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| A rose bowl with exotic protea alongside garden allium, dahlias, and begonia leaves |
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| Autumn leaves, cabbage, pears with lady apples |
As we harvest flowers, buds, vines, and foliage from our own gardens to use in our arrangements at Robin Wood Flowers, we're struck by what wonderful plant materials we have in the Midwest. Even in the hottest months of the year and the extreme humidity of the Ohio valley, there are high notes to enjoy in the garden landscape. Not only are the cultivated garden flowers bursting with blooms for the picking, the shrubs, trees, and wilder parts of your yard can provide lots of wonderful texture in an arrangement. Varied edibles such as petite pears, red chili peppers, cabbage, and miniature lady apples from the table can make a delightful and unexpected appearance in arrangements too. Keep an open mind. An occasional wildflower that we see on the roadside may actually be just the right color or shape for your creation. Experiment a bit with the plant materials that you harvest to see which ones will take well to being picked and placed in a vase and which ones may wilt.
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| Cabbage, garden celosia, bittersweet and honeysuckle vines |
Part of our philosophy at RWF is to make each arrangement with its own unique combination of materials and let the natural forms evolve the finished product. We take our inspiration from the seasons, using flowers from our local market and local farmers. Each day we personally select only the freshest, most colorful and long lasting flowers and greens. Viburnum and lilac in the spring, zinnias and sunflowers during the heat of summer, berries, fruits and vegetables, and interesting foliage in the fall and winter. We import incredible hydrangeas, delightful tulips, exotic peonies, and callas from the markets in Holland. And, we happily harvest foliage and blooms from our gardens all year long.
