Think Spring

It's been a pretty rough start to winter around here, which has us dreaming of spring. And of our favorite flowers.

ranunculus, tulips, jasmine

hydrangea, anemones, tulips, peonies, garden roses, ranunculus

ranunculus, hellebores, queen anne's lace

anemones, hyacinth, ranunculus, daffodils, dusty miller, geranium

pansies

Clyde can't wait either! #lifeonthefarm

 We love to keep the shop filled with the freshest, most unique flowers and foliages of the season.

Weddings of 2013

Looking back on our weddings of 2013, we are grateful for...

Chicago Botanic Garden

...all the amazing clients and vendors we had the pleasure of working with at some of Chicago's most iconic venues.

Looking forward to a fabulous 2014!

HOLIDAZE

The Scent of Winter Greens is in the air at Larkspur!

We have all kinds of beautiful wintery pines, junipers, and fir branches in the shop right now 

as well as poinsettias and seasonal berries

Call in for a custom centerpiece for your holiday meal or a hostess gift sure to impress

It's getting festive around here!

Larkspur Farm Flowers!

all images by Tuan H. Bui

What does the term farm-to-table mean?  In the case of Larkspur farm flowers, the term is taken quite literally.  For the past six years, Beth Barnett and her husband have been raising a variety of flowers on their farm in Buchanan Michigan.  From the beginning, Beth has been dedicated to growing the flowers using sustainable processes, which means that her flowers are never treated with harsh chemicals or pesticides.  This commitment to sustainable agriculture is integral to offering Larkspur customers a wide range of beautiful organic flowers while creating very little environmental impact in the process.  Farm flowers are available from June until the end of September, a short lived but exciting season.  Act quickly, because if you blink you may not be able to take advantage of these special blooms, and a chance to bring a little bit of Larkspur’s farm to your table!

Mother's Day is May 12!

Martin Creed
Work No. 1357, MOTHERS, 2012
White neon, steel
22.4 x 47.6 feet (6.8 x 14.5 m)

Made up of white neon lettering, Work No. 1357, MOTHERS is the largest kinetic sculpture Creed has created to date: measuring forty-eight feet wide and more than twenty feet tall, it steadily rotates a full 360 degrees.  Creed often uses language in his work, spelling out unassuming words or common phrases. In some cases he works with neon on a modest scale. Work No. 845 (2007), for example—on view concurrently in the MCA’s first-floor lobby—reproduces the word “THINGS” in bright multicolored letters that are a few inches high. In contrast, the rotating neon sculpture Creed produced for the MCA plaza is intended to be monumental. As the word “MOTHERS” spins overhead, directly in front of the museum’s main entrance, it becomes a glowing presence that is both celebratory and imposing. It had to be large, Creed said, “because mothers always have to be bigger than you are” and because “it feels like mothers are the most important people in the world.” 

Help mom feel special this mother's day with a gorgeous arrangement from Larkspur, and maybe a field trip to the MCA to view MOTHERS in person.  

Help mom feel like the most important person in the world this Mother's Day,   Larkspur is taking orders now!

Hyacinth

(Hyacinthus orientalis)

In the literary myth, Hyacinth was a beautiful youth and lover of the god Apollo, though he was also admired by West Wind Zephyr. Apollo and Hyacinth took turns throwing the discus. Hyacinth ran to catch it to impress Apollo, was struck by the discus as it fell to the ground, and died.

A twist in the tale makes the wind god Zephyer responsible for the death of Hyacinth. His beauty caused a feud between Zephyrus and Apollo. Jealous that Hyacinth preferred the radiant archery god Apollo, Zephyrus blew Apollo's discus off course, so as to injure and kill Hyacinth. When he died, Apollo didn't allow Hades to claim the youth; rather, he made a flower, the hyacinth, from his spilled blood. According to Ovid's account, the tears of Apollo stained the newly formed flower's petals with the sign of his grief. The flower of the mythological Hyacinth has been identified with a number of plants other than the true hyacinth, such as the iris.  

Hyacinth grows from a bulb with a thick stalk-like stem.  The stem holds multiple floret blooms that emit a powerful perfume.  Hyacinth comes in a range of colors from white to yellow, pinks and purples to blues. 

buttercup

 

Call her buttercup, daffodil, narcissus, or jonquil any way you call her she is the unmistakable mark of spring's arrival... the sprouts of green poking through the ground from her buried bulb is a telltale sign that warmer days are coming. 

  

I wandered lonely as a cloud 

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills, 

When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth

To Air is human.....

What makes a cute gift?  Air plants!!

These are the perfect plant for the low maintenance 

folks!  Besides being easy to care for- they look so stunning on 

a windowsill, in a beautiful dish or bowl, accessorizing your

vintage milk glass collection... 

A few tips for keeping your air plant happy:

                        1.  Lighting should be bright but filtered (direct sunlight is a no no)                  

  2. Thoroughly wet your plant approximately 2 or 3 times a week

                               3. Air plants will not survive in standing water- so never leave an air plant soaking

  4.  Ideal climate for an air plant is 50-90 degrees F                      

Mainly, air plants just like to hang out and look really cool, so if you can handle that- 

this may be the plant for you!

beyond flowers

This book was first published around 1890, at a time when the writing of letters

was an essential part of every day life.  Though the social etiquette 

of the period is very much in evidence it only adds to it's interest  

in this time of instant communication.

