Flower Arranging

We're spending some time with Anouk's cousin KK this week, and it's been a little bit of a challenge to think of crafts and activities that will appeal to both a toddler and a thirteen-year-old. Finally, after a lot of thinking, we decided that we would pay a visit to Norfolk Wholesale Florist, to get some supplies to make flower arrangements.

Norfolk Wholesale Florist is kind of paradise if you're a flower lover. There are blossoms everywhere -- from exotic orchids to delicate baby's breath, PLUS all of the accoutrements you  need to tie them all together (including very realistic stuffed parrots, below). We gathered our blooms (fawning over some of the more exotic ones like protea and star of Bethlehem), browsed the selection of vases, and then stopped by the ribbon room (truly a crafty mom's delight).

I gave each of the girls some cash and then stepped back to see what they would choose to buy with it. KK got her hands on some beautiful gerbera daisies and bright carnations, while Anouk chose a handful of lime green mums and some sunflowers. I of course couldn't leave myself out, so I picked up some safflowers and tall purple liatris. I can't say enough about how helpful the NWF staff were -- they helped us find everything we needed and gave us lots of hints about how to make the best-looking, longest-lasting bouquets.

At home, we set to it and arranged our dozens of flowers as artistically as we could. Altogether, $30 got us enough flowers and filler for six small bouquets! I think they turned out to be pretty amazing.

Here are some links on flower arranging that we found helpful when putting our bouquets together:

• Martha
• More Martha
• GOOP (yes, GOOP)
• Montessori Primary Guide

Elizabethan Gardens (Manteo, NC)

It seems like we can't get enough of the Outer Banks this summer. A few weeks ago, James, Anne and I went back -- this time, to Roanoke Island, to explore the little town of Manteo, which is one of the most charming spots I've ever visited. There was so much to see and do, but our favorite part of the day was spending time at the Elizabethan Gardens on the grounds of old Fort Raleigh.

Roanoke Island is the site of the first English colony in America. It was founded by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1587; by the time he returned from a voyage to England in 1590, all of the 115 Roanoke colonists had disappeared without a trace.

The Elizabethan Gardens were designed as a living memorial to this Lost Colony. Spanning 10 acres, the gardens were laid out to resemble a traditional 17th century English pleasure garden but also includes native plants and a few modern-day flourishes. There's a rhododendron garden, a tobacco walk, and rose and herb gardens, all extending from the Gate House, which houses a mysterious portrait of Queen Elizabeth I.

We enjoyed so much about the day, but I think Anne's favorite part of the gardens was the larger-than-life statue of Queen Elizabeth I. We had a hard time explaining to her that what she was seeing was a princess, since she's used to them being a little more sparkly. But I think Elizabeth serves as a better role model than any of those Disney waifs, for sure.

We're having a ridiculous week, thanks to some unexpected home repairs (long story), so things might be a little slower around here than usual. We'll be back in full force ASAP. Happy Monday!

Pollinator Protection Project: Plants for Pollinators

Since signing the Pollinator Protection Pledge at the end end of June, Anouk, James and I have been hard at work on fulfilling our promise to make our backyard into a more friendly place for the birds, bats, and bees. The first step was to make sure our garden was chock-full of pollinator-friendly flowers. While our yard currently sports a vegetable garden and several blooming fruit trees, we still wanted to bring in outside plants to supplement our current ones. Because more is always better, right?

After a little research -- and some advice from helpful garden center staff -- we came home with half a dozen new plants and some hints to share about how to choose flowers that will be the most attractive to your neighborhood pollinators. Here they are, below.

• Think pink (and red, and blue...) Each pollinator is most attracted to a certain color range of flowers. For instance, bees prefer yellow and blue flowers, while hummingbirds prefer reds and pinks and butterflies will be attracted to blossoms in the violet range. We made sure to choose plants in several color ranges, but to concentrate our choices in ones that would be most appealing. 

• Go for three of a kind. The more plants you have, the more likely you are to attract pollinators to your space. Ideally, to attract the greatest number of pollinators, you would plant in masses of five or more plants in the same color spectrum. However, for a lot of gardeners with limited yard or patio space, this isn't an option. A good rule of thumb is to place at least three flowering plants of the same color range on each doorstep (front, back, side if you have a side door).

• Do double duty. The space in our backyard is limited, so we made an effort to choose plants that would appeal to more than one pollinator. Our big, bountiful buddeleja (butterfly bush) is also a favorite of bees. Our salvia bush is one of the top plants for hummingbirds, but also attracts the insects that bats eat. And the deep flared flowers of the hummingbird plant (AKA Dicliptera suberecta) will appeal to butterflies as well as its namesake.

