Remembering

I can't look at an Easter Lily, Lilium longiforum, without thinking about- well, Easter. Being Sicilian and having grown up in a Catholic family, it was the traditional flower at church mass on Easter Sunday. No, not just one little flower in a flower pot up on the altar all by itself, but a chorus of lily plants. I imagine they still use lilies this way, though I haven't been to church for a long time. These days I attend the Church of Nature (preferably while moving along on a trail somewhere) and am aligned more with Buddhist teachings. The new Pope Francis is a breath of fresh air in an institution that's lost it's way- so far-so good anyway, but I digress.

Unlike the traditional Poinsettia at Christmas mass,  this flower has a smell and what a heavy sweet atmosphere a number of lilies produces. You know how people say the smell of cooking and baking brings back childhood memories? The smell of an Easter Lily brings back a total kaleidoscope for me: spirituality, being a good Catholic girl, my mom, my mom getting married, my mom doing Easter, my mom who's no longer with us.

Okay, so I wasn't at my Mom and Dad's wedding. That would have been pretty scandalous at the time. Wearing a white dress or being married in the Church was not an option. So, glad I didn't show up till later. But here is their wedding photo. Growing up, I loved to look at this over and over. There most have been quite a heft in carrying all those lilies.

Move forward in time when she has three kids and became completely exuberant in her approach to holidays. She was born on Christmas and perhaps it was the case of having your special day overshadowed. Our house was utterly transformed for the every holiday, but especially Christmas. Every surface was festooned with decorations or lights. It was a happy day when Mom discovered a putty that allowed her to adhere Christmas balls to the ceiling. What pure magic growing up- except.... The memory of Christmas also has a significant twinge of anxiety, the dark side. There always seemed to be arguments and tension, probably in part due to the incredible undertaking of decorating, cookie baking (at least 8 kinds), the whole family on a month long sugar high, presents, money to buy presents, and a full sit-down dinner. It's taken almost all my adult life to learn to create holidays in my life that have some of that exuberance without going into an abyss of exhaustion and irritation. I really want to enjoy being a guest at this thing Jon and I have worked so hard at.

Somehow Easter seemed to have the magic without the same anxiety. Maybe the energy needed was matched by what was going on outside; the plant world waking up, unfurling, renewed. Still had the decorating, cookie baking, candy making, full dinner, and shopping for a new Sunday outfit for my sister and brother, and myself. For the crowning glory, she created the most amazing Easter baskets. No store bought things, but little worlds of candy and color she made that were swathed in colored cellophane and ribbon. I would stare into that little fantasy world and feel immersed in a world of wonder and magic. It was as though I would burst at the seams with happiness- and anticipation of many days of chocolate eating ahead!

So, by way of a very long explanation; this arrangement is in dedication with love to mom,
 aka Jean, Jenny, and Genevieve.

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Aladdin's Lamp- take 2& 3

 Those dandelions get into everything don't they? You just can't keep them out.

 

Continuation of the use of pin frogs. I wanted to really pack it in to show how many plant materials you can use with them.When it's this packed in, the water uptake really needs to be watched since there are so many plants in a small container.

Class: Celebration of Spring

This is a new vase and I'm just starting to play around with it. I'm on the edge of loving it and being repelled by it. It's pretty wild. Like Aladdin's lamp on drugs. But the color and the way the glass plays with the light is kind of cool.

Thinking about low containers these days as a new class is coming up in May focusing of the use of this type of container and metal "pin frogs". The arrangement pictured used the frog for some elements and not others, as the stems were thin. Stay tuned for more.




Class: Celebration of Spring:
Here we are in the season of an abundance of blossoms! Heavy flower and branches are a challenge in low containers. Metal pin "frogs" are one of the infrastructures that hold everything in place. We'll use the glorious bounty of spring to learn how to use those to make arrangements with a sense of movement. As Mother's Day is the following day, this could be great to do for your Mom or with your Mom, but everyone is welcome!  



College Of Marin
Kentfield, CA Campus
May 10, 10-12
Fine Arts Building 312
Course 35091
COM (415) 485-9305
$70
You bring container, clippers, and a store bought bouquet.
I'll bring pin frogs, great supplemental branches and flowers.

I'll purchase containers for people who want to order one from me (no, it won't be Aladdin's lamp!). I'll email you soon on that.


 
http://www.marin.edu/CommunityEducation/
These classes are nearly impossible to find on this site. That's supposed to change in the fall and the registration will morph into something user friendly!

You're welcome to pay in class, if you let me know that you're coming.
maryannnardo@sbcglobal.net

An Embarrassment of Riches

After a project there are sometimes leftover flowers and little bits of this and that. The ones that didn't get chosen because they were too closed, too open, not the right feel,  came in a mixed bouquet and didn't get used, etc. What a problem to have, eh? I guess a lot of businesses have perishable leftovers; leftover cakes, leftover coffee, leftover vegetables......

Here's some recent leftovers. Time to clear out the studio. Given this occasional predicament I've wondered "who needs flowers?" There's a retirement home I've taken leftovers to. They need flowers. And after this project I took some to the Center for Domestic Peace that helps abused women. I figured that either the women or women/men who help the women might need them too. I mean everyone needs flowers, right- the uplift, the beauty, the pause to look and wonder. But really it's so much more than that. A primal ancient relationship between us and them. 

I'm often surrounded by dying flowers. Tulips are particularly interesting to watch as they go from tight bud through fully open, to falling apart; one petal at a time. Buddy thinks so too.

