I Love the Philly Flower show. Every year I go with my family to see all the amazing exhibits.

Each year there is a theme, This year it was Great Britain. England has a rich gardening culture and it was fun to see how everyone interpreted this.

The show is divided into four main parts, Exhibition, Floral Design, Plants, and Shopping.

The exhibits are done by companies that have an interest in floral design and horticulture. Florists, garden centers, growers and manufactures strut their stuff and really come up with unique showcases.

My favorites this year were the over the top dinner party, the eggs made of found items, the English Moore and the Vertical garden with the wheelbarrows.

Some of my favorite vendors were there selling their products to the public like Landreth Seeds, Organic Mechanic and Chive.

This show always gets my creative juices flowing. I especially loved the twee little fairy gardens. This is a tough one for me because I think they cross the line a little too much, but I think I will try some out this year. Seems like a natural fit with all the terrariums we have.

Lavender and William were excellent helpers, I gave Lavender my Iphone to take pictures, she really has a good eye.

William was encouraging with his raw enthusiasm for flowers, he really loves color and likes to look at all of the designs and smell the flowers.

And now for some plant porn.

2012 was the year that Boho Chic hit its stride with weddings and when we were asked by a BIG NAME WEDDING MAGAZINE to design some Bohemian inspired bouquets and floral headpieces, I smiled. Ok, I smiled for like 5 minutes and then I panicked.

Flowers

I love putting together wildflower bouquets and creating that “just gathered” look. Truth of the matter is that it takes a lot of time to put together the controlled chaos without it looking like the Bride’s cousin, who “really loves flowers” put it together and I need to be in the right mood to do it.

We were given the job to do in January, and in January, I am not feeling all warm and sun shiney I can’t sit on the roof of the studio with my bees and flowers and relax and get that bohemian feeling, I am not wearing a sundress, I don’t have sandals on. I am wearing sweater dresses, thick tights, and Sorel boots, I am cold! Not to mention that there aren’t many wild flowers are around.

To get that wildflower look in the middle of Winter, I reached for anenomies (a favorite) scabiosa, lilacs, parrot tulips, garden roses, amaranths,  tuberose and scotch broom to create the looks.  I also added some berries and little bips and bobs to give them those special touches.

To get in the mood, I put on some Coachella inspired music, and took a look at some pictures from weddings past, thought warm thoughts and put on my favorite perfume. Here are the results.

Yellow and Cream Wildflower Bouquet with Lace and Burlap

Peach Wildflower Bohemian Wedding Bouquet

White Wedding Bouquet with Birch Wrapped Handle

White Wedding Bouquet with Anemones and French Lilac

Last night we had the pleasure of teaching not one but two classes at Etsy Labs.
Nestled in a converted factory building in Dumbo, Etsy Labs is a wonderful place full of crafting treasures. All the work is done on huge, over-sized wooden tables and the walls are lined with all sorts of scissors, brushes, glitter, glue, screen-printing materials and more. I love it. Lavender and I have taken classes there and we really enjoy them its a lot of fun.

We were joined by Britta Riley of Windowfarms , Just Food, and Compost for Brooklyn to talk about all things green and good.

SEED BOMBS!

Seed Bombs

We were invited to teach about Terrariums and Seed Bombs there. Those are two of my favorite things!

Seed bombs are made with clay, organic matter and seeds. They were invented by native Americans who lived in nomadic tribes. The seed bombs are a way to insure that the seed will have enough moisture and food to grow if gardens are planted and not tended to. By doing this, the tribes were able to plant gardens, travel and come back to reap the rewards. They are perfect for chucking into some piece of land where access may be prohibited.

The clay acts as a binder and as a source for water and moisture. Clay retains water very well and slowly releases it to the seeds and little plants. The organic matter, compost or worm castings, feed the seeds.

Seed bombs can be placed on the surface of a pot to grow or they can be put in a tree pit or chucked into a vacant piece of land. If sowing “in the wild” so to speak, please make sure that you use native plants and not invasive species. What a way to get your Guerilla Garden going

Wild Flowers and Mallets

How to make Seed Bombs.

