Tabla de contenidos para May/June 2023 en Flower

“How will we know it’s us without our past?”—John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath AS I TYPE THIS LETTER, I’m hearing the soft stew of the Delta Air Lines Sky Club playlist, periodic flight update announcements, the PSA of the Atlanta mayor urging us to play our part in the fight against human trafficking, and the low hum of human conversation. This is the soundtrack of my travel life. I’m not complaining. I’m cataloguing and rejoicing, for it signals I’m going someplace wonderful or am returning home from someplace wonderful. Both are good. As it happens, I’ve just had the pleasure of visiting, for the first time, St. Petersburg, Florida, where I attended the glorious Art in Bloom at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). But really the whole trip…

Lindsey Herod has never met a floral that she didn’t like. In fact, the interior designer and self-described “fabric addict” cannot think of a room scheme that didn’t sprout from a chintz, cabbage rose, or other botanical motif—or all three, for that matter. “I’d rather be in the garden than anywhere else so I’m constantly drawn to natural colors, materials, and textures that convey an alfresco feeling,” Lindsey says. “Leafy greens and sky blues, wickers and rattans, and crisp cottons and linens are my go-tos—and, of course, tons of floral prints. As I see it, there is no such thing as too many flowers in a garden, so there is no such thing as too many floral prints in a home.” The 30-something-year-old design guru learned to master mix from…

Attention to Details: Lighting Whether you are building from the ground up or giving your home a decorative refresh, the right lighting can make all the difference in every space. Lighting fixtures punctuate a space, and the quality of the lighting can change the mood of a room. We’ve asked designers to—dare we say—illuminate us on lighting, both stylish and practical. Learn about layering lighting for a relaxing bedroom, and get the latest trends and tips for kitchen luminescence. Find our guide to selecting beautiful lampshades and navigating the light bulb aisle to choose the options best suited for each space and fixture. Find the features at flowermag.com/lighting British Gardens As all eyes turn to London and Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles III on May 6, we’re…

When you think of impressive mid-Atlantic gardens, estates such as the du Pont’s Winterthur and Longwood spring to mind. However, there’s a newer garden on the block that is making a name for itself, particularly because of its improbable story. The Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek sprouted without inherited acreage or a wealthy donor. Its locale in a rural area about 30 minutes from Bethany Beach is not far from where many skilled retirees looking for “a give-back project” have settled. A band of these visionary volunteers came up with the idea of creating a lovely, sustainable garden nearby. To jumpstart the project, Executive Director Sheryl Swed and President Ray Sander, who are married, put “a little something in the kitty,” as Sheryl says. The next step was to…

When Melanie and Chris Hill arrived in Palm Beach to visit his grandparents in 1985, the couple anticipated an antiques shopping bonanza to help fill their shop in Tuscola, Illinois. Instead, they bought a business, Kofski Antiques, and relocated to Florida. By the late ‘80s, the Hills had taken the business to another level. They owned five warehouses and employed 60 sales staff, staging eight major estate sales a year that magnetized interior and landscape designers, as well as bargain-hunting homeowners. Waiting lines formed at 5 a.m. for the 9 o’clock opening. Carleton Varney also established his lemon-yellow Dorothy Draper showroom in the area, and it continues to showcase his legacy. And years ago, Devonshire, the antique English garden shop, found its niche selling exotic decorative items that co-owners Nelson Hammell…

Charm School by Emma Bazilian and Stephanie Diaz (The Monacelli Press, 2023), $55 Everyone loves a good comeback story, and there’s one happening right now in the decorating world. Schumacher Books, a division of FSCO Media, has teamed up with Monacelli to explore the old-school techniques that are showing up in fresh ways. Discover how to execute traditional design for the next generation while exploring timeless rooms by talents such as Celerie Kemble, Markham Roberts, and Ashley Whittaker. French Blooms: Floral Arrangements Inspired by Paris and Beyond by Sandra Sigman (Rizzoli, 2023), $40 While living in Paris in her twenties, award-winning floral designer Sandra Sigman discovered that the French view each floral arrangement as a work of art. Here, she shares the design principles she learned and offers tutorials for…

Behind the Scenes As a child, Kelly Marie Thompson used to sneak behind the peony bushes while playing hide-and-seek in the backyard of her family’s Chicago bungalow. “Every inch of that yard brimmed with rose bushes and snapdragons and was shaded by a big apple tree,” says the floral designer. “I honestly can’t think of a time when I wasn’t surrounded by flowers. They’ve always been a part of my life and my memories. It’s hard to know if I found them or if they found me!” Although her training is in painting and printmaking, Kelly Marie followed her heart and ventured into floral design after working in the floral department of a local store. In 2002, she founded Fleur Inc., a floral design studio and boutique in Chicago’s eclectic…

Bellingrath Gardens Reflective of the flora that blooms year-round at Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile, Alabama, these timeless adornments epitomize Southern chic. Their pastel palettes and feminine forms recall the camellias, azaleas, irises, and hydrangeas that grace the property’s 900 acres. The estate, originally known as “Belle Camp,” was intended as a fishing camp for Walter Bellingrath, one of the first Coca-Cola bottlers in the Southeast. The transformation from private retreat to public garden is due to the efforts of Bellingrath’s wife, Bessie, who began developing the grounds with architect George Bigelow Rogers in the late 1920s. Hyakka’en Garden From butterflies and koi fish to pagodas and lotus flowers, these jewels express the spirit and symbolism of ancient Asian cultures as seen at Tenryū-ji Temple near Kyoto, Japan. Erected in 1339…