Earlier in June, I wrote in general about the history of bouquets and, in particular, about picking flowers from the garden and that you need some vases.
Others have recently chimed in on the topic.
Rita Konig wrote a piece for The New York Times on July 13, 2010. She reiterated my point that a collection of vases or, if you prefer some alliteration, “a variety of vessels,” is critical to the whole flower-picking notion. “It is a good idea to collect these small receptacles whenever you see them…If you pick things like this up when you see them, suddenly you will have a really good cupboard full of pieces that have lots of uses.”
Konig admitted that she is not a skilled artisan. “I have two routes to flower arranging. The first is to buy enough of something that it kind of looks after itself, like a vase jam-packed with tulips…The other is the small jar of delicate flowers cut from the garden, like sweet peas in a little jar or poppies…in something taller; they don’t really need a lot of arranging.”
The August 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living included an appealing feature on bottles and jars— wonderful “vessels” for flowers. I might have saved myself the embarrassment of actually purchasing the magazine but, in addition to that story, I saw two recipes: a delicious-looking, deconstructed lobster roll, called Inside-Out Lobster Roll (a simple lobster salad with brioche croutons) and a Bacon, Avocado and Tomato Sandwich doctored up with radish sprouts.
The bottles and jars story included interesting tidbits about glass history and collecting antique pieces and, as with most things Martha-ish, the photographs were gorgeous. Jars and bottles were grouped by color and blended into one another like a rainbow—purple, clear, yellow, amber, olive green, emerald green, pale green, aqua, blue. The purple ones caught my eye and reminded me of an intriguing collection I had seen while visiting the home and garden of Mary Emerson in Gorham, Maine.
Mary grew 50 or so plants in her ultra charming sitting room but there were equally as many glass bottles and jars. A few were blue, aqua or clear; but mostly they were purple.
According to MSL, “Natural glass is not colorless; it has an aqua tint that requires an additional chemical to become clear. Until 1900, the chemical used turned lavender with sun exposure…”
Go forth and shop! Here is carte blanche to either begin purchasing/collecting vases if you haven’t or to continue. Konig concluded: “…you will be surprised how fond you will be of them, because most likely they will become souvenirs of trips and afternoons spent with a friend.”
Photo above: Just a small portion of Mary Emerson's amazing collection of glass vases, bottles and jars.
Most of the peonies, the classic swanlike ones with a scarlet thread through their centers, are open, and most of the double pinks as well (my least favorite). Iris is open everywhere, the huge red poppies, the beauty bush, and a bright pink single rose...Everything is as dry as a bone. I got up at six to water, and to pick flowers for the house. ~ May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude
Who doesn't love to pick flowers? Children, certainly, gather dandelions and present to smiling moms. On summer days at the lake, I recall reaching over the side of a boat to pick water lilies, or lily pads as we called them, from a quiet bay. Even husbands, from time to time, will pick flowers from the field or a sprig from a flowering shrub.
And gardeners, definitely, pick flowers. I've yet to walk into a friend's house in June and not see some of her best flowers on display on the kitchen counter.
A brief history. Cutting flowers from outside, bringing them indoors and arranging them in vases has been going on for a long, long time. Margaret Fairbanks Marcus, in her book Period Flower Arrangement, wrote that the earliest depiction was from a king's tomb in Thebes, Egypt, in the 14th century B.C. The drawings on the walls contain bouquets of lotus flowers.
Katherine S. White commented on flower bouquet history in Onward and Upward in the Garden, "The evidence is there...in the patterns on early Persian carpets and brocades, in Greek sculpture, in Roman and Byzantine mosaics, and in Chinese, Indian, and Japanese art of all kinds..."
She later concluded in her erudite way, "I daresay the earliest cave woman brought flowers into the cave."
You need some vases. Fundamental to picking flowers and bringing them inside is to have a good selection of vases. You never know what you'll be cutting so you need some big, tall ones and some little ones. You need a fancy vase or two and several simple ones.
Suzy Bales, author of Garden Bouquets and Beyond, offered her advice. "Although I have been collecting vases for decades, more often than not I repeatedly use my favorites. These include a simple green pottery jug, a glass celery jar, and an orange pitcher."
