Fun amongst the flowers

Last year I learned of a local u-pick flower farm but between their limited hours and my travel I was unable to visit. I follow them on social media and last night saw they were canceling their Friday event due to weather but rescheduled for today. Tickets were still available so I registered online and showed up this morning at 10:00.

Started during Covid by a wife and husband team (she’s a teacher, he’s a firefighter) this is their passion project. They do special events on their beautiful wooded property and the variety of annual and perennial plants has grown each year.

Owner Jessica took the group on an informative garden walk, identifying blooms ready for picking today, showed how to cut and strip the stems and gave us valuable information on how to make our bouquets last up to two weeks. Then we picked our mason jar, grabbed clippers and walked about the property filling the jar with our fresh picked bouquet.

Once home I began arranging the flowers quickly realizing I could make two bouquets and so I did!

The pickings fresh from Barefoot Blossom Farm
Arrangement #1
Arrangement #2

For a $30 ticket this was a lovely way to spend my morning and now that I know where it is I will be a regular at this charming flower farm!

In the Garden – Blooms

I found this little beauty blooming, in spite of the fact that it was hidden underneath my hydrangea.
When I planted this last year,
it became dinner for a hungry bunny.
To my surprise it’s back, small but determined.
My new Alpine Poppy continues to bloom.
A snapdragon blooming in the middle of my lilies.
This is year three for these stunning lilies.

Ethel M Holiday Cactus Garden

While in Vegas I had the opportunity to go to the festive 32nd Annual Holiday Cactus Garden Lights. I’ve been to the cactus garden during daytime on a prior visit to Ethel M Chocolates and a few years ago, tried to attend this event only to arrive during a power outage.

This year, no power outage and an unseasonably mild December evening allowing us to stroll through the lovely, lighted cactus garden with Christmas music playing…..

Garden Sparkler

A darling boutique near me recently announced they were closing but were offering a final craft class – a “garden sparkler”. It was on Saturday late afternoon and I signed up at once!

Of us nine attendees, I was the newby but not for long. After receiving our supplies and instructions, we started the process of choosing beads, cutting wire and assembling our creation. It was a spirited group with lots of great conversations happening simultaneously.

After 3 1/2 hours we were winding up so I knew this morning I’d need my trusty glue gun to assure everything would stay put. While doing so, I got out my beading supplies and added a cute beaded topper and strand of sparkling beads to wrap the cork.

Here’s my creation, and while not perfect it’s very pretty – and it does sparkle!

In the Garden this week

For the last week Michigan weather has been a bit erratic with lots of rain, sun, gloomy, very hot then cooler than usual – and very windy. It’s hard to photograph flowers with the wind whipping them to and fro. Early today, before the wind picked up I went for it and captured these beauties.

Roadside Fresh Flower Bouquet

After a fun day with my BFF including an art fair, delicious lunch, shopping and wine tasting we were headed home. She noticed a little roadside stand for flowers, $5 per bouquet. They were so lovely I had to photograph them. It’s a mix of perennials, annuals, wild flowers and herbs

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