'Organic Butterflies on Roses' Bridal Bouquet

Here is a bridal bouquet with pretty earthy hues of green dendrobiums and creamy champagne roses for a pre-wedding photo-shoot session. I always love to pair some dendrobium orchids with flowers of softer look such as roses, because it brings out an edgy touch to the overall feel of the bouquet. Don’t you think that the green dendrobium orchids in the bouquet resemble so much like butterflies?

Sometimes, I have clients who requested for artificial butterflies in their bridal bouquet and wedding centerpieces to complement their garden or fairy theme. You know, those butterflies made of wires, nylons, and tons of glitters. As I have always believed in using natural ingredients in floral designing, I usually prefer to substitute these artificial butterflies with orchids because it’s more organic and natural. Moreover, it is more cost-effective to use natural substitutes than artificial factory-made ones.

Below are some of the pictures taken during the weekend at my grandma’s organic farm. She’s an expert when it comes to growing organic vegetables. My grandma did all the plowing and planting all by herself despite of having an eye-condition that affects her vision. Every morning and evening without fail, she tends to her garden so that we could have fresh, chemical-free, home-grown vegetables on our diet. I especially love the harvesting part! Enjoy the pictures!

Organic Birds Eye Chillies

Organic Okra Plant

Organic Long Bean Plant

Organic Chinese Greens

Organic Vegetable Harvests

Eco-Friendly Irony

This flyer was found attached to my Telekom Malaysia’s bill in the mail this afternoon. It’s ironic that Panasonic claims to give away eco-products but their supposedly free “eco-products” are refrigerators, washing machines, and air-conditioners?!!! Maybe the staffs over at the company’s promotional department do not know that these “eco-products” are one of the most energy-intensive home appliances no matter how energy-efficient it claims its products to be. Either that or Panasonic Malaysia is trying hard to portray an image of an eco-caring company for all the wrong reasons.

This is a simple guide for those of you who are interested in growing your own organic flower garden.

(EHow) The lovely aroma of flowering plants can awaken the senses, giving a person a true appreciation for nature. Growing your own organic flower garden can bring the beauty of nature to your own back yard, without harmful pesticides. This can be a real treat both for you and the flowers. Pesticides can take a toll on your health and even reduce the life span of your flowers. Toxic chemicals such as mancozeb and chlorothalonil have been labeled as carcinogens. A carcinogen is a substance that is known to cause cancer. Pesticides and herbicides are toxic substances that kill living organisms. The Organic Trade Association has stated that side effects from pesticide exposure range from nausea, asthma, headaches and fatigue, to more serious side effects such as cancer and neurological disorders.

You will need:
Organic seed compost
Flower seeds
Natural predators
Organic sulfur spray
Pruning sheers
Garden tiller

Step 1: Select a spot in your yard where the flowers are likely to get plenty of sun shine.

Step 2: Prepare the soil. Loosen the dirt with a garden tiller. Sprinkle organic seed compost on the dirt.

Step 3: Choose the type of flowers you would like to plant. Buy organic flower seeds at your local nursery or online (see Resources).

Step 4: Soak your seeds. Prior to planting your organic flower seeds, pre-soak the seeds. Soak the seeds in purified water, preferably distilled. Soak the seeds for 15 to 24 hours before planting. This will help the seeds soak up additional moisture.

Step 5: Dig several small holes in the dirt where your seeds will be planted. Plant and cover your seeds in the dirt. Lightly water the seeds.

Step 6: Wait for your flowers to grow. Water your flowers early in the morning on a daily basis.

Step 7: Keep up with pruning. Mildew and black spots can show up on flowers without warning. If the problem is not taken care of right away the disease will spread to other flowers. Prune any diseased flowers and spray all the flowers with organic sulfur spray (see Resources). Spray the flower itself, and the leaves.

Step 8: Allow natural predators in your garden. For an organic garden to flourish, the garden must have beneficial insects, such as lady bugs, praying mantis, ambush bugs, spiders and lacewings. Include plenty of these friendly little critters. Lady bugs can be purchased at many garden centers or online (see Resources).

