Heart.

This wedding last weekend in the old Gnadenberg church in the Barossa Valley was a perfect example of what can be achieved with a minimum of fuss, a romantic heart, nostalgic leanings, and a perfect blue sky. 70 guests for a ceremony in the tiny church, followed by food and drink in the church hall. Simple. And it was so gorgeous, beyond description, steeped in a heartfelt authenticity that can sometimes be absent from huge extravaganzas, with all their bells and whistles.
Just a beautiful frock, an heirloom veil, an abundance of flowers, the best catering, and loving kin. What more could you ask for?

At risk of sounding like a devotee of HELLO! magazine, I often reflect in a similar way about the wedding of Jamie Oliver to the lovely Jools; about how steeped it was in old-fashioned village traditions despite the celebrity palaver, from the wildflower bouquet to the wedding procession through the old village.  I LOVE that they did this (google it now).  Can someone from around here please book in at an old country church and then arrange to have the street closed so that all their guests can parade through the village throwing flowers and twirling streamers on sticks?  Can you do it in the Adelaide Hills, or in a little town like Auburn, and make it springtime? Thankyou, oh, and then let me know so that I can festoon the church doorway in an archway of scented flowers.

New studio. And New Shop.

Our new flower studio is officially launched this Wednesday.  The launch date is more symbolic than actual, given I've been working there for a while now.  Wednesday also marks the official launch of my partner Justin's furniture studio and showroom.  His beautiful wooden furniture will be displayed in the front section of our warehouse, and we are out the back, along with hire & styling wonder The Props Dept.  You can follow what Justin is up to on his new journal, or pop in and have a look Thursdays - Saturdays.



The Tenth Meadow floral studio is open by appointment only; it's a working space where I prepare flowers and arrangements for events, take deliveries, clean buckets, sometimes make a leafy/petally mess, and often meet with clients. 

But....due to popular demand, The Tenth Meadow is opening a little flower shop nearby!, so that you will be able to pop in and choose flowers for yourself or as gifts.  Opening Late July, we'll keep you posted.  It's going to be a small boutique flower shop nestled in an historic little precinct in the Adelaide CBD...exact location to be revealed soon.  Truly and honestly a dream come true.

Winter charms

There is a quiet delicacy to the flowers that are in season at this time of year.  All the flashy performers of late spring and summer - peonies, roses, dahlias - have made way for the pale charms of iceland poppies, jonquils and hellebores.  There are tiny mauve and white violets braving the cold here at the farm.  It's curious to me why some of these most fragile of flowers choose to arrive just when the rain starts sheeting down and the wind is whipping through  Every year we watch as the first blossoms are shaken from the branches by late winter storms.  To be honest, I quite like the drama of it all, it's appealing in a romantic kind of way, like a Victorian gothic novel.  Tess of the d'Urbervilles, Wuthering Heights - delicate feminine beauty rallying against the elements.



By the way, I pinched this white gypsy table from the Props Dept studio, so I should mention that it is available from them for hire...