the Farmer
Poppy care: Many garden books recommend that you sear the cut tips of these poppies in a flame or submerge them in a beaker of boiling water in order to extend their vase life. It has been thought that the extreme heat will soften the tougher outer stem and increase the surface area for absorbing moisture in the vase. But in fact, according to Diane Szukovathy of Jello Mold Farm, the poppy’s hairy stem collects more foreign matter that contributes to bacterial build-up in the vase than with smoother-stemmed flowers. Because of this, she says, “heating the stems ‘cooks’ them, making the flower more susceptible to colonization by bacteria.” Diane’s best tip: “Every few days, re-cut the stems and change the water.”
SPRING | WEEK 12
JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE
I CREATED THIS BOUQUET as a birthday gift for my friend Carrie Krueger. The soft and feminine gathering of blooms, paired with a vintage butter-yellow Wedgwood Jasperware trumpet vase, makes a complete package. When you give a gift bouquet, it’s nice to branch out from ordinary clear glass and choose a vessel that will be used again and again by the recipient.
I started with several ingredients I inherited when we moved into our new home. Witnessing the garden’s first spring and summer seasons was a thrill, including the peonies’ unfurling. I like using the same flower in various stages of growth, so here I added several marshmallow-soft buds to the one large open peony. Across the garden, a mauve-colored lilac beckoned from under the mature cherry tree. And nearby, a mound of bachelor’s buttons provided the essential indigo-blue floral accents.
Next, I added ingredients grown by local flower farmers. The trio of unusual ‘Supergreen’ hybrid tea roses sparkles as companions to the peonies. Lustrous and velvety, the Dusty Miller and lamb’s ears foliage provide subtle touches of silver-green. And the final accent is the Star of Bethlehem, with dainty bell-shaped, green-and-white variegated flowers.
Ingredients:
5 stems hot-pink peonies (variety unknown), harvested from my garden
5 stems late-blooming lilac (Syringa x prestoniae), harvested from my garden
5 stems bachelor’s buttons (Centaurea cyanus), harvested from my garden
3 stems ‘Supergreen’ hybrid tea roses, grown by Peterkort Roses
6 stems each Dusty Miller (Centaurea cineraria) and lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina), grown by Charles Little & Co.
6 stems variegated Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum nutans), grown by Choice Bulb Farms
Vase:
9½ inch tall x 5⅞ inch diameter Wedgwood Jasperware trumpet vase
Design 101
Unity and variety: In design theory, “unity” and “variety” are interrelated principles. Unifying features tie a composition together; in this arrangement the silvery-green foliage suggests a sparkly embroidery thread embellishing a shawl. Variety lends interest to a design, eliminating the ordinary. Here, the pleasing mix of ingredients from the cooler side of the color wheel does the trick, with a range of floral hues from pale green and lavender to deep fuchsia and indigo.
SPRING | WEEK 13
A BIT OF PURPLE HEAVEN
WHEN MY FRIEND DEE NASH saw this bouquet she proclaimed “this is a bit of purple heaven!”
The wistful arrangement of blue, purple and plum flowers looks quite awesome against the chartreuse vase. It includes ingredients gathered on a weekend in early June when I traversed the state of Washington with Lorene Edwards Forkner, a friend and fellow writer. We left Seattle to drive to Pullman, where Suzanne St. Pierre and Scotty Thompson hosted us as speakers at Living in the Garden, one of the most charming country nurseries you’ll ever find.
Suzanne sent us to visit Jane Stratton of Sunshine Crafts and Flowers on Old Moscow Road, just a few miles away. Jane’s cut-flower farm and bouquet subscription service is a hit with her local customers and florists. We gazed across her orderly fields of perennials, annuals, ornamental shrubs and grasses, beauty bursting from every row. And then we began to snip our favorites!
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