day three: Little Flower School

Nicolette and Sarah.

 We had an early morning jaunt to the markets on the Monday after the Wedding Symposium weekend with Nicolette and Sarah. We sought out such lovely flowers, beautiful deep pink garden roses, lilies, gorgeous daliahs, incredible dancing lady/oncidium orchids-colours I'd never seen before-a luscious black and a pretty pale cream.

pretty arrangement

The class began with an introduction to all the flowers. Something that delighted me was when Sarah and Nicolette described their wild excitement at discovering the green and faun tinged copper foliage you can see being used in the arrangement above. Nicolette said she spied it from afar and knew she needed it, the man who grew it was quite charmingly bemused and said it wasn't really worth cutting, that it was a sucker meaning it was a rebel branch growing from the rootstock.

 We did a clever chicken-wire-in-a-low-bowl for arranging. I set myself the challenge of choosing blooms I was not immediately drawn to, namely: anything too bright.

a dark version

white wall background

 I do love bright flowers but when I am making arrangements for myself I will always head for pale and pretty with something to offset it like crocea/spiny thorny twigs etc. I was pretty tired by the end of the day as I also went to work in betwix the market foray and the class but I was reasonably happy with the end result. 

My show and tell present to the girls.

 I found this on a morning walk with my dog. I've seen it for sale at the markets before. I can't recall it's name I think it starts with 'h'. I brought it in as I suspect it's a native and thought the girls might like to see it. They loved it and wanted to take it home, alas that was not possible.

upside down peach cake

to help with the long days

eggplants. grown and baked

so delightfully glossy

So we've been growing eggplants this season and they look incredible. It's such a healthy plant bearing gorgeous deep dark luminous fruit {or vegetable?}. I have always adored eggplant. Such full voluptuous shape and I like the mystery of the transformation from raw and spongy to the silken roasted flesh of this curious vegetable.

roasted beauties

Again, it was an Ottolenghi recipe that drew me: [http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Eggplant-with-Buttermilk-Sauce-365110]. This dish is actually gracing the front cover of 'Plenty'. It is very simple to make and the texture is divine. The buttermilk-garlic-yoghurt was great, the garlic is left raw so it adds a nice tangy warmth to the simple sauce. I am not usually one of sauces but this was quite lively and well balanced {and terribly easy to prepare}. I had some left over and mixed it through some lentils with green beans, a little Spanish onion and pommegranate seeds. It is a very versatile sauce, I'm sure I'll be using it more oft.

they really were delicious. and quite fetching visually

There are about 7-8 more little egglets on the way, at the moment they are more {chicken} egg size but they do grow kind of rapidly so I look forward to more meals with them. If anyone has a great recipe using eggplant, please let me know-I usually just slow bake them with thyme or make baba ganoush.

a little baking

One of my friends made a gorgeous cake, her very sweet partner said that it was the Grandfather of all cakes, the First Cake etc so I was inclined to try the recipe out as it was a carrot cake {a type of cake of which I am particularly fond, when done well}.

happily this recipe only called for one carrot's worth of gratings

It was a recipe from Ottolenghi. I have a book of his called 'Plenty,' which is full of delightful recipes. I find he used spices that I don't usually use which is great because it opens up many different flavours. I feel like it's easy to use the same old spices but quite fun to use sumac, za'atar, cumin etc. Anyway this carrot cake---> http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/carrot-cake was pretty darn delicious. It has a really lovely moist crumb with a pleasant crunch to the outer part of the cake. The flavours were warm and rich but not too much. A cake I could probably eat for breakfast. On an indulgent day.


I always struggle to follow a recipe exactly but with this one I made only a few little tweaks. I used ginger and cardamom powder instead of cinnamon and clove, I added a little lime rind to the icing and for the nut topping I used about 20g each of pistachio and walnut {both lightly toasted} and a little sprinkling of dried {edible} rose petals. We had it for a little afternoon treaty with some earl grey. I was very happy with how it all came together. I realise that my favourite cakes are ones that have whipped-into-stiff-peak egg whites folded into the batter for the last step. It seems to give that lovely lightness to the crumb, but then it's also nicely dense. Oh Cake, I adore you.

rose, pistachio and walnut. I like the number three.

lime rind. absolutely worth grating

flowers and cake for afternoon tea

our tame cockatoo. he seemed to be fond of the cake also.

an afternoon off, a little plant wondering, a little rain

I had such a great day off pottering about the house, dreaming of my plant buying adventure at the markets early tomorrow morning-wondering if it's too late, or early?! to be finding begonias there, specifically Rex Cultorum-which is the plant which grew these artful beauties:

to me it really looks like the skirt of a dancer

the prettily veined underside of a begonia leaf {such colours!}

The array of colours this plant comes in just astounds me. I am very excited to read that they make good indoor plants-my room has many many {too many, perhaps} dried branched, moss laden twigs, dried flowers etc etc strung up on walls and light fittings and window sills so I'd love to add some plants. I recently collected a few silvery Dichondra plants which are growing so beautifully and I think they'd be very good companions. I was reading a book about Constance Spry-she was describing a house she visited where ivy was rambling it's way into the house through a window and was slowly sprawling from picture frame to candlestick. This is something that would make me very happy.

