Hellebore (aka: Lenten Rose) Season

 I've been a bit quiet on social media as I've been tackling a list of "to dos". Wedding client meetings, consultations, spring clean up, studio organization and the ongoing 1860 home remodel project... the word "bored" is not a part of our life!~ 

This morning I woke up thinking about the hellebores that I had planted 2 springs ago. I actually went out in the still moonlit darkness to see if they were blooming yet. They weren't. Not yet. 

Incorporating hellebores in floral arrangements, boutonnieres and corsages always makes me smile. The fact that they are only available in the early spring, often during Lent, makes them even so much more special and fun to work with. 

Last year, our winter was so mild that the hellebores were starting to bloom in February. These photos were taken February 11, 2024

By March 7, the blooms looked like this....

and at March 31, like this...

Ever since we moved to this property, my husband and I have been pruning, trimming, adding and sometimes eliminating plants, trees and shrubs. There was so much goodness to work with already, but the property was also quite over grown in areas. Adding in hellebore plants was one of the "musts" on my list. Being able to add the home grown blooms to arrangements so early in the season is a gift. Enjoying the blooms outside when so many other flowering plants are still dormant, is such a promise that spring is here and our Michigan world will be full of color and greenery soon!~

Side note: I began this post on Monday morning and am just able to return to it today, two mornings later. At the end of the day on Monday, I peeked at our hellebores again and there were a couple of new blooms that were just starting to peek out. 
 

Spring is here and these hellebores will be showing off their blooms very soon!~ 

Bring in the Spring!~

Does anyone else crave to see just about anything that is green and fragrant at this time of the year? The past 2 winters in Michigan have been quite mild. The inland lake that we live on never even fully froze over. This year however, winter has shown up in all of it's glory and has been behaving like the Michigan I knew growing up. Frozen lakes, snow that never fully melts, occasional temps in the single and negative digits. Beautiful and so very COLD!~

I just stepped outside to take this photo from the front porch...

Just a slightly different view compared to the beautiful sky, water and view that we were able to enjoy for a week while in Cabo San Lucas just 3 short weeks ago!~ 

(photo taken while on a zodiac boat whale watching excursion)

Back to the greenery. After we returned from Cabo at the end of January, I popped into Trader Joe's to pick up a few staples that we like to get from there. I can't resist lingering by the floral areas and pursuing the latest selections whenever I'm there. What caught my eye on this trip were the spring bulb containers. I picked up 2 simple containers that each held the promise of 3 white hyacinths making a show in the future. At $3.99 each, I knew that even if the blooms were a flop for this season, I could plant the bulbs and enjoy the fragrant white blooms for many Michigan springs to come. 

With a quick stop at our Forrester Farm studio on the way back home, I picked up a couple of our vintage containers and a pack of reindeer moss. I knew just how I wanted to display these sweet sprouts plus adding some personal touches into our "work in progress" home space was just what I was craving. 

I placed little trays at the base of each container for the sake of catching the water and keeping the vintage containers a bit protected - even thought they are totally water proof. I placed the unwrapped floral pots right inside and used the paper wrappers that came on each pot to add a little stability and "filler" around the pot. I've used reindeer moss for years and happened to have a few packages on hand. It really didn't take much at all to cover the exposed soil and filler paper that was surrounding the pot.

 With occasional watering, it didn't take long at all for these fun sprouts to grow taller and then BLOOM!~ The fragrance in our home is heavenly!

These hyacinth blooms from Trader Joe's were such a perfect purchase for this time of the year. I thought I might get 6 blooms, but I just counted and there are a total of 10 blooms between the 2 containers. Once the snow melts and the blooms fade, I know just where I'll plant the bulbs in the garden for springtime enjoyment for years to come too!~ 

Just a by the way side note, the carnations were also from Trader Joe's and they are about a month old in this photo!~ They were purchased mid January to add a touch of color to the music themed table designs at a surprise party that my siblings and I threw for my mom. The color was perfect in our decor and the longevity of these particular blooms is absolutely outstanding.

 

A Day of Love!~

 Happy Valentine's Day from Forrester Farm!~ 

A few of our Forrester Farm wedding couples might recognize these photos 😏😊

A phrase that goes through my mind often is "what you focus on grows". Here's to hoping that at whatever stage of life you are in, you can focus on the good, the pure, the lovely in all who surround you and whatever circumstances you might be facing. 

Blessings on this day of love!~

Cheers to 25 in 2025!~

Happy Monday!

Hope that your New Year is off to a great start!

I can hardly believe that Forrester Farm turns 25 this year. It's our golden birthday year 😉😊. What an absolute joy it has been to be a florally part of hundreds of weddings and events over the past 25 years.  Then to think of the many years of participating in the farmers market, various art shows and the fun "Garden Room" & "Barn Sales" we've had over time, we have truly met the sweetest people throughout the past 25 years. 

If you are newly engaged, huge Congratulations! This is such an exciting time of life.  If you haven't found your florist yet, we still have a few open dates for 2025 and are booking into 2026. Would love to chat.  

Cheers to a great 2025. The best is yet to come!

That's a wrap for 2022!~ Looking forward to many Forrester Farm floral filled events in 2023!~

2022 held so many changes for our family. We sold our home of 23.5 years and on Saint Patrick's Day we officially moved to a farmhouse that was built by Irish immigrants in 1860. Though we immensely miss our neighbors, property, creek and our sweet little mini horses & chickens from our former home, we now enjoy beautiful lake frontage, a full time flowing creek and even a pond at the far end of our property all on more acreage. A huge blessing in so many ways!~

As we have been working hard to make our new to us home and property feel more like "home", Forrester Farm continued with business as usual, and the year was filled with so many wonderful clients, weddings and events. Though our garden area at the new house is currently smaller than what we had, for the first year in we still had beautiful blooms that brightened the yard and graced a few tables. 

We love featuring professionally taken photos following our weddings and events, but as Forrester Farm (established in 2000) begins a fresh new year in 2023, I decided to feature 23 behind the scenes Forrester Farm snapshots from this past year. 

My camera is filled with family, floral, lake and home remodeling photos, so picking just a few floral photos to share was no small task. It is always interesting to see what takes up your time and attention as you scroll through the photos of the past year!~ 

A huge thank you so all of our clients who have continued to trust us with their special events and floral needs!~ Cheers to year 23 of Forrester Farm!~

  Cheers and Blessings to you as you begin 2023!~