an aesthetic that is evocative of love and romance. Give your Valentine flowers that will be a unique expression of love through the rich sensory experience of seasonal flowers. It is so easy to make your Valentines bloom. All you need are an inspiration, flowers, and a little romance.
I’m giving our nutcrackers a well deserved night off to party! As I celebrate the coming New Year with my family tonight, …
Wishing you love, light, and the warmest holiday wishes on this solstice from my home. Here’s to a brighter New Year filled with abundance in our lives, gardens, and with everything flowers and grapes in 2021!
Wherever you are this holiday season your winter garden and natural environment will offer inspiration and floral elements for your foraged winter bouquet. Foraging is fun! Connect to your natural world and celebrate the season! Learn how to forage and a make foraged winter bouquets in 5 easy steps!
Traditionally, a great way to spread holiday cheer is to create a holiday home beautifully decorated inside and out. The experience begins at the front of the home. The front door and porch set the tone and theme for the rest of the house. This year many will make an extra effort to make the front of the house brighter with twinkling holiday lights displays given the unprecedented darkness of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Also, many will be forced to have small intimate gatherings at home with family members instead of large holiday parties. Interior decoration will likely be more intimately appreciated by members of your household and unfortunately not shared at your annual holiday party. Creating a festive backyard gives you a perfect new setting to host small intimate groups outdoors so you can make your holidays more merry and bright.
Flowers and Grapes was inspired as a blog a year ago when our daily lives went into lockdown at the start of the Covid19 pandemic. That first scary and unnerving week when all were asked to shelter in place (SIP), I took a picture of some zinnia seeds that sprouted on that fateful week. When I saw them I hoped that, by the time they bloomed in June, this nightmare would be over. My zinnias bloomed despite everything, and in them I knew that life would continue. It just was more difficult than I would have expected. This context was the catalyst to inspire my blog, and now a year later, my first indie magazine Flowers & Grapes. As we all move forward together this spring when life is begging to open up for all, look for the poetry in your garden, natural environment, and in daily life. Celebrate it with more Flowers and Grapes!