Tips and Warnings
City water typically contains high levels of chlorine and other chemicals. If you want to give your flowers only the best, invest in a water filtration system that also filters the water outdoors. Or, buy a simple charcoal chlorine filter at your local home improvement store.

Resources
1. Buy organic sulfur spray at Extremely Green.
2. Purchase organic flower seeds at Seeds of Change.
3. Buy live lady bugs at Gardening Zone.

Lately, my household diet has changed drastically to an all-organic, locally grown veggies and fruits. We rarely consume red meat these days and approximately twice a month, we’ll get a whole free-range kampung chicken to slow-cook some herbal soup. The reason is because the more I read and researched about organic farming methods versus the commercially non-organic farming methods, the more I’m worried about the health consequences of eating fruits and veggies that are contaminated with high level of toxic pesticide residues.

Following is a list of the most and least contaminated fruits and vegetables in the order of importance, researched and compiled by The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit consumer organization based in the States. There are many people who are reluctant to switch to an all-organic food diet because of the higher price tag in most organic produce, although sometimes you’ll be surprised to find that non-organic produce are more expensive or at a similar price range. If you want to go partially organic, the list below helps you determine which fruits and veggies are best to go organic and which you can go without.

The Dirty Dozen – Twelve Most Contaminated (Buy These Organic)
1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (Imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear

The Clean Fifteen – Lowest in Pesticides
1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet Peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato

Download a comprehensive Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides here.

An elegant blend of lush red and creamy white roses centerpiece accented with fresh green tea leaves which I’ve created for a photo shoot session last weekend.

This tall and round floral display is versatile enough as the perfect centerpiece for a contemporary romantic wedding or as a classic centerpiece for a vintage tabletop.

The contrasting colors and textures of the flowers and foliage play off each other harmoniously without being too tacky.

If your budget permits, you can arrange a few of this floral display in different vases of various heights to make a dramatic statement.

Spread a few tea light candles on the table and voila! Flowers and candles – you can never go wrong with these two.

When: 28 March 2009 (Saturday) , 8.30pm – 9.30pm (MYT)

Where: Your house, offices, businesses, billboards etc.

How: Switch off all your lights for one hour!

Why: The world’s first global election to fight global warming and climate change! Vote results will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

Who: YOU – yes, YOU… can join participants from over 931 cities and towns in 80 countries, including other iconic world landmarks e.g. the Merlion in Singapore, Hong Kong’s Symphony of Lights, the Shanghai Hong Kong New World Tower, Paris’ Eiffel Tower, Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Sydney’s Opera House, Table Mountain in Cape Town, and Las Vegas’s MGM Grand Casino.

VOTE EARTH NOW at Earth Hour 2009!

Following are links of two articles regarding the shocking truth behind the multimillion-dollar cut flower industry. The first article talks about the impact of cut flowers on our environment and society.

Are Cut Flowers Bad for the Environment?
by S.E. Smith

…Most cut flowers are grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia in large greenhouse environments staffed by underpaid, non-unionized workers. The greenhouses are carefully climate controlled to yield the best cut flowers, and they are also heavily sprayed with pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Because cut flowers are grown in nations with more lax environmental laws, many banned substances including DDT and methyl-bromide are used in flower production. These substances have a profound impact on the health of the workers: many suffer from health problems such as skin conditions, respiratory problems, impaired vision, and birth defects thanks to their exposure to these chemicals…

Continue reading here…

The second article spells out in detail the growing demand of cut flowers in the United Kingdom and its implications on our earth, especially the pollution of CO2 and the working environment of the workers in flower farms. Read on and you will find that your beautiful imported flowers might not have a very beautiful story after all.

Is it OK to Buy Cut Flowers?
by Leo Hickman

…In fact, the true extent of the trade’s environmental impact was only recently recognised officially. Figures released by Defra last November following parliamentary questions from Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson Norman Baker showed that almost 17,000 tonnes of flowers – worth £46.1m – were imported more than 4,000 miles from Kenya in 2004. Roses accounted for almost 5,000 tonnes of the imports. Overall, this signified a 83% increase in air-freighted flowers from Kenya in just four years. Baker has since calculated that this trade from Kenya leads to 33,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year – meaning that the transit of each flower creates far more than its own weight in CO2 pollution…

Continue reading here…