My son and I walk through the garden that surrounds our hours every morning. We call it our garden tour. We look to see what is new, what is blooming. Today I noticed for the first time that my Clematis Armandii is going to bloom. This particular Clematis is a hardy one, with long slender glossy leaves. The flowers are small and white. It is a slow grower, so I have been nursing this one for years now. This Spring it is covered with buds.

The Magnolia stellata or Star Magnolia is bursting into bloom. Every day there are more unfurled flowers. And next to it is a weeping cherry that people slow down to look at. The entire neighborhood waits for it to come into bloom. Spectacular.

This morning, I took some of my flowers from the Noni Flowers book and nestled them in the natural surroundings with their actual counterparts. I have to say I was delighted with the results. Here, I’ll talk about the Star Magnolia.

Magnolias are ancient plants. The Magnolia Grandiflora, for example, came into being before bees existed. It relies on beetles to do the pollinating. It’s stamen is, as you might expect, also ancient. It is woody and can withstand the attentions of insects more forceful than bees.

Magnolias such as the Magnolia Stellata are more delicate than their more ancient counterparts, but they are no less extraordinary and unusual.

Here is my knitted flower in the branches of the tree in my front yard.

This flower, perhaps more than some of the others, is one I can see firmly rooted in home decor. It looks stunning sitting on a magnolia branch in a Chinese Vase.

Even now, in my studio, I have a single flower gracing a sculptural Magnolia branch. It is one of the favorite things in my studio. I love it every day.

I can also see it on a cloche hat positioned right at the ear. I don’ t have this hat, so I can’t provide a picture of this. But I hope you can see this image as I can.

More flowers to come. . .