I love being able to bring the garden from the outside to the inside for all of our guests to enjoy! Flower arranging is one of the many garden related duties that I find to be most joyous!
Almost all of our arrangements are made from the abundance of beautiful supplies we have on property. In late summer/early fall I begin to collect things that dry well for those late fall/early winter arrangements such as grass plumes, corn tassels, seed heads and pods and flowering plants that dry well, such as Sedum and Sunflowers.
When Winter comes I begin to cut the evergreens, boxwood, pine and holly. All this is done with the intent to bring the outside experience and offerings inside for all to enjoy while resting and relaxing with in the sanctuary of our beautiful dwellings.
Above: A late winter arrangement made of cut flowers from an outside source
(Occasionally during the bleakest months of winter we supplement from outside sources to liven things up!!!)
Below: An early spring arrangement made of Helleborus, Daffodils and Crocus
Mid summer arrangement consisting of Artimesia, echanacia, bee balm, liatris and hyssop
All of the tables in our dining room are adorned with a silver mint julep cup filled with whatever bounty the property is offering at the time! Above is a bouquet of African Blue Basil. This is one of my favorite basils' EVER! It has an amazing subtle flavor that goes with anything. On the table it lends a striking color contrast to the white linens and fills the room with a fabulous aroma! During the growing season I try to always have these dining room arrangements consist of something edible. Some of my favorites are lemon and tangerine marigolds, pineapple sage, bronze fennel, African blue basil, oregano in it flowering state and hyssop, just to name a few! 
Above: An arrangement combining Bronze Fennel, Annabelle Hydrangea, Hemerocallis 'Happy Returns' and Abelia
Below: This beauty is comprised of Hemerocallis 'Happy returns', Bronze Fennel and Viburnum 'Korean spice'
Above/Below: This is one of my favorite color combinations! This one is made of Purple Liatris, White Echinacea and flowering Abelia.
Above: Blue and white Hydrangea mixed with Abelia and Bee Balm is a stunning and long lasting combo!
Below: Mixing white Snowball Viburnums with blue Hydrangea really gives this small arrangement a large impact and a little more depth.
For a Wine dinner held at the Inn this past summer I decided to get creative and bring the vegetable garden inside to the diners in more than one fashion! While working in the veg garden I always admire the beauty of lettuce in all stages of its life cycle. From tiny baby greens, fresh with new life, to the stage of bolting, where they begin to rise up and flower to spread their seed. They always turn my head and inspire awe. I decided to make these bolting lettuces the star of the show!
Above: A beautiful loose leaf lettuce in a small vase adds a new twist to your standard flower arrangement!
Below: Lettuces Crisp Mint and A red Oak Leaf nest together perfectly in this low square vase, ready to inspire many a conversation!
Above: A perfect Romaine head that is a tad to bitter for a salad in the heat of the summer, makes a striking center piece for the evening!
Below: A perfect headed Lettuce 'Tennis Ball', ONLY 3'X4' Makes a cute little table top piece
Above: Late Summer brings on our amazing crop of sunflowers! So beautiful and so easy to make an outstanding arrangement with them for weeks on end !
Above:This large beauty is made up of Joe Pye weed, Green and Pink Hydrangea and Queen Anne's Lace
Below: A sweet little bouquet of spray roses for the dining room tables made last winter around Valentines Day when it was cold and grey! The sight of all those sweet little pink rose buds seems to immediately inspire thoughts of good old fashioned romance!
Below: An early spring bundle of Daffodils, Viburnum and spray roses is a good example of mixing fresh cut from the farm with a hint of supplementation!
Below: A beautiful bunch of Tulips cut fresh from the farm mixed with viburnum and Helleborus!
No matter what the season, there is always a steady supply of magical ingredients ready to be brought together to inspire the inside with the profusion of nature found outside!
No comments:
Post a Comment