Eache spring at Moss Mountain Farm in Roland, Arkansas, the stars come out twice – once at night, like everywhere else, and again in the daytime, when innumerable daffodils illuminate hills and meadows from horizon to horizon.

The plantings are the handiwork of the farm’s owner-author, designer, and TV personality P. Allen Smith-who has loved these flowers since he was a boy. Allen believes how and where you plant bulbs is just as important as how many, no matter whether you have an acre or a 20- by 10-foot border.

Visit Southern Living, Feb 2013 issue to learn more.

Planning a trip to see wildflowers this spring? Make sure your itinerary includes a stop at The Huntington, where a major new exhibition,“When They Were Wild”,  draws on a rich heritage of wildflower illustration to take a closer look at California’s natural and horticultural history.

The exhibition is a collaborative project of The Huntington, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, Calif., and the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants in Sun Valley, Calif. Works from all three collections, along with loans from several other public and private collections, will be on view in the Huntington show, with related displays at the two other institutions and at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

California has one of the most diverse floras in the world, spread across several distinct floristic provinces—regions of plant distribution defined by shared climate, geology, and geography. Three of the state’s primary provinces are the Californian (chaparral, coastal sage scrub, oak woodland, and grassland), Vancouverian (mixed evergreen and coniferous forests), and Desert (cacti and desert scrub).

“When They Were Wild” is arranged thematically into four sections: Heritage explores the conditions that gave rise to the most diverse flora in the United States.

Our bbrooks member in Berlin, Blumen-Koch, took a few moments during Valentine’s preparation to share their thoughts on how this holiday effects flower prices.  Vielen Dank!

“Did you notice that some of our colleagues  in London do not sell any red flowers?  We started to limit the choice of red flowers too.  Quality Red Roses are 9,00€ ($12US) - it’s a twofold increase since last week!  Increasing demands on the Dutch nurseries and Flower Auction at Aalsmeer make the price situation shake.”

“We (at Blumen-Koch) recommend our clients to select from the beautiful choice of blooming twigs such as red plums, Japanese cherries and Chaenomaelis… instead of letting them run into the Red-Flower-Price-Trap.”

“Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!  Sending you warm greetings from Berlin!”

Longtime friends, owners and partners, Stephen Wicks and Mark Welford of bbrooks member, Bloomsbury Flowers, London, UK, are featured in this December 2012 article from The Guardian.

Retired professional ballet dancers, Mark and Stephen share insights and anecdotes related to the  floral gift-giving customs of the Royal Ballet.

Writer Ryan Gainey features watercolor botanicals by artist Sarah Towery in his Flower Magazine Winter 2013 article.  Mr Gainey highlights flowering plants and shrubs which bloom throughout the winter in his lovely Southern garden.

The watercolors were commissioned by Mr. Gainey to illustrate his newest book, “The Gathered Garden” and will be displayed in an exhibit on February 27th, 2013, in association with the Cherokee Garden Library of the Jame G. Kenan Research Center at  the Atlanta History Center.

One of nature’s most exquisite compositions, Snowdrops, bloom from melting snow cover just as winter ends.  Their delicate white flowers hang down from crisp green stalks as their  petals elegantly fight gravity to open and display their extraordinary markings.

Snowdrops can take several years to cultivate, and some varieties are so unusual that a single plant will sell for hundreds of dollars.

Gunther Waldorf has written a warm and engaging guide showcasing more than 300  snowdrops found throughout Europe, all in photos he shot himself.

Many of the varieties are not available in the United States due to European Union environmental protections, though similar snowdrops can be found stateside.

Gunther Waldorf’s “Snowdrops” is published by Frances Lincoln Limited, 2012.

As seen in Winter 2012 issue of Garden Design magazine.

Bugs won’t eat them.  Deer won’t munch on them.  Heat and drought won’t faze them.  These amazing plants  are Lenten roses (Helleborus orientalis).

The name, “Lenten rose” is from bygone days, when these plants started blooming in late winter near Lent.  But now, due to global warming, people in the Lower often spy thier first flowers in early January.

Blooms range from crimson to pink, burgundy, purple, yellow, white, green and nearly black.  After they bloom, one can continue to appreciate the handsome evergreen foliage, which stands 6 to 10 inches high.

As seen in January 2013 issue of Southern Living.

In her forthcoming volume, “Flowers”, Carolyne Roehm describes being so devoted to tulips that some years she plants as many as 10,000 bulbs.  Gardening is her passion, and her photographs of its blowsy stars are reverant works of art.

These days, a stylish room isn’t complete without the houseplant of the moment.  Ficus lyrata (also known as fiddle-leaf ficus or fiddle-headed fig), a midsize tree (they can grow 50  feet high in the wild and can easily top 6 feet in an interior) with large, violin- shaped leaves is enjoying a design moment.

Mary Gray, owner of Potted in Los Angeles, traces the popularity of the fiddle-leaf ficus back to the 1950s and ’60s, when the specimens were ubiquitous in office design.

Davis Dalbok, owner of Living Green in San Francisco, gets lots of requests for the tree, but he advises buyers to plant with caution.  “They need a lot of water and light, ” he says.  “If you don’t rotate them, the leaves in the back fall off. They’re kind of finicky plants.”  That said, Dalbok thinks the beauty of the fiddle-leaf ficus has proven it’s roots have staying power.

As seen in California Home+Design magazine, May/June issue.

In Natural Companions, acclaimed garden writer Ken Druse presents recipes for perfect plant pairings using diverse species that look great together and bloom at the same time.

Artist Ellen Hoverkamp contributes over 100 striking botanical photographs, created in collaboration with the author utilizing a large format, flatbed scanner as her camera. Filled with an incredible amount of horticultural guidance, useful plant recommendations, and gardening lore, this book is a must-have for gardeners and lovers of plants and flowers.