Courage

Roses are one of the most popular garden shrubs and I believe it is one of the most popular and commonly sold flowers. Roses have always been highly valued for its beauty. Roses are red, violets are blue... Rose is the color half way between red and magenta. But Red roses by far the most popular. Red roses stand for Love and it could also stand for Courage and Respect.

I have chosen red roses for this week's arrangement. You can see some arrangements that I have created using roses. Surprisingly I have not created one with red roses before. The one that I like is 'Snow White'. Can you guess which one is it?

The Rising Phoenix

The phoenix is a mythical golden firebird and it is proved to be an enduring allegorical symbol, appearing frequently in pop culture. It is said to regenerate speedily when wounded and hurt. In Chinese mythology, the phoenix is similar to the FengHuang, a highly respected legendary creature, a leader of birds. In Japan, the phoenix is the FuShiCho which means immortal. To me, the phoenix is a symbol of strength and resilience. Shakespeare mentioned the phoenix in his works a number of times. There is also a Cyber Phoenix, I heard which grants power in a battle in the form of an extra card.
In this arrangement, I have chosen a square vase to show the strength of character of the majestic bird. It is yellow to represent the golden Fenghuang. The artificial materials were used to show the transformation of a rising FuShiCho. The leaves were curved in various ways showing intelligence of the leader... The flowers chosen are bright red Heliconias. Well, well, well.







At the exhibition, the beautiful guests gave several nice comments, they were just so encouraging. Among them was an elegant lady in cheongsam who stood viewing the work for quite a while in deep thoughts and she left with an uplifted spirit afterwhich. Hmm... perhaps she liked the arrangement and had an 'aha!'. Sharing the Rising Phoenix with you and I hope that it will bring you positive energy this long week end. Rejuvenate, Recharge, Renew.

Lily of the Valley

Pink Lily, one of my favourite flowers to work with. These flowering garden plants normally grow from bulbs and there are more than 100 species in the lily family. The colours and shapes of the lily are vibrant and elegant. In selecting lily, I usually trust my flower senses and instincts, reasons being that you can't really tell how they will bloom when they are still in buds. This picture shows one of the best I have ever selected. Nonetheless, all flowers are beautiful. Perhaps some species are just slightly better looking than others. However, I don't think flowers ever think like that. Do they?

I will be using pink lily for the week but I have not really thought of it yet. So for the time being, I will put the flowers in a vase. Well, putting flowers in a vase can be a good practice for creativity. I try not to cut the flowers too short as I might need the height later on. I need to make sure that the directions of the flowers synchronise well and they don't spread disorderly. I will not be using other special leaves but to rely on the fabulous leaves of the lily for the green. The other flowers I have selected include green orchids. That will also add on to the green. The showy pink of the lily will give the arrangement strength of character.

Fill your mind with beautiful things

This picture shows how fabulous nature is. At its most natural state, flowers make us just want to pause for a while and reflect. Fill your mind with beautiful things. Well, I am sure flowers do come to my mind.

FLOWERWONDER

Inspired by my friends, I decided to share what I know about flowers with you. Hope it will bring you as much joy as it brings me.