Botanical Inspiration: Dahlias

IMG_2430 Last week, Natalia and I ventured to the San Francisco Flower Market for a much needed botanical inspiration.  While she checked out seasonal pods and interesting objects for her Pod Art, I became immersed in the rich colors of the Dahlias that are ever so bountiful this time of year.  Although I'm most often attracted to foliage plants, I couldn't resist the deep burgundy hue of this season's petalled beauties.  After selecting a perfect sampling of them, I added some sedum, eucalyptus branches and weeping celosia to create a weekend arrangement for our home.  There's something deliciously self-indulgent about creating something beautiful for oneself, and that's precisely why I highly recommend you try it.  Here's how:

counter psd

IMG_2450

up close

IMG_2462

IMG_2469

Botanical Inspiration: The Flora Around Us

Whether it's embodied in dangerous spikes, brilliant colors, smooth surfaces or delicate petals, the flora around us never ceases to inspire me.  Here are a few favorite specimens, as of late.   Some I shot at a wholesale nursery, others while hiking, one in our very own yard and a few in a friend's wild and crazy garden.  Enjoy their beauty.

To see more botanical inspirations on a [somewhat] daily basis follow me on Instagram.

Images are:  Barrel Cactus, PincushionProtea, a feral cactus, New Zealand Flax, Echium, and Garden Rose.