Bouquet of the Week: Summer Birthday Edition
As part of our recurring Bouquet of the Week series, Garden Collage continues to present a weekly inspirational bouquet that incorporates intriguing new elements into the traditional practice of flower arranging. This week, Garden Collage styles a “Birthday Bouquet” that doubles as a lovely, simple fix for a summer picnic table.
As the summer winds down and the days get shorter, I find myself becoming a flower hoarder: taking every opportunity to get another bunch of flowers before they won’t be as readily available from my local venders. Earlier this week a friend of mine was celebrating a birthday, so I made it a point to head over to the Farmer’s market, which is my go-to staple for flowers from April to November. I wanted to put together something for the table that would be beautiful and elegant in typical Garden Collage fashion. I try to buy cosmos as often as I can during the summer months, because for me, they truly represent the season. I add a soft, pink-hued Queen Anne’s lace for texture, and then I added white dahlias and salvia for a local bouquet that is simple, fresh, and summer-y.
For a place setting that would compliment the bouquet (which we all know is the real star on any summer picnic table,) I pulled out one of the colorful Mexican tablecloths I picked up last spring when visiting a friend in Cabo San Lucas. Then, a chilled a bottle of our favorite Selosse Champagne (sourced for me by Matt Franco at MCF Rare Wine— a super bespoke wine shop in my neighborhood). Jacques Selosse–another GC favorite–was a total revolutionary in his approach to making chemical-free wines, which he made with local yeasts using fruit sourced to promote healthy soil. Ethically and epicurially-speaking, his wine is excellent, and great for sharing with friends. (Read more about Selosse here.)
To round out the celebration, I picked the last of my rooftop cherry tomatoes to complement the theme, and together we enjoyed the beautiful afternoon weather. The entire table was garden-sourced, local, and colorful: the perfect birthday mix.