Ingredients

• 2 parts garden soil
• 1 part Clay powder
• Worm castings or compost
• Seeds
• Water
• Trust and Love

1. To make clay powder, purchase red sculpting clay from an art supply store, cut it very thinly with a wire and let dry. Pulverize with a mallet or a meat grinder. This is the hardest part. I think about urban blight and pretty flowers when I am pounding clay. Old boyfriends, annoying room mates or a mean boss may be some other sources for inspiration.
2. Mix the soil and the clay together and sprinkle some worm castings on top. If using compost, then omit the worm castings and replace the soil with compost.
3. Add enough water to form a ball and have the materials bind together. Very similar to making a pastry crust. Not too much water, not too little, just enough to get it to stick together, add a little at a time.
4. Roll about 5 seeds onto each ball. Just 5 . maybe even 3. Remember that each little seed has the potential to grow into a plant.
5. Let dry for a couple of days and enjoy. Trust that your seeds will grow, and Love the beautiful gardens that you create.

Terrariums!

Terrariums

Wow, wow and just wow.

We have been making terrariums for a few years now and I am still overwhelmed by how popular these are and continue to be.

I haven’t gotten the official count yet, but from my estimate, we taught about 150 people how to make them yesterday.

It was BYOC (bring your own container) and people showed up with everything from 1 gallon jugs  to little test tubes. We made moss terrariums yesterday, just to keep it simple.

Here is how you make a moss terrarium. I must have repeated these steps about 50 150 times yesterday so I know it pretty well.

How to make a Terrarium

Termaid

Ingredients

• Clear Glass Container, with or without a lid
• Rocks
• Sheet moss or Sphagnum Moss
• Charcoal
• Peat Moss
• More moss and Decor

1. Add a layer of rocks on the bottom. Make sure that you use clean rocks that are scaled with your container.
2. Add a barrier layer of sheet moss or sphagnum moss
3. Add a thin layer of charcoal
4. Add a layer of peat moss…
5. OK. Now let the fun begin. You can plant this with moss, lichens, decor, mini plants, what have you. MOSS MOSS and More MOSS!

I saw all sorts of things from a lady that looked like a mermaid in a terrarium, I call her the TERMAID, to little figurines.

I brought in some mini slate slabs that people colored with pencils. Those were pretty cool.

As always, we are available for any of your terrarium questions.

Check out the fun action below.

ps. a certain film crew from a certain tv show that has the initials MSL was there documenting the whole event. Can’t wait to see the footage!

My parents live in West Virginia, near the Maryland border. Their property sits on the site of an old tomato and melon farm. There was once a thriving tomato industry in their area but the local farmers could not compete with the big factory farms in California so they went out of business. Unfortunately, the farmers used chemical fertilizers which left the soil depleted of organic materials and nutrients and pretty poor. It has been siting fallow for about 20 years.

They said that nothing can grow there but offered to give me a small piece of land to try to grow something if I could, I saw it as a horticultural challenge.

I fell in love with lavender when I first visited the south of France and had the opportunity to visit lavender fields while it was in full bloom. My parents had seeded their property with wildflowers and registered their property as a wildflower farm and lavender seemed like a good fit. Lavender loves to be planted in well draining soil on a slope without many nutrients. It doesn’t need much maintenance, water, pest control or fertilizer and if planted correctly, can be maintained by mowing in between rows a couple of times a year. Turns out it loves it in the mountains of West Virginia where there are hot dry summers and lots of silty, rocky soil. It also tolerates being ignored by my parents. We planted a few thousand plants on mother’s day a few years ago and it has thrived.

While you spend the 4th chomping on hotdogs or fauxdawgs trying to keep cool, we spent the holiday weekends at our flower farm in West By God Virginia picking lavender from our fields in triple digit weather. Yea Haw! Our lavender is grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides and is perfect for use in your home or for cooking.

Here is a great recipe for Lavender Sorbet

Lavender Sorbet

The vodka in the recipe makes it very soft. It’s not the kind of iced dessert you scoop into an oversized waffle cone. It’s a slushy, uncooperative dish that, in small doses, will refresh your heat-addled senses. While this style of sorbet is similar to the palate cleansers served at high-end restaurants between courses, I like it as a mid-afternoon refresher on a scorching hot summer day.

Makes 4 very small servings

1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup water
1 heaping teaspoon fresh lavender flowers (food grade only*)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vodka
In a small sauce pan, dissolve sugar and water over medium heat.
Stir in lavender. Bring to a boil then quickly reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then strain lavender syrup through a fine sieve.
Stir in lemon juice and vodka.
If you have an ice cream maker, make the sorbet according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Otherwise, pour the syrup into a flat-bottomed glass dish, cover, and freeze until semi-solid. Break the sorbet up with a fork and freeze until solid. Place frozen sorbet in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Cover and refreeze until ready to serve.

