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This summer, we're embracing familiar yet often overlooked blooms in the field: flowering Gums. The lush evergreen leaves of the Corymbia ficifolia or Gum Tree are harvested year-round and have become a popular foliage for garlands and wreaths. However, did you know that many varieties of gum produce a profusion of bright flower clusters during the summer? These flowers are not typical flowers though, as these showy blooms are made up mostly of anthers and styles, rather than petals. And in most species, the buds appear in masses on a single stem that develops on the axil of the leaves. These nectar-rich flowers can be found in hues of white, yellow, cream, red, pink, salmon, orange or even bi-colors and the stamens are held in small cup-like bases. Flowering Gum Bouquet Apricot Delight Summer Snow Calypso Queen Summer Glory Fairy Floss Little Sweetie Summer Beauty

The brighter the better in some cases, and that’s what we’re loving these days when it comes to banksia. The banksia is a bold and textural bloom that’s displayed in many of our favorite designs. For any season, there’s always a way to make them work no matter what the occasion is. I think the uniqueness of a banksia is what makes it loved by so many of us. When it comes to designing with banksia, the options are seemingly endless. Such an exceptional flower can be transformed by the designer, projecting a different look depending on what else it is paired with it. You can go with natural burgundy, orange or green hues, or add more color to the stems and create a virtual rainbow. I attended the Hortiflorexpo in Shanghai this month, and while in the Lynch Group exhibit, banksias were all the rage. Here are some of the ways they were displayed throughout the booth. What color combination do you like best?

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...

This time last year my kitchen was a deep cream colour with some of the cupboards in a dark pink. I loved it, it was warm and cosy. When the Spring came I found it too dark, I wanted light, and so I painted the cupboards white, and the walls an off-white. It was such a contrast, and so bright, i loved it too. However, as the sun goes lower in the sky and the weather has been very wet and windy, I found that I wasn't liking it quite so much, it seemed dull and cold. My daughter and I had been making some papier mache toadstools, and this was my inspiration......of course.....a touch of red was what was needed. Those clever Scandinavians know that, their mostly white interiors do almost always have a little red somewhere, and it really does draw the eye in. So I set to and made a little corner where I could display red things. My daughter is so excited, she thinks Christmas has come early! We have a little 'toadstool' mania in this house at the moment. This rather lovely glas...