Did I tell you that I’m picking up weekly donations from Trader Joe’s ?  On Saturday and Sunday mornings, when I get there, Sara, who organizes and inventories all the flowers and plants, has everything  ready to go!  So the task begins- each weekend my living room is turned into a series of “sorting areas” and a design table! I separate the similar bunches of flowers, cut off the plastic sleeves, put the flower...

The idea of starting something new can be exciting & daunting at the same time… especially when you have no idea how to go about making an idea into reality! When I began to research how to start Heliotrope for Hospice last year, I was overwhelmed- all the paperwork filled out correctly, the waiting time to have it all approved, for California, then with the IRS, for the actual 501(c)(3) non-profit status. The process, the journey,...

Happy New Year! 2012 is going to be a great year- I am hopeful in so many ways, that this idea of flowers for people in hospice care will touch your hearts- and you might find a way to give a blossom or two to someone who needs a spark of beauty in their lives. January is one of those slow months. Most florists are  getting ready for the next  floral holiday, Valentine’s Day! To be honest, it’s not my favorite- and I always tell...

It’s become the thing to do; to request “No Flowers” for memorial or funeral services or “in lieu of flowers” to give a donation to a specific organization or charity that the bereaved specify in the announcement of a loved one’s passing. As a floral designer, and simply a person who loves flowers and plants, I ask: why must this option be announced to the guests who will be attending the celebration of life,...

A color… a flower… a fragrance… an herb… what comes to your mind when you see this word, lavender? For me, all of the above! I can’t separate the tactile sense and smell of the flower from  the cool, calm tint of purple origin. The many benefits of lavender are well known, but here are just a few: – in aromatherapy as a fragrance that relaxes the mind and body – in medicine and soaps as an antiseptic...