Helen Olivia Artichoke Replaced With American Plant Orchid and Gingko Garden Moss

The experiment with the artichoke "plant" didn't go over very well. We got it last week at Helen Olivia in Alexandria. The flower shop is scrumptious, the wrapping was wonderful, but the artichoke just didn't like where we put it. So we went to American Plant in search of an orchid...something we knew could last for a while - or at least hope we could get a few blooming flowers and change it for something else whenever that time comes. There were so many to pick from there, but we wanted something a little different than the "usual kind." We have had some success with orchids in Milwaukee. We selected one called Miltonia. It has much thinner leaves and requires more water. That might be tough to manage in our extremely dry winter environment with the heat blowing right on it. Aside from that, the location should be good. We wanted to remove it from the container and needed to find some moss to tuck in around it. So we went to Gingko Gardens in our neighborhood to find some. Our little air plant also needed replacement as it was no longer a plant and all air. We found a similar type with pink rather than red edges, and some strange moss from Norway. The folks at Gingko's are always so great. I wanted to make sure our new orchid would have whatever it needed to succeed and they were more than willing to share their expertise. I hope I am not writing about this subject again next week. I'll leave it to my husband to manage the plants. Then I can blame it on him if something happens. 

Helen Olivia in Alexandria Artichoke Bouquet

Private Gardener in Milwaukee was our go to place for anything plant and flower related. They planned and installed our front yard garden; we always went there for unique and interesting bouquets; and they helped me surprise my husband on his fiftieth birthday by setting a beautiful table complete with goldfish in flower vases. Here in DC, we have a wall hanging vase that we try to keep updated with varieties of things based on the season.  It becomes a Christmas tree with lights in December, and when our garden has flowers, it's a wonderful container to show them off. This time of year is between all of that so we thought Helen Olivia in Alexandria might have something unique and long lasting. We were thinking a branch rather than a flower would be nice - an inspiration we saw at Vaso's Kitchen the last time we were there. In Milwaukee, I could pretty much cut things from all the trees, bushes, and plants on the one acre lot. Here, I don't have that option. What we found was an artichoke branch - not quite what we were looking for different. So we selected some leaves to display with it and hoped for the best. I think we could have used some color rather than all greens, but it was worth the experiment. The wrapping in itself made the bouquet exquisite. It's been a while since we have been there. The staff were busily preparing for an event and the place looked and smelled wonderful. Just going there changes your mood on a cold winter day. If nothing else, that in itself was worth the trip.