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Thanksgiving marks the last big holiday in the fall season. Without a doubt, it’s one of my favorite holidays because it combines so many of my favorite things – getting together with friends and family to share a savory meal and a daylong celebration centered on the bounty we receive from the earth. To get in the holiday mood, I like to fill my house with lots of beautiful materials from nature. I usually begin by creating a festive fall arrangement, a profusion of flowers in a pumpkin. To create your own display, cut a circle from the top of the pumpkin, scoop out the interior, and insert a plastic liner with saturated floral foam. Using care to cover the raw edge of the opening, arrange stems for a lively tribute to fall.

Did you know that June is California Grown Flower Month? This week, California Sen. Mike McGuire took to the floor of the Senate to urge his colleagues to support California’s flower-farming families by passing Senate Concurrent Resolution 58 declaring June “California Grown Flowers Month.” In presenting the resolution, McGuire acknowledged California’s hardworking flower farmers for the beauty, variety and economic value their flowers bring the Golden State. “Today, we are recognizing California as America’s best source for high-quality cut flowers,” Senator Mike McGuire said. “The industry has blossomed since its inception back in the late 1870s. California flower farmers, distributors and florists generate thousands of jobs and drive $12.2 billion in economic activity every year. Our own Humboldt County is one of the largest flower producers in America growing more fresh tulips than anywhere else in the nation.” As part of the announcement, each senator received a bouquet of Calif...

Greens so unsullied you feel calm and invigorated. Bright colored pincushions spring forth from the lush greenery like fireworks. The yellows in the fields are almost neon, the oranges are flamboyant and reds… blazing. All of this natural beauty is set against a vibrant blue sky. This is springtime in Rainbow. Every spring, I’m awe-struck by the beauty of each varying color. I am amazed by the idea that colors so bright and pure happen organically in nature. I see colors I have never seen before, around every hillside. I notice orange and peach pincushions reaching high up to the sky as the sun passes over. Bright bi-colored blooms with long spiky red pins that reach out from their yellow centers. This is the season of amazing color and it permeates all our lives. Let it inspire you and learn what each color means. Green has healing power and is understood to be the most restful and relaxing color for the human eye to view. Green can help enhance vision, stability and endurance. Yell...

Amidst a scenic Wine Country backdrop in charming barns full of beautiful “garden-inspired” floral arrangements, Mel and I joined Sunset Magazine’s Garden Editor and dinner host, Johanna Silver, along with 120 guests for a chic Field to Vase Dinner on the grounds of Cornerstone Sonoma , home of Sunset’s new test garden. Johanna started the evening off with a tour of the beautiful 11,000-square-foot garden that includes a “flower room” designed by San Francisco florist Alethea Harampolis of Homestead Design Collective . Sunset Magazine’s Garden Editor, Johanna Silver During the reception and dinner, we enjoyed an array of savory cheeses and charcuterie while sipping on wine provide by Dry Creek Winery . Chef Kyle Kuklewski of Ramekins Culinary School, Special Events, and Inn captivated our taste buds with a four-course family style dinner dishes showcasing Sonoma’s amazing bounty. However, the flowers were truly the 'main attraction' of this event! There were beautiful gard...