I noticed over the weekend that the flowering trees were showing their buds. After a few warm days we will be pruning our forsythia and bringing the branches into our home. One or two large scale, 3-5 foot tall and others that will fit. Compliment the yellow forsythia with white or yellow market daffodils or another seasonal bloom in small containers. Keep it natural and simple, relax and enjoy the spring. -Michael George

Note from Lynn: I’ve learned a lot from Michael of the years and he always has great tips- which you can find in his book- Simply Elegant Flowers. This is a must have book if you have any interest in flower arranging! Like with branches he says to make sure not to group too many together that you loose the line or silhouette of the branches (let them have a little breathing room). And we usually talk about a specific color palette the whole week on the blog… but we decided Michael should talk about what is happening right now- this morning with flowers. And this is a great lesson in general. Sometimes you have a specific flower or color palette in mind… and nature- because of climates, storms etc. has it’s own schedule! So you have to just go with the flow sometimes. Even if you are a bride and you want a specific species, most likely it will be available, but sometimes due to delayed flights coming in delivering the flowers or weather conditions your first choice may not be available the day of your event. Be prepared and discuss with your florist a second option. Like I said, it’s most likely you’ll get your first choice flowers that you planned, but remember, sometimes having to change up what you use at the last minute produces or forces some of the most beautiful unexpected work.