Leslie Bennett and Stefani Bittner share their combined knowledge of landscape design at Star Apple Edible & Fine Gardening in the San Francisco Bay area.  Together they utilize ecologically sound landscape design principles and small-scale urban agriculture by working with both ornamental and edible plants to create integrated ornamental and edible landscapes.

For more information, look for their book “The Beautiful Edible Garden” with noted input from BBrooks member florist Studio Choo partners Jill Rizzo and Aletha Harampolis.

A long-time friend and supporter of Barbera Brooks and Fine Flowers by Phone, David Jones shaped the world’s taste for nearly 5o years; he did flowers for both the Reagan and Ford White Houses and lectured at the Smithsonian.

During high school in South Bend, Ind., Jones worked for a flower store doing odd jobs. He went on to attend the American Floral Art School in Chicago. Moving to New York to study at Parsons School of Design, he wandered into a chic-looking flower salon on Lexington Avenue. Because he was living with relatives and his expenses were low, Jones told the owner he would work for free for six months. If the owner was satisfied, he would hire him. In three months, Jones had a paid position.

Dear Friend, you will be missed.

Sourced from fine flowers by phone and the Los Angeles Times.

Barbara Flowers is an international artist who lived most of her life in a small village near the Rhine Valley in Germany. A deep desire to create art began at a young age. Barbara’s parents encouraged her artistic growth with private art lessons and visits to Europe’s museums to see the collections of masterpieces.

Barbara’s art may include energetic brushwork, palette knife work, soft passages of blended paint or a heavy build-up of paint.  She strives for just enough variety without too much unity so as to capture the viewer’s attention.
Barbara’s work is held in international private and corporate collections.

Rosh Hashanah begins September 24 this year. Yom Kippur begins October 3.  The holidays are commonly known as the Days of Repentance or the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim), a time for serious introspection and repentance.

Floral arrangement seen above is  by long time BBrooks member florist, Robin Wood Flowers in Cincinnati, OH.

Joseph Massie is widely regarded as one of Europe’s top floral artists.

At just age fourteen, Joseph began working spending his weekends working in his hometown of Huyton, Liverpool, UK. Perhaps to some it was an uncommon interest for a fourteen year old boy, but Joseph quickly found his vocation amongst the buckets of blossoms and buds.

Taking steps to pursue his passion, Joseph self funded his education and began to hone his practice and develop a creative ethos, participating in intense training sessions with top international designers. To further build his artistic vocabulary, Joseph began to participate firstly in regional, followed by national, floral design competitions, and aged nineteen, won his first national design competition, the BFA Young Florist of the Year 2007.

Long time BBrooks member The Hidden Garden Floral Studio, Los Angeles, shows off a stunning display of Phalaenopsis stems and Lush Green Hydrangea in Flirty Fleurs’ Wedding Wednesday feature from September 3.

Unique, imaginative presentation from COLORS in Kobe, Japan.

Easy to care for Elegant Design by L’Olivier Floral Atelier in NYC, a long-time BBrooks member!

Coral Cactus – an unusual arrangement in a birch wrapped glass vase accented with money tree leaves.

“The desert has taught me to be more responsible for my designs, choosing plants and flowers that are drought tolerant, sustainable, and beautiful.  I like to think of my design aesthetic as eco-chic.”  ~ Colleen LaFleur

Colleen LaFleur of LaFleur Plantscapes + Fresh Flora in Tucson creates an eco-friendly centerpiece that keeps its cool in the summer heat. Visit flowermag.com to see more.

Certain varieties of dahlias can change appearance during their flowering.  Shown below is the “Coupe Soleil” which starts orange and gradually becomes white!