A little bit of blue

We are feeling a little bit blue on this long weekend.  Sensing the end of summer.

The Wild Oat

My big city florist friend says, "There's an upcharge for wildcrafting"...you know roadsidiana, backyardiana, wherever it is that you go and get a few sprigs of this and that, that, frankly, make your flowers get real, take them to the next level, add that je ne sais quoi~! Wildcrafting has always been part of our recipe at Passionflower.

And,  here's one of my faves that would fall in this category: the something you're never going to see for sale at the florist wholesaler, so if you want it, you're going to have to get it yourself. 

It's wild oats...common on many road edges in Oregon.  Parts of it are used herbally as a nervine and especially helpful if you want to quit smoking. And then there's that expression, "sowing your wild oats".

And it's a Bach Flower Remedy too.  (click here to learn more about that)

Plus it's just kinda arching and gracefully beautiful too.

These are some of  the things I think about when I use wild oats in a flower arrangement.

Happy Labor Day weekend to All!

Hopping on the Bandwagon

We're a little late to the station, but we've hopped on the Instagram train.

And we're following all kinds of fun people and getting lots of floral inspiration and more.

Check out our instagram here and follow us

And check out this fun post from Martha Stewart Living about top 25 floral instagram feeds.

 

Get Well Soon

 

Oh yuck, I have a big, ole, nasty summer cold which came on fast and I am hoping, will leave just as quickly.  Seemed just right to share this echinacea picture which I snapped sometime back.  Echinacea, also sometimes called coneflower, it's part of my secret get well fast arsenal.  And so is this too~!

And on a different note, sometime in the middle of the night the blog passed it's 200 thousand pageview mark.  My tekkie advisor assures me these are not all robots in China.  So thanks one and all for checking in on the Passionflower doings. 

Matt Wilkinson Cookbook

We've been  carrying a lot more cookbooks at the store and this one, which I have yet to give a whirl in the kitchen, seems like just about everyone in Eugene could use right about now. Everyone I know , including the mayor, is engaging in one manner of food preservation or another.  In other words, our gardens runneth over. 

Click here to check out more of Australian chef Matt Wilkinson's website

(which is a graphic wonderland as well as gastronomically inspiring)

My Reward

They say it's going to be a scorcher today in Eugene.  I'm going to sort through all my orders from New York and review it all and do all the ordering kinds of things I have to do...and work it pretty hard and at the end of the day, this is my reward.  I found a great little swimming hole (okay I guess it's a big reservoir which puts it in a slightly different category) out by Fern Ridge. The view is expansive, the water is refreshing but not too cold and I can be home in twenty minutes.  Trying to squeeze it all into these last days of summer.

Lavender Transfer Ware Platter

Beautiful birthday present from my beautiful staff.  I am one lucky girl.