The Foundry is one of my favorite wedding venues.

It is so beautiful with the aged brick and the ivy climbing the walls. Without any decor it looks amazing.

Cathy and Tom were an amazing couple to work with, so much fun and full of warmth. It is no wonder that Cathy chose a sunny yellow for her bride’s maids and a yellow and green pallet for her flowers, she and Tom always have smiles.

Tom loves billy balls so we put lots of those in. I think the final results are classic and beautiful.

Thanks to Jake at jpweddingphoto.com for sending over these great pictures.

Thank you Cathy and Tom for letting us be a part of your special day.

Boutionniere

Bride's Maids Bouquet

This Weekend we have a PURPLE wedding at the GREEN building.

All these colors, can’t wait….

Hopefully I will remember to take some pictures!.

August is a great time of year for flowers.

In late August, the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler and the weather is perfect. From now until the middle of October has to be my favorite time of year.
Dahlias, lilies, Roses, all look amazing this time of year and are very beautiful.
Mums are coming into season and are beautiful with shades of burgundy and yellow. Celosia with its fuzzy texture and bright colors looks great.

August Flowers

The hanging amaranth, also called love lies a bleeding, drapes and hangs and just looks sultry and warm.

Locally grown sunflowers are also available. The world seems like it is filled with sunshine. Take a look at the dark chocolate sun flowers, like velvet. Mixed with white siberian lilies and beige saraha roses they are stunning.
Everyone always asks what we have fresh. So here is what we have right now… Enjoy.

August News, Big Sale!

It has been a long, hot summer. Time to sow your fall crops. These cool nights are reminding me that fall is just around the corner.

Did you know that now is the perfect time to sow seeds for those cold weather vegetables? Every time I go to my favorite restaurant in Greenpoint, the ones with the Knights, who’s name I can never pronounce, I think about fall crops. All those lovely cabbages, carrots, parsnips, beets, and turnips; they love cool weather and now is the time to sow your seeds. If you have a little spot where perhaps a zucchini didn’t make it (damn caterpillars) or a plant that is just limping along, yank it and sow some seed. Didn’t get around to planting a garden this year, don’t worry, you can sow these now. Varieties like dwarf kale, carrots, spinach and lettuce work great in containers, so don’t let a lack of an outdoor space stop you

Twig Terrariums!Crime

It ain't no Crime

It Ain’t no crime to love terrariums, we do for sure. Twig is back in the house and will be teaching a workshop all about Terrariums. Featured at the Museum of Arts and Design, Twig has bought terrariums to a new level, and the girls are super sweet too. Come take their class and learn all about terrariums.

BYOC Terrariums. Have a special container that you love, want to learn a little more about DIY terrariums? Take our BYOC class and bring your own container.

BIG FAT SALE!
Yip-pie, it is our end of summer sale. Now that your sunburns have finally turned into tans, I know its time for a sale. All outdoor plants are 30% off, All gardening supplies, hoses, tools, are 50% off.. WHAAAT? We have to make room for fall plants, so buh-by, summer plants, buh-by, soaker hoses, buh-by and buh-by rakes, spades, and forks.

Give the Gift of Love. Dahlias and Celosia Locally grown flowers

Did you know that Flowers are a natural Aphrodisiac? They are, why do you think they have been gifted since ancient times? We all need a little love, right? So to help we are bringing back HAPPY FLOWER HOUR, so from now until Labor Day, we will be offering 30% off all fresh cut flowers, Thursday-Sunday from 5pm to 7pm. Our Flowers are Locally Grown, so you can skip the crowds at the Farmers Market and save your Weekend for other stuff, bow-chicka-bow-wow. If you want to be even more romantic, you can have one of our stunning bouquets delivered to your sweeties door. Call 718-486-3569 or Order On line for a single bouquet or up to a year’s worth of flowers, delivered to your sweet-heart once a month for up to a year.

Cool Places for your Air plants to Chill.

Air plants need homes too, and we have lots of cool globes, lanterns, and twig wreaths for your little friends to hang on. Don’t have any air plants? Don’t worry, we have plenty of those in stock too.

Great Minds? I like to think so and I was super excited when I saw my favorite pots featured on Design Sponge, My favorite design blog.

