From the Garden....

The Cutting Garden is getting so messy- plants are falling down across the paths, knocked over by the rain and late-season neglect. But the flowers bloom on, always reaching towards the sun, so there are tons of twisty stems out there. I can't say we mind, it makes them so very amenable to spilling over the edges of their vases....

From the Garden....

Looks like we're starting a little series here, posting an arrangement that is 100% Seattle-grown, from the Botanique Cutting Garden about once a month. We'll try to keep up the trend! This one is a little berry-toned number, with Koko Loko roses, dahlias, bronze amaranth, queen anne's lace, scabiosa, and just the slightest hint of physocarpus.

C & J at The Sanctuary at Admiral

It is hard to choose a favorite out of all the beautiful weddings we did this year, but C & J's wedding at The Sanctuary at Admiral is certainly up there in the top three. Creamy neutrals against dark foliages with pops of rich reds and gold- the perfect palette for late autumn. It was one of the last weeks local dahlias were still available, and that made it all the more special. C & J are such sincere, true people, and it really felt like an honor to create these designs for their wedding. All of these gorgeous photographs were taken by the one and only Kirk Mastin. Congratulations C & J!

Alix & Aran at the Center for Wooden Boats

Alix and Aran were married on July 28th, at The Center for Wooden Boats. They had a small, intimate wedding, that was the perfect example of "quality over quantity." Being an event planner, Alix was super organized, and hired an amazing team of vendors, from food (Herban Feast = to die for) to photographer (Malcolm Smith = super smart and stylish). Thank you Malcolm for these great shots!

The cocktail tables were each adorned with collections of cut succulents, little jars, bottles and bud vases (with flowers in them of course!), placed at varying heights on little blocks of wood.

Alix wore an awesome, teal dress that suited her perfectly.

Congrats to Alix and Aran! May you have a long and happy life together!!!

Fall!

I know that summer still officially has a few more weeks to go, but I am really starting to feel fall creeping in. I LOVE FALL. I LOVE IT. I love how life starts to cool and slow down, the anticipation of feeling extremely cozy, and how everything outside starts to drip and drop: fruit, leaves, and yes, rain too. After a stretch going on 46 days and counting with no rain, I am not going to be complaining when the first drops fall.

Today was the first day of the Autumn Flower Subscription, and it is so fun to play with all the riotous colors that are out there this time of year. I love the pairing of really saturated bright colors with softer pastels, and the orange and coral of the dahlias and asclepias with the dusty miller really do it for me.

Despite the fact that the Cutting Garden is going strong, I just can't resist the urge to design with the amazing flowers available from other local growers! These arrangements used Dusty Miller from the Botanique Cutting Garden, but the rest of these treasures came from other local farms:

• Dahlias and Broom Corn from from Jello Mold Farm in Mount Vernon, WA
• Dahlias from Dan's Dahlias in Oakville, WA
  
• Lisianthus and Asters from Everyday Flowers in Stanwood, WA
• Asclepias and Salt Shrub from Charles Little & Co, in Eugene, OR
  

Here's a recent shot from the Cutting Garden: 'Queen Red Lime' and 'Green Envy' Zinnias, Orange Cosmos, and 'Awe Shucks' Dahlias in the background....

It just amazes me the size that flowers reach in just a few short months. They grow from seed into these giant plants so fast! Imagine if we grew that fast...... or maybe don't, that thought is a little bit frightening......

In any case, I'm enjoying this change of seasons, and I hope you are too!

Geez purple and pink, why you gotta be so pretty?

I know it's super girly. I know you may gripe and say, really purple and pink??? Enough already with the purple and pink!! But hey, I run the show around here, and I like to do what makes me happy. And this week, the purples and pinks were calling my name...

This weeks subscriptions had so many Botanique-grown ingredients! Sweet Pea Vines, Cerinthe, Daucus carota 'Dark Knight,' and Black Cornflowers. The lovely, pink Dahlias are from Jello Mold Farm.

(Oh, and the first little shoots of amaranth may have found their way in there too, but you have to have a very keen eye to spot them.....)

An Ode to Dahlias

Oh dahlias, how I love thee...

You are just so pretty and summery. And you play so well with other flowers.

I think we will be running into each other a lot this summer....

These arrangements were the latest batch of Botanique Subscription Arrangements. On the ingredient list: 

• Salvia, Hops Vine, Bells of Ireland and Bupleurum from The Botanique Cutting Garden in Seattle, WA
  
• Dahlias and Iceland Poppies from Jello Mold Farm in Mount Vernon
• Viburnum Berries from Charles Little & Co. in Eugen, OR

 Hope you are enjoying your summer!

Making a mock-up

Normally I don't like making mock-ups- they are typically made so far in advance of the big day that the flowers selections are nothing like the flowers used in the actual piece, thus they are a pretty inaccurate representation of what the actual bouquet will look like. But when the first dahlias of the season appeared in the market today, I was practically jumping up and down with excitement to make this one! (LOCAL DAHLIAS ARE IN- YES!!!!!) Plus, it's for a wedding at the end of this month, so I will be able to use nearly all of these flower selections.

Pretty summery.... (and thanks to my lovely landlady Amy for modeling!)