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.

For much of this past year, visitors to the New York Botanical Garden have been treated to a transcendent experience.  In a singularly ambitious exhibition, the NYBG re-created the Impressionist’s famous French garden in exquisite detail… filling the conservatory courtyard ponds with the same varieties of water lilies that Monet grew and immortalized in his paintings.

Changed out seasonally, the exhibit included all of Monet’s favorites: irises, poppies, nasturtiums, roses, delphinium, and foxgloves.

As seen in flowermag.com Winter 2012 issue.

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.

Bugs won’t eat them.  Deer won’t munch on them.  Heat and drought won’t faze them.  These amazing plants  are Lenten roses (Helleborus orientalis).

The name, “Lenten rose” is from bygone days, when these plants started blooming in late winter near Lent.  But now, due to global warming, people in the Lower often spy thier first flowers in early January.

Blooms range from crimson to pink, burgundy, purple, yellow, white, green and nearly black.  After they bloom, one can continue to appreciate the handsome evergreen foliage, which stands 6 to 10 inches high.

As seen in January 2013 issue of Southern Living.

From their online gallery, bbrooks member Cebolla Fine Flowers in Dallas, TX, showcases a lush, textured all white arrangement in a unique white ceramic vase.  The use of hydrangea, amaryllis, star of bethlehem, tulips, artichokes, succlulents, roses and accents of magnolia leaves brings together a stunning winter-white display.

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.

The West grows the most Christmas trees, but, it has also helped to spawn the artificial tree revolution.  One thing remains the same:  The choice of tree is an emotional decision.  Do  you seek robust A-line perfection, or does a forlorn Charlie Brown pine tug at your heart?  Perhaps this fascinating article in the December  2012 issue of Sunset magazine will help you to decide.

West Coast business owners, Tom Norby of Trout Creek Tree Farm in Corbett, OR, and Thoms Harman of Balsam Hill in Redwood City, CA, share insight into their real and artificial tree companies.