April 28, 2012

Spring Catch-Up, Part 10 of 10: Easter Excerpt

 I didn't get the chance to photograph the majority of my Easter work, but here is one arrangement featuring hellebores and lemons from Napa (thanks, M!), tulips from Arcata, kale, freesia, scabiosa, and Icelandic poppies from Pacifica, passionvine from Petaluma, sweet peas from Yorba Linda, dogwood from Stockton, stock from Watsonville, and ranunuculus from Oxnard.







Spring Catch-Up, Part 9 of 10: Flowers for the Birthday Girl


Featuring rosemary, Lady Banks rosebuds, and lambs ears from Napa.
 


Spring Catch-Up, Part 8 of 10: Thinking of You

 Here we have hellebores and maple from Napa, honeysuckle from Tracy, anemones from Half Moon Bay, crazy lacy scabiosa from Oxnard, and sweet peas from Yorba Linda.





Spring Catch-Up, Part 7 of 10: Pitcher of Sunshine

A sweet-smelling little spring arrangement of narcissus and lamium from Napa, freesia from Pacifica, stock and larkspur from Salinas, hyacinth from Arcata, and ranunculus from Watsonville.



Spring Catch-Up, Part 6 of 10: A Cheery Red Spring Wedding


M&B were married on a rainy day in San Francisco this spring, in a perfectly balanced (read: fun, heartfelt, hip, and timeless) celebration that left me smiling all the way home. It also didn't hurt that the wedding party included lots of happy kids with red sneakers and silk ribbon streamer wands to wave about. Needless to say, the atmosphere was festive, despite the clouds outside. : )

Congratulations, M&B!







Spring Catch-Up, Part 5 of 10: Silver and Silver


 Okay, in the interest of actually "catching up", I'm going to blast through a few posts here. This first one feautures narcissus, hellebores, and clematis from Napa.

April 13, 2012

Local Lilac Special! Order Yours Now!


Ladies and gentlemen of the City of Napa, your weekend could be about to get a whole lot more lilac-y.

When I called our local tomato baron/hybridizer, Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms, last week to inquire whether he had any lilac for Easter, I was just a bit early.  (This weird weather, you know). But his crazy beautiful double variety (shown above, from last year) will be ready this weekend! Good things come to those who wait.

If you're ready for a serious lilac fix, now is the time to place your order. I'll be making a limited number of deliveries throughout the City of Napa early Sunday morning between 7AM-9AM. Petite (but super fragrant!) arrangements start at $65, including tax and delivery.

Please email info@themonkeyflowergroup.com or call 707-418-8615 for more information or to place and order.

I'm looking forward to bringing you some of Brad's lilac soon!

P.S. Brad will be speaking at Tomatomania this Saturday, April 14, at Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma. If you're in the mood for an outing, I'm sure it will be a wonderful event! And look for Wild Boar Farm's tomato seedlings in these local nurseries, too!



Spring Catch-Up, Part 4 of 10: Brights to Wear and Share

 Orange-red ranunculus from Yorba Linda and fragrant narcissus from Wooden Valley make any little occassion feel special. : )




April 12, 2012

Spring Catch-Up, Part 3 of 10: Dahlia or Daffodil?


While not an event, or even an actual arrangement, this mammoth daffodil is too cool not to share. Earlier this year I think I said we had about 10 varieties of narcissus, but I've since counted about twice that many. This latecomer was so big and ruffled he looked like a dahlia! Wish I knew the name!



April 11, 2012

Spring Catch-Up, Part 2 of 10: Woodsy Lavenders


I am a huge fan of hellebores, and not just because they are poisonous (read, "deer-proof") and shade tolerant, and therefore fit to grow at our place. This time of year, their muted, earthy colors are the perfect balance to otherwise potentially saccharine spring palettes. Here they are in some woodsy lavender arrangements, along with olive from Wooden Valley, eucalyptus buds from Napa, calla lilies from Arroyo Grande, brake fern from Washington, tulips and roses from Petaluma, and ranunculus from Yorba Linda.