You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.
– Pablo Neruda, Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet-diplomat and politician
When May ended, I had intended to post my spring bouquets, as I made weekly bouquets for one of the former Korematsu Middle School auction winners whose husband (both of them were community leaders and supporters) had passed away in the fall. I wanted to bring her some joy. She has always warmed my heart by the pure joy that my auction bouquets have brought to her in the past. To deliver bouquets during spring was the best way I knew how to honor her husband and to bring a sense of rebirth to her. I never make bouquets to decorate my own home. I rather enjoy sharing them with family and friends. I wish I had more time to devote to gardening and to making the bouquets, instead of feeling rushed, because the effort is invigorating and inspiring, and I get in this Zen frame of mind.
Maybe at some point I’ll get there. But for now, I am sharing the spring bouquets with you all. Enjoy!
Birthe’s front porch is full of spring bouquets – tulips, calla lilies, watsonias, and a mix of gaillardia, columbine, geums, carnations, scabiosa, and a few other flowers, in mid-April.
Early March tulips and calla lilies.
Tulips, March 23rd.
Tulip close-up, March 23rd.
Tulips in the side yard.
More tulips, March 30th.
Calla lilies, March 30th. I love the different stages of blooming. Also note the shadow of our ficus tree on the dining room wall. And, of course, my favorite painting of all, Lamp Lady by Gary Stutler.
I believe this is variegated prostenthera (Mint Bush), which delivers brilliant purple blooms in the spring. We have one in the backyard and one in the front yard.
Close-up of the purple blooms of the variegated prostenthera.
One of my new favorite flowers this season. The aquilegia chrysantha (Yellow Queen) came out with such vigor this spring. They remind me of delicate butterflies.
Delicate pink tulip, April 4th.
April 6th bounty ready for spring delivery.
Looks like the tulip is ready to devour the aquilegia….
Nuanced pink tulip, April 12th.
Tulip bouquet, April 13th.
The aquilegia and red geum literally gave new heights and shape to the spring bouquets. Also added scabiosa, dianthus, straw flower, and the greenery from alstroemeria. This particular photo reminds me of a Vermeer, Rembrandt, and other Dutch master painters painting.
April 20th spring bouquet.
I got these three vases from Present, Los Altos, and they’re perfect for my office. Grow. Happy. Bloom. Inspiring.
More aquilegia (or columbine) taking flight in the backyard planter box, April 28th.
April 30th bouquet.
Close-up of aquilegia Black Barrow.
Watsonia bouquet, May 4th.
Close-up of miniature cream-colored rose, blue scabiosa, and red geum.
Alstroemeria bouquet, May 17th.
May 17th bouquet.
Close-up of the bouquet. I love using calla lilies that are in different stages of blooming. When they are still tightly rolled up, it reminds me of a scroll of beautiful paper that is slowly, slowly being unrolled. Also featuring my favorite multi-colored dianthus – Chomley Farran.
Chomley Farran dianthas, aquilegia Yellow Queen, alstroemeria, calla lillies, and an early dahlia, May 17th.
Found a few white aquilegia in the mix of yellow.
The dahlias came up early this season. Magenta!
Drama: Aquilegia against a dark backdrop.
May 18th spring bouquet.
The earliest all-dahlia bouquet, May 25th.
Gorgeous close-up of the white dinner-plate dahlia.
May 25th spring bouquet.
Last spring bouquet – alstroemeria, May 25th.
Sammy in one of his happy places – the backyard garden with his gardener, me.
“Do you want to garden with me?” Sammy’s head will tilt when you begin a sentence with “Do you….”