Royal wedding inspiration

Check out our "royally inspired" bouquet in the Fall/Winter 2011 issue of Wedding Bells magazine !

Palm Springs meets Scotland in Toronto

We had a wonderful opportunity this past month to completely design a rooftop installation for one of our corporate clients' own home. 

 South West exposure....... thinking......desert..... dry, hot.  It is SO not cottage garden flowers and plants for this terrace. This is extreme territory !

 We needed to compile a list of plants that could survive a drought tolerant, wind exposed position. We also wanted both drama and tropical in an extreme sort of way......hence Palm Springs meets Scotland.

 Plants: a knotted pom pom Scots pine, aloe vera,  various succulents, bougainvillea (totally love), lava rocks, various cactus and other sun loving gems.

It worked very nicely!  We are so pleased with the results.....

And the client was very happy also.  We received an email this morning saying they spent the evening on their terrace enjoying their Palm Springs meets zen like garden, in Toronto.

An "Elegant Farmer's Market" wedding

Phew, it's been a busy spring and early summer. Between container planters, rooftop terrace installations, corporate events and the start of wedding season, I'm feeling rather dizzy. It's been quite the whirlwind over the past couple of months. And more weddings to come !

In the meantime I wanted to post some pictures of a wedding we did this past weekend at one of my all time favourite places, Miller Lash House. I love this place ! I love this place 'cause I always think it's a lovely surprise for your guests. Anyone who knows Toronto will understand when I say, "yeah the wedding venue is located at the 401 and Morningside" normally respond with "what's out there"? It's Scarborough for crying out loud ! Or "Scarberia" as we used to call it. Let's just say it's the burbs and as such does not conjure up images of lovely 1920's Arts and Crafts houses. But there it is. And once you arrive, you feel transported.

I hope our quick snaps convey how lovely this wedding was. The feel was "an elegant farmer's market" without actually looking like a farmer's market. We took a textural, organic approach. We used hessian (burlap) runners on the tables, linen napkins, displayed peaches with scrolled name tags and we kept the head table "humble" with simple ferns in aged stone containers, while the guest tables had sumptuous arrangements of garden roses, hydrangeas, clematis vines and peonies. We wanted the guests to feel special !

I love how it all turned out.

The peaches were gorgeous, not too ripe for our needs, made a faux stem with birch twigs and placed the guests' names on lovely paper and scrolled the edges.

The final table. It was a bit of a cafuffle (?) to get the peaches in place. But finally the table looked adorable. The brides' father made the chalkboard. Sweet.

The lovely Robin, a wonderful creative florist, putting the final touches to a guest table. 

The view into the tent. I loved the hessian runners on the tables.

Oh, and I should mention that most weddings take place in the tent, not the house. That's because it's not a huge house, but it is awfully pretty. 

The head table up close. So simple, but so chic. The hessian, the aged pots with ferns and peaches randomly laid along the table. We also placed two cherries on the menu as an added charming touch.

It's all about the details ! These are things guests notice and appreciate. 

The view from the tent. 

Jessica, the beautiful bride, with her parents. Her bouquet was composed of sweet peas, lisianthus, waxflowers, veronica, soft foliages and freesias. 

Thank you to Jessica and her incredible mother Eunice. Both were so brilliant to work with. Jessica had an inspiration and we hope we helped her to achieve it. Eunice, thank you for all of your support and kindness.

To Mothers Everywhere....

This Sunday, May 8th is Mother's Day around the world. I know I'm biased but I truly believe flowers are the sweetest gift. They're impulsive, sincere, endearing and thoughtful.

Have a wonderful and Happy Mother's Day.

Be inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow this Easter

                      A Fresh Take on Traditional !

Vintage linens, mismatched candlesticks, silver cups and fresh, loose bouquets of the prettiest spring flowers beautifully arranged along a rough hewn table.

Be inspired by Gwyneth's tablescape and incorporate some gorgeous blooms from Wild thyme into your Easter lunch celebration.


Wild thyme will deliver the most charming bouquets right to your door. We'll have blossom branches, tulips, sweet peas, hyacinths, hellebores, hydrangeas and more...... all in hues ranging from fresh greens, crisp whites and pale lilacs to lavenders mixed with deep burgundy blacks for some added drama.


Call us on 416.440.2614 or flowers@wildthyme.ca to place your order.


Check out the rest of GP's collaboration with the girls from www.remodelista.com.

Flower Class was so much fun !

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Sunday flower class. What a blast ! Check out some of our photos below.

 The studio and flowers before the students arrived.

 We had some very lovely Spring flowers; tulips, sweet peas, ranunculus, hyacinths, but also garden roses, guelder rose, freesias, peonies (yes, early peonies !) and some nice foliages.

 That would be me, waiting nervously for the students to arrive. Sorry about the goofy look on my face.

 I'd like to introduce you to one of the loveliest people I know...Kathy MacLachlan. Kathy was one of my very first customers (10 years ago) and has been a great client and friend ever since. 

Thank you Kathy !

 The ladies starting to muck in. And also have a bit of a giggle.

 Totally focused on the task at hand.

 Choosing flowers for their compositions.

 I think everyone was totally into their creations. And by the way, doing an AMAZING job.

 But still having time to crack jokes, relax and have fun.

Everyone seemed to like the choice of mossy urn for their arrangements. Something they would definitely use after their flowers had expired. I heard talk of planting with herbs for the kitchen counter. Nice one !

If you like to check out our flower  classes email us at flowers@wildthyme.ca

Bespoke Country House Parties

So, last year I stumbled across this company that throws bespoke country house parties in the beautifully charming Cotswolds. It just so happens that one of the partners' in this retreat is  Sophie Conran (yes, that Conran, daughter of the great Terence). Man, it must be in their blood to be so entreprenuerial and also so talented. This family rocks !


And so does this place ! Temple Guiting is actually owned by a fellow called Steven Collins. Steven decided that he wanted to convert this family property into an investment. Smart man. Together with the famed Sophie Conran they have created this gorgeous retreat for anybody (which is semi affordable if you don't mind saving for a year and not take another holiday for another year --- the weekend rates will make you gulp a little) to hold your own private country party (just like the wealthy Edwardians did). 


Sounds good to me.You name it. It can be organized. They have experts from a varied and wide set of backgrounds. Hmmmm.....want to do a little fly fishing ? No problem. Always wanted to spend an afternoon baking artisinal breads ? No problemo. How about hot air ballooning, wine tasting, jam making, shooting, learning to play bridge/poker ?  It's covered. And of course, my favourite......the floristry course.


All this, and in the most gorgeous setting. The accomodation is to die for. Heck who cares about the activities. I just want to go and hang out....go for long country walks, read by a roaring fire, eat wonderful meals, drink great wine and sleep in the most sumptuous bedrooms ever !

Of course, there's always the  National Trust  or the  Landmark Trust  if you're not in need of so much pampering but still want to have that great country house/manor  experience. I think this is more my speed and more of what my wallet can handle. But if money were not an object........ then here I come Temple Guiting. Just for the weekend only.

More pictures and definitely more info on their website.