Need help composing written correspondence to your love?

 Pryor publications out of the UK specialiizes 

in reprints of vintage publications- we have several books 

in the shop from Pryor- each one harkens to a bygone era,

 making for the perfect romantic gift!

In the spirit of hand written love letters,
We have many exquisite cards in stock!

We at Larkspur take pride in 

carrying beautiful letterpress stationery, exclusively.

love is in the air!!

Join us Thursday, February 7th from 6-8pm at Larkspur

 as we celebrate love and it's many expressions.

Enjoy light refreshments (sparkling love potion!), a sampling of seasonal truffles from Katherine Anne Confections and a botanical inspired sonnet reading by local writer Tim Hogan. 

 Our shop will be filled with beautiful, romantic flowers and gifts to warm the heart.
Receive a 10% discount for orders placed that evening for floral bouquets 

delivered or picked up between 2/13-2/16.

We hope you will come celebrate with us as we heat up the night!

Thankful

 (the farm mid-summer blooming with flowers)

As the season at Larkspur farm winds down, we are in a reflective mood. Over the past Thanksgiving weekend while walking the grounds of our fertile land in Buchanan, Michigan, we filled the bird feeders, gathered leaves for mulch and took long walks with our dogs Clyde and Ruby.  As we listened to the crisp sounds of the fallen leaves and frosted grass under our feet we give thanks for the earth's bounties that nurture us year after year.  This winter will be filled with days gazing at heirloom seed catalogs and going over our notes as we plan our next year's plantings of beautiful, unusual varieties of flowers, herbs and foliage.  

(We find Larkspur Farm to be just as breathtaking in winter slumber as it is all dressed up in summer)

 

Bridal bouquets: Part II

This bouquet of hydrangea and peonies was created for Heather for her wedding at The Enchanted Estate 

outside of Chicago, the bouquet was wrapped with a piece of vintage fabric from her grandmother's wedding dress

***

The arrangements for the tables were made up of purple lisianthus, dahlias, chocolate Queen Ann's lace, curly willow branches, hydrangea, and yarrow

delicate clusters of arrangements filled vintage mercury glass and milk glass containers that were interspersed with tea light candles in order to create a romantic ambiance

Bridal bouquets: Part 1

We had a very busy summer and fall wedding season that is just now winding down!

We will be highlighting some of the designs from weddings we were able to be a part of in 2012 in this next series of posts.

 (close up of the bouquet created for our client Ashley)

This elegant mostly white bouquet consisting of peonies, ranunculus, and striped lily grass was created for a spring wedding which took place in one of the historic ballrooms at Germania Place.

The Black Petals

(The Black Petals 2009, Mixed Media on Paper, 10.5 x 7.5 inches)

In Tony Fitzpatrick's book entitled "The Train:  An Artist's Journal" he writes about this work, called The Black Petals

which was inspired by the leaves of a calathea plant he purchased from Larkspur.  A passage from his book recalls:

"There is a lovely flower store across the street from my studio called Larkspur.  My friend, Beth Barnett, owns it.  Sometimes when it is gray and shitty in Chicago, which is about eight months a year, I go over there and marvel at the color and smell of her daily inventory of flowers and plants . . . it is one of those pleasures that I live for."

We love the work that Tony makes and we are so very excited that he created a mural based on The Black Petals, directly across the street on the outer fence belonging to Red Door restaurant.

Be sure to check out the mural on Damen Avenue if you are in the Bucktown area!

The Walnut Room

(The Walnut Room at the Allegro Hotel)

This past weekend Larkspur had the pleasure of creating floral arrangements and personal flowers for a wedding reception held at The Walnut Room in the Allegro Hotel.

We were totally blown away by the restored art deco space with original chandeliers and wall sconces!  We think it was the perfect setting for the "Classic-Chicago-Vintage-feel-with-a- Modern-twist" vibe that the bride and groom

were going for.

(original late 1920's perforated metal chandelier in the Walnut Room)

We were also blown away by the staff at the Allegro for making the load in and set up for the reception so smooth.  They were super organized and friendly- especially K.T. Thompson, who coordinated Jessica and Andy's big day. It's always a delight to work with a professional and organized staff.

(wall sconces affixed to the grand wooden walls)

The Walnut Room has a really interesting history as well, apparently the Allegro Hotel was originally named The Bismarck Hotel.  On December 5, 1933:  The Bismarck became the first place in Chicago to serve alcohol after Prohibition was repealed, tapping the first legal keg of beer just one minute after midnight. Revelers in the hotel’s Walnut Room donned beer mug-shaped caps with the slogan “Happy Days.”

The color story we worked with to create the floral arrangements was a mix of faded indigo, French blue, nude, gold and a pop of apricot.

 To infuse the space with a soft glow, we used lots of romantic tea candles housed in mercury glass votive holders and glass cylinder vases filled with curly willow branches and elegant floating candles.

(arrangements included garden roses, dusty miller, ranunculus, stock, light blue delphinium, 

pink stock, blue thistle and seeded eucalyptus)

Congratulations Jessica and Andy!