Two of My Favorite Things

Oh my goodness. Shoes! Flowers! Shoes that look like flowers! This is great. I just discovered a new book called Shoe Fleur, by Michel Tcherevkoff. An accomplished Paris photographer who has done ad campaigns for clients such as Valentino and Maybelline, he fell upon this idea by accident. One day while in his photography studio, he noticed a leaf that had been used in the shoot, and thought that it looked like a shoe! Photographing the leaf, he played with it in Photoshop, and the idea took off.

Every morning he would bring back crates of flowers from the flower market and start manipulating. Each shoe or purse is crafted from just one type of flower or plant- he'd decided early on to not mix elements. Often, the stem or leaf becomes more prominent than the showier flower portion. He twists, knots, ties and weaves the material to achieve the desired look.


Computers and software seem to be incongruous with flowers and fantasy shoes, but it's where it all comes together. Michel is all about fantasy and appreciates the opportunity to create his own kind of "reality".




The book's introduction is by Diane Von Furstenburg, herself no stranger to the fantasy of fashion!

National Rose Month

Did you know that June is National Rose Month? The rose has a long history of symbolism, and here are a few fun facts about roses you may not have known:

*George Washington was the first rose breeder in the United States.

*Over a billion roses are sold annually!




*Samuel de Champlain brought the first cultivated rose to North America in the 17th century.

*The most popular modern rose is "Peace", shown above. It's always been one of my favorites, along with "Princess Diana", below.

*Five states call the rose their State Flower: Georgia, Iowa, New York, North Dakota, and the District of Columbia.

*Since 1986, the rose has been the official Emblem of the United States. It is also the National Flower of England, long known for its love of roses.

*The largest private rose garden in the world is in Cavriglia, Italy and holds over 7500 different varieties of roses.

*The world's oldest living rose is believed to be 1000 years old, and grows on the wall of the Cathedral of Hildesheim in Germany. Its presence is documented since A.D. 81.

*The oldest garden rose variety is the Apothecary Rose.

*The largest rose ever bred occured in California. It was a pink rose measuring 33 inches in diameter!

*The rose is the favorite flower of 85% of Americans.

*Every rose color has a meaning associated with it. The most popular color (and most traditional) is red. There are as yet, no true black roses.

Some of the most fragrant roses are the 'antiques", such as the Bourbons, the Gallicas, the floribundas. Famed British rosarian David Austin is responsible for improving the old roses and reintroducing them to a new audience. I love the old varieties like this gorgeous "Mary Rose"

Portland, Oregon is known as the Rose City. It's home to the International Rose Test Garden, which was founded in 1917, making it the oldest continuously operated public rose test garden in the U.S.


McKinley Park Rose Garden in Sacramento, CA., another beautiful spot boasting over 1200 rose plants of all varieties. I love this delicate single called "Dainty Bess" with it's shell-pink blush of color.

Elizabeth Park Rose Garden in Hartford, CT. has the distinction of being the oldest municipally operated rose garden, and cares for an eye-popping 15,000 plants! If you can't find a rose you like here, then you don't like roses!

In Texas, the Tyler Rose Garden is the largest, encompassing 14 acres. They host the annual Texas Rose Festival. Since everything is bigger in Texas, how about this "Dolly Parton" rose for eyepopping?

Seed Art That Sells

Almost everyone has purchased a package of flower or vegetable seed at least once in their lifetime. Available nearly anywhere, and just about year-round, they are colorful promises of lovely things to come. But did you know that there is a whole industry behind that colorful photo beckoning you to buy?

There's a fun book out on the subject: Seed Art: The Package Made me Buy it, by Irwin Richman. It tells all about the art and science of selecting photos or art for seed packets, which are designed to entice you, and promise you perfect and amazing plants!


Much thought goes into the actual naming of flowers and veggies, too. One of the most famous tomato varieties is called "Mortgage Lifter", an heirloom variety from the turn of the century. Legend has it that it was so named due to it's size-an enormous tomato that sold so well, it helped the farmer pay off his farm!







New York's Hudson Valley Seed Library has taken creative imagery one further, by inviting local artists to create their own seed package image on 13 different plants from Calendula to Zinnia. As varied as the artists themselves, they are printed on recycled paper, and unfold like flowers! Whether you plant the seeds or not (who wouldn't?), the packs are little works of art. You can find them at seedlibrary.org.

Blue Monday

It's often thought that there are no 'real' blue flowers, and in a way, that may be true. Most 'blue' flowers lean towards purple or have an undertone of pink. And no matter what those cut-rate flower catalogs tell you, there is no blue rose! (though the breeders continue to work on it!).

But, when nothing but "blue" will do, there are plenty of options to choose from. For a start, that beautiful head of florets known as the blue Hydrangea can fill a vase with just one stem. Right now, it's a favorite with brides.

Blue is an unusual color in a geranium, but the Johnson's Blue variety is pretty, with masses of soft blue blooms and an easy-going nature.

Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile) is a statement plant no matter what color it is (pink, white, blue, yellow, orange) but the blue makes a beautiful cut flower. Outdoors, the tall stately stems are striking when massed together, though a bit tricky to grow.


The Himalayan Blue Poppy: Native to Tibet, expensive to acquire, widely sought after, and thought to be impossible to grow. Vita Sackville-West, the English poet and gardener, said the blue poppy is "the dream of every gardener". An unlikely place to find a fabulous collection of them is in the far reaches of northern Quebec, at Les Jardin de Metis. Recently, I spied a few at Tryon Palace gardens in New Bern, while dodging the rain.

Delphinium is another showy flower that comes in a range of blues and purples, as well as white and pink. Its tall spires attract bees and admiring glances from passerby wherever they are located, but are especially successful in adding height and interest to the back of a border garden.

Just one look at this page will confirm that there is no one 'real' blue in flowers, but instead, a delightful range of hues that will take away anyone's "blues"!

What are your favorites?

Nifty Raffia

Just about every crafter has a messy hank of raffia kicking around. Most commonly used for wrapping gifts or bunches of flowers, it has been popular for ages. But what is it, exactly, and where does raffia come from?

Originally from the island of Madagascar, raffia is derived from the Raphia Australis palm, which has the largest leaves in the world. They are shredded and used as a myriad of products, many of which you probably weren't aware could be made with raffia!


Take this chair, for instance, recently offered in the Horchow catalog. Beautiful in it's woven simplicity, it could easily be mistaken for wicker. But because raffia does not absorb water, it is an excellent choice for outdoor products.


The fashion industry is keen on raffia, too. Relatively inexpensive and easy to work with, designers have fashioned it into shoes (such as these by Stella McCartney) and handbags (this one from Anya Hindmarch). Of course, the prices for these pieces go beyond the usual $5 raffia hat found in most any flea market!


Easily dyed and woven, raffia can also be used as a fabric. Here it's used as a soft fringe on this pretty Hawaiian-fabric pillow.


Who knew that all this could be done with just a palm tree?

Vertical Gardening

Look closely at this facade...it's not painted on-it's live! Have you heard of vertical gardening? In Europe, vertical gardening is suddenly all the rage. It's really nothing more than plants existing on a vertical surface. This storefront for Louis Vuitton is a great example.

Vertical gardening takes very little effort once it has been put in place. Looking after it three or four times a year is usually enough. It creates it's own humidity and can subsist on a weak fertilizer solution added to the drip lines, which provide water in much the same way as the surface of a cliff. Vertical gardens have been shown to improve atmospheric humidity in their vicinity, so are perfect for greenery-starved high density cities.

I first became acquainted with vertical gardening on a visit to Paris, where I saw this lively assortment growing at the Quai Branly Museum. From then on, I've seen them in many other places in my travels and they delight every time!

This particular garden (right) will induce dizziness if you stare at it long enough.

And this example is um, vertical gardening of another sort?



Patrick Blanc, a french artist who also happens to have a very green thumb, is the man responsible for the renewed interest in vertical gardening. He has constructed his botanical tapestries in dozens of private and public spaces around the world. Many of his creations use over 1.000 plants!

If you would like to try vertical gardening for yourself, check out this month's issue of Lowe's Creative Ideas. In it, they give details instructions for making a 'living wall' with drought tolerant succulents and moss, at a cost of only about $200!

That Well-Travelled Bloom

Not that long ago, if someone gave you a bouquet of flowers, the selection would have been limited by the season and where in the country you were located. All that has changed, thanks to improved production and faster delivery options. Just a generation ago, most flowers you received would have been from the western and southern United States or from Holland.

But consumers' taste in flowers has changed dramatically, and with it, producers have made it possible for you to have peonies for your December wedding!

California still leads as the US's top flower producer, with Florida a close second. Oregon ranks high as well, especially in calla lilies, peonies, and Hydrangea. However, foreign imports now dominate the flower market, and in some categories can account for up to 90% of US sales.

While this is a challenge for U.S. producers, it means a fantastic selection for the consumer, year round. And U.S. producers are countering this challenge by coming up with more fragrant varieties, and bolder colors.

Columbia is now the dominant producer of U.S. cut flowers, leading with roses, carnations, and Alstoemeria. Ecuador is a close second. Their exceptional climates mean that these countries can carve out niches for themselves in markets such as roses, Delphiniums, and Gypsophila (which is nearly unrecognizable from the old "baby's breath" you may remember.

Greenery too, travels a long way. There is Ruscus from Italy, and Ruscus from Israel.

Orchids from Thailand are a very big part of US flower imports, from one producer in particular.

Flowers today are more economical than they were for our parents or grandparents, and a better value as they are bred to be longer-lasting. So, next time you give a beautiful bouquet of flowers, consider the trip they have made to reach you: planted, grown, harvested, packed, shipped and delivered to your florist from around the world!