adrialowryuniquefloraldesign

Seeding

April 10, 2018April 10, 2018 adrialowryuniquefloraldesign

This process is something I love to do actually. The thought of being in a warm greenhouse, music on and its just me, some seeding mix and the profound, tiny pods of potential. This go around was a wee bit different then what I am used to. I am not working with a greenhouse. My She Shed is a Polly Pocket toy compared to the greenhouse I used to work in. And I’m working with far less seeds then in the past and on an establishment that I’m not used to.

(RIP Fairview Gardens, all my love)

I am honestly proud with what I have done to make the She Shed an operating mini greenhouse. The fairy gardens have been bumped to the ground shelf to leave room for optimal seed space. I was able to fill 8 shelves in hopes that I will have one more seeding session before the first batch of seedlings are transplanted. I plan to seed in different intervals in order to transplant the growth at different stages to produce continuous blooms. This way I will be able to use some of my planted inventory for scheduled events I have coming up this Summer and Fall. Cost effective and rewarding! When I am working with a bride and she has a low budget but dreams of Oriental Poppies and Lillies, etc., I want to be able to still give her that option. And if I am successful with planting, I will be proud if I can help at least one bride fulfill her vision.

I have sectioned off one small pallet space for veggies and herbs and a separate space for sweet corn. This is just for me and my family. I do have plans create dried herb bouquets and wreaths for some additional Etsy inventory. I planted a variety of colorful blooms, with an addition of some spectacular white and pink Lisianthus and a few delicate organic white Poppies (I have a specific event in mind for these babies). Below I have listed everything alphabetically along with the number of days it takes to germinate:

Amaranthus “Love Lies Bleeding”: 10-14
Bean “Blue Lake”: 7-10
California Poppy “Mission Bells”: 10-12
Carrot “Danvers Half Long”: 7-14
Corn “Sweet Early Golden Bantam: 5-10
Craspedia “Globosa Drumstick”: 20-30
Dahlia “Rainbow Mix”: 8-12
Gypsophila “Covent Garden”: 10-14
Lavender “True”: 15-20
Lettuce “Paris Island”: 7-10
Lisianthus “Sapphire White”: 7-15
Lisianthus “Pink Mix”: 7-15
Mint: 12-16
Oriental Poppy “Mix”: 8-14
Pepper “California Wonder”: 10-12
Sage: 14-21
Shasta Daisy “Alaska”:15-21
Snapdragon “Magic Carpet Mix”: 10-14
Spinach “New Zealand”: 14-20
Sunflower “Border Mix”: 7-14
Sunflower “Mammoth Russian”: 10-14
Sweet William “Double Flowered Mix”: 5-10
Tomato “Rio Grande”: 8-10
Zinnia “Early Bird”: 5-10
Zinnia “Giants of California Mix”: 6-10

Spinach seeds Jade leaflet regrowth

I purchased an organic seeding mix to start the majority of my seedlings, but for the sake of experimentation I also acquired a covered kit with soil pods and used Miracle Grow Gardening Soil in another tray. Each of the three trays with the different soil types contains the same few varieties of flowers; Snapdragons, Dahlias, Sweet William, Amaranthus and Oriental Poppies. Hopefully this will help me understand my successes and failures throughout the season.

What is super delightful about some of these flowers and herbs is that they will attract bees! And as I’m sure you’ve heard, those little guys need our help. The Beautifully designed image by Hannah Rosengren inspired me to be a little more aware of what flowers I should plant for the cause. It will benefit Mother Earth and your garden with pollinating your flowers and helping your perennials flourish for next year. I hope you guys will consider planting some of these types of flowers too!

While seeding and absorbing the warmth of the sun, I love to explore the tiny details in each specimen and sometimes its a fun challenge to plant one itty-bitty seed into the single cell of a 100 cell tray. This time I am going to be a little more lenient with my process. If I get a few seeds to a cell, it will be alright. I will just need to thin out the seedlings before transplanting them so they have room to grow. Some day I will grow a bigger operation out of my home, but for now, enough seeds to fill 30 square feet will have to do. It will be plenty to balance between that and growing with my daughter. She will be turning One this Summer and I hope the garden leaves a nice impression on her.

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Green Shed/ She Shed

April 5, 2018 adrialowryuniquefloraldesign

Hi all! I have been on Cloud Nine since I purchased my mini greenhouse “She Shed”. It measures just about 7 feet high by 5 feet wide and it came with 12 detaching shelves. We attempted putting it together as a family, Sage just tried to eat the connector pieces, but patiently sat through the rest of the rest up when we decided she had eaten enough dirt. /Devon ended up assembling most of it. I am PSYCHED! It is already successfully serving its purpose and helping me keep focused and motivated to be outside. It feels so good and really warms the soul (literally) to be outside and getting started on making Spring bloom. I have a pretty cute set up in here and am feeling the sunny vibes on a different level. In fact I am currently in here writing this blog. There is just enough room to park my folding camping chair in between the shelves and its convenient to pack it up when I need more space!
Even though there is barely enough elbow room in here and I have just enough space to write, it currently keeps me more motivated and on track than being in my home. Its hard to write a blog and create a business with an 8 month old crawling all over you. My intent is to include Sage as much as possible, just as long as I can get the goals done that I have set for myself. This part being one of those times that I know I need space to work. So a big shout out to my mother, Sage’s Noni, who will find time to tire her out while I can focus on my work. The successes that I have had are because of the people that have helped me get here. And I am confident that bigger things are ahead! And they start with the She Shed.
We first took a trip to the donation center and found a few adorable collectable home figurines and odd shaped containers. I could not wait to start seeding, so I decided I would jump into a side project. I have been working on mini Fairy Gardens, well they are more like Fairy Airbnbs, but that is what makes them so fun. Everything is detailed and miniature. I have been using plants cuttings that I have collected from my home and from while taking walks with Sage.

