Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts
2011-01-31
2011-01-14
Everyone seems to be confused.
This is WINTER. Its gets colder, it gets darker; things turn grey, and wither. Or they hibernate, or die back, or even end their little annual cycles, and perish. It is most certainly not make little cheery flowers season. We all seem to be a little confused about this around here.
2010-12-13
Passion flowers at the UW green house
The UW green house keeps irregular hours, so it took me a while to make it inside, and check it out. Now that I've been inside, I have to admit, it might be my favorite. That's a story for another post. Today, I want to show you some passion flowers. Some lucky professor/grad student specializes in passion flowers. They are glowing all over, and they pick some of each variety, and lay them out like a blanket in a large, shallow tray of water. The effect was very striking, each blossom perfectly outlined on a white background, and each variety contrasting the next.
2010-09-15
2010-06-12
Bridesmaids!
I've been keeping busy the last few weeks with projects. this is one I've been dying to post about, and now that I've heard back from everyone, I can!
I've been working on my bridesmaid invitations since march. I wanted them to be something special, that people could keep. I chose poppies and ranunculus because they will hopefully be my wedding flowers! Each one has a pocket on the back, with a personalized letter. I totally cried while writing the letters, these lovely ladies mean so much to me.
I personalized each one, too. They are all a little different, for various reasons like fabric size, learning as I went, and who I was designing for.
This one is for my little sister Asha! She's not into my whites yellows and oranges at all. So I did some soft peachy pinky colors, and worked in some cool colors. Looking at it reminds me of her somehow.
This one is for my cousin Sam. We've been very close since she was little, and she's more like a sister. She loves bright colors, and so I love the fiery reds and oranges for her. And I HAD to put the unicorn on the back.
This one is for my good friend Rosei. It's not a "best friend" thing, I don't think I could say that I have a best friend, unless it was Erik. But I always know I can talk to her about anything, and I love how supportive of each other we've become (we've been friends since we were 13!). So, I figured she had to be a bridesmaid.
I was thinking classic, Modern, Mad Men-esque for hers. I love the dots, the bold yellow, the dusty rose color. And it was hers that gave me the idea for the little loops on each. She's so wonderful about putting up things that people make for her all over her house. It always makes me smile to see pictures of her place!
And, last but not least, they all agreed. I'm so excited!
<3 <3 <3
I've been working on my bridesmaid invitations since march. I wanted them to be something special, that people could keep. I chose poppies and ranunculus because they will hopefully be my wedding flowers! Each one has a pocket on the back, with a personalized letter. I totally cried while writing the letters, these lovely ladies mean so much to me.
I personalized each one, too. They are all a little different, for various reasons like fabric size, learning as I went, and who I was designing for.
This one is for my little sister Asha! She's not into my whites yellows and oranges at all. So I did some soft peachy pinky colors, and worked in some cool colors. Looking at it reminds me of her somehow.
This one is for my cousin Sam. We've been very close since she was little, and she's more like a sister. She loves bright colors, and so I love the fiery reds and oranges for her. And I HAD to put the unicorn on the back.
This one is for my good friend Rosei. It's not a "best friend" thing, I don't think I could say that I have a best friend, unless it was Erik. But I always know I can talk to her about anything, and I love how supportive of each other we've become (we've been friends since we were 13!). So, I figured she had to be a bridesmaid.
I was thinking classic, Modern, Mad Men-esque for hers. I love the dots, the bold yellow, the dusty rose color. And it was hers that gave me the idea for the little loops on each. She's so wonderful about putting up things that people make for her all over her house. It always makes me smile to see pictures of her place!
And, last but not least, they all agreed. I'm so excited!
<3 <3 <3
2010-05-10
Tulip festival!
Here are a few of my pictures from the tulip festival in April. Ravi Asha and Michele came up to visit, and we had so much fun! I love it when they visit!
Conservatory plant sale & a few corners of the new apartment
Saturday was the bi-annual plant sale at the volunteer park conservatory. I've been looking forward to it for months now! We always find such interesting things, and learn so much. The sale is run by volunteers involved with the conservatory, so they love plants. I mean, really love them. If you hold a plant, and stand still, one of them will find you, and tell you all kinds of little juicey things about that plant.
I think I love people who love plants. Even the people who are really obsessed with them.
So, here are some of our finds. The damage form this weekend was pretty bad... The trouble is, Erik and I are both obsessed. We've become enablers! We had 38 plants when we moved in. We lost 3 ranunculus (it was their time). I did a count this morning - 62. That's nearly twice as many. Oops!
This is one we got at the conservatory a while ago, I love how the flowers are developing.
Guess what this is. Go on, guess. It kind of blew my mind, even though I recognized those tell-tale, brighter than life, african violet leaves. Specifically, it's a petrocosmea forrestii, and it makes botanists weak in the knees. I think the guy who sold it to me would have said no if I hadn't seemed to appreciate it, and he may have given it to me for free if I had been able to place the species. It was a very emotional thing for him!
This little guy is so cute! A euphorbia ritchiei. Can't wait for those flowers.
This was Erik's pick. A cycas revoluta, considered to be a living fossil. Their hay-day was between the Cenozoic and Mesozoic eras, and they are threatened today. Plus, it looks kind of like a spiky-buny.
