Flowers in January

I am a sucker for a fresh start (albeit a somewhat arbitrary one in the middle of winter and during a global pandemic). Cracking open a new planner, getting back into a regular routine after the holidays, organizing my spaces, and making goals for the year all bring me comfort—despite all the unknowns.

One of my goals for this year is to be able to offer fresh, local flowers for every single month of the year. I've spent a bit of time over the last few seasons experimenting with forcing bulbs indoors, growing house plants that provide floral ingredients, planting winter-blooming garden plants, and researching where I can find beautiful, locally-grown ingredients during the gray season. This year, I think I will be able to achieve flowers in every season.

I celebrated the new year by foraging both inside and outside for the ingredients that would express my feelings of newness, brightness, and hope—and help me to cling to them over the next few weeks as winter sets in and the busyness begins again. Even in the sparseness of winter, I was able to find just what I needed.

The white amaryllis (forced indoors), whitish-green poinsettias (greenhouse grown), and lime orchids (houseplants) glow beautifully with a variety of evergreen foliage from the garden, including sweet box and privet. 

The honey-scented sweet box and light vanilla scent of the amaryllis with the fresh green and bright white are just the inspiration I need as I hone my plans for 2021. I'll share more about what those are in my next post. Happy New Year!