|Chondropetalum tectorum- Night Moves|

So here we are.  A new year.  A new chapter for The Plant Provocateur.  I’m looking to the future in beautiful, bigger, and even bolder ways.  My goal is not only to make plants hip, rad, and whatever makes you mad for them, but to also stoke a passion for the fashion of outdoor lounging, luxuriating, and leisure.  So stay tuned for more cool plants, products, and the launch of some exciting projects.  Let’s do this…

Ever wonder what plants are up too late at night?  It’s amazing what a little light in the dark can do.  Here’s Chondropetalum tectorum, also known as Cape Rush, caught in the act making some night moves.  Something about lighting up the night by illuminating plants can be absolutely sexy.  This is a time when plant texture, form, and shape really come alive.  Watch for the shadows they cast or the silhouettes they take.  The look can be so rich, so seductive, so beautiful.  What do you think?

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|Branch Cut Modern Version One|

Here we have the final prototypes for my reinterpretation of a holiday wreath…not one…but two ways.

|Branch Cut Modern Version Two|

Creating this look was my response to having flipped through an issue of the West Elm catalog.  It’s now hip to get clever with your yard waste and clippings.  So I took some pruned branches in my yard and created some ‘chips’.  The chips got a quick coat of clear sealant stain.

|Branch Cut Modern Details|

To make the rustic look a bit more contemporary and ‘cutting-edge’, I fashioned some quick floral fascinators to give the wreaths a contrast of texture and color as well as a festive vibe.   Again, I used long lasting succulent cuttings such as Aeonium and Sempervivum to punch things up with a bit of bold impact.  To elevate these succulents to a fresher design level I also incorporated Eucalyptus capsules, foliage, and the ever dramatic flower heads of Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’.  I think the overall look is contemporary branch cut modern.  Very  now, new, and fresh.  Are you feeling this too?

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|Manzanita Trimmings + Floral Festoon|

Here’s another prototype for the holiday wreath reinterpreted.  To give it that homespun California vibe I thought about the idea of using the rich and resplendent branches of native west coast Manzanita.  Now this wreath was a prototype so you’re only seeing the idea of a wreath made of Manzanita trimmings.  The completed wreath would be a full, bountiful bundle of trimmings adorned with festive flora.

|Manzanita Trimmings + Floral Festoon detail|

The flora of choice seen here consists of sculptural Aeonium rosettes, stunning starbursts of blue sapphire Eryngium, and a variety of chic, sleek, and ‘rustique’  Eucalyptus capsules also commonly referred to as ‘Gum Nuts’.  I think the look is simple yet cool and Californian.  I call it Sierra sophistication.  What do you think of this idea?

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|Birch Bark Bohemian Wreath|

In my exploration of reinterpreting the decorative wreath I started thinking about ways to use contrasting materials to create a bold statement.  So birch bark.  It reminds me of when I was young and hanging around lakes in Michigan and Canada.  One of the most indelible images I have of those experiences was being on a boat and seeing groves of birch trees leading up to the water’s edge as if they were marching into the lake.  In the stillness of the morning, birch tree trunks would reflect off the water and mirror their beautifully blotched bark.  In the distance, cue the loon’s mysterious call, a speckled loon might break the water’s misty surface and send ripples through the birches reflection.  A woodland image so still, so peaceful, so meditative.   My idea was to create a prototype that could capture the wonder of the woodland yet present a festive flair.

|Birch Bark Bohemian Detail|

So why not try using some chunky yet fun material such as sculptural succulents and some supernatural seedpods?  I found the style of the combinations to be bold, beautiful, and uniquely unconventional.  There’s something about the woodland look that is very holiday.  Outfitting the prototype with ornaments of succulents and seed pods makes for a graphically genius touch.  I call this look, Birch Bark Bohemian.  What do you think?

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|Pin Cushion + Pods Wreath|

About 2 years ago I was asked by Sunset magazine to reinterpret the holiday wreath. Back then The Plant Provocateur was someone else called Lushland.  Well, I was honored to be asked and excited about the absolutely enjoyable task of playing with plant materials to creating something I thought was cool.  Since the holiday season is upon us, I thought I would take the time to share my visions as a creative and festive way to say Happy Holidays to everyone out there.  The wreath model pictured is called Pin Cushions + Pods.  I made this wreath by collecting plant material that was available in and near my home, which at the time was in Berkeley, California.

|Pincushions + Pods Wreath Details|

My ultra mod wreath was composed of Leucospermum x patersonii’s pincushion flowers grown in my garden, Corymbia ficifolia (syn. Eucalyptus ficifolia) leaves and seed pods found growing in my neighborhood, and Nelumbo sp. (Lotus) seed pods collected from a friend’s water garden.  Sunset loved this one and published it in their December 2011 issue.  I was stoked! Check it out.  What do you think?

