Icelandic Poppies

The building management at my office complex in Burbank switches out the flowers every season. This spring, they've put in icelandic poppies! What I like about this flower the most is its delicate paper like petals. I also like them because when I was young, my family took a trip to Vancouver and visited Butchart Gardens. I still remember my grandma commenting on how she liked these flowers and I thought "So do I!" To this day I still remember that.

Love the soft pink blossoms.


You can really see the delicate paperlike texture of the petals here.


This is how it would feel if you were a bug on the leaf!

Growing Tulips

Spring is definitely here! I planted 6 tulip bulbs and they've made their appearance. In this picture you can see the cute little tulip bulb in the middle of the plant. I don't know what color the flower will be and it will be a pleasant surprise. I bought two packs of three bulbs from the 99 Cent store, one pack was of a deep berry purple and one pack is of mixed colors (each pack was only 99 cents!). Along with these, I had also purchased and planted rannunculus, but they have yet to make their appearance.

Tulips after 2 months.


After 2 1/2 months.


After 3 months.


After 3m / 1wk, I can see the color! This bloom is going to be purple!


After 3m / 3 wk, the tulips are really here!




Harvested!

Watermelon Snow Sundae

This dessert is easy to make and very refreshing. I got the idea from a japanese food show. Take watermelon juice and freeze it.

Then use a blender or food processor to make shaved ice.

Add the japanese soda drink "Ramune" and vanilla bean ice cream--you have an instant pink delight!

Drought Resistant

My mom planted these for me since she says I don't have time to water my plants enough. These cute little peach colored flowers are fairly drought resistant. I gave them to her a few years ago for her birthday and they've sprouted into four individual bushes! If anyone knows the name of these, please comment!

Octoplant

This plant has hairy "tentacles" as its leaves. It is carnivorus and I can actually see leftover aphid and small insects on the tentacles after the plant has feasted. I found this at the 99 cent store of all places!

Crystal Garden

Mind as well try ALL types of container gardening, including this crystal garden from Taiwan. It comes in multiple colors, but I got the one in green. The instructions are in chinese, but its pretty self explanatory. Wish me luck! I'll post pics as the crystals grow.

Minigarden Pot

Just a bit of grass and some minigarden tools and you have an instant minigarden! I bought this pot at target during Valentine's Day. I love the red and pink polkadots as well as the curled lip of the pot. Totoro's white fuzzy friend (my favorite!) sites in the mini clay pot.

Mini Asian Gardens

I found some asian like fixtures for my asian-themed minigardens. These fixtures are actually from the doll house section at Daiso. I love the bamboo looking fence and asian furniture! To create the tiled floor, I glued mini tiles that I found in the craft section onto a credit card, then burried it in the soil to create a solid and flat surface to place the furniture.

Cakes (Or are they?)

I bought these in Taiwan (at a bookstore of all places) for Mom and Grandma. They are actually face towels! that are wrapped up to look like pastry cakes. Too cute!

Totoro & Friend on a Grassy Knoll

I found this in Sogo in Taipei. It's a stuffed grassy knoll where Totoro and his white furball friend hang out. I love the white furball, so when I saw this, I had to get it. There is actually a hole in the trunk that Totoro can go in and out of.

Gerber Daisies for Mom

Nothing welcomes spring better than daisies. Gerber daisies, in particular with thier large blossoms, look great in simple arrangements. I gave these to Mom and they lasted over a week! She loves the orange and yellow colors, so these were perfect for her.

Sage Spider Mums

Spider mums are named for their spider leg-like petals. These came in green. It's always a treat for me to come across green blossoms because it's one of my favorite colors. I bought this particular batch, along with the Gerber daisies, at Albertson's of all places. At $12 for 3 bunches, these were a steal! Sometimes you find gold at the supermarket of all places!

Tulip Time

Februray at the Home Depot center is an interesting time! Cindy and I saw trays and trays of tulips in multiple colors.

Tiger Roses

If you look closesly, these red roses actually have tiger stripes. Officially called floribunda, these petals are marked by unique and intriguing stripes.

Make A Cymbidium Orchid Bouquet

It's easy to make a cymbidium orchid bouquet like the one pictured here. You can also make a matching boutineer.



First, start with a stem of cymbidium orchids. You can ask a local florist, or go to a flower market to pick up a stem. These types are usually in season year round and come in many colors. The most popular being pink (pictured), white and occassionally sage. The flowers also come in two sizes, the larger size is the one I used. I got this stem from my florist for $35.


Since orchids come on a branch, you'll need to procure stems to actually get them into a bouquet. I picked stems from my garden from other plants. Affix each blossom with a little drinking cup (I used damp tissue wrapped in some foil) and then attach it to the stems using wire. This will ensure your bouquet lasts a long time. Then gather all stems together and wrap them with a ribbon. Use a pearl head pin to tightly keep the ribbon in place. You've now made a bouquet for about $40! A similar bouquet would run about $150 from your local florist.

Mini Gardens

Plant a mini garden by finding tiny plants and doll house accessories. Rock plants, or those used to small confined spaces thrive the best.

Peonies for Mom

I found these peonies at Costco for Mom. Peonies, known as the queen of flowers, are usually very expensive, almost $10 per stem. But I got a good deal at costco. Each color came with about 5 stems for $8.99. I got the rose pink and the magenta to make lovely bouquet.

Flowers Make Excellent Backdrops

Diamonds are hard to photograph because of their reflection of light. But flowers make an excellent backdrop because their natural colors and textures make a diamond stand out. Here the rings sit on some green coffee beans.

Orchid bulbs also make for a fun backdrop for the rings to hang off of.

Rannunculus

My favorite flowers are rannunculus. Their delicate paper petals give this flower a classy and regal look. Rannunculus come in an abundance of colors. This bouquet was also another great find at Costco. I love the magenta to yellow colors! Rannunculus are in season during spring so enjoy them while you can.

Cherry Blossoms

For two weeks in the year, you can enjoy the pink skies of cherry blossom trees. With the entire tree comprised of these delicate pink petals, they really are a treat to look at. But their delicate blossoms are short lived. Wind and rain will cause them to fall, so enjoy them as soon as you get the chance. For the rest of the year, these trees only display their dark red, almost black leaves, as they lay silent until next spring when they turn bright pink once again.

Spray Roses

Spray roses are minature roses. Their size makes them a great alternative to traditional roses, especially since they come in many colors.

Tulips

Everyone loves tulips. Their colors and royal petals are always a happy reminder that spring is here!

Peach Blossoms

These peach blossoms are from my Grandma's peach tree. Their complex pink petals make them one of my favorite flowers. With the entire branch, these blossoms will continue to open over the next week.