These two made my heart stop a little bit when I found them. They are so small and delicate... but they are also carnivorous. The utricularia livida on the left has traps for small bugs underground. how cool is that?? The pinguicula primuliflora on the right is covered in sticky dew drops, that can capture very tiny gnats. They are both dwarfs, and cannot be over-watered (we basically have them sitting in a dish of water). It turns out they are also a bit of a gateway drug - Erik has been talking about a terrarium with swamp plants, bushy ferns, and a pet frog. Swoon!
I got lots of african violets! They were all $.50-$2. This is rob's grey ghost on the left, and irish laughter on the right, both still very young.
Erik found this bad boy hidden with with the cacti. It's a rhipsalis - I think rhipsalis salicornioides. Dancing bones. The cool thing is, it prefers low light. it may be a cactus, but it can get a sun burn!
Another Rhipsalis we picked up at Lowes while buying paint. Also, the north west corner of our living room! There's still lots of clutter, but there are pockets that are coming together really nicely.
A philodendron pertusum, or swiss cheese plant, for the bedroom.
Another corner I'm loving - the hallway. Erik put in these hat hooks, I love them!
Sewing nook with plants. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner, I love the fabrics and threads with the green growing things, so so much!
Erik's painting hanging in the north east corner of the living room.
This is the North window of our living room - we decided to do plants instead of curtains. Top row, from left to right, a large relative of the african violet I haven't IDed yet, the orchid Terry gave me as a house warming present, a kaffir lime, a pachypodium lamerei, and a bay laurel. Middle row right, 5 types of gesneriad (African Violet family). Bottom, a few cuttings, and my petrocosmea forrestii.
This plant is so cool. I brag about it all f the time, so I thought it was time to take some good pictures of it. It's a gesneriad, which is the larger family that african violets belong too. It has those luscious, luminous, green leaves covered in little hairs. But, unlike african violets, it's HUGE. One of the biggest plants we own. And, it's flowers are at the end of those rad antennae, that just keep growing and growing! We bought it last October, and it was blooming then. It started blooming this April, and I am starting to believe it will really will sustain flowers until next October. It also puts out side shoots that can be cut off, and rooted. We've got two smaller plants going from cuttings now, and Erik's Step-mother took a leaf home with her, she says put out roots as well.
I think I love people who love plants. Even the people who are really obsessed with them.
So, here are some of our finds. The damage form this weekend was pretty bad... The trouble is, Erik and I are both obsessed. We've become enablers! We had 38 plants when we moved in. We lost 3 ranunculus (it was their time). I did a count this morning - 62. That's nearly twice as many. Oops!
This is one we got at the conservatory a while ago, I love how the flowers are developing.
Guess what this is. Go on, guess. It kind of blew my mind, even though I recognized those tell-tale, brighter than life, african violet leaves. Specifically, it's a petrocosmea forrestii, and it makes botanists weak in the knees. I think the guy who sold it to me would have said no if I hadn't seemed to appreciate it, and he may have given it to me for free if I had been able to place the species. It was a very emotional thing for him!
This little guy is so cute! A euphorbia ritchiei. Can't wait for those flowers.
This was Erik's pick. A cycas revoluta, considered to be a living fossil. Their hay-day was between the Cenozoic and Mesozoic eras, and they are threatened today. Plus, it looks kind of like a spiky-buny.
These two made my heart stop a little bit when I found them. They are so small and delicate... but they are also carnivorous. The utricularia livida on the left has traps for small bugs underground. how cool is that?? The pinguicula primuliflora on the right is covered in sticky dew drops, that can capture very tiny gnats. They are both dwarfs, and cannot be over-watered (we basically have them sitting in a dish of water). It turns out they are also a bit of a gateway drug - Erik has been talking about a terrarium with swamp plants, bushy ferns, and a pet frog. Swoon!
I got lots of african violets! They were all $.50-$2. This is rob's grey ghost on the left, and irish laughter on the right, both still very young.
Erik found this bad boy hidden with with the cacti. It's a rhipsalis - I think rhipsalis salicornioides. Dancing bones. The cool thing is, it prefers low light. it may be a cactus, but it can get a sun burn!
Another Rhipsalis we picked up at Lowes while buying paint. Also, the north west corner of our living room! There's still lots of clutter, but there are pockets that are coming together really nicely.
A philodendron pertusum, or swiss cheese plant, for the bedroom.
Another corner I'm loving - the hallway. Erik put in these hat hooks, I love them!
Sewing nook with plants. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner, I love the fabrics and threads with the green growing things, so so much!
Erik's painting hanging in the north east corner of the living room.
This is the North window of our living room - we decided to do plants instead of curtains. Top row, from left to right, a large relative of the african violet I haven't IDed yet, the orchid Terry gave me as a house warming present, a kaffir lime, a pachypodium lamerei, and a bay laurel. Middle row right, 5 types of gesneriad (African Violet family). Bottom, a few cuttings, and my petrocosmea forrestii.
This plant is so cool. I brag about it all f the time, so I thought it was time to take some good pictures of it. It's a gesneriad, which is the larger family that african violets belong too. It has those luscious, luminous, green leaves covered in little hairs. But, unlike african violets, it's HUGE. One of the biggest plants we own. And, it's flowers are at the end of those rad antennae, that just keep growing and growing! We bought it last October, and it was blooming then. It started blooming this April, and I am starting to believe it will really will sustain flowers until next October. It also puts out side shoots that can be cut off, and rooted. We've got two smaller plants going from cuttings now, and Erik's Step-mother took a leaf home with her, she says put out roots as well.
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