Flower of the month: daffodils

This month, we are celebrating daffodils (or narcissus if you speak Latin!). I love them mainly because they are some of the first flowers to appear after a long, snowy and cold winter. Bright yellow daffodils poking their heads above snow-covered ground is a promise of warmer, sunnier days ahead!

 a simple arrangement of daffodils at home

Scenes from the Chicago Botanic Garden. Daffodils are currently in bloom at the botanic garden as well as around town.

The Great Hall of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Last week, I was in NYC for two days to take floral design classes. I had some free time, so I decided to visit The Met for the first time. The Met is overwhelmingly huge. You can easily spend days there. But one of the primary reasons that flower fanatics go is to see the five floral arrangements of beautiful seasonal blooms in the museum's lobby (Great Hall). They are pretty spectacular (10 feet tall!). An endowment from late Reader's Digest co-founder Lila Acheson Wallace pays for fresh flowers each week…forever. World-renowned floral designer, Remco Van Vliet of Van Vliet and Trap, is on contract for flowers. See this video narrated by Martha Stewart about Remco and his process of refreshing flowers every week.

Art in Bloom at the Milwaukee Art Museum

One of the instructors I had at the Chicago Botanic Garden earlier this year recommended seeing the Art in Bloom annual exhibit hosted by Milwaukee Art Museum. It's a four-day event held early spring where forty floral designers create flower displays inspired by various art housed in the museum. The exhibit exceeded my expectations. Each work were so incredible. I look forward to attending next year.

Of course, I took lots of pics. Here are some of my favorite designs:

It was my first time visiting the Milwaukee Art Museum despite countless previous visits to the city. What a beautiful building located in inspiring location with lots of amazing artwork! 

If anyone is looking for another great attraction in Milwaukee, I highly recommend the Harley Davidson Museum!