Detail inspires me. The figurine houses were perfect for what I wanted to accomplish for my mini project. Each piece can be dissembled and each figurine separately admired after growth gets too big. Some are small enough to fit on a windowsill or in the corner near your coffee maker and they are just green enough to brighten your day.

I have been enjoying being surrounded by them in the emanating warmth of this little green shed. This weekend I will plan my growth charts and start seeding the first batch. The plan is to plant the same varieties in different intervals so I will continue to have growth throughout the Summer and hopefully Fall. If I can use some of the flowers in just one of my weddings this year, I will be happy. I will keep you all posted next week!

Gardening, The Cutting Garden

The Cutting Garden

March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 adrialowryuniquefloraldesign

This specific process is an experiment for me. But I think that is what most projects really are. I started this one with the intention that it would be easy. HAHAHAH its already not easy, but that is why I have help. My partner, Devon, works in hardscape and landscape so I am lucky enough to reap the benefits of his dirty work. He kindly brings me equipment to use and piles of dirt to shovel. And he’s really great at heavy lifting! Bless him. This time around he has generously filled our backyard with wooden pallets and a large pile of dirt and rocks… and OH am I happy! I am super excited to use these recycled materials to create something new and something BEAUTIFUL! This project is a personal newbie. I have worked on cultivating, seeding and growing Cutting Gardens in the past when I worked for the local florist where I grew up. (Shout out to Steve Malsch at Fairview Gardens, Thank you Sir for introducing me to my dream.) I knew I wanted to grow my business (literally) and I also wanted to spend most of my time growing along side my daughter. Why not combined the two? And why not start now? Balance in life is learned and I have A LOT of learning to do. So I decided to jump right in. Just like I decided to jump into this blog. And just like how I decided as I’m typing this sentence that I would include HACKS that will make the gardening process more organized and how you can potentially and/or eventually include your kids. Now here is an artistically written blurb of the very Sunday morning that began this creative process.

“The flurries still made their way out to us late last Saturday evening. I woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. I don’t usually get much sleep anymore, since the birth of our daughter, Sage, but there was something about last Sunday morning that was simply motivating. I woke up, opened my eyes and the sun gleamed between the gaps in the curtains, the fresh cut flowers on my dresser were still vibrant from the week prior and the Curly Willow woke up sprouting new buds. What a great way to start any day! Sage and I started our morning as usual, but I was itching to get my hands dirty. The empty pit in our back yard was calling my name and begging to be tilled!”

I could write a book with the number of projects I have planned for this Spring. The garden being the first chapter. I have limited space to work with and my goal for this project is to successfully plant a thriving, vibrant garden of cut flowers in about a 30 square foot area. This way I don’t have to fully rely on wholesale suppliers to create my arrangements. There will be additional garden space to grow herbs and vegetables for personal use that I will keep you guys posted on as well. All in all, time to get serious and talk about #GOALS.

Goals/lessons for todays blog post:

1. This is for beginner gardeners (I have 6 years experience and still consider myself a beginner.) Just know that you don’t have to follow all the rules.
2. This posting aims to show new/seasoned, busy Moms that there is something to teach/learn while gardening with your children (mine is 8 months so for now she will continue to have fun crawling around undoing everything I just did!)
3. Do what makes you feel good. And this could pertain to anything. For me, its watching something grow that I had the pleasure of assisting in that process. (Plants/kids same thing right?)
4. Why is there no “WE” in DIY?! Ladies, Ask for help! Band Up! The only way we can learn from each other is to grow together. No successful person did it all by themselves.

So how did we start!?
Well, we dug a really big hole. And thanks to Devon and my brother, Anders, this part didn’t take too, too long. We needed to dig about 1 ft down and two wooden pallets W/L.
Once the hole was dug, we cut open two large black trash bags and laid them flat in the ground. This way no light can get to the bottom of the hole so no weeds can grow before we are able to plant. We then laid the two pallets down side by side.