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|Ruellia macrantha blossom detail|

So here we are and the holidays are upon us.  I thought I’d kick off the season with the glorious gorgeousness of Ruellia macrantha commonly referred to as Christmas Pride.  Ruellia macrantha comes to us from Brazil.  It gets its common name from kicking out a festive flowering during the holidays and beyond to give you a tropical treatment for those winter blahs.  It’s regular blooming cycle is autumn through spring and sometimes sporadically in summer.  Now being a true provocateur of plants, I wanted to lead this post off with an image that really gave you what these blossoms are like live and in concert.  From far away you might say oh look another flowering shrub with pinkish-purple flowers on it…big whoop!  Well, look closer.  Can you appreciate what’s really going on here?  The rad ripples, the pillowy pleats, and the fine lines the color of wine.  Flower blossoms, in my opinion, are an amazing feat of organic architecture and design.  Their presence is yet another aspect that makes plants so insanely cool and special!

|Ruellia macrantha profile|

Ruellia macrantha is an evergreen shrub that gets up around 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide.  It likes moderate moisture and a good misting when things are hot and dry.  Give it fertile, well-draining soil, and let it flourish in full to part sun.  It’s hardy to about 30 degrees fahrenheit/-1 celsius.  It also makes for a hot houseplant.  Now what really makes this plant so delicious is its 2-3 inch long funnels of flowering voluptuousness!  When it first begins to bloom in autumn don’t cut it back, let it do its thing until late spring.  Come the holidays, as a result, you can sit back, relax and let this Brazilian beauty spoil you with its bounty of blooms and tropical abundance!

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|Agave attenuata ‘Ray Of Light’ + Euphorbia ‘Silver Swan’|

As you may or may not have figured out The Plant Provocateur obviously has a thing about plants.  Not just plain old ordinary plants either.  Well, what about putting some of those plants together to create some stylish situations.  Here’s one that I thought made the grade.  Over the weekend I was in San Francisco and popped into the internationally famous Flora Grubb Gardens.  Now, I don’t know if you know about this place but the next time you’re in San Francisco it is a ‘must’ destination, seriously.  Amazing plants plus stylishly smart vignettes of plants, pottery, art, and outdoor furnishings. During my visit, I happened upon this extremely chic combination of two plants that grow beautifully together.  Agave attenuata ‘Ray Of Light’ and Euphorbia ‘Silver Swan’, with their sophisticated outlines of cream, make a smashingly sophisticated combination of color, line, and desirable design.  The look is pure plant luxury.

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|Strobilanthus dyerianus leaf + form|

Now, the Plant Provocateur is a Prince fan from way back.  If his royal badness were to be a plant I think he’d be Strobilanthus dyerianus otherwise known as Persian Shield. This passionately purple plant comes from the mystical land of Burma.  It has the most amazing shimmering leaves of purple with glints of silver.  A very iridescent metallic vibe.  Strikingly beautiful.  Best of all it loves part to full shade.  At last, something that can grow in the shade in a color other than green.  It’s mostly grown as an annual but can overwinter in warm climates and grow up to 3 or 4 feet tall and wide.  It looks super slick in a container planting with contrasting plants in colors of silver or chartreuse.  You can pretty much find this plant at most nurseries.  So put some funk in your foliage and get some Persian Shield.  Remember it only wants to see u in the purple rain.

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|Water Lily Center|

Did the post title get your attention? A little saucy isn’t it?  It’s not called The Plant Provocateur for nothin’.  Now let’s unplug, unwind, and spend a little time down by the water.  I am so entranced by water lilies also botanically known as Nymphaea.  Get it?

|Water Lily Bud + Flower|

If you’ve spent any time down by water’s edge (usually a lake or pond) you may have seen these mysterious plants floating on the water hiding whatever is down below. Their leaves look so tranquil floating on the water.

|Water Lily Leaf + Water|

And the way water looks beaded on their surface… so soothing and still it makes me want to melt into a pool of relaxation.

|Yellow Water Lily|

If you see them bloom you gotta look closer at what’s going on.  So amazingly beautiful and if you can catch their intoxicating yet delicately sensual scent you’re in for a euphoric experience.

|Blue Water Lily|

The Egyptians believed when a blue water lily bloomed that seated in the center was a sun god, who began all life.  I must admit when I see water lilies in bloom they calm my many hectic moods.  They look so peaceful floating on the water’s smooth glassy surface simply radiating beauty and don’t we need a bit more of those elements in the world? Seriously.  Now the thing about water lilies you should know is that there are two types.  Hardy and Tropical.  The hardy can be grown just about anywhere from mild-winter to cold winter regions.  They’ll bloom in warm weather and go dormant in the fall.  In cold winter weather you should cover the area you plant them to preserve them for the next spring.  The tropical grow later in the summer but their flowering last longer.  They go dormant in late autumn and if grown in areas with temperate to warm winters they should reappear the following year.  For your own personal water lily oasis try growing them outdoors in a cool old container or urn.  There’s something very meditative and calming about having them outside on your balcony, deck, or even at the side of an entryway. Check them out online or locally (L.A.) Sunset Nursery.

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