More photos from The Paradise Garden Wedding by Urban South

Paradise Garden Wedding

In September, Hana Lee, a new branch of lee attracting birds and bees that provides event designs by sourcing from all local and sustainable farms and artisans, created ceremony and reception installations for a wedding where the couple, Susie and Katie, were committed to creating an environmentally friendly Paradise Garden to celebrate their union.  Inspirations were the ancient Paradise Gardens of Persia and the woods and river around the venue, an earthly paradise in itself.  All materials were bee friendly and also composted.  A wonderful opportunity to collaborate with vendors such as  Yellow Bird Baking and Shindigs who planned the whole event.  A wonderful local Durham team, including Ebb and Flower helped Hana Lee create and implement the installations!

                  

All materials composted and containers recycled after the event!

Bee Friendly Wedding

Recently, lee attracting birds and bees did a bee friendly," fresh from the field"  themed wedding for an ideal couple whose family members includes bee keepers.  The bride was inspired by the 100 percent organic, seasonal and local flowers and it was an honor to style them in a formal setting.  Assistance was appreciated form Kelly Goyette and Allie Mullin.  Allie also took all the photