Family Jewels

Photo by Hanna Davis



Azalea, Peonies, Hyacinth, Phlox, Grape Ivy

I'm so 3008.....

Bride with Black Calla Lilies
2007

Black Beauty Roses, Ranunculus, Cymbidiums, Lady Slippers, Scabbiossas and their Pods, Begonia Leaves, Majolica Spray Roses, and Lotus Pods
2007

......I like that boom boom pow
Them chicks is jackin my style
They try to copy my swagger
I’m on that next shit now
Im so 3008
Your so 2000 and late
I got that boom boom boom
That future boom boom boom.....
......Fergie(Black-Eyed Peas)

This made me laugh when I came across these old pics in 2007 when calla lilies were all that every bride wanted in their bouquet and I thought about Black Eyed Peas song but of course remembered the self deprecating version of the lyrics in my head and not the real lyrics above. All I remembered was,

You're so 2008.... I'm so 2000 and late.

Actually I think the photos still hold up despite their age so maybe not so late after all :)

Little Sneak Peak at Summer

Summer bouquet of wild garden roses picked from our own bushes, corn flowers, phlox and silver dollars.

The Democratic Eyes of Fashion

Just came from watching the film "Bill Cunningham New York" a documentary by Richard Press about the legendary man on a bike that signals trends and fashion insights before the editors have had a chance to consider.

My personal rules on when to clap at the end of a film.

1. When the film makers or subjects are in the movie house
2. At a premier screening
3. When it's about a New York personality who could be discreetly sitting in the audience and either they or the film merit an applause

I have always admired the inspirational Bill Cunningham- the world's democratic eye for style and self expression. Seeing him race around town while I was a student at Parson's, or discreetly meandering through the crowds at fashion week or buzzing through the bluebloods at the galas for the past 25 years has always given me a thrill, like spotting an endangered species or a rare bird.
Once I had the great thrill and honor of speaking with him briefly when he was fact checking a photograph he had taken of a tabletop I designed for the NY Horticultural Society Gala. When I hung up I found myself skipping around cloud 9 for days!!!! Alas!!!! Something I made was shot and would be featured in a Bill Cunnigham spread!!!!!!. I'm not fashionable enough to make onto his film but my designs are! Yes!!!This particular smile lingered for a while!
A feeling many of his subjects have undoubtedly shared.
Enough about me and that little tiny thumbnail image that made it into his article, more about him and the film that reveals the darling human being that he is and the commitment he has for his "play"- not work as he says! I love you Bill!!!!! Marvelous Bill!!!!!

"I just try to play a straight game and in New York that's very.....almost impossible. To be an artist and straight in New york that's like Don Quixote fighting windmills. Shut up Cunningham! Lets get this thing on the road! Get up and work!"

...........Bill Cunningham

APPLAUSE

Flower School 06 Winter Aconite

The Winter Aconite Fairy published in London by Blackie,
1944 in Flower Fairies of the Garden

Lithograph Familiar Wild Flowers (circa 1890)

by Frederick Edward Hulme

Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)

A tuberous perrenial and an early Spring bloomer who likes moist soil and will be amongst the first show of color( bright orange/yellow) at the break of winter- often seen bursting through mounds of snow. Great for bringing a bright spot to a mossy ground cover as it grows on short stems 2-3" with lovely buttercup shaped blossoms and bright green ruffled collars (bracts). Sweetly paired with other early bloomers like snowdrops and primrose. May easily be divided to form new colonies once the bloom has faded. Simply dig up the tuber, wash, divide and replant to settle into new parts of the garden. Not commonly used for cut flowers but if you want to introduce it into a bridal bouquet a longer stemmed variety(E. tubergenni) could facilitate this purpose better. The blossoms can be wired by applying a wet cotton swab to the stem's ends and sealing with floral tape- a tedious job but possible and rewarding for it's originality. It's lifespan will be limited so be sure to wire directly prior to delivery for this special occasion.

Your Individuality Makes You Beautiful

The Curious Case of the Four Legged Chick

Chick's head is a sunflower, calla lilly and button mum bouquet
featured in Town and Country Weddings this month.