• Party hardy. Because our pollinators will need food throughout the summer months, we chose plants that are cool-weather hardy, and will bloom late into the season. Asters, shasta daisies, bee balm, trumpet vine, and blanketflower (gallardia) will all bloom throughout the summer and well into the fall.  

• Stay up all night. Don't forget the late-night pollinators like moths (which are often overlooked). Many daytime flowers close their buds at night, but there are plants that will blossom in the evening. Evening primrose, moonflowers, and flowering tobacco are all examples (we planted a patch of cheerful four-o'-clocks for just this reason). 

A few of our transplanted flowers are looking a little ragged in the heat, but we've still seen an increased number of butterflies (a few gorgeous swallowtails!), bees, and flying ants (?) buzzing around them. Anouk no longer screams when she sees a bee, but says, "Hi! Hi!" I guess those bee-friendly books are really changing her attitude?

Have you signed the Pollinator Protection Pledge? Do you have any pollinator-friendly plants in your garden?

Reflections of Nature at the Norfolk Botanical Garden

I'm guest posting today over at My Active Child! Click on over to read about our visit to see the Norfolk Botanical Garden's "Reflections of Nature" sculpted glass exhibit.

P.S.: Google Reader is closing soon -- don't forget to follow Where the Watermelons Grow on Bloglovin' instead.

Have a great weekend, all!

Azalea season

If there's one flower that represents Norfolk, it's the azalea. In the 1930s, the original founders of the Norfolk Botanical Garden surmised that the climate of the city was uniquely suited to growing here, and peppered the city with stands of the colorful fluted flowers. We have the old Azalea Festival complete with the Azalea Queen, Azalea Garden Road, and every year around mid-March, the whole city seems to burst into bloom.

To me, the coming of the azaleas will always be a sign that spring has sprung in earnest, no matter how cold or dreary the weather might be. They're not my all-time favorite flower (that honor goes to the camellias, who bloom their little hearts out right in the middle of winter) but I love the azaleas because they're a pretty little reminder to put aside whatever I'm working on and sink into the season.

The bank of azalea bushes at our house burst into bloom in earnest over the last week, and James, Anne and I have been hanging out in the front yard more than usual to bask in their gorgeousness. We've also been exercising our creativity and making azalea crowns and leis and clipping branches of flowers to bring indoors with us. A few days ago, while Anouk played, I took some quick portraits of her to put in her two-year book with the beautiful azaleas as a backdrop.

I've been uploading some of the pics of our azaleas -- and Anne -- to Instagram. If you've taken any of your own azalea photos, please share them -- you can tag them with #azaleaseason on IG or Twitter so we can all see them!

Have a great weekend, everybody! Hope it's a bloomy one.

 

Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary

A few Saturdays ago, Anne and I took a trip to the Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary in Norfolk for the first time and loved it. You can click over to My Active Child to read more about our visit.

Happy Wednesday!

The Fred Heutte Center

In celebration of the first day of spring, I thought I'd post about one of our favorite outside spaces, which is the Fred Heutte Center in Ghent. The Heutte Center is located deep in a residential area, which means that unless you're a neighborhood resident, you probably haven't come across it before. I first discovered the center and its gardens as a student at Maury High School (it's a few blocks away) years ago, and was surprised that I hadn't ever heard of it before. It's relative isolation means that the Heutte Center one of those hidden gems and well-kept secrets you're always hearing about: peaceful, unspoiled, but also underappreciated.

The FHC takes up a just small plot of land in the middle of Ghent Square, but it's absolutely jam-packed with goodies. The center itself (which offers horticultural and fitness classes) is surrounded by perennial gardens lovingly tended by volunteer gardeners, and dotted with flowering trees, fountains and statuary. On one side of the main building, there's a camellia bower and on the other, an heirloom vegetable garden (the produce is donated to local food banks). And connecting everything together are paths that wind through stands of daffodils and hyacinths and magnolias.

There are so many things to do in the downtown area that the Heutte Center is often overlooked, but it shouldn't be. It's convenient to everything downtown, a great place to stop in the middle of running errands for a quiet moment or quick romp. As the weather has gotten nicer, A. and I have taken to packing a snack or small lunch in the picnic hamper and spending an hour there, looking at every tree and plant, and soaking in all of the gorgeousness. It's a nice way to recharge our batteries and to celebrate the season.

You can read more about the interesting history of the Heutte Center here.

HAPPY SPRING, EVERYBODY!