Wedding flowers

When my daughter asked me last winter to help with flowers at her wedding last weekend, I told her that the reason florists get the big bucks is that they can sit down with you in February and tell you exactly what they can deliver in August. Go with Dad, you take your chances.

Talking with friends and co-workers, some of whom have grown flowers professionally, I quickly realized that there was no way I could grow and transport cutflowers to the wedding venue three hours away — especially given that we’d need to be there on Wednesday to start setting up for the Saturday wedding. So I focused most of my efforts on growing containers to be used as a background for the ceremony.

I had a general idea of what it would look like, but it wasn’t until just a week before the wedding that I pulled all the containers scattered around the yard into one place. Here’s what the prototype looked liike:

wedding flowers

Elly graciously offered to transport the containers in the Airstream she’s rebuilding. I was able to keep the pots dry enough that they didn’t leak. But there were more ants and other insects scurrying around than I’d anticipated.

wedding flowers

Everything transported very well. Temps were only in the 70s that day. So even though I limited their water, the plants didn’t go into shock. I was able to get them unloaded and into the shade and watered, and set them up the next morning:

wedding flowers

wedding flowers

Dee at the CSA that our daughter and son-in-law belong to did a great job on the table arrangements, delivering them the day of the ceremony.

wedding flowers

And she did a great job with the bouquets and boutonnieres:

wedding flowers

There were lots of floral themes going on in the ties …

wedding flowers

… and the dresses.

wedding flowers

Hazy morning after the ceremony at the location …

wedding flowers

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How bad is this going to stink?

Just in time for the holidays, I’ve got my first Amorphophallus (don’t know the species) about to flower. So how bad is this going to stink?

I keep a few pots around because I love the foliage. Now I’m wondering if I’ll have the same love for the flower. Chances are good I’ll move it to the office Friday and let it ride out the putrid period while no one is around over the holidays.

amorphophallus flower

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Poinsettia sale Dec. 7 & 8

If you’re in the Ithaca area and looking for some choice poinsettias for yourself or for gifts, check out the annual poinsettia sale by Cornell’s student horticulture club, Hortus Forum.

December 7 & 8
7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
KPL Greenhouse #9
[Map]

6” pots: $12; $10 pre-order
10” pots: $25; $20 pre-order

Pre-orders are being taken now. Contact Mason Newark at mjn68@cornell.edu to place your pre-order now.

Here’s live view of the poinsettias via the Dept. of Horticulture greenhouse cam.

Proceeds support Hortus Forum’s activities, such as field trips to visit greenhouses and other learning opportunities.

You can see more pictures of this year’s crop in a post I made a week or so ago.

Hortus Forum poinsettias

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Poinsettia season

If you had asked me what I thought of a pink poinsettia sight unseen, I’d have probably said ‘Not so much.’ But I’ll admit, I kind of liked this one:

poinsettias

After work earlier this week, I swung by our greenhouses to try to catch the crew from Hortus Forum, Cornell’s student horticulture club, preparing plants for their regular Friday plant sales and their big poinsettia sale Dec. 7 and 8. I had to leave before most of them arrived. But I was able to shoot this year’s poinsettia selections.

A longer shot of the pink poinsettia.
poinsettias

A more traditional red.
poinsettias

Perhaps my favorite, a red with frosting.
poinsettias

A white.
poinsettias

A white-splotched red.
poinsettias

Christmasy.
poinsettias

I love getting close up to poinsettias.
poinsettias

Some long shots.
poinsettias

poinsettias

Panorama. First time I’ve used photomerge in PhotoShop.
poinsettias
Supersized.

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