The hope was that the pallets will act as a container and the wood slates will separate the types of flowers making the cutting process easier and more organized. And once May comes around with some consistently warn weather we will fill the hole with useable soil and transplant the seedlings. Meanwhile, all of the excess dry dirt that we dug up can now be transported across the lawn to level it out. Devon has a plan to move some large property stones to create another lawn feature. Im excited to see what the result will be. Most of the materials from this project have been recycled and cost us nothing.
It was a little too chilly for Sage to be outside with us. I suggest if you’re trying to include your kids in the gardening process, during this stage if your child is old enough to play with a shovel why not give them their own space to practice. (As long as you can trust them not to eat the soil or any rogue worms.) If they see you putting energy and effort into the digging process they can learn to have fun digging/getting dirty with you and look forward to planting for years to follow. The fun part comes when they can help you transplant the seedlings. But for now just do what works for you and what makes you and your child comfortable in the balance of work and play.

Unfortunately we ended up getting flurried out, but basically completed step one of this experiment. Job accomplished I would say. Next up is the more tedious part of the experiment. Seeding. We will dig more into that come April. In the meantime, finding/setting up a warm place for the seeds to germinate is my immediate goal. I’ll be back with information on what I end up doing. I look forward to finding out myself! Thanks for reading!

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Baby Celebration!

June 3, 2017June 9, 2017 adrialowryuniquefloraldesign

I have worked on many events for other expecting mothers in the past, but never thought I would be preparing and slaving over my own baby shower. People that know me, know that I love detail, decorating, coming up with new ideas and reusing old ones. This was a project that I had been mentally preparing for since I found out that I was expecting. Although I love to help make brides the center of attention on their special day, I love to be behind the scenes and knew that I would struggle being the prospect at my shower. I decided to make this event more like a backyard party, lots of flowers, lots of games, lots of distractions for guests.

The florals that I chose to decorate this party with were bright and fun with a whimsical twist. I wanted to create the laid back feeling with a woodland theme, but still fit for a baby shower honoring my little girl. I chose to go with hot pink roses (deemed Pink Floyd), pink alstroemeria, dianthus (to mimic the look of moss), white hypericum berry, with splashes of pink wax flower and a white micro pom. The dusty miller and sword fern were collected from the venue, which happened to be the backyard of a close family friend. The wood slats for the centerpieces were cut from fallen trees, and even made an appearance for the handmade toad stool cupcake tower! My goal of keeping this party beautiful and oh so budget friendly was entirely accomplished.

I incorporated as many DIY aspects into this shower as I could, I wanted it to be full of activities for guests that could be used as sentiments for my daughter to grow with. Rummaging through the attic of the new home my partner and I recently moved into was step one to my DIY party planning. I was able to dig up some old empty frames that I was able to repurpose into a photo booth. I took three frames, fastened them together and decorated them with preserved moss, birch accents and fresh flowers to match the decor.

I have decided to adhere a cute, floral printed paper to the back of the frames where I will glue the photos taken from the shower on to it to create a photo board. This was one easy way to engage my guests and to create a memorandum to show my daughter just who helped celebrate her oncoming arrival. Now of course, the fresh flowers will parish, but the preserved moss, birch accents and printed memories will be forever admired.

Other DYI aspects of this shower included a onesie decorating station, a future advice box and a “friends & family tree”, where I had people put their finger prints on a painted tree to simulate leaves. This project was a lot of fun and turned out beautifully! All of the activities were labeled and showed off using old wood slats found in the attic, some of which were decoratively painted and can be used for future events.

All in all, it turned out to be a beautiful day full of laughs, which I could not have asked for anything better. It really pays to do something yourself if you want it done right, but still there is no shame in asking for help along the way. I have learned through this process that I am very particular and love everything and anything about detail. Maybe party planning is also in my future! So if you are looking for a little help and want to make your event a day to remember, no matter how casual or extravagant, contact me and I would love to assist!

Cheers!

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Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.

May 20, 2017June 9, 2017 adrialowryuniquefloraldesign

Hi all! I am starting a blog about some of the work I have been doing lately in hopes to share some creative outlets with my customers and friends. The month of May had a been quite a busy time for me planning one of my best friend’s floral for her backyard wedding and sculpting my image for my own baby shower and maternity shoot. It has been quite the colorful and emotional month. So in this section of my blog, I bring you ideas to help make your backyard weddings and events just as colorful and hope to inspire you to find and repurpose items that can make your special day all that more special.

The Mohan Wedding was such a pleasure to work on. The bride was a super easy going, always open to suggestions, with a simple, rustic vision of her special day type of woman. Babies Breath (Gypsophila) was the main floral component in this wedding, a perfect choice for an early summer, backyard celebration. Though the decor was simple and rustic, the bridal party, dressed to impress, with the bride center of attention (as it should be) in her champagne colored flowing lace and beaded gown. She chose to bump up the scene with her bridesmaids carrying simple hand tied in twine bunches of babies breath, while the bridal bouquet, made to match, sported eight large headed white roses in a bed of babies breath wrapped in a lace burlap.

Photo credit: Kristi Russel klrphotography.photoshelter.com

The tables were adorned with mason jars, collected from the years, filled with white Stock, a simple and fragrant choice. Blush and white roses accented the gift and head table in a pair of old wooden boxes filled with Gyp. Note: there is always a plus in asking your florist for oddball containers that can help fill any voided space in needed areas. I just so happened to use the wooden boxes in this wedding that have been holding my craft supplies in since I started the game. You never know what they might have on hand that could fit your vision.