Just as containers are vital to a container garden, Bales wrote that vases "...can take an arrangement from so-so to sensational..."
Start picking now. June is a great month to cut flowers. Two of the stalwarts of the garden—roses and peonies—come into full bloom. Baptisias, lady's mantle, iris, alliums, salvias, daisies, lupines, hardy geraniums and poppies are also open.
In addition to flowers, though, consider picking other plants and plant parts. Bales wrote, "I cut indiscriminately from any plant, anywhere—container gardens, flower borders, foundation plantings, vegetable gardens, and the roadside when no one is looking."
Here are a few to try. Shrubs: blueberry, coreopsis, dogwood, honeysuckle, hydrangea, mockorange, ninebark, serviceberry, viburnum. Vines: bittersweet, clematis, grape, honeysuckle, hops, ivy, porcelainberry, sweet pea. Others: false solomon's seal, grasses, herbs, heuchera foliage, hosta foliage.
This also appears in the Askov American, Askov, Minnesota.
Flowers from Jeanne's garden on display at the library.
A new catalog arrived in my mailbox last week, Restoration Hardware Garden. Leafing through its pages of evocative photographs and upscale garden furnishings brought to mind last year's sad demise of Smith & Hawken.
Smith & Hawken was founded in 1979 by Dave Smith and Paul Hawken as a mail-order company that focused on high-quality English gardening tools. Three years later, they opened their first retail store in Mill City, California, and expanded its product line to include furniture, plants and clothing. The focus was always on useful but beautiful products that were well made, well sourced and well edited. In addition, the partners had a deep commitment to organic gardening principles and were good corporate citizens.
Smith & Hawken expanded rather quickly and by the early 1990s was grossing $50 million per year. As with many innovative companies, it soon sold to a conglomerate and eventually changed hands two more times. Ironically, the last owner of Smith & Hawken was Scotts Miracle-Gro, whose parent company markets Roundup and owns the Scotts, Miracle-Gro, Osmocote and Ortho brands.
The final, incongruous twist in the Smith & Hawken saga is the purchase of its brand by Target Corporation, the national discount retailer, earlier this year.
All this behind-the-scenes-business was, at first, transparent to me. I was a regular shopper of the Smith & Hawken catalog and was ecstatic when the company opened stores at two favorite Twin Cities shopping addresses–Grand Avenue in St. Paul and the Galleria in Edina.
My list of purchases over the years is impressive. • two teak garden benches (one a gift for my parents and one for me) • set of bistro table and chairs • Japanese weeding tool • some pieces of Guy Wolff terra cotta pottery • three pairs of Wellingtons • many gorgeous flower calendars • copper thermometer and hygrometer • numerous presents
(I should count a P.E., or Purchasing Error as they're called in our house. Smith & Hawken labeled them Italian Lights and I thought they were nifty–a heavy-duty, 50' string of copper shaded lights reminiscent of the Italian countryside. I had visions of them lighting up some future landscape project. Five years later, they're still in the box.)
But as I shopped I noticed changes. While the stores and catalogs continued to sell hard-core gardening supplies and quality furniture, more and more superfluous knick-knacks and non-gardening items were offered. Other shoppers must have noticed, too, and didn't buy as much or as often. Because as other garden retailers prospered, even in tough economic times, Smith & Hawken faltered.
And its demise left a void in the niche of high-end garden furnishings.
Enter the Premier Issue of Restoration Hardware Garden. This catalog is very upscale and seems targeted at the Smith & Hawken devotee.
The introduction states: Restoration Hardware Garden invites reflection, discovery and an appreciation of nature, embracing the beauty of age and the rich patina that has been nurtured by time and the elements. That character is reflected in our exclusive collection of furniture, objets and tools handcrafted by artisans from around the world.
The catalog features furniture made from sustainable teak, all-weather wicker and aluminum. (Although as with many Restoration Hardware products, the pieces are huge.) It also offers zinc lanterns and containers made from cast stone, reclaimed wood and zinc. A brand new (and trademarked!) item is a Firepot. Made from hand-cast clay in the shape of a balustrade, this cool light source burns gel fuel.