drying little clumps of hydrangeas to make a flower crown for a friend

Dichondra cascade

dichondra in situ. doing well

The dichondra {silver falls is the name of variety, pretty apt} is much hardier than it appears. It is very heat and drought resistant and I can't believe how quickly it grows-the tendrils which lie on the dirt form roots rapidly-I am hoping to take a few cuttings to friends. This plant also comes in a few different shades, I'd love to see them. Does anyone know much about other lovely vines/drapey growers? I'd love to expand my collection and knowledge.

flowers {always}: wedding bouquets

The second day at Little Flower School began with a thorough discussion of the many details involved in putting together a beautiful wedding. I have assisted on many weddings and have been lucky enough to do all the pretty things like making bouquets, church arrangements, table centers, button holes, hair circlets but it was good to go through the other details. It was however, quite distracting as we were also surrounded by the most beautiful of blooms.

I was taught to spiral all hand held bouquets so Sarah and Nicolette's method of non spiraling was fun to play with. I suppose spiraling makes the bouquet quite tight and neat but makes it impossible to get that lovely light airy feeling in your work.

I chose to work in tones of peach, silvery sage, creams and browns. I began with the beautiful peach-blush and green quince which had a few lovely little branches coming off them. 
I was drawn-as ever-to the most beautiful fragile peach garden roses. They smelt sweet and slightly fruity like apricots with just a little hint of lemon. You can see the quince just to the right of center and another piece branching out to the left. I love stephanotis and had only used it in button holes previously so was very happy to use it here. Flannel flowers are a favourite of mine, they are so luminous, I feel like they must grow by moonlight instead of by the sun. A few sprigs of jasmine and a little dried clethora put the final touches on this bouquet. It made me feel a little like getting married.

We bound just a little of the stems which what I prefer too, leaving a more natural look than the constricted look of a fully bound stem. The girls said they often leave long ribbons on their work which is something I hadn't thought to do previously-I loved it! Walking around in a lilting breeze with these flowers would be so pretty!

Everyone who took the class made such delicately wrought, gorgeous arrangements. I took mine home to watch it slowly, and beautifully, fade. I couldn't help myself, I kept a few little pieces.

flowers in my veins

After the wondrous flowery adventure that was the weekend with Sarah Ryhanen of Saipua and Nicolette Camille {who works under her own very pretty name} I am feeling very focused on all things blooming. I cannot believe I was lucky enough to trip about to the markets with them, it was great to be there from the choosing of stock at the markets to the final arrangements. And all the splendid moments in between. Both girls are so talented and so lovely. They are really different but compliment each other perfectly and I think are tremendously good teachers.

Their passion and drive is truly infectious. They both feel so strongly about what they do and pour themselves into every arrangement. As we were packing up on the last day,  asked them where they thought they would wander over the next few days before flying home and Sarah said they might go to some more flower farms and buy gorgeous things for themselves and just make big arrangements. That really made me smile.

Sarah also told me all about her farm north of New York, dubbed 'World's End'. It sounds such a rewarding, difficult place to be and work. She and her partner {and adorable dog, Nea} have done such a lot and still have a huge amount of work ahead. I plan to visit in September/October and do some wedding work for Nicolette and Sarah. I have never traveled to America and would really like to be there for their Fall.

The Little Flower School style is so precious. I love how they create so many layers and moments in their arrangements. I have always loved that with flowers-having subtle little interactions between the blooms that take time for the viewer to find and appreciate. It's like getting lured in by a whisper.

This is the arrangement I made on our first day which was focused on center pieces, such an important part of a wedding. I was pretty happy with what I made. I adore the peach garden roses. The came from Tammy at the markets. They always have the most gorgeous, delicate, fragrant roses. I'd love to go to their farm one day. 

Little Flower School was such an incredible experience, I would recommend it to anyone considering falling headlong into deep flower obsession.

table center

other side-suprise daliah!

saipua and nicolette camille in sydney

I am beyond thrilled to report that I'll be assisting those incredibly creative creatures from Saipua in New York http://saipua.blogspot.com.au/ and Nicolette Camille http://www.nicolettecamille.com/ when they teach flower classes in Sydney later this week. When I saw that they were planning a trip I emailed them to offer our flower van and a few emails later I was helping them out for the weekend.

They do such breathtaking work, so beautifully sculptural and subtle. Their palette is so gorgeous and darkly romantic. I am really looking forward to learning from the girls. When I received their email asking if I knew anyone who'd be able to help them out at the markets and with general flowery things I jumped around the house in giddy joy for about an hour.

fragile hellebore beauty. source:http://saipua.blogspot.com.au/

source: http://saipua.blogspot.com.au/

perfect colours. source: http://saipua.blogspot.com.au/

rose and fruit bearing adventures

I spent a little bit of time researching the roses I mentioned in my previous post and was momentarily attracted to the idea of purchasing bare root roses, which would make me feel like I'd been patient and that they were more mine alas alas, I couldn't wait until May 2013 which is when they are best planted. Instead we set off for Galston, North-West of Sydney. It's a very prettily settled rural area, we used to have horses there for a few years. The nursery we went to is called Green E Plants Rose Nursery. The owners were really knowledgeable and pleasantly peculiar which made it an even better experience. We bought 8 small potted specimens.

