Flower March/April 2014

Generally speaking, the term “all over the map” is somewhat of a pejorative, describing someone lacking focus and commitment. But in the case of our March/April issue, the phrase is so apt, in a literal way, that I had to co-opt it. We have stories from sea to shining sea, and intriguing spots in-between and beyond—all over the map. From the east, we have a pearlescent wedding in the Adirondacks and a smashing floral design DIY by the often-labeled 21st-century Constance Spry, NYC’s Emily Thompson. From the South, a dreamy visit to Charleston’s gemlike gardens and the houses that go with them, and a wedding at Tuckahoe Plantation, Thomas Jeferson’s boyhood home near Richmond. Then heading south by southwest, we engage in a conversation with New Orleans’ decorating icon Gerrie Bremermann,…

MELISSA BIGNER “I first wandered Charleston’s streets on a visit in the mid-1990s and can remember posing with my sisters alongside a wall of ridiculously romantic wisteria on Meeting Street. Now that I’ve lived in Charleston for more than a decade, I’ve seen the city’s gardens bloom year after year, and for me, spring in Charleston is just as tantalizing, magical, and inspiring as it was that first time. Working on this story, it became clear that the spells cast by this town and its Edens have been beguiling generations for centuries upon centuries. Lucky us!” >> Writer Melissa Bigner on the magic of Charleston’s gardens. In her feature story on page 46, Bigner wrote about the history of the city’s gardens and four historic properties. Frances MacDougall “My favorite…

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY Blue Grass Trust Antiques & Garden Show March 7 – 9, 2014 www.bgtantiquesandgardenshow.org SAVANNAH, GEORGIA Gloriosa Art in Bloom: A GCA Flower Show March 12 – 13, 2014 www.trusteesgardenclub.com SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Bouquets to Art March 18 – 23, 2014 www.deyoungmuseum.org SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA San Francisco Flower & Garden Show March 19 – 23, 2014 www.sfgardenshow.com ATLANTA, GEORGIA Following in the Bartrams’ Footsteps March 19 – June 17, 2014 www.atlantahistorycenter.com WASHINGTON, D.C. National Cherry Blossom Festival March 20 – April 13, 2014 www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA Historic Charleston Foundation Festival of Houses & Gardens March 20 – April 19, 2014 www.historiccharleston.org MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN Art in Bloom: A Tribute to Art and Flowers March 27 – 30, 2014 www.mam.org TIMORE, MARYLAND Art Blooms: For the Love of Art and…

For more information, see Sources, page 102.…

My inspiration for this design was a woodland scene. I like to think about the arrangement as a landscape in miniature. I imagine the flowers as rare sights, and you might have to part the undergrowth to find the specimens. The flowers and color are the punctuation to what is primarily the study of the forest floor. I like the blooms to nestle in the base, and then foat around the periphery. Here I matched delicate with delicate, with no dominant, large-scale petals. MATERIALS: ▪ corydalis fern▪ maidenhair fern▪ sea star fern▪ ‘Chili’ leatherleaf fern▪ paperwhites▪ ranunculus chocolate cosmos▪ quince▪ hellebores▪ alocasia foliage▪ tolumnia orchids TOOLS & SUPPLIES: ▪ cast iron container▪ floral tape▪ shears▪ wild smilax vines 1 | Place the wild smilax vines (birch works well, too) in…

flower: Gerrie, we’d love to know about your background and how you became interested in decorating houses. GERRIE BREMERMANN: I was born in New Orleans, grew up in Palm Beach, but eventually New Orleans drew me back. I married, had three wonderful daughters, and until I was in my 40s, my job was rearing children. After they grew up, I started to think about what my next career move was going to be. I was doing a lot of philanthropic work, and it seemed that whatever organization I was working with always put a gold star by my name for decorating. So I began as a “philanthropic decorator,” putting on the parties in hotels and clubs and so forth, which turned out to be a wonderful foundation for my career.…