Restoration Hardware has picked up some of the venerable Smith &Hawken lines including Guy Wolff pottery, Haws watering cans and copper weather instruments. They even stock Wellingtons by Hunter and light strings similar to my P.E.
The pieces are, for the most part, handsome and the settings and photography are superb. But the catalog leaves me nostalgic for the more folksy approach of the original Smith & Hawken catalog with items that were, at once, finely crafted, functional and lovely.
The history of Smith & Hawken 1979 Smith & Hawken founded by Dave Smith and Paul Hawken as a mail-order company 1982 Opens first retail store in Mill City, California 1985 Opens second retail store and distribution center in Santa Rosa, California 1990 Moves to larger warehouse and distribution center 1991 Opens another retail shop in downtown Santa Rosa 1990s Company grew to $50 million in annual sales/Smith left company 1993 Sold to The CML Group from Massachusetts 1999 The CML Group goes bankrupt/Sold to an investment firm 2004 Scotts Miracle-Gro buys for $68 million/Expands to 56 stores in 22 states with a staff of 700 employees 2009 Scotts Miracle-Gro closes Smith & Hawken 2010 Target Corporation buys Smith & Hawken brand
The idea of the summer cabin, the lake house, the woods retreat, the stuga, is buried deep in the psyche of the state's culture. Minnesota was settled by (and is still inhabited by) a couple of million Norwegians and the better part of a million Swedes for whom the stuga is not an option but a religion. ~ Bill Holm, Cabins of Minnesota
In 1935, my grandfather (half Norwegian/half Swedish) had an itch to spend time on a lake and discovered a wild piece of lakeshore just north of Nisswa. The property owner, Elmer Olson, was a taciturn, stubborn Scandinavian farmer and it took my grandfather several years to woo Mr. Olson into selling a chunk. They ultimately agreed on a seven-acre parcel on the north side of the lake with about 1,000 feet of shoreline.
Five years later when my grandfather was 47, he and my grandmother (half Swedish) built a simple, 24' x 36' log-sided cabin. The floors were pine-planked and the interior walls were covered in wide, knotty pine paneling. Real, wooden mullions divided each of the large windows into six panes and those windows constituted most of the south wall facing the lake.
My parents spent many nights dancing at the original Bar Harbor on Gull Lake while dating and later honeymooned at the cabin. When I was a child, my family lived there in the summers along with my aunt, uncle and cousins.
My grandfather had an elaborate shop in the boathouse down by the beach where he spent hours sawing and hammering and painting. He fashioned a nifty log ladder for us kids to climb into the sleeping loft. He devised the infamous "Kiddie Bar" by attaching a long piece of pine directly to the wall and drilling round holes at each grandchild's assigned place. Our plastic milk glasses fit snugly down into the holes which rendered them spill-proof, a wonderful reprieve for my long-suffering grandmother, mother and aunt. One summer he was on a sign-making binge and made them for everything, even "The Biffy."
The favorite of my grandfather's projects, though, was the dining area table. Built of wide pine planks, he sized it to be at exact window height and widow width. The table was then pushed directly against the wall so all could see out to the lake.
Since those idyllic summer days, I continue to feel most at home in a simple cabin on a lake with a dining table pushed up by the windows. Over the years I've stayed on many lakes around Minnesota–White Iron, Gunflint, Green, Lake of the Woods, Gull, Bay, White Bear, Winnibigoshish, Leech, Ida and Burntside.
Providentially after several years of searching, my husband and I found the perfect small, rustic cabin on a lake in Hubbard County. A big window faced west toward the lake and my first act as cabin-owner was to place our dining table directly under the window. I was 47.
There's something special about cabins …a cabin holds a treasury of life's most meaningful mementos. Like a living scrapbook, cabins evoke feelings and events that no photograph could capture...The traditional cabin connects us to our timeless cultural roots. ~ Dale Mulfinger, The Cabin
There are many reasons I'm partial to French culture and lifestyle. Cheeses such as Camembert and chevre and gruyere, crusty baguettes, wine, omelettes, café au lait at sidewalk cafes, black wrought iron street signs and window boxes, Provencal fabrics, soaps and lavender, bicyclettes…and did I mention wine?
