Spring flowers

Summer solstice occurred just two days ago. I feel like this past spring was more beloved than any other due to record-breaking and long winter. I love Chicago but our winters are torturous! It was great to finally see the ground after four months of snow cover. Spring blooms were so delightful to see and smell for those of us who were winter-weary.

In celebration of spring, here are pics of my favorite April, May and early June blooms as seen in gardens around the neighborhood and the flower markets:

snowdrops are one of the earliest spring flowers to bloom and often don't wait for the snow to melt before emerging

tulips, of course (may's flower of the month)

anemones

sweet peas

daffodils (April's flower of the month)

 hyacinths - smells like heaven

magnolias

grape hyacinths (aka muscari)

lilacs - smells so amazing it breaks my heart

peonies, the queen bee of the season (also June's flower of the month)

ranunculus (March's flower of the month)

irises

And now, bring on the summer flowers! Hydrangeas, roses, dahlias, zinnias and more!!!

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.