The flowers and the bees...

There are a couple of hotels we like stay at when in Seattle for the NWFG Fest, this year we chose the Coast Seattle on 6th Ave (formerly the Hilton). Since it was a tad chilly during the garden show (mornings started out in the low 30's) I took advantage of the hotel's underground concourse, which put me within a few feet of the Convention Center without having to go outside. Part of the walk takes you through the lobby area of Union Square (a high-rise office building complex), where several bright floral arrangements caught my eye.

Seeing them as I came and went over multiple days, I found myself studying the components. At first I was put off by the mix of what I think of as fancy tropicals (the red ginger, Alpinia purpurata I believe, and Anthurium) with more pedestrian Alstroemeria and (gasp!) Hydrangea. They just don't belong together! 

But why not? My garden is a mix of plants from far flung places, and I don't mind that mix up. The colors and textures of the flowers certainly work together—and it's not like they stuck daisies in the mix. The more I questioned my aversion the more I started to warm to the combination.

Here's another, smaller, version with the addition of Moluccella laevis (bells of Ireland), and maybe Eustoma in the center? The larger arrangement feels intentional, where as this one kind of had the look of being made of leftovers. I certainly don't mean that as a bad thing.

There was a florist, Floral Masters, in the building, off to the side on one of the escalator levels. Surely these must be their work? They weren't open when I passed by.

There were several open seating areas spread throughout the lobby, typically there were groups chatting, or solo folks working. Remarkably, all the tables had flowers...

A ceiling reflection.

Spaces with a little more privacy, still with flowers.

What a nice touch.

Hmmm, what's that going on outside?

Be hives!

Bees work too, sometimes adjacent to people working in fancy office building areas.

This was the view from our hotel room. The shorter building in the foreground is the Washington Athletic Club, behind it US Bank Center, which was known as Pacific First Centre back when I lived in Seattle in the 1990's. I managed a store for Williams Sonoma on the ground floor of that building.  

Looking a little to the left we could see a tiny slice of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains between Century Square (the building with the curved tops) and Rainier Square, the dark building with the setbacks. Can you make out the dark dot on the far right side top of the curved glass of Century Square? That's a person. Cleaning the glass? Doing a repair? Dunno, but I do know you couldn't pay me enough to be that person.

The Bit at the End

Do you know the word solastalgia? I just recently learned of it. Coined by Glenn Albrecht and derived from solacium (comfort) and algia (pain), it represents the loss of solace from a changing home environment. Wikipedia says: "Solastalgia is a form of emotional or existential distress caused by negatively perceived environmental change." If you're curious there's further explanation on the Climate Psychiatry Alliance page; here.

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All material © 2009-2026 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude. 

On a tree on Monday

After visiting a private garden on Sauvie Island last Monday evening I knew I had to write an "On a tree on Monday" post to share what I saw. The title is, of course, a play on the much loved "In a vase on Monday" blogger's meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.

So instead of flowers in a vase, these flowers are (beautifully) hung on a dead tree.

Why? Well, the weekend before the open garden, the owners, Linda and Chet, hosted an evening wedding. Chet's daughter got married in the garden and this is where the ceremony took place—at the end of a long and winding path through the garden. The backstory makes this display all the more wonderful.

I couldn't resist taking several close-ups of the wilting flowers, still so beautiful as they fade.

Here's a piece of the hidden magic keeping them in place.

Linda is a very creative lady and there are lots of beautiful flowers in the garden (more from the garden on Wednesday), so naturally I figured she was the one who put this all together. Nope, not her work.

I couldn't help but photograph it from every angle, I was smitten.

Back when I participated in the "In a vase..." meme I frequently shared photos of our mantel and the decorative elements I'd pulled together there. Since I haven't done that in a long time, I thought I'd share a couple photos just to let you know I'm still filling vases and changing things up.

Currently in the vase (part of my Royal Copley collection) are pieces I've trimmed from the garden; a Dioon Edule leaf (the tall number), Rhododendron 'Ebony Pearl' branches, and bits of Lomatia tinctoria. That perky Begonia erythrophylla leaf was a gift from a garden visitor and it's rooted quite nicely, perhaps it's time to plant it up.

The bright colorful bromeliad is a Guzmania I picked up for a song (by one at $5 get one free, the other is out in the garden).

And the small seeds in this little vase have been there so long I've forgotten where they came from.

So, that's a peek at a non-traditional Monday floral arrangement and what's on the mantel these days...

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All material © 2009-2025 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Lan Su, a beautiful distraction when I needed it most

I wish it weren't the case, but my mood is heavily influenced by the weather. A grey cloudy day has me feeling down and lethargic. When the sun shines and the sky is blue, I am upbeat and full of positive energy. Last Wednesday was a beautiful sunny day here in Portland and I set out for Lan Su (our Chinese Garden) and the Chrysanthemum Festival.

Begonia grandis

I used to be a regular visitor to Lan Su and the festival, I think it was probably COVID that broke the pattern. I also used to be a member at the garden, but let it expire when I felt like the plants were no longer the focus. 

This sign board was one of the first things I saw at the garden during my visit. Since I was feeling extra sensitive that morning the first sentence hit me hard. The key to staying sane will be to do exactly this, in whatever form you are able.

The garden was a beautiful place to be that day...

The Floral Design Showcase is a big part of the festival and I found it shocking how different the entries were from the last time I visited, less theatre, more natural floral arranging. This is Perennial Heritage, by Lauren Say.

Sonnet 73 by, Kefira LaValley.

So many of my old favorite plants were missing. Winter deaths? Maintenance issues in the garden? This podocarpus was looking good however.

As was the Poncirus trifoliata.

Golden Longevity: a Chrysanthemum and Dried Flower Celebration, by Jen Rich.

Long Live the Queen of Fall Flowers, by Peggy Donovan.

This arrangement was not signed, maybe created by the garden staff? I suppose I should also note that I didn't photograph all the arrangements in the garden that day. I only focused on the ones that I liked.

Mums in Moonlight, by Rachel Galloway.

Forest Bathing, by Ellen Hansen.

It had been so long since I'd visited that I'd completely forgotten about this luxurious patch of Pyrrosia sheareri in the garden.

It's happy and healthy!

I'd not forgotten about the Anemone 'Honorine Jobert' however...

Those small green balls, after the petals fall, they're fantastic.

As I walked into the far SW corner of the garden I was thinking there was a plant there that I used to love to visit. Was it the edgeworthia? No, I mean it was always nice to see, but there was something else, something more "special"... ah! That leaf! Yes. Look up dummy...

Quercus dentata 'Pinnatifida’, the cutleaf Emperor Oak. It's so tall now.

There was no signage to say if these bonsai were part of the garden's collection or perhaps on loan?

The one in the middle appealed to me, with it's green layers.

Pinus bungeana (lacebark pine)

A rhododendron (left) that I can't ID, and the sexy legs of a what I assume is a crepe myrtle.

I spent about an hour wandering this city-block sized garden. I chatted with a few other visitors and managed to forget my worries for a while. Gardens (especially ones where we aren't responsible for the upkeep) are good for that.

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All material © 2009-2024 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.