Another reason is now clear. I bought three shelter magazines–two American and one French–and the photographs, underlying style and, dare I say value, were remarkable and striking.
The houses and the rooms in Maisons Cote Ouest (which roughly translates to West Coast Houses) are places where I would want to eat, sleep and live. Not so the other two, Architectural Digest and Elle Decor. The French designers seemed to value the fundamentals of architectural style and materials that are real like wood, stone and metal. American designers, on the other hand, value stuff–and lots of it. There is also heavy use of color which, when combined with all the stuff, appears that American designers are hiding under layers and layers of paint and objects.
Architectural Disgest, October 2009 Just inside the front cover was a blaring, glaring, two-page spread from Ralph Lauren Home. The red-and-black bedroom was dark, over-decorated and over-pillowed. I counted eight pillows on the bed. Why would someone want or need eight pillows on the bed? My inclination was to shove them all out of the way. Layers upon layers of linens covered the bed and at least one, maybe two, oh-so-casually tossed coverlets were at the foot. Bedside tables were covered with stuff. (Where would I put the books I'm reading?) Ditto the walls. The focal point was a gigantic set of mounted moose horns hanging over the bed. Would you want to sleep in this bedroom?
Elle Decor, October 2009 Another stalwart of American shelter magazines is Elle Decor. It recently surpassed all others in this category and left some detritus in its wake, including Home and Garden. One featured living room was simply too much and too red. (Red must be an "in" color for interior design.) An ugly Lucite table was in the center of the room above which hung a strange light fixture fashioned of a bunch of silver balls. Another spread featured a "Media Room." (I don't have a Media Room. What am I thinking? I don't even have a tv.) Although not red, this room was also dark and furnished in shades of blue and black. Cozy, huh? Another silver-ball light fixture hung over the whole mess.
Maisons Cote Ouest, Septembre 2009 On page 59 is a gorgeous dining room–warm, inviting and serene. The soft colors are derived from shades of cream and various wood tones. The well-worn, pine-planked floor is a lovely foil to the beamed ceiling which is painted off-white. Surrounding a simple pine table are alternating chairs of either cream-colored upholstery or handsome wicker. Along one wall is a beautiful cherry hutch–large and glass-fronted and filled with useful items such as dishes, crystal, serving pieces and liquor bottles. I would love to eat at this table.
And, at the end of the day, I could definitely sleep in the bedroom on page 52. The walls are soft apricot and the bed is simple but sophisticated. All the linens are crisp and white. Two (only two!) fluffy pillows are at the head and a thick duvet is invitingly rolled back.
Part of a famous Mark Twain quote is "Truth is stranger than fiction." In the case of the story depicted first in the book, Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History, written by George Crile, and then in the movie, Charlie Wilson's War, Twain's thought is definitely valid.
When my husband and I saw the movie last fall, we both greatly enjoyed it–the story, the screenplay and the fine acting of Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Near the end, Hoffman recounts a parable that neatly and tidily summarized the essence of the film.
We'll see.
That phrase has been applicable to various events in our lives.
Last spring, the foremost landscape project for our new construction was to replace the muddy areas around our home and pole shed with thick, lovely turf. We first needed good topsoil and promptly contacted our never-fail excavator friend, Craig. He knew of some rich soil he had just dug from the bottom of an old cattle watering pond. My husband's ears perked up when Craig added, "Since those clients want to get rid of it, your only cost will be my hauling fees. The soil is free." What a good deal!
We'll see.
Craig hauled. The soil was spread and our muddy mess soon sprouted into a beautiful mixture of bright green fescue…and a bumper crop of pig weed. Our no-mow lawn now required frequent cutting (even in the drought) to keep the prolific and aggressive pig weed at bay. We didn't want to resort to chemicals to control the noxious plant and, we justified, it's just an annual.
We'll see.
Recently, as the snows were melting, my husband and I were treated to the fantastic sight of slate-colored juncos in huge numbers feeding on the ground around our house. We've never seen so many juncos! What brought them? What could they be eating? Aha, we noticed. Millions of pig weed seeds.
We didn't get to observe the juncos for long. They fed voraciously and then continued their migration. Perhaps they ate and ate and finally depleted their food source.