Getting to that Viburnam

Debra Prinzing, author of many books on the "Slow Flower Movement"
http://www.debraprinzing.com/ and organizer of the Floral Design portion of SFLandscape Garden Show doesn't forget  a thing. I had requested green viburnam when she asked for a wish list of flowers from the designers for the floral demos. She ended up cutting them from a garden of the home she was staying at. That gesture was very touching and indicative of the way she remembers the details for everyone. If I hadn't been so nervous and out of body because of the excitement of having a chance to give a talk, I probably would have burst into tears. And then I promptly forgot to use them during my talk, as well as hitting on a few key elements of my presentation. There's a learning curve to a big stage. I've know from singing performances how effective nerves are for pruning your memory away!




So during clean up today, I played around with them a little, along with the rest of the leftovers.

I think tomorrow I'll just put them in a vase all by themselves. After this past weekend seeing so many arrangements felt like eating a great big visual Thanksgiving dinner. Now it's all over and I want is something simple to look at to cleanse the palette. Thanks again, Debra.

Preservative recipe/ Post Landscape Reflections

Still digging out from the flower debris, boxes, newspaper, emails, etc.from yesterday's talk at the SF Landscape Garden Show. Here's the recipe I promised during my talk for a homemade floral preservative I like to use for all flowers and foliage.

1TB vinegar
1TB white sugar
1/4 tsp. bleach
1/2 gallon water
Mix and stir to dissolve sugar. This is concentrated. It's handy to keep in a squeeze bottle. I use a teaspoon-tablespoon depending on the size vase. It's not a critical measurement like baking a cake- I mean, a little more, a little less is okay.

There's a commercial product called Hydraflor that professional designers use that's very effective for increasing flower uptake and good if you have a major event and need to keep them going in heat or other more extreme conditions.

 

 

When Jon isn't playing the pedal steel, doing energy audits, or getting with Buddy so excited that he bites him, he can  be enlisted in the floral world and makes pretty cool arrangements too.

A lot to digest. 5 days of demos from the some of best Floral Designers the Bay Area has. I saw two days worth and every speaker had something to contribute in this diverse world of floral design. This was the first class I taught that Jon caught on video. So I kind of winced through it (always aiming for a better presentation) but yep, still thrilled to have been there. The video will make a great learning tool.

Taking to the stage this Sunday morning at 10:30 at the SF Landscape Garden Show!

No, this isn't a store bought bouquet. This is straight from my garden. The tender, bronzy olive green of the leaves is as amazing as the flowers.

http://www.sfgardenshow.com/

How to Make Store-Bought Bouquets Look Great
In this 101 Basics-style demonstration, Maryann Nardo will share her secrets for making store-bought floral bunches look better, more composed, yet natural. She will discuss where supermarket bouquets come from and the local vs. imports sourcing question. Learn how to incorporate botanicals and plants from the garden; choose the best container; design composition tips; and how to care for your arrangement.

It's an honor to be on the schedule along with many top floral designers who continue to inspire me. And a big shout out to Debra Prinzing who put this amazing group of people together. Debra is an author, organizer,and spokesperson who is helping to spearhead the "Slow Flower Movement" to bring flower growing back to this country. She seems to know everyone-everyone and has a great, warm spirit. She's raised the bar for this yearly institution because everything she touches turns out first rate and San Francisco deserves an incredible garden show. There is so much talent here and come on- it's San Francsico (now if only they would raise the bar on their food offerings.... ah well, one mountain at a time, I guess).

    www.debraprinzing.com/

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The Incredible Whiteness of Spring

 

  

I've been thinking lately that if spring could have a sound,it would be soprano; high and  delicate. A note that is not held long but is clear and pure. That's what the flowers of spring remind me of. Spring flowers don't hang around for very long. This white Spirea seems to deteriorate while I look at it. It's fugitive; the flowers on their way to  becoming sturdy leaves.

 And how about that white clematis armandii? Does it have a powerful, sweet scent or what? I have a few flowers by my kitchen sink and the sweet, heavy scent almost knocks me over. Maybe I'm just taking in a floral curative. As I'm interested in all matters related to plants, I was curious what the Bach Flower Company had to say about the clematis. 

Bach flower remedies are extreme dilutions of flower material developed by Edward Bach, an English homeopath, in the 1930s. Bach believed that dew found on flower petals retain healing properties of that plant. The remedies are intended primarily for emotional and spiritual conditions, including but not limited to depression, anxiety, insomnia and stress.

Here's a partial description of what the Bach company has to say about the clematis flower:

"Clematis personalities are extremely creative and imaginative and do well in occupations such as music, fashion design, journalism, and film-making. However, when their creativity cannot be put to good use, they fall into the negative Clematis state - where their energies can take the form of exaggerated romanticism, delusions, and various kinds of eccentricity.


You may recognize a person in need of treatment with this Bach flower therapy by their dreamy look - an unfocused gaze and an attitude of slight confusion. Because they are never fully focused on the present, they have poor memories and little sense of detail. They simply can't take the time to listen well enough to absorb things". 

Yeah, pretty out there, I know. There is so much we don't understand in this rather unexplored world of our relationship to plants. They feed & heal our bodies. They heal and uplift our souls through their beauty. Why not our spirits?

Love to ya'll

 
"River" Usually sepia toned, but rose tinted for Valentine's Day. From a series of paintings on wild orchids from around the world. Watercolor on bamboo.

Pave Class

Here are the beautiful results from this weekend's Pave' Class. Pave's are easy to put together.They look deceptively simple, but sometimes simplicity is as difficult to achieve as complexity. And they can be so varied in the result that I think I've become even more hooked on them. 

One of the arrangements was made by 11 year old Gabriela who came with her grandmother. What a good eye she has. Now if we can only get some men in our class! 

Congratulations all!