On the way home we spotted some side-of-the-road fruit, which is the very best kind of fruit. They were selling local nectarines, peaches and strawberries. Such warm bright colours and strong sweet fragrances, I couldn't resist buying far too many. We had extended family staying though so I justified my over-buying by pushing the precious fruit onto them in fresh, poached, barbecued and baked form.

When we were in Morocco in 2012, we came across locals cooking sardines in a Shwia {I'm not entirely certain how it is supposed to be spelt-I looked it up but can't seem to figure it out} over coals on the street. Basically, a Shwia is a hand held wire barbecue rack. We wandered around and bought two and have since cooked pilchards, prawns, sardines and peaches on them. They are really great to cook with because sometimes barbecues scare me a bit as I think I'll over cook everything. With this Shwia device, you can bring the delicious thing you are cooking as close to the coals/flames as you like and take it off very quickly-reassuring everyone involved that the thing won't get crisped.

silvery fish

I cooked the 'road-fruit with some thyme and rosemary on cooling coals for about an hour-checking them pretty oft. They were amazing, such a lovely rich flavour. We ate them with ricotta. The smell of them is incredibly enticing.

summery delights

 I also made an upside down peach cake which I was happy with. The peaches kept it quite moist so it was almost a pudding but the crumb was quite light somehow too. I'll post the recipe soon.

on roses and courage

It took me a really long time to decide to grow roses in the garden. I'm not entirely sure why but the thought of roses being dependant on me was slightly terrifying. I have long adored David Austin roses and, after reading through Susan Southam's gorgeous gorgeous book 'Velvet Pears' I felt convinced I could attend to them closely and have pretty fragrant roses all through the garden. Davis Hanna's Guide to Growing Roses {http://www.hanna.id.au/roses/}was a very helpful resource, detailing various types of roses and which areas in Australia different strains enjoy growing. I had a few special spots in the garden that I wanted to have a more roseate glow, mostly areas where I wanted climbing roses. We have a newish wooden trellis which has crab apple trees growing in front of it. They have lovely deep green foliage and the fruit begins a fresh bright green, later turning to a deep russet. At the moment they are in the midst of their colour transformation, mostly being green with a pretty warm blush. The trellis is up against a warm cream wall and there is also an ivy covered gate which leads to the neighbours' yard and a stephanotis vine arching over a deep green arbour. 

I am hoping the trellis will lose some of it's yellow hue-I know it will turn that nice silvery grey soon but I am a little impatient. 

I chose to plant Blushing Pierre de Rosard which is an exquisite fragrant hardy variety which will fill out the area nicely. I think the soft warmth of the bloom will be particularly nice against the deep red of the crab apples. The grower told me that the blooms will take on more of a pink blush throughout winter, returning to the rich cream in the warmer months-flowers are extraordinary!

Pierre de Rosard. I adore you. ever. so. 

We have had an old wooden half wine barrel in the garden, collecting rain and leaves for the past 6 years so I drilled holes in it, filled it with rose potting mix and a little mulch and chose the very pretty William Morris rose. The grower said it is quite rampant and forms a nice full shrub without too much work. The fragrance if this flower completely undoes me. The colour is a little stronger than something I'd usually choose but I do like it. They buds are a deeper pink which take on a lovely apricot and then open to a paler pink-mine are darker than the photo below, with a bit more apricot in them.

William Morris. Pretty creature.

We have two large wooden columns in the garden which I am hoping to cover in roses. The variety I chose was 'Jude the Obscure'. I have had them as cut flowers before and they cause my collar bones to ache when I look at them. The petal and bud form looks more oval and less blowsy than the other varieties. They become quite pale once they open and I thought they'd be pretty against the nicely aged wood of the columns. 

Jude the Obscure. Precious darling. 

Oh I adore them all! I planted them all yesterday with my mum. We dug nice big holes in our clay rich soil, put rose mix into the hole, spread out the roots and covered them up with soil and mulch. I have two more plants which need a home. The are 'Madam Alfred Carrier.' We thought we'd find room in the a garden bed but it looks like they'll have to find a home in a trough or pot-they are great climbers and we hope they will cover the wooden shed eventually. I have seen such wondrous photographs of them wildly consuming shed and arbors and homes. 

Madame Alfred Carrier

It was really heart warming to read Susan's book. Her garden is so special and she learnt so much by experimenting. I felt like I would do something wrong with roses or have a sad failure but if I do, I do and I'll just try something different next time. I was also fretting about making the wrong decision colour wise and then realised how silly that was because although some combinations are definitely incredible together, all plants and flowers are gorgeous so I'm sure it will all work out somehow.