Sometimes……less is more

Hello Everyone,

What a terrible storm we are having today in Toronto, instead of cool air with some warm sunshine to melt the rest of the dirty ice and snow away, but alas, Mother Nature has been so kind to provide us with more snow.

Today, I wanted to mention the joy and lift in spirits we all get from having flowers in our homes.

Many of us think in terms of having full bunches of flowers in our vases at home, but really,  why not one or a few stems instead of a full bunch?

Not everyone has a fantastic collection of bud vases or votive holders, but don’t forget to open your cupboards to grab a mason jar, a drinking glass, a stemless wine glass or even an empty wine or beer bottle.

We, none of us, need a special occasion to have flowers in our homes, which is why it is so nice to enjoy the beauty, simplicity, fragrance and pleasure from even one bloom.  There are certain flowers that are so seasonal that it is such a pleasure to enjoy them in the small window of time that they are available.

Ranunculus, the little peony like spring flower has a fairly long season, but that is for the regular varieties, which don’t get me wrong, are amazing, but they really do pale in comparison to the cloni varieties which are about three times as big and come in from France and Italy for about 4 weeks a year.

Tulips are fabulous and we tend to be fans of Dutch tulips much more so than the Canadian grown tulips.  The variety is much wider and the sturdiness of the stems is simply that much better.   They are slightly more expensive,  but we feel they make up for it in their beauty and longevity.

Peonies are many peoples favorites.  We used to be able to get them for about a month in the Spring, but now because  we get to enjoy Spring around the world,  we actually get them for a short period of time in early Winter from New Zealand and in early Spring from Holland and the United States, just before ours are available .  The imported peonies are very expensive,  but on a Friday night after a long, hard week,  why not treat yourself to one exquisite bloom?

A tip for picking flowers from your garden.  When you clip them (especially lilac and snowball vibernum), place them directly in water.  The reason so many people find that their lilac droops is because even in that short period of time of cutting the stems and bringing them into the home,  the stem has already started to dry   and it is very hard to re-hydrate them, so cut and put directly into water!  Always be sure to use very sharp knives or pruners.

Foliage is generally a fairly inexpensive and long lasting “flower” to have in your home.  There are many varieties of eucalyptus which also give you that lovely scent.

In a normal winter, from January on, the fruit blossom branches are amazing.  Quince is hands down our favorite for the line and delicacy of the stem and the blooms last the longest of any of the fruit branches, so even though they are expensive, they are so gorgeous and last for about 2 weeks.

I would never try to talk anyone out of buying their flowers at the corner store or the grocery store, but when you do support small floral businesses like Linden Grove, you will be buying flowers that have been properly conditioned, unusual varieties and much higher quality.  You will spend a bit more on our flowers, but again, the pay-off is in the beauty and longevity.

Below are a few photographs of how lovely so little can be.

Thank you for reading this post and have a fabulous day.