Valentine's Day--in Scotland

One advantage of being a freelance floral designer is that I bypass that craziness known to the public as Valentine's Day.  Believe me, having managed a floral boutique, I can say, been there, done that.  Analyzing previous sales, planning the massive floral purchase to cover all customer orders, organizing the staffing, processing the shipment (just think all those lovely roses you receive do not have thorns), those are just some of the things I faced leading up to that chaotic day.  Now the chaos, organized as it was, proved to be exciting, but let's just say planning and designing floral creations for events is better.

Today I had the pleasure of touring Edinburgh's Royal Botanical Gardens. You say February in Scotland can't be that exciting in a botanical garden; I say-- think again.  I can only imagine how lovely the garden will be in a few months; signs of spring were at every turn.  Whether it be the delicate snowdrops in bloom or the bulbs just emerging or perhaps the early blooming rhododendrons just starting to show color, if you take a close look, you know that spring is on her way. 

I must confess; however, the real showstoppers lived in the glass houses.  As we toured these vast collections, we observed plants from around the globe and what an experience it was.  I hope you enjoy a few of the highlights.