
Arranging lilies: Tips and ideas for creating stunning lily bouquets
DISCOVER THE ART AND TECHNIQUES OF LILY ARRANGEMENTS, FROM CLASSIC TO RUSTIC. Lilies are a versatile flower that can be arranged in many beautiful ways, whether you grow them in your own garden or purchase them from a local florist. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the symbolism behind

Pinning down perfection: Elevate your floral arrangements with a kenzan
HOW TO USE A KENZAN TO CREATE NATURAL AND DYNAMIC FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS. If you’ve ever wondered how professional florists create those stunning, minimalist arrangements, chances are they’re using a kenzan. A kenzan is a Japanese floral frog that is used to hold stems in place in an arrangement. In this

The Timeless Elegance of Lilies
EXPLORING THE BEAUTY OF THE CLASSIC LILY FLOWERS Lily flowers are some of the most elegant and timeless blooms you can find. With their intricate petals, delicate fragrance, and rich symbolism, lilies are beloved by gardeners and flower enthusiasts around the world. I am fortunate enough to have about 45

Daylilies for every day
They may only bloom for a day but their colorful flowers are a must in any garden. Daylilies, also known under their scientific name Hemerocallis, are some of the most interesting plants to include in a perennial garden. In general, they are resilient and easy-to-grow while bringing gracious foliage and

My top Spring blooms Instagram posts
Spring is here! Although my outdoor decor is still very wintery, I am revisiting some of my past spring floral arrangements posted on Instagram over the years. Tulips and a few other bulbs. either garden grown or store bought, add instant springtime vibe. One can style them simply, a bunch

My top 16 most popular Instagram bonsai posts
No wonder the beautiful bonsai trees of David Easterbrook’s collection occasionally featured on my feed get tons of attention. My husband David is a bonsai master. Retired after 30 years of curatorship of the Montreal Botanical Garden’s bonsai collection _one of the most important miniature trees’ collection outside of Asia,

The most popular dahlia arrangements on my Instagram
Dahlias, dahlias, in testimony of the hundreds of dahlias, painstakingly planted every spring, cared for during summer, dug in the fall, stored in winter… Such beauty they bring and the more you cut their flowers, the more they bloom. Here is a retrospective, in no particular order, of 30 of

My top 16 most popular Instagram peony florals of all time
Flowers are the trademarks of my Country Home and Blooms Instagram account. No wonder some of the arrangements crafted with peony flowers from my garden are among my followers’ favorites. In no particular order… See this publication on Instagram A publication shared by Céline| Country Home & Blooms (@countryhomeandblooms) See

Daisies for days
I choose “Love Me” in “Love-me / Love-me-not”! As a child, my favorite flower was the common daisy of the uncultivated fields. Resilient even in the streets and alleys of urban Montreal where I grew up, the oxeye daisy _ or marguerite in French_ originating from Europe and Asia has

Itoh Peonies: The best of two worlds
The result of crossing herbaceous peonies and tree peonies, Itoh peonies also called intersectional peonies combine the best features of both: [Top photo: Paeonia ‘Impossible Dream’ in my garden] Named for Toichi Itoh, the Japanese peony breeder who first succeeded in hybridizing them, Itoh varieties are not as numerous as

Plant labeling
Think about solutions including plastic strips and DIY metal markers and printed labels. Every fall and spring it happens again. Raking leaves from the gardens, I find them, the little plastic tags with pretty pictures or not, half broken and sometimes faded. They are the precious common and scientific names

The new garden peonies of 2022
It may take one or two years for newly planted peonies to establish themselves and bloom. Sometimes one has to wait for the third year for them to become prolific bloomers. Here is a photo recap of some of the lovely herbaceous cultivars blooming for the first time in the

Setting the garden asleep for Winter
Why and when preparing your garden for the Winter months This Fall has been glorious for gardening. Not only was it mostly sunny, it was also unbelievably warm, hitting quite a few temperature records. Nonetheless, I am always behind yard work, so many things to do before our long and

Garden views
A retrospective gallery about my garden We acquired our nearly 6-acres, semi-wooded property in equestrian country West of Montréal, Québec, 7 years ago. Since then, in the respect of the existing landscape punctuated by magnificent specimens of mature trees, we are creating a country-style garden, while pursuing our respective passions:

Foxgloves: they will make your heart beat faster
The graceful foxgloves are an interesting choice for a shade border. Here are the pros and cons for growing them. Foxgloves, Digitalis purpurea, are ornamental plants hardy in zone 4-9. Typically biennials, they form a basal rosette of leaves the first year and will send long floral stems the second