floral friday: calla lily

My first apartment in San Francisco, while small itself, boasted a large backyard with numerous garden beds and loads of healthy plant life, including an oversized avocado tree, fragrant trumpet flower trees, and tons of calla lilies. When we moved in July, I didn’t know what they were until around this time of year when they began to bloom.

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common name: calla lily or arum lily
scientific name: Zantedeschia aethiopica

Native to Southern Africa, the calla lily is an herbaceous perennial that despite its name is not actually related to the lily family. Its large arrow-shaped leaves are a lush, dark green, which provides a beautiful contrast to the pure white spathe of the blooming flower. A spathe is a type of bract (like a leaf), which helps attract pollinators to the flowers on the spadix (spike in the center).

Calla lilies have gained worldwide recognition from various groups. In Christianity, the calla lily is often present at Easter time to represent the resurrection of Jesus. It also became the symbol of Irish republicanism in the 1920s in remembrance of the Easter Rising of 1916 when many lost their lives. Various artists also paid tribute to the calla lily’s beauty:

Calla Lily with Roses Georgia O’Keeffe

The Flower Seller by Diego Rivera

floral friday: lisianthus

In the new year, I am excited to shift toward sharing some cut flower specimens for the Floral Friday features. This first one is a brand new flower in IMPRESSED by nature’s upcoming Spring/Summer collection, so I had some sitting around waiting to be pressed!

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common name: lisianthus
scientific name: Eustoma grandiflora

Lisianthus are commonly used in weddings and can be mistaken for roses with their funnel-shaped flowers. Lisianthus buds are especially beautiful with the varying shades of color creating a spiral as the petals begin to open. Lisianthus in shades of white and pink are nice, but this shade of purple is just so perfect to me.
Many of my encounters with flowers end up with an experimental pressing. My initial thoughts about lisianthus were that they would likely turn out like a rose–solid color deepened after pressing. To my surprise, the effect was more similar to the way an iris dries–pigment drains from parts of the petal while remaining in tact in other parts. It creates a gorgeous watercolor effect that I find just mesmerizing.

flower house: a living, floral installation

I came across this gorgeous and ingenious living art installation and am so moved by its beauty and message!

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Photo: Heather Saunders (http://www.theflower.house/)

A team of over twenty florists, led by Flower House creator Lisa Waud, descended on a dilapidated house in Detroit to transform it into living floral art, using flowers, branches, roots, and other natural materials. The installation went live last weekend, Oct 16th, and come Sunday, the Flower House will be responsibly torn down, repurposing many of the materials, to make way for a flower farm–how lovely. The juxtaposition of the bright, lively plants against the dark, eerie backdrop is just perfect to me. The video is mesmerizing and the images by Heather Saunders are stunning.

Photo: Heather Saunders (http://www.theflower.house/)

floral friday: floribunda rose

With fall officially here, these roses are showing some lasting signs of summer, and I’m not complaining!

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common name: floribunda rose
scientific name. Rosa floribunda

These particular roses live in my garden and bloom prolifically in the spring and summer months especially. They are a cross between the multi-colored hybrid tea roses and the prolific polyantha roses. With their name, floribunda, meaning “many flowering” in Latin, they certainly deliver.

Wedding Edition

ranunculus earrings

Chances are you know someone who just got engaged or is in the midst of preparing for their upcoming nuptials–maybe that someone is you!

Here at IMPRESSED by nature, we love weddings! They are a special time to celebrate with loved ones and flowers often become a highlight in the decor and accessories. With our varying services, we can outfit a bride and her bridal party with one-of-a-kind accessories that perfectly match any floral aesthetic. Rather wear grandma’s pearls? Don’t miss the opportunity to make the most of your wedding flowers and preserve them in a wearable form with our wedding memories service.

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“Kyla communicated with me for approximately 3 months to make sure that my custom-made jewelry set was made according to my vision. She ended up creating a product that went beyond what I had originally imagined. This set was made in memory of my father and grandmothers, and Kyla realized that this made the quality and look of the set important to me.” ~Cara, to be wed July ’16

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for the bride

hydrangea earrings in silver with pearls

queen anne’s lace earrings in copper

for the bridal party

sunflower earrings in gold for bridesmaids

“Kyla is both creative and professional. She listened to what I was looking for and worked with me to make sure the pieces matched my vision. I got beautiful necklaces for my bridesmaids and a pair of earrings for me, which I continue to wear after the wedding. I absolutely recommend IMPRESSED by Nature. Whether for wedding jewelry, or a nice gift, you will fall in love with it!” ~ Margaux, married August ’14

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for the groom and groomsmen

hydrangea tie pins in silver

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Ready to get started? Click here to tell us a bit about your day!

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preserve your wedding memories

So, you had a fabulous time celebrating your special day! Now, you might be wondering what to do with all of the carefully selected elements that made the day so special. Don’t let those memories fade away or sit on a shelf collecting dust! Work with IMPRESSED by nature to transform your wedding flowers into wearable jewelry for you and your bridal party.

With a simple flower pressing kit and easy-to-follow tutorial, your flowers will become a part of your jewelry collection in no time!

custom jewelry set made from the bridal bouquet

Ready to get started? Click here to preserve your wedding memories!

“This is an AMAZING service. It is a great way to preserve special flowers in a beautiful and FUNCTIONAL setting – who needs a bunch of dried flowers in their house, anyway?” ~ Allison, married September ’14