Martin Johnson Heade

Tropical Landscape With Ten Hummingbirds 1870

letter to Sarita Brady

My photo-editing "exacto-blade" impulse is comletely thrown out the window with the works of Martin Johnson Heade! You can see his "complete" works. I say"complete" because his works are still found in the oddest places around America including rummage sales. Many accounts of people buying his works for a few dollars then reselling for hundreds of thousands keep occuring due to the fact that he often sold his paintings to the middle classes. If I found one of these gems I'd never part with it! But then again you can always order reproductions from China (make sure get the size right). His romanticism not only shows in his work but in his writings. Above is a letter from him to Sarita Brady. Why don't men like this exist today? And if they do, why aren't they straight! I guess it wouldn't matter, he'd charm me without the need of removing said pants.

Flower Symbolism

photo by: Hannah Davis

In the late 19th, early 20th century there was a revival of the use of symbolic meanings of plants and flowers. Nature seemed to be a forest of symbols, and flowers were saturated with deeper meanings.

Jewelry was often imbued with the meanings of the times. The romantic facet of ivy is based upon its tendrils which attach itself to a wall, a gold necklace made of ivy might be given to a coutesan while saying,

"Je m'attache ou je meurs" which (freely) translates to "I will cling to you or I will die"....

During the Renaissance, nature was viewed as a reflection of the divine. Botanical symbolism was included in much of the religious art of the day and medieval gardens were often created with both symbolic and spiritual meanings. In the late Middle Ages, depictions of the Virgin Mary in an idealized garden were common in Flemish and German paintings. The flowers in these gardens symbolized Mary’s virtues and significant events in her life. Some churches began creating actual gardens devoted to Mother Mary for worshipers to visit for meditation and prayer. Flowers that could be grown in such “Mary Gardens” included the following: Christmas rose-purported to have flowered on Christmas Day; daisy-symbolic of purity and simplicity; iris-the blade shaped foliage denoting the sorrows that ‘pierced her heart’; lady’s mantle-likened to a cloak for the Blessed Virgin; lily-associated with the annunciation of the birth of Jesus by the angel Gabriel; marigold-’Mary’s Gold’, golden gifts offered to the Virgin by the poor. Although the legendary associations and religious meanings of flowers have existed for centuries, the specific symbolic meaning of particular flowers to represent emotions was developed to a high degree during Victorian times. Due to the strict protocol of the times, emotions, wishes and thoughts were not openly expressed between men and women. Instead, an elaborate language based on flower meanings was developed. Both gifts of single flowers and bouquets conveyed clear messages to the recipient. With the increasing complexity of the language of flowers, handbooks were written to guide the understanding of flower meanings. The first book written on the subject in modern times was Le Language des Fleurs by Madame Charlotte de la Tour in 1819. The most popular book on the subject, which remains a prominent resource today, is Kate Greenaway’s Language of Flowers (1884).
Flowers are still used today to convey feelings in a more general way. Modern flower meanings include the following: bluebells-symbolic of humility and gratitude; foxglove-symbolic of both healing and insincerity; lupines-symbolic of the imagination; marigolds-symbolic of passion and creativity; poppies-symbolic of beauty, magic, and eternal life; sweet peas-symbolic of bliss and delicate pleasure; zinnias-thoughts of absent friends, lasting affection and constancy.

An extensive list can be found on Wikipedia "Symbolic Meaning of Flowers"
and
Flowers Symbolism List from Collier's Cyclopedia of Commercial and Social Information and Treasury of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge, compiled by Nugent Robinson. P.F. Collier, 1882

Flower School 05 Acidanthera bicolor

photo by Eduard Sjoukes

Chromolithograph by Guillaume Severeyns after painting by H.G. Moon 1895

The Acidanthera bicolor is a late summer(mid August- mid Sept) blooming bulb perennial which likes to be planted in the spring and grown in clumps on a sunny southern facing border or bed in the garden with excellent drainage. It will reward with a heady scent and delicate contrasting blossoms of pure white petals with dark maroon centers. Commonly mis-named peacock orchid, the Acidanthera (Gladiolus Callianthus) is actually a gladiolus and a distant relative to the Crocosmia.
Conditioning: since blossoms occur one at a time, deadhead any that are wilting and place stems in a generously filled container of water.

Grey Sky Mornings

Some grey sky

mornings refuse to

give up their form

until they've been

perfect vehicles for

our thoughts

.....R. Cowans

photo by Hannah Davis

Bouquet is composed of lemon scented geranium, scabbiossa and tweedia.