Great minds think alike? We have a full selection of beautiful Campo di Fiore pots with luscious live moss come and snag yours. Once planted, Campo de Fiori terracotta pots will begin the natural aging process, creating a varied surface texture of vibrant mosses along with naturally occurring colors that evoke the classic look of antiquity. We are proud to have them at our shop.

Campo di Fiore Moss Pots

NEW HOUSEPLANTS!! We just got in a new shipment of crazy houseplants just for you. Lots of low light plants for that middle room in your railroad apartment, lots of tall plants for that double high window in your duplex. No green thumb? Don’t worry, we have a class just for you.Creeping Fig

Rhipsalis

GETTING MARRIED?

Have a friend who is tying the knot, jumping the broom, taking the plunge, well you get the picture. Our wedding flowers have been featured in New York Magazine, and on Merci Bride Kimberly will teach you the ins and outs of personal flowers, how to make your own corsages, bouquets, and boutonnieres. Look all fancy all the time.

Moss Boutonniere

Hope to see you in the shop soon!

Kimberly, Enrique, Lavender and Sweet William.

Rose Red & Lavender
653 Metropolitan Avenue
www.roseredandlavender.com

I love the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, it is so beautiful and I often visit for inspiration.

Flower Girl

Last July we made flowers for Pete and Irene who were getting married at the Green Building in Brooklyn . The Green Building is a fantastic space that has terrific architecture. I would love to have the opportunity to do more weddings there.

Wildflowers

Pete and Irene wanted something a little different. They are both from the city, but they wanted to have a country

feeling to their wedding. Since this was in the middle of July, I had access to all sorts of grasses and other cool materials to work with. We used twigs in burlap bags as centerpieces and tied bundles of dried flowers with ivy to them.

Instead of carrying flowers, the bride’s maids wore necklaces made of herbs and roses. I think they were cute.

The bride carried a bouquet of mostly grasses with some roses. The bouquet

was trimmed with twine, keeping the stems exposed.

The groomsmen wore boutonnieres made of straw flowers with hot peppers.

After the ceremony, they went to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to take some pictures, beautiful.

Especially on theses cold winter days, it is nice to see a fun, summer wedding.

We recently did a wedding at the New Museum. The bride was super busy and everything was arranged by her mother, nice mom.

I saw a picture of her dress and I knew that succulents would be just the right thing.

Succulent Bridal Bouquet

The New Museum is a great venue, it is interesting because the rooms are very narrow, so each part of the wedding was on a different floor, thats a lot of elevator action, very downtown New York.

I made a succulent bouquet for the bride and there were four flower girls, each one wore a crown of babies breath and carried a grayish green basket decorated with eucalyptus leaves. Inside the baskets I placed more leaves and dark red rose petals.

The centerpieces and ceremony arrangements consisted of branches with white orchid blossoms and moss.

I was very happy with how everything turned out, especially when I got this note from the mother of the bride after the wedding.

“O! Kimberly,
they were so beautiful. I wish I knew you were there.
Everything was so specially detailed.
Julia loved her bouquet. In fact, the reception was so much fun with dancing that she forgot to throw it – and I decided to NOT remind her. So it was there for her when she returned on Tuesday. The photographer was so intrigued that she took quite a few pics of it – will send to you.
At the reception, people were stunned by its beauty and uniqueness. They repeatedly voiced their awe. At least one person stole some leaves so that she could hope to start them herself.
Throughout the evening I was struck by the scent of the Rosemary in my corsage – still have it here in Balt.
We carried the large arrangement home in a cab. Just couldn’t leave it. It wasn’t until Julia and Andy returned on Tuesday that they were really able to appreciate its beauty and style. Kimberly, I have not seen your other work but this was breathtaking. And I think the minimalism provided great strength.
We couldn’t be more grateful.

Corsage and Hairpiece

If there is an opportunity for me to write something for your website I would love to. Or just use my words from here.
You were so careful to address our wishes, continuing to offer without pressure and still guiding us along.
The little girls’ baskets were precious and meticulously prepared. They were thrilled and transformed with their crowns and behaved accordingly.
With huge gratitude for you and our great luck for stumbling into yor shop.

Paula”

Letters like that make me so happy, we work very hard to make everything special.

Bouquets, corsages and hairpieces are a topic of a favorite class that we teach in our floral design studio.

Succulent Boutonniere