This classic November wedding was held a few steps from the lake at the Michigan Shores Club in Wilmette. One of my most favorite elements to work on were the lovebird’s initials made entirely of white roses, as well as these garlands of ferns and flowering dogwood for the chandeliers. The incomparable women of Studio Starling made the glamorous, …
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Persephone Months
Elliot Coleman, progenitor of four season farming refers to these winter months as “the Persephone months” when the only growth that occurs is in cold frames and their movable greenhouses. I always think of that greek myth as one the greatest feminist stories. As her daughter was abducted and taken to the underworld, Demeter, goddess of the …
trouble in paradise
All has not been sunshine and happiness at Five Row recently. 100 of our cosmos plants developed root rot and have pretty much all died. They were such a sight in their glory; 6 ft tall, with so many blooms it was almost a bore! Root rot is irreversible but I tried to contain it, …
True Romance
When I tell people that I do flowers for weddings, many times they wince and say “Oh, but you must have to work with such awful Bridezillas!” It’s funny, I explain, but on the contrary we are lucky enough to somehow attract some of the most wonderful, low-key, chic clients and their eyes widen. What’s …
Summer Citrus at The Ivy Room
Absolutely unafraid of color, this beautiful bride chose a sherberty pallette in shades of coral, tangerine, lemon and lime. We employed fresh citrus including limequats in the bouquets and centerpieces as well as dinner plate dahlias and cosmos from our farm. In the gorgeous sanctuary that is the courtyard at The Ivy Room, our designer …
Big Table Dinner at Garfield Park Conservatory
Some clearly brilliant women from Green City Market’s junior board are hosting a series of farm dinners in honor of urban farmers this summer in Chicago’s most incredible parks. Our friends from The Chicago Honey Co-op were on the list of course and by donating flowers from our farm we were lucky enough to tuck …
Mud madness
Our plants were all knee high by the fourth of July! Some of them were so tall that they were snapping off at the base and a mad staking party in a flooded field was held. We started out with mallets up on ladders, then post drivers and finally figured out that the ground …
Shanghai Terrace
We had the happy luxury of jamming tea tins full of blooms in fluorescent shades on Friday. Exotics like long stemmed Rothschild lilies, Icelandic poppies and parrot tulips mixed well with old-timey bee-balm, begonias and geranium on the Shanghai Terrace at the Pennisula where our spectacular bride greeted guests for cocktails on the eve of …
Song of Spring
It’s suddenly Spring. I, like many Chicagoans, am stumbling around pasty and shell-shocked, blinded by this gigantic alien orb in the sky. This handful of garden greens heralds as a kind of victory flag over this intensive winter. I’ve heard of massive defections from Chicago due to last winter and I’m fine with it. Fare …
apricot tumult
Somedays in this industry I like to think of myself as a tummler. According to Every Goy’s Guide to Common Jewish Expressions, a tummler, (TOOM-ler) is someone who is maker of fun, commotion, tumult. Particularly someone who’s always making jokes- that can get the party started. Also, someone hired professionally at a resort in the Borscht Belt to …