Alstroemeria

I love flowers. When I was young I thought it was silly to grow flowers, why would you spend so much time, effort, and garden space on things that you can't eat. Why not plant just vegetables, berries, and delicious fruit? That all changed when I started to take my floral design class and I realized the powerful effect of flowers. One of my new favorite flowers is the Alstroemeria. Alstroemeria, also known as the Peruvian lily or Lily of the Inca's, has a vase life of about two weeks and makes it equitable in vase life to that of a carnation. And yet it is just so much more unique than a carnation (and just as cheap). It is like they are always looking at your with their exotic faces, enticing you to visit the lures of South America.

It also reminds me of Juan, because it is Peruvian. Even though Wikipedia states that these gorgeous flowers are grown in Chile and Brazil almost exclusively, we all know that Peru once covered almost half of South America and so the name is still appropriate.

Speaking of, Kevin knew that it was one of my favorites and bought me an entire bouquet which I was able to use to make this gorgeous arrangement.


And while I was practicing using the floral tape and wire for Cami's wedding, I made a neat little boutonniere with one of the flowers. I thought the orange, black, and green made a stark contrast that was absolutely irresistible. What do you think?