In love with Tillandsias

We wanted some fun tillandsias to use for boutonnieres. My plant guy sent us these beauties. They're called tillandsia bulbosa guatemala....great name!



Then Wendy put them in these frosted glass vases. I LOVE THEM. And yes that is me shouting, but shouting for happiness. They make me do (to quote Susan Goodwin), the happy dance. And I bet they look good everywhere - down a dining table, in a bathroom, bedroom nightable, mantel etc......and probably good as a boutonniere too!

Looking for Sunshine

My friend has a cabin out in the woods on the Washington side of the Columbia River by Hood River. I jumped at the chance to spend a long weekend out there. This is peak wildflower season and it's a special place because it's transition between temperate rainforest and parched desert. Plus I love my friend and never get to see her enough.

But this hut made me a little nervous....who lives there?
That's not where we're staying is it?

Okay, I'll take the cabin upgrade.

Country hospitality abounds.

We went on some amazing walks.
One day we found ourselves high up on the hill and we wanted to be lower down on the path.

Now that may look like a gently rolling hit but I'm here to tell you it was not.

Luckily our beloved sherpa led us safely down the slope.

It's a beautiful world out there. Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend!!

Still Life with Color Copier at Kinko's

I'd like to do a whole series of these flower portraits....I arrange the flowers on the glass of the color copier.....

Here I used the early May Flowers - lily of the valley and one of my top ten favorites, narcissus poeticus.

And then I laid the copy on the flowers. Or at least that's what I think I did....I should have taken notes.....who knew in the heat of the moment?

One of my favorites from the series.
P.S. I think it's the red line around the cup of the narcissus that really sends me plus they smell GREAT!

Strange Doings at Passionflower

One of the obscure perks of being a retail store owner is that nobody looks at me strangely when I make things like this......

P. S. Forgive the pricetags in the photo. I have yet to learn photoshop. And I may never. Dear reader, you will have to suffer through the occasional price tag showing. Just to keep it real. :)

Garden Ornaments, Statuary & Other Goodies

I tend to favor a rustic garden with not too much ornamentation. There was a time when I didn't want anything manmade in the yard. I can make up some really goofy rules for myself sometimes.

Luckily I am mellowing out in my old age and decided to throw those rules out the window and get a little crazy by putting this big rustic bowl in the spot off the deck. Of course, now I think it defines the whole space and I have gone through lots of ideas about what I could plant in that bowl......and then just today....I decided, "I think I'll leave it alone".
I like the emptiness.

So I invite you all dear readers, to consider the just right, perfect something that can take your outdoor space to the next level........Forthwith (is that one word or two? Or is that even a word?) some picks from our new offerings at Passionflower:

I could see a whole grouping of these buddha statues(which are only about a foot tall) lined up in a modern yard - or at the base of a special tree, or sitting in a circle of gravel. And the creamy, white is a nice color pop in our yards which are so green in Oregon.

And here's a tillandsia on a cedar board......this is a combination of two strong trends we see right now - the rage for succulents and tillandsias and the interest in vertical gardening.

Vertical gardening is a great option for those with limited outdoor space. Imagine a whole wall filled with various and assorted tillandsias on boards. Just hose them down whenever you need to water. The cedar will go grey over time.

This Quan Yin is so soulful. And the green glass float in the backgroundwould add a little soul to an outdoor space as well.

Also consider using bromeliads like the one above outside......opens up a lot of possibilities.

These beauties would probably have to come inside during the winter....but you could enjoy them all summer.

So there's lots more goodies at the store and not all Asian. Rustic pieces, birdbaths, lanterns, benches, aged moss pots and more all await their perfect home.

Flowers for Mother's Day from Passionflower

Mother's Day is really a fun holiday because it's busy but not crazy, Valentine's busy. Plus, it's hard to go wrong when there are so many great flowers this time of year.

For your viewing pleasure, more not so good photos of some really good Mother's Day

flowers.

Our beloved maidenhair fern gives everything a little woodland feel.

Here's a close up.

We had dogwood and columbines!!!!!!

And springtime all around us.

Plus, Wendy's been doing this interesting thing where she carefully inverts the tulips and makes them look like some strange and beautiful flora.

At first I thought of it as a mild form of flower torture, but now I look at it as helping the flower along in it's unfolding. Always a surprise, never quite sure what we'll find inside.

Passionflower is a Dog Friendly Store

Can we say,"Princess"?

Showered with Jewels from Susan Goodwin

The beautiful, talented, and generous Susan Goodwin paid us a May Day visit.

It was a whirlwind -

a veritable buffet of delicious gems.

There was lots of turquoise.......

Here's a composite necklace with an old clock key and I think that's a bullet casing that has been filled with turquoise.

Susan's work has an extreme delicacy mixed with a lot of strength.

We cannot thank Susan enough although we suspect she does these shows because she gets to see lots of different women wearing her jewelry.....

These trunk shows are like her little jewelry laboratory.

Thanks everyone for coming. It was fun playing dress up with you! :)

Wearing Flowers in Your Hair & Other Places Too

Here's one of the reasons I love owning Passionflower. Every now and then someone on the staff comes to me and says....."someone was in the store and they brought in all these hair clips that they make and they're really cute , and she has hundreds of them."....."Hundreds of them ?"...that sounds like fun.

And it WAS fun when South Eugene High School sophomore Anna Carlson brought in her hair clips which she makes from silk flowers she buys at Value Village, takes apart and refashions adding buttons, tulle, and feathers and bits of this and that.

There were lots to choose from and Ms. Carlson seemed pretty happy to leave with a check for a couple of hundred dollars. We were both pretty happy.



And then Wendy made them look really cute with ribbon and a sign. More happiness.

And then Alison made them look even cuter!

In the floral industry the wearing of fresh and silk flowers is termed

"Body Flowers"....

"Viva las Flores de Cuerpo"

Karen Russo's Show Opened at Passionflower

A good time was had by many last Friday when Karen Russo's beautiful show , A Walk in Her Garden, opened upstairs in our Attic Gallery. The show runs through the 29th of May.

Here's Martha making music at the opening.
I think she was channeling Edith Piaf cum Cowgirl.
It was rich and deep and enchanting.

Ponderings on the Peony

Peony season is upon us. First the big dark red ruffly ones......and then lo and behold.....

Lindsey's mom gave us this beauty from her tree peony.

The Chinese consider the peony to be a direct emanation from the moon.

That seems about right to me....

Moongazing anyone?

Dream of Summer at Passionflower

I can hardly wait for summer.....when we get to eat outside all the time and my lonely porch can become filled with houseplants.

In the meantime, I'll content myself with hanging these "wedding" festones from a bed inside

the store -

And dream of lying on my back on a breezy summer day, gazing up at a cloud filled sky.

I Drive by this Sign Everyday on My Way To Work

I love my neighborhood.

Happy Mother's Day from Passionflower Design

Hi Mom !

From all of us at Passionflower -

Here's a plant,



And some flowers ("movie star" rose, popcorn viburnum,
pink tulip anthurium, and white tulip)....


And a super fun sign that Becky made on our chalkboard.....

Happy Mother's Day 2010!!

Love you!