Floral master Riz Reyes had given me a chunk of Floral Soil to try out and after months of it sitting on a shelf in the basement I finally felt the inspiration to use it. Inspiration fueled by Zinnias of course!
This stuff is crazy cool! It's a sustainable version of that icky floral foam, Oasis, and if you think it looks a little like chocolate cake you'd be correct.
After all it was the cake in the "Woodland Wedding Cake" — one of the most photographed elements of the 2015 Floral Showcase at the NW Flower and Garden Show.
From the Floral Soil website:
Derived and Inspired by Nature: Floral Soil™ is 100% plant based and manufactured primarily from coconut husks, a renewable waste.
Re-Usable: A key focus of Floral Soil™ design was to make it re-usable. Floral Soil can be used for cuttings and seed starts. Additionally, you can add it to your indoor plants, outdoor planters, and directly to your garden.
I've never worked with any sort of floral foam so this was a whole new experience for me.
To be able to push a stem in at an odd angle and have it stay there, crazy!
It made doing an arrangement like easy.
Have I mentioned how much I love growing, and cutting, Zinnias?
Joining the flowers are cuttings of Artemisia stelleriana 'Silver Brocade' and Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum 'Hindwarf'...
A few stems of Nicotiana...
And the vines and fruit from Melothria scabra, aka the Mexican Sour Gherkin.
But of course it's really all about the Zinnias.
A friend gifted us a couple of lemon cucumbers. Had we not eaten them right away they would have made a nice addition to the still life.
As always the weekly "In a Vase" meme is hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. Click on over to see what other bloggers are sharing in a vase.
Weather Diary, Aug 13: Hi 75, Low 58/ Precip .06" — which ended our 57 day dry streak, the longest dry spell in 33 years.
All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
The muted floral colors with Artemisia are delicious, a scoop of sorbet perfect for a warm late summer day. The addition of Loropetalum adds a perfect punch of color. Wonderfully inspirational as always. Glad that the floral soil worked so well. I'd certainly forgive you!
ReplyDeleteSorbet! That's what it reminded me off, I couldn't pull that one out of the sky.
DeleteLoree takes back the mantle! Actually, it looks as though you're sharing it very nicely with Andrew so I hope he'll see your floral creation as a nice accompaniment rather than an intrusion. I hadn't heard of Floral Soil but I expect to make my first purchase soon - I admired that cake slice when I first saw it in 2015. As to your arrangement, the Zinnias you've grown are scrumptious and have inspired me to look for more interesting seed varieties before I plant next year's summer cutting garden.
ReplyDeleteThus far I haven't heard a thing. Good or bad.
DeleteWhat an amazing stuff that Floral Soil is - I wonder if it is available in the UK? You have used these pastel fruity zinnias to great effect - what gorgeous colours they are. Is that fruit the same as what we call a 'cucamelon'? Glad you have got the mantelpiece back again!
ReplyDeleteI think it's availability is even very limited here, so probably not yet. And yes, I do think the fruit also goes by cucamelon, so many names for a little guy!
DeleteHow interesting, that looks like really useful stuff but I'm not sure I'd want to eat it. Your Zinnias look wonderful in your dreamy arrangement (and look really good on the mantle). Love the colours.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh no, that would be disgusting. Talk about a bad case of dry mouth!
DeleteYou have such a great eye for color. I am always drawn to the most intense hues of all seed packets. You're much more refrained in your selections and the result is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAh, thank you! Strange isn't it though? I have a reputation for loving saturated colors.
DeleteI've used floral foam a couple of times and this product looks easier in addition to its other benefits. Fascinating how the gray pulls everything together in your arrangement.
ReplyDeleteThe Artemisia? Ya...it does the same in the garden. Love that plant.
DeleteHurrah! You have inched back onto the mantel..a great move! Thanks for introducing us to a sustainable medium...I shall look out for this in the UK. Your zinnias with their cool colours are amazing.
ReplyDeleteI wish it were more widely available (the floral soil), I think they're just getting their start.
DeleteWow what a stunning vase with those incredible colors.....my zinnias were a bust again...cold and damp here for the better part of the summer. And I will have to try that floral soil.
ReplyDeleteI never thought my Zinnias would take off, our spring was so cold and wet. Then summer showed up!
DeleteA more sustainable florist foam is an outstanding idea, and your arrangement is most excellent.
ReplyDeleteThanks Hoov!
DeleteOne reason I never flower arrange , is that I get frustrated trying to keep the stems from flopping all over the place in the vase . That looks like good stuff !
ReplyDeleteIt's great! Try a little ball of chicken wire too, it works.
DeleteQuite a bit of pink going on in there Loree!
ReplyDeleteThe very first photo shows a bit of the burgundy tile on the fireplace surround. It dictates the colors that work in the living room. Unfortunately pink is in, orange is not.
DeleteI like the idea of sustainable florist 'foam' - so much better than the non-biodegradable stuff. And your zinnias are gorgeous, so perfectly formed. I esp. love the pink/yellow one. What are the cultivar names, if I may ask?
ReplyDeleteOf course! They're Zinnia elegans 'Envy', 'Queen Lime Blush' and 'Queen Red Lime'.
DeleteAnd where, pray tell, can we get our own hunk of this magical material? One other question: was forgiveness forthcoming? I should think that this arrangement would appeal to Andrew's artistic tastes.
ReplyDeleteGood question, I wish I had a better answer. It looks like there's a limited selection available on their website, and they say they're ramping up production to meet demand. Maybe inquire here?
Deletehttps://www.floralsoilsolutions.com/contact-us/
That arrangement is gorgeous. And that Floral Soil stuff looks amazing -- it would open up whole new arrangement opportunities!
ReplyDeleteRight?
DeleteIt was difficult for me to get past the chocolate cake...it looked so moist and delicious.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I had a craving for chocolate cake after working on this post...
DeleteThe zinnias are awesome. I must grow MORE!
ReplyDeleteGherkins, huh? I zoomed in on those in one of the early photos - thought they were some sort of seed pod. Nice touch! Love the Zinnias too. Had no idea they came in so many muted colors - they are lovely. I can't imagine Andrew having any objections whatsoever to such a stunner complementing the other art work on the mantle - it is beautiful!
ReplyDelete