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Home Blog The Seasonal Flower Alliance
May 2nd 2014

The Seasonal Flower Alliance

Written by
Floret
Bouquet includes: lilacs, snowball viburnum, euphorbia, black elderberry foliage, hellebores and black parrot tulips.

Bouquet includes: lilacs, snowball viburnum, euphorbia, black elderberry foliage, hellebores and black parrot tulips.

Welcome to the very first installment of The Seasonal Flower Alliance.

Here’s how it works. Each week we’ll make a bouquet using seasonal flowers sourced as locally as possible. Nothing too strict as far as distance but I’m going to be cutting from my garden and sourcing product from other specialty growers in my area. The idea is that we will all try and work with what’s available seasonally, locally and celebrate each weeks offerings as much as possible.

bqtt

Now I haven’t figured out how to add a way for you to upload a link to your blog post/Facebook page/Instagram photo right into the body of the post, so in the meantime a link in the comments section will have to do but don’t worry, that’s coming soon.

helleb

Once your bouquet is created, you photograph it, document the ingredients used, post it somewhere online and link to it here. That way we can all see what’s being harvested, sourced and created around the world.

I have a feeling it’s going to be incredibly inspiring!

tripplelilac

You don’t have to make anything elaborate, even a handful of blooms is fine, but if you want to use the opportunity to try a new technique or practice the art of floral design, go for it! The point is to have fun, get creative, try new things and share the beauty of the experience with others.

lilacs

This week in my garden the lilacs are exploding into bloom and I based my arrangement around their fluffy, abundant purple blooms. If only I could share how amazing the bouquet smelled. Sigh….it was heavenly.

Untitled

So, if you’d like to join The Seasonal Flower Alliance, then you better get snipping.

I can’t wait to see what you create!

57 Comments

  1. Seasonal bouquet / early May | grown to cook on

    […] is just one variety of flower in a vase. Lovely for sure but a little plain. When I read about the Seasonal Flower Alliance, I immediately knew I wanted to join in the fun, but thought that at the moment there was not […]

    Reply
  2. Jen on

    http://instagram.com/p/nRFUGXRARu/

    Yay! Great idea!

    -scabiosa, ranunculus, and hyacinth from my yard. -magnolia, daffodils, and flowering branches from my grandma’s house.
    -spray roses and waxflower from my mom’s shop

    Reply
  3. Dorris on

    Such a lovely collection. yum

    Reply
  4. melissa on

    My seasonal bouquet of the week includes daffodils, crabapple branches, forsythia branches, and rhododendron… it’s been a cold cold spring here. Can’t wait for more to play with!
    http://instagram.com/p/nib2ARry0f/

    Reply
  5. Lydia on

    Love this idea! I am definitely joining in next week!

    Reply
  6. Kaity on

    Erin, I love this project so so much! Your lilac bouquet has me a bit jealous. Oh, how I love the aroma of those heavenly blooms! Ours are just starting to bud here in Nantucket. A late spring means we are still enjoying daffodils and forsythia, which I foraged for this bouquet. http://www.fareisle.com/blog/2014/5/4/seasonal-flower-alliance

    Reply
  7. Zoe on

    Love this! Here’s my seasonal bouquet from NZ, it’s autumn here, so I’m making the most of the roses while they are still around! Look forward to seeing everyone else’s seasonal creations!! http://instagram.com/p/nj5zkhuFJa/

    Reply
  8. La.grand.duchess on

    Good day everyone! My name is Erica Adamson, I live in the rusty magic city known as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! All the blooms I use come from a lovely little flower farm GooseCreek Gardens just outside the city in Oakdale, PA. I go out to the flower farm every week to volunteer and my reward is paid in buckets of flowers to take home to play with. I mostly make bouquets to give away to close friends and for myself of course… I am flower obsessed and I am passionate about design and farming!!!! Warm thanks to everyone for the inspiration! Flowers used in my bouquet this week: poppies, ranunculus, tulips, sweet peas, larkspur, dusty miller.

    http://instagram.com/p/nkDPPbQfFh/
    http://instagram.com/p/njJgxnwfLY/

    Reply
  9. Sara on

    Fabulous idea, I will promote on #britishflowers hour. (Mondays on Twitter, 8-9pm UK time)

    Reply
  10. Lee Moore Crawford on

    I love old fashioned bearded iris. The scent of them pick all of my neighbors and bring them to my mother at 5 years of age. Here they are from my garden standing tall with the invasive privet we have and the one left over tulip from Stephanie at Sassafras Fork Farm, the last of the glorious tulip days. http://instagram.com/p/ngLoI7xurE/

    Reply
  11. Amber Driscoll on

    This is a stunning idea and I can’t wait to participate!…as soon as I have something more than 3 daffodils open here in upstate NY I’ll be uploading my photos.

    Reply
  12. Gretchen on

    My lilacs will be out soon – how in the world to you get them to stay alive? I always crush the ends of woody stems, which works for everything except my lilacs – which wilt in a day or two. Of course, that doesn’t stop me from bringing them in . . . ;-)

    Reply
  13. Julie @ Garden Delights on

    Oh my gosh, those lilacs are divine! I can only grow little wimpy ones in SC, but I still do for the scent. I’ve been doing “Floral Friday” on my blog, encouraging gardeners to make bouquets to enjoy from their gardens–so I love this! I’m not a floral designer, which will be obvious when you see my bouquet–but I’m trying to learn better design! Love this idea! Here’s mine: http://juliesgardendelights.com/the-happiest-day-of-the-week-floral-friday/

    Reply
  14. Judy on

    I am inspired by your challenge. I’ve posted it to my facebook with ingredients listed. Lilacs, chive buds, lambs ear, bluebells, clematis tendrils . . .in a galvanized can on a mossy redwood table.

    Reply
  15. Andi on

    What a treat to see all the beautiful flowers! Here in SW Washington, our lilacs are in full bloom–yes, the aroma is lovely! I used a couple varieties that grow on our little piece of heaven and had to stick in the ‘beginning to wane’ dogwood. Thank you Erin, this is sure to be wonderful, especially for someone like me who has no experience but a serious love of all things floral!

    Now let’s hope this link works!
    http://instagram.com/p/ngILVdAKtZ/

    Reply
  16. Cecilia on

    Thank you Erin for giving us this opportunity! Looking forward to participating and seeing what everyone is going to do :-)

    This is a small bouquet of pulmonaria, spiraea and pelargoniums.

    http://instagram.com/p/nWAc7Yw-MJ/

    Reply
  17. Mel on

    This is great. I love the name and your bouquet. It’s so interesting to see how many gardens are still waiting for blooms I’m learning already!

    My latest arrangement is over here –

    http://mysilverymoon.com/?p=6935.

    Reply
  18. Nicole on

    What an inspiring idea! I like to join in. Just saw that snails ate my nigella, ammi and poppy seedlings :( So I hope there will be flowers later on..
    For now tulipmania from the Netherlands, from my garden and also bought freshly picked on the tulipsfields on a familytrip to the coast:

    http://instagram.com/p/ndqzWWl23Q/

    Reply
  19. Kirsten on

    We’ll see what I can find. It’s pretty dry and flowerless around these Rocky Mountains.

    Reply
  20. Karin on

    BEST IDEA EVER. Once my product gets going I cannot wait to join in and see what vehicle you find for community sharing. I would proudly wear a T shirt every day with that those words (and some kick ass badge) on it because the name and concept is so dang AWESOME. This kind of sharing is sure to blow us all away this summer. KUDOS ERIN for the stellar ideas you offer and implement for growth with openness and no judgment so no one is left out. I’m motivated and excited!! YOU ROCK and you made my Friday very happy.

    Reply
    • Floret on

      Awwww, so happy it resonates!

      I so can’t wait to see what beauty you create Karin! I’m hoping there will be at least a couple of your famous overhead flower collages. I’m dying for you to teach me how to nail those this fall : )

  21. Michelle Shackelford on

    I can’t wait to join in! First, things need to start blooming here in Northern Michigan. I don’t even have daffodils yet!

    You rock, Erin!

    Reply
  22. Katy Noelle on

    What a gorgeous, fun and inspiring idea!! and what a heart piercingly beautiful bouquet! sigh. =) (Favorite color, don’t you know! ;) )

    =) xxo

    Reply
  23. Vera on

    Great initiative! I live in the Netherlands, which is the biggest cut flower exporter in the world – unfortunatelly most of the flowers are not sustainably grown. That is one of the reaosons why I like to grow a wide selection of cut flowers on my allotment. Right now there is a bit of a gap after the tulips finished flowering and before the peonies start but I would love to participate in your project in the future!

    Reply
  24. kim Smith on

    I can smell the lovely fragrance from here! stunning!! you are such an inspirations..ahhh. Can’t wait till ours are in bloom. Now I have to figure out how to link it to here..oh noooo..lol ;)

    Reply
  25. Robyn Athearn on

    LOVE the LILACS!! So BEAUTIFUL!!! It seems like spring is still weeks away here across the country on Martha’s Vineyard. Tulips just poking up and out of the soil;)

    Reply
  26. Nina on

    Fantastic! I am in :) can’t wait till I have blooms blooming!

    Reply
  27. The Garden Gate Flower Comlany on

    Brilliant idea Erin we will be involved as often as we can. Can’t wait to see what the world creates – becca & Maz xx

    Reply
  28. Georgianna on

    Wow! You are amazing! I’m still downloading images from today. :) Great post, beautiful!

    And I’ll get snipping!

    Reply
  29. Atelier Carmel on

    So exciting!
    My bouquet this week would consist of dry twigs, not even a bit of green in sight yet around here… But it will be coming soon!
    Such an inspiring initiative Erin :)

    Reply
  30. Lindsay Sisko on

    Fantastic.I ‘ll be participating in a few months after this never ending Canadian winter!!! My lilacs bloom in June and I can’t wait to smell them!!!!

    Reply

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