My Hands have Touched...

 Botanicals in four different states, as work is travel now. 

     In New Orleans, finding tropicals in March was tricky at best. I tried six locations and I finally found a plant shop on the outskirts that had this magical cooler in the Gifty-area…buckets of tropicals behind misty glass…the nicest man with a great mustache helped me put together a bundle, and then charged me ten dollars a stem! Money! 

     In San Francisco, I went for dried botanicals, grapevines, Willow, Willow and more Willow, SF flower Market had a fair amount, although my favorite (well, second favorite) stall has closed shop…they honestly had the best dried offerings. I made my way to Yountville and talked a Winery into letting me go through they’re vineyard debris/compost pile. Big win. Then met a neighbor of theirs who invited me to take some of his too. Friendly folks. I even managed to get six bottles of wine for client gifts. Yum. 

     In LA I needed a boatload of poppies, literally a boat load. Okay, so it was a dingy but it had to be visually filled to the brim. Invite me on these projects anytime!  Insert a yellow head emoji with poppy-eyes please. Icelandic Poppies are my favorite. They are so hardy, considering they are on this furry whisp of a stem. Bigger heads, bright shades…everything to love. 

     Lastly…Miami, I have so many childhood friends there I could lean on the locals to hook me up with native botanicals. I just got to fly in, Uber straight to set in the Arts District and be so incredibly delighted and thankful. My jet lagged eyes were met with…a little Yucca, Sugarcane and Seagrape, Beauty-berry, Azalea, Black-eyes Susan’s and Tick Seeds, Carolina Jessamine, Blazing Stars and Buttonwood, Coral Bean and Coral Honeysuckle, Firebush, and some Gumbo-Limbo tree. I even got Marsh Hibiscus, which made me miss home and my Mom. I’m from the Gulf Coast, tiny island, no bridge…flipper childhood. The Florida of the 70’s. Stomping grounds! When Florida was everything it isn’t now.