The supply of helium, an inert element with the lowest boiling point of any known substance, has now become so erratic that scientists are calling for a ban on all but the most essential uses – which could mean no more helium-filled party balloons. “The scarcity of helium is a really serious issue. I can imagine that in 50 years’ time our children will be saying ‘I can’t believe they used such a precious material to fill balloons,’” said Peter Wothers of Cambridge University.

“There is a finite supply of this lighter-than-air gas on Earth so if we keep using it for non-essential things like party balloons, where we’re just letting it float off into space, we could be in for some serious problems in around 30 to 50 years’ time,” Dr Wothers said.

The shortage has mainly affected research centres studying the brain using magnetoencephalography (MEG) scanners, which are similar to the MRI machines used in hospitals but need to be topped up regularly with liquid helium (helium super-cooled to minus 269C, just four degrees above the lowest possible temperature, absolute zero).

We at bbrooks take the information found in this January 1013 article from The Independent/UK very seriously.  As of March 2013, we will no longer be fulfilling requests for balloons.

bbrooks member Third Bloom in Rancho Santa Fe, CA showcases a display of Top Ten Weddings of 2012 on their blog.

Included in the collection is this lush and gorgeous bouquet of Roses, Ranunculus, Cymbidium blossoms and lily grass.

 Fit for a  bride….. and a Valentine!!

Longtime friends, owners and partners, Stephen Wicks and Mark Welford of bbrooks member, Bloomsbury Flowers, London, UK, are featured in this December 2012 article from The Guardian.

Retired professional ballet dancers, Mark and Stephen share insights and anecdotes related to the  floral gift-giving customs of the Royal Ballet.

Writer Ryan Gainey features watercolor botanicals by artist Sarah Towery in his Flower Magazine Winter 2013 article.  Mr Gainey highlights flowering plants and shrubs which bloom throughout the winter in his lovely Southern garden.

The watercolors were commissioned by Mr. Gainey to illustrate his newest book, “The Gathered Garden” and will be displayed in an exhibit on February 27th, 2013, in association with the Cherokee Garden Library of the Jame G. Kenan Research Center at  the Atlanta History Center.

One of nature’s most exquisite compositions, Snowdrops, bloom from melting snow cover just as winter ends.  Their delicate white flowers hang down from crisp green stalks as their  petals elegantly fight gravity to open and display their extraordinary markings.

Snowdrops can take several years to cultivate, and some varieties are so unusual that a single plant will sell for hundreds of dollars.

Gunther Waldorf has written a warm and engaging guide showcasing more than 300  snowdrops found throughout Europe, all in photos he shot himself.

Many of the varieties are not available in the United States due to European Union environmental protections, though similar snowdrops can be found stateside.

Gunther Waldorf’s “Snowdrops” is published by Frances Lincoln Limited, 2012.

As seen in Winter 2012 issue of Garden Design magazine.

In her forthcoming volume, “Flowers”, Carolyne Roehm describes being so devoted to tulips that some years she plants as many as 10,000 bulbs.  Gardening is her passion, and her photographs of its blowsy stars are reverant works of art.

These days, a stylish room isn’t complete without the houseplant of the moment.  Ficus lyrata (also known as fiddle-leaf ficus or fiddle-headed fig), a midsize tree (they can grow 50  feet high in the wild and can easily top 6 feet in an interior) with large, violin- shaped leaves is enjoying a design moment.

Mary Gray, owner of Potted in Los Angeles, traces the popularity of the fiddle-leaf ficus back to the 1950s and ’60s, when the specimens were ubiquitous in office design.

Davis Dalbok, owner of Living Green in San Francisco, gets lots of requests for the tree, but he advises buyers to plant with caution.  “They need a lot of water and light, ” he says.  “If you don’t rotate them, the leaves in the back fall off. They’re kind of finicky plants.”  That said, Dalbok thinks the beauty of the fiddle-leaf ficus has proven it’s roots have staying power.

As seen in California Home+Design magazine, May/June issue.

These handmade creations are more than textured eye-catching pieces of garden art.  Known as bug hotels, they offer shelter and even food for beetles, solitary bees, and spiders! Beetles and Spiders nestle down between pieces of wood, while birds take wool and yarn for their nests.

All these creatures are essential to the ecosystem, says Lisa Benjamin, founder of Urban Hedgegrow, a collective of artists in California and the United Kingdom who create these dwellings.  Items shown can be ordered from Urban Hedgerow.

Jory Brigham has worked with chisels and planes for as long as he can remember.

The name of his latest creation was insprired by a conversation Brigham had with his wife during a road trip.   “I’m usually talking a mile a minute in the car,” says Brigham.  “But I was so engrossed thinking about the design of the bench that I didn’t make a peep.  When my wife became concerned, I told her that I was creating the comfortable silence she always desires.”