Flowered heart

Flower arranging for funerals always is a rather sad affair. I find myself moved when told about the person who has just passed away. This heart is for a friend of the girl who ordered and she was in her twenties. Sad isn`t it.

Pelargonium "angel eyes"

There are just tons of different Pelargoniums, when ever I think I have figured out the genus I discover something new. There are sooo many hybrids and new ones still keep coming. This lovely little specimen called "angel eyes" seems to be very similar to the pelargonium x. domesticum which we here in Norway call English pelargonium. Well I just love this particular one it is like having a bowl of strawberries and cream on your table!

Bird box

Wow, every year I intend to make the most beautiful birdhouses but alas never get round to doing it. So this year as I was standing outside deciding it was time to hang up a birdhouse, I decided I just need to buy it! :) May a happy couple move in and have many chicks

Chelsea flower show opening and I am not there :(

Ohhhh dear, when will I ever make it?! Last year I was in London and all the tickets were sold out. This year I just plan forgot as May is our busiest season. Well I´ll be sitting a whole lot in front of the Mac finding pics. Here is the most wonderful surprise I found on hage.no http://www.bygg.no/id/30444

photo taken by Svanhild Blakstad

Haha what absolute fun, maybe even a tad scary! I wonder how one gets up there?....beamed up?! Well I think I need to book for next year, anyone want to come with?

Salpiglossis, better known in my vocab as slappyglossis!

Well to remember all these amazing latin or greek names of plants, grasses, bushes and the likes one has to work with the word. Sometimes a little stupid or simple humour does the trick for me. Ie "slappyglossis"  Salpiglossis coming from 2 Greek words tongue and trumpet, called painted tongue in English. One of those flowers you always see in the seed catalogue and yet never seem to find in peoples` gardens. The same phenomenon seems to be at work, while everyone is fighting for the last red pelargonia. Salpiglossis is standing in the middle of all the tables putting on a fantastic display of colour and no one barely notices. Why is it we have to become accustomed to something before we see it?..... A strange life lesson that, what is it we don´t see?! Well here is a little picture from work, a hurray for salpiglossis.

Such an easy summer flower! Dead head it and you will have blooms all summer. Likes everything from normal garden soil to sort of chalky. Can handle being forgotten once in a while!

Cindy doll flowers!

Much to my amusement this week I got to buy "cindy doll flowers" for the shop. They sell as summer flowers up here in the cold north. But growing up in Africa my mom had a huge bush of these flowers in her garden. One little flower was a huge bouquet for our barbie and cindy dolls. The tiny little trumpets could get pulled off and put in the poor dolls tangled hair. Many hairstyles and decorations were made in with great creativeness. So Lantana will always remain Cindy doll flowers for me! ;)

Eating el fresco

As the rain is pouring outside I have been looking at photo´s taken this year. Here is a little pic of our first meal outside, Uma and I enjoyed a lunch under our fir tree. This is the first warm sun, straight after the snow had melted. It is simple and not much has grown. But it was none the less lovely, hope you can tell. :)