wait!

Don't get me wrong--I can't wait for Spring--but I'm afraid these little guys are coming up a little too early. Although nothing puts a smile on my face as easily as a jonquil in bloom, I was hoping to enjoy them in March, not the middle of February!

today's favorite flower: zinnias

Zinnias grow like wildfire this time of year at my house. I love them because the more you cut them, the more they grow. So I put them everywhere--from the bathroom to the dining room (in my new pitcher, thanks to my sweet father-in-law).

for kristin

Kristin--thought you might like to see some of the flowers from Mom's garden. What do you think?

html lesson

A couple of details from last weekend's trip to the cabin: 1. Squash blossom, 2. Sunflower ready to open.
P.S. This post is a bit of an Html instruction lesson from my computer friend Charlie. He describes Html as quite elegant, I call it quite wacky.

today's favorite flower: poppies

I've got poppies on my mind lately. Maybe because I found these wonderful cards from Etsy sellers Michelle Brusegaard and pixielimpress.
P.S. I think the photo credit here goes to my friend Charlie Hubbard. Happy 3rd Anniversary!

a simple bloom

From some home-grown garlic--pretty cool, huh?

thanks, mom

Thanks, Mom, for the beautiful peonies. I wanted to try another shot, but I only have 94 Polaroids to last me the rest of my life.

bouquet of the day

Sometimes I feel like dahlias get the shaft in wedding bouquets. I don't know why, because they are just so lovely.

bouquet of the day

Lily of the valley and hydrangea perfection.

bouquet of the day

I love simple, old-fashioned stephanotis, featured with gardenias in the bouquet above. Credit its long-standing popularity to its meaning, from the language of flowers, "marital happiness."

Five Minute Florist

I saw this wonderful little book at Pier 1, for $10. I thought to myself (what I always think to myself about books), "Oh, I'll just order it from amazon." Where, oddly enough, it is $11.01. Guess I'll head back over to Pier 1.

The Masters

In honor of the last round today at The Masters, a polaroid of some azaleas in my front yard, and my favorite recipe for pimento cheese. At one of the most exclusive sporting events in the world, you can still get a sandwich and a beer for about $3.

From Frank Stitt's Southern Table; click on picture to enlarge recipe.

Today's Favorite Flower

...is ranunculus. I couldn't believe my luck when I found these on Easter at Trader Joe's.
P.S. Thanks to All Things Bright and Beautiful for helping me figure out this side by side posting thing.

Kristin Hinkle Designs

Floral design, to me, is akin to magic. I'm always amazed at how flowers in buckets turn into works of art. My dear friend Kristin is one of those magicians. I think I've talked her into starting her own blog, soI'll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you need "fresh flowers or container gardens," give her a call.

Lavender Luncheon

I would so love to be dining al fresco, at the Carousel Lavender Farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. As featured in Martha Stewart Living March 2008. Wonder if I'd need as much bug spray up there?

Spring Inspiration

Just a pretty picture from April's body+soul magazine. Photographed by Buff Strickland.

Roses, Roses, Roses

About those roses--to quote I Suwannee and my great-aunt Tissie, "I have never in all my life seen such." Quite over the top. From a wedding in Windsor, Florida, where I do love that chapel.
{images: Town & Country Weddings}

Forcing the Issue

I love forced branches, like these from Carolyne Roehm's Winter Notebook. Especially in those galvanized buckets.

Holiday To Do #2

Paperwhites have got to be one of the most elegant flowers around, and their heady scent can quickly fill up a room. Martha had a good idea: assemble all the items needed for growing (bulbs, pebbles, vase) and give as a gift.
{images: smith and hawken, martha stewart}

Emily Dickinson

Look who I found in my backyard. Goes along with a favorite poem:

To make a prairie

To make a prairie, it takes a clover and one bee,
One clover, and a bee.
And revery.
The revery alone will do,
If bees are few.

Emily Dickinson (1755)