Week 37, as we revisit the 10-year anniversary of the book Slow Flowers
Common hops (Humulus lupulus) are always welcome when the Pacific Northwest growers begin to share their bounty at the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market. This year, there are short- and medium-length bunches of the pale green cones on vines, supplied by Hops Skagit. The late-summer flowers of the season are enhanced by the lovely pale celadon color and texture of the hops. I love them!
As I mention in the top caption, the hops, zinnias and astrantia are back for this 2023 version of my arrangement. Back again is a low, horizontal cream-glazed McCoy vase. So happy to play with this piece again!
Astrantia major is so charming, with its plum-ruby flowers and this time around, it coaxes the reddish-pink petal color of the zinnias. Ten years after using this flower in the Slow Flowers book, I am thrilled that the same grower is still cranking out these gorgeous stems. Thank you, Gonzalo Ojeda of Ojeda Farms!
In the original arrangement, I featured lemon-lime zinnias only. This time around, I purchased a few bunches of Zinderella Peach in the classic Queen Red Lime petal palette. Ultimately, I used a few of the larger-headed ones, but then clipped from my own Jazzy Mix zinnias (Johnny’s Seeds) patch from the #slowflowerscuttinggarden.
Rather than perennial flax (Linum perenne), which for some reason was not at the Growers’ Market, I selected another great textural ingredient, Artemisia lactiflora ‘White Mugwort’, grown by Diamond Day Bouquet, a Slow Flowers member.
And I added a number of gorgeous stems of Statice Sinuata, apricot, grown by Vivian Larson of Everyday Flowers, another expert grower! Love the palette as it plays off the zinnias with perfection.
Love the colors, textures, form, and sentiment that this arrangement evokes. It’s the last week of Summer in this floral journey through one year of Slow Flowers Revisited. And I am excited to see what Fall provides, from the garden, meadow, and farm.
