A Different Kind of Mushroom

Do you know what these are? They're a common mushroom (more specifically I think thought of as a "shelf fungus") found in lots of places all over the world and in the States we call them turkey tails (trametes versicolor)..Curiosly, they're a major component in many herbal anti cancer formulas....I am fascinated by how they grow in concentric rings. Plus, they have a super velvety texture when they're fresh.

And their colors are more nuances of earth tones than you knew about.

I found a whole bunch out in the filbert orchard behind my house. It's pruning time and there were lots of downed logs with loads of turkey tails growing on them.

I brought some home and thought about displaying them all science like....maybe pinned onto some black paper with names and arrows written in white ink.

But then I decided........to make one big hybrid rosette out of them.

And enjoy it on my front porch for a while.
Turkey tails mesmerize me.

April Showers Bring May Flower

Lilacs are blooming.

Need I say more?

Apple Blossoms in the Willamette Valley

The palest of pinks.......apple blossom....it's a member of the rose family......five petals.......

These delicate blooms are from some gnarly old trees in the side of my yard.......and if the apple is blossoming the lilac cannot be far behind.

More Tillandsia Love

Here's a tillandsia getting ready to flower. I attached it to a piece of rustic bark.....

Kind of grounds it don't you think? Gives it something to spring forth from.

Experimenting with Tillandsias

I took some tillandsias home because I wanted to get to know them a little better. Tillandsias are in botanical world what is know as epiphytes or air plants because, while some have roots, they do not need to be rooted in the ground. How cool is that? They can live in the air!!!!!!!

This actually is an ingenious strategy for how to live higher up in the tropical forest canopy where there is more sun and less competition. I think if one considered the forest like a city their strategy might be called infill. And they're not just exactly free floating away in the atmosphere, they generally tend to attach themselves to trees and branches.....If you've ever been to Hawaii, Mexico or other tropical places you've probably seen them in the wild. Anyway I digress....I took this one home.
And then it had little babies!!!!!!!!! This little guy literally dropped from the plant.

And then there were two.

They're so tiny....but I don't see any reason why they won't continue to grow.
I'm just going to dunk them in water once or twice a week like I do the other tillandsias.

And then I have an idea about maybe attaching them to rocks (instead of branches) -
sort of like a plant/ mineral hybrid.

I'm still playing around with that idea.

Dried Wreaths at Passionflower

I always love a wreath in the spring time.....to me it symbolizes the circle of life. Here's one a little bigger than the outspread span of my hand....it has eggs, and feathers, and twigs and moss and a touch of blue hydrangea - oh yeah and a little pussywillow.....

Because pussywillow is the harbinger of spring.

Tulips at Passionflower Design

Did I say I was going to do a blog post everyday? What I meant was, I'm going to do a blog post every day that the weather isn't beautiful and when my apple trees aren't crying out for a little pruning. Which has left things a little thin on the blog......So, despite our amazing weather right now, I'm tearing myself away from my evening prune and leaving you with these fun and simple tulip arrangements that we did last spring.

Enjoy!

La Primavera Returns

Spring is in the air.

I sense a bounty of possibilities.

Ranunculus anyone?

Consider the transformative power of a single bloom.

Finding Inspiration in the Little Things

We always talk about taking a staff retreat and going out to the coast or the woods and making a site specific, found object, artwork - sounds fun. A couple of weeks ago I thought we could make a long, meandering line composed of flower petals - the line would meander parallel to the coast and we'd lay it down during a low tide. Then we could witness the tide coming in and carrying the petals away.

Here is my little still life homage to that idea.

Leftovers from a day's work in floral.

Edward Cullen sends Valentine's Flowers

I didn't know who he was but I knew I liked the guy who was sending the flowers...He threw down a floral challenge & Passionflower responded.....He wanted something "earthy -non traditional, not necessarily romantic ." He described the recipient as "someone with a lot of style -informed by a thrift store look."......Okay I love the word informed to describe an aesthetic.....

He signed it Edward Cullen.

And he had the budget to let us play.

The hellebore seemed just right.

And then Lindsey told me Edward Cullen is a mythical vampire from the
Twilight books and movies.

Even better......




I think we'll add some ladyslipper orchids and fern curls.

Still trying to decide about grey tulle.

Used a beautiful Green Bohemian wine glass (upper left)-

as a vase.

Adding some local goodies.

It had this musky temperate rainforest thing going.

Andromeda, ladyslipper, hellebore.

All set to go.........and we'll collar it with really crinkled up grey tulle.

We've been getting into a plum, purple, platinum, silver kind of mood at the store lately.

Everythings got some color but it's dusty - just perfect for our foggy, grey Oregon weather.

Leave a comment and tell me what colors are working for you these days.

Memories of A Valentine's Day

Cupid was looking for his arrows.

Mother Nature smiled upon us -


The weather was mild and we had lots of great local flowers: quince, and plum, and pussywillow and hellebore

Big Yummy - quince in the middle of February.

We stirred up a little creativity.

And dished up some tasty food.

Promises of Spring & Valentine's Love to Come

Okay it has been way too seriously long since I've done a post - almost a month and I have been a busy girl. Lots of things to show & tell- trips to Seattle & NY, Valentine's Day, Amazing Art Show at Passionflower etc... - but in the meantime I'll leave you with a photo of some pussywillow from my backyard and a little ditty to go along with it -

To be recited as you gently touch someone's face with a pussywillow bud.

"Close your eyes and do not peek and spring will dance across your cheek'

There is something about softness to learn from the pussywillow.

Some New Year's Flowers

Here are some flowers I was happy to send out for the New Year. Downright delicious.

Tulips and cabbages and roses with huckleberry branches - and a promise of spring to come.

I'd love to see these at a beautiful winter wedding at Gerlinger Hall on the U of O Campus.

The World's Longest Pine Cone

Here's a detail from the wreath on my front door.......The big cone is a sugar pine and it has the largest cones of any pine. Even though they say it grows in the Cascades, I have never seen one. It must be a sight to behold with the big cones weighing the branches down.

I love using it as a big focal point with mossy branches, fresh greens, magnolia leaves turned backside - says winter without screaming Christmas.

Christmas at the Brandywine River Museum

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Brandywine River Museum while having a little mini holiday with my mom in Philadelphia. It's a fine little museum with a quirky mix of specialties.

Amongst the slightly macabre collection of Jamie
Wyeth oversize paintings of pigs and crows and male ballet stars, they had it all decked out for the holidays .....

It's a totally homespun affair using only what they have gathered in the surrounding field and gardens.

I imagine hordes of volunteers let loose to give flight to their fancies......

There were lots of animals



Kind of like Granny Craft meets Do It Yourselfer.





I was completely charmed by the treetoppers.

And I know just where I can get a firecracker allium like this one for the top of my tree......
Makes a pretty nice star, don't you think?