Flower November/December 2020

CELEBRATE: To acknowledge a significant or happy day or event with a social gathering or enjoyable activity—Oxford English Dictionary WHEN I FIRST THINK OF THE WORD “CELEBRATE,” I think of party hats and confetti and people dancing and imbibing festive drinks, and I might sing to myself that old standard of the same name by Kool & the Gang. But then, when I sit with the word, I’m reminded that a celebration can take many shapes. It can be quiet and reverential; it can be warm, evocative, and personal; it can commemorate; it can engage and excite … and even mourn. As I read through our stories, I can’t help but choke up remembering the day Keith Meacham and the late, great Julia Reed celebrated a newly minted Garden Club…

FRANCES PALMER KNOWS HOW TO CREATE MAGIC at her potter’s wheel, but she applies that same passion to her cutting gardens (especially dahlias), floral arrangements, and photography. Her new book Life in the Studio: Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity (Artisan, 2020) left us breathless with delight. It is instructional, gorgeous, and generous—Frances shares her very personal journey with us, giving a true understanding of her craft and process and happily embracing the unpredictability of her chosen pursuits. Her goal is to “encourage others to follow their own artistic paths.” Frances readily admits that her approach is not the only way: “It is my hope that in distilling strategies developed over nearly three decades of creative pursuits, I will be able to offer insight anyone can adapt for their own imaginative…

HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA Gloria Vanderbilt: An Artful Life (in person) Huntsville Museum of Art October 30–January 24 hsvmuseum.org WILMINGTON, DELAWARE Delaware Antiques Show (virtual) November 7–14 winterthur.org OMAHA, NEBRASKA Holiday Poinsettia Show (in person) Lauritzen Gardens November 21–January 3 lauritzengardens.org DALLAS, TEXAS A Writer’s Garden Literary Symposium (virtual) Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden November 17 womenscouncildallasarboretum.org JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Wolfson Children’s Hospital Art & Antiques Show (virtual) December 4–6 womensboardwolfsonchildrenshospital.com ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA Holiday Flower Show (in person) Como Park Zoo & Conservatory December 5–January 3 comozooconservatory.org BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA Independent Presbyterian Church Holiday House Tour (virtual) December 11–13 ipc-usa.org ATLANTA, GEORGIA The Cathedral Antiques Show (virtual or live TBD) January 20–24 cathedralantiques.org Indicates Flower is sponsoring the event. For more events, visit flowermag.com.…

“I was inspired by Herend’s Chinese Bouquet china pattern that my grandmother, mother, sister, and I use year-round, but its green-and-white palette makes it a natural choice for Christmastime.”–KAKHI WAKEFIELD MATERIALS LIST ■ Gilded antlers■ ‘Green Trick’ dianthus■ Amaryllis■ Mix of greenery (curly pine, cypress, gold-tipped cedar, magnolia, aucuba, galax leaves)■ Poinsettia■ Ornamental kale■ Spray roses■ ‘Green Lemonade’ roses■ Parrot tulips■ Bells of Ireland■ Snapdragons■ Veronica■ Viburnum■ Lisianthus■ Double ranunculus■ Queen Anne’s lace STEP BY STEP STEP 1 In a large antique brass or similar container, weave chicken wire in three layers into the opening. Take the dianthus and break it up to look like moss. Tape the antlers to wire metal skewers to secure them. Attach dianthus to the antler base using floral putty or glue dots to hide…

HOLIDAY CHEER! Chateau d’Yquem is the perfect accompaniment for foie gras, and any ole foie gras will do—terrine, pâte, whole, sautéed, or cold—dealer’s choice. —Alex Hitz Gorham Silver sterling Sphinx salad set ($2,400), George W. Shiebler sterling tined sardine serving fork ($1,600), Dominick & Hafflidded tea caddies (top, $480; bottom, $380), all from Replacements, Ltd., replacements.com • Watercolors:Take a cue from the Hamptons and commission a painting depicting a beloved’s favorite home or garden. Silver frame by Fotiou Frames, fotiou.com; gold frame by Larson Juhl, larsonjuhl.com • Château d’Yquem Sauternes • Custom albums by Paul Vogel (inquire for pricing), vogelbindery.com • Lettered Olive personalized letterpress stationery (inquire for details), letteredolive.com • Elizabeth Locke Sleeping Beauty turquoise small puff earrings ($4,875) and Sleeping Beauty turquoise Maltese cross pendant ($4,825) on Bellariva gold necklace…

Beth Aschenbach and Danielle Norcross, the sister duo behind the lifestyle brand Palm Beach Lately, love the beach, their children, and the holidays. So when Rebecca Hessel Cohen, the founder and creative director of the boutique LoveShackFancy, opened their doors at The Royal Poinciana Plaza in sunny Florida just a few weeks before Christmas, the sisters welcomed them to their hometown by co-hosting a holiday party brimming with all things Palm Beach. “LoveShackFancy is an adult version of a little girl’s childhood fantasy,” says Beth of the brand’s clothing and tabletop designs. Walking into one of the boutiques is a bit like stepping into the pages of a Jane Austen novel thanks to its Victorian appointments, garden lattice, and swaths of floral fabric tied up in great-big bows. Working with…