More than leaves.

A huge mess of overgrown leaves reveal a thrilling surprise. And it smells a bit like Ginger.

Searching for the name…

Around

Figs and Coral Vine

My favorite red flower blooms. Still have no idea as to what it is..

Trimmed a sunflower bloom off of a stalk that is nearly as tall as my house (yes, really). Fits nicely in a cherished and empty Honig wine bottle.

Cute blooms acquired. Don’t know what these are either.

Clearly, I don’t know everything.

Wild Onions

Found these wild onions and sweet wild white flowers (with yellow center) in the Bayou yesterday after my run…completely elated (as you can see) with the intricacy and free growth of the stems of the onions. The white flowers remind me a bit of the flowers from the strawberry plant. I’m not sure what they are exactly.

And I’m guessing the other lot are wild onions and not wild chives, as during a search it appears the wild chives bloom purple flowers. I could be wrong. Will research some more. Regardless these are part of the Allium family. I’m keeping them in a vase and they won’t end up in my eggs until I can determine it is not Crow’s Poison.

Along the way: Pink and Yellow

As much as I miss living in the Bay, there is one thing I don’t miss and that is cold nights. Evenings will always be cool, unless there is a very blue moon, you may get a temporary and fleeting warm night. So naturally, my skin and I are just loving these balmy nights we are having here in the South..

Subsequently, I’ve been taking leisurely strolls through my neighborhood either on foot or on my bike, and I’m discovering (literally) that it is the best time to do my pruning.
I happened upon a few stems of this (pink) and that (yellow), coupled with a lovely branch of something dried. And into a discarded Topo Chico bottle it goes. Simple and impromptu is just my style.

A few days earlier I discovered these pretty pink blooms that work well with existing dried  crespedia. Not quite sure what flower it is, but I’m a fan of hot pink flowers so I couldn’t resist taking some for the road. Has a bit of a tropical feel to it no?

Loquat tree

For the past few months I’ve been filling various vases with these large, sturdy and very long-lasting leaves from a tree in my backyard. To be honest, I had no idea what the tree was.

And suddenly one day I went out back and there was fruit on the tree. Not so much as it’s a gold mine, as it is- a gold mine. Loquats!

“Loquats and a Mountain Bird” by anonymous Chinese artist of the Southern Song Dynasty

First, I filled the tiny vase with the loquat trimmings..

And today I added the clippings to some Craspedia and Bottle Brush (I happened upon on a rainy stroll) for a more composed look. I’m quite fond of this little arrangement I must say. You can also guarantee I will be taking more snips from the tree to use at work for morning galettes.

Leaf watch

Discovering more random leaves and blooms sprouting in the front and back yard. These tiny pink blooms are quite exciting, just wish I knew what they are. I trimmed more of these mysterious branches to fill another vase (below).

Fast forward a few days and most of the branches have opened up with these tiny pink flowers. I added more to a small vase, after the wildflowers perished with the sudden ‘heat wave’. Tulips are no longer on the mind….this week.

Foraged

I feel really fortunate to be able to just walk outside and pick some greens to spruce up an existing arrangement. The scent from two stems of Mountain laurel became, dare I say, quite overwhelming. I needed to disperse one of the stems to another location. It ended up in the green swan vase, along with some random greens I discovered out back. Becoming reacquainted with Texas Mountain Laurel. Happily and quickly discovering that a little goes along way!

A short-lived bloom. Beautiful and surprising, if for a moment. Sometimes (if not most of the time) in nature, timing is everything.

Outside in

If you get close enough you can smell the bloom. I don’t recall the last time I caught the fragrance of a flower from a lime tree. It is truly an unforgettable smell. It is no wonder candles become inspiration, or they should in this case. In the background there is a single bloom of a Narcissus from the front yard. I know I shouldn’t have plucked this early sprout, but I couldn’t resist such a smell.

After the rain passed, these red flowers emerged a little more clearly. I’m not sure what plant this is, but the leaves are flat and paddle-like and feel slightly succulent in form. They are paired with another blooming branch from the lime tree and the greens from the Narcissus cluster. Ah, Spring fragrance….

Leaf watch

I’ve stopped counting the days, but I’m guessing I’ve had these cut leaves in a vase now for about 2 and a half weeks…truth be told I need to check the water.The whole arrangement has literally sat frozen in time, all this time.

Not sure what tree this is, but the middle top section looks as though it has new growth on it. Who knew? I’m pleased.

I’ve also recently collected a few trimmings from a lime tree on the side of my place. I couldn’t resist as it appears as it is going to bloom soon.

Blooming lime tree in February? Yes that’s what happens when the end of January is filled with rain, humidity and temperatures in the mid 70′s.

The rest of the arrangement involves more random leaves from the yard and the wonderful curly willow I found (left for dead) on a street downtown.

Red, Green and December

Nothing like a rescued pine cone and some red and green to make it feel all warm and holiday like.

You know me, always looking on the ground for some new and exciting specimen to collect. Did I ever mention that as a kid I spent hours and hours digging in the ground looking for rocks and fossils? Sure did. That was when I wanted to be an Archaeologist (logic) and an Astronaut (reason). Alas I am currently flower foraging (=Math) and loving it.

I discovered this tangled vine of beautiful red berries on the same fence, in the same vacant lot as that wonderful pink Coral Vine. It quickly went into 1 of my 3 vases.