THE ARTISTRY OF FLOWERS AND GREENS: HGW 2013

A  few weeks ago, I wrote about three gardens on the Historic Garden Week tours in Richmond.  The women in the James River Garden Club cut greens and flowers, got very imaginative with containers, rolled up their sleeves, and got to work creating beautiful arrangements from the bounty of their gardens.

Blanche Toms and Dianne Butler are raring to go.

Apricot Tulips and Variegated Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum variegatum)

A riot of Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis)

Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’), Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) and White Tulips

Peggy Valentine uses some of her prized Peonies in this arrangement for the dining table of her daughter-in-law, Laura.

Bridalwreath Spirea (Spiraea vanhouttei), Pieris (Pieris japonica), Lilac (Syringa vulgaris), Roses and Herbaceous Peonies (Paeonia lactiflora)

Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) and Variegated Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens ‘Variegata’) float in a bowl

Margaret Reynolds and Susie Rawls work their magic

Betsy Trow is the master of mantlepieces.  Here, she has combined Burford Holly (Ilex burfordii), Arborvitae (Thuja), Eucalyptus, Prague Viburnum (Viburnum pragense), Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria), Eleagnus (Eleagnus angustifolia), Horsetail Palm (Equisetum arvense), Carolina Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus), Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis), among other plants.

Claire Williams, Mary Frediani, Kathleen Reid and Liz Talley take advantage of a spring that gave us a bonanza of Viburnum.

Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’), Variegated Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum variegatum) and the other Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum macrocephalum)

Ranunculus, Tulips, Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis), Bridalwreath Spirea (Spiraea vanhouttei) and Peonies (Paeonia lactiflora),  arranged in individual  baby cups, julep cups, bottles and bud vases, brighten the bar.

Margaret Valentine is off to work.

A mass of white Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)

A  fuzzy fern frond (don’t know which one, daggone it!)  and native Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Page Fitchett and her daughter Mary Carpenter take their cues from the colors in daughter/sister Susan Robertson’s dining room.

Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora), Ligularia, Kerria (Kerria japonica), Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Azalea, Roses and Curly Willow (Salix matsudana ‘Tortuosa’), among other plants

Blue Star (Amsonia tabernaemontana), Yew (Taxus baccata), Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum opulus ‘Roseum’), Variegated Euonymous (Eounymous japonicus) and Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis) in “Wellies”