Читать книгу Slow Flowers - Debra Prinzing - Страница 7

. . . And in green underwood and cover Blossom by blossom the spring begins.

– Algernon Charles Swinburne

Just in time, spring arrives. The quiet, monochromatic days of winter are slowly nudged aside by bright, polychromatic blooms, fresh green foliage that seems to unfurl before your very eyes, and the wonderful smell of bare earth, ready to be cultivated. Thank goodness I planted spring-flowering tulip, daffodil and hyacinth bulbs last autumn!

This season, the floral designer’s palette relies on pure and pastel hues, delicate flower forms and verdant fronds, blades and tendrils. Bouquet-making can be as simple as gathering a few stems in a bud vase – the perfect way to enliven a room and lift the spirit. Or they can be lush and full – an antidote to winter and a welcome to the gardener’s season.

These organically-grown tulips and a few fragrant hyacinths are enough to take your breath away – delighting tourists and locals alike at Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Gretchen Hoyt and Ben Craft of Alm Hill Gardens in Bellingham, Washington, raise the flowering bulbs in sheltering hoop houses, which help to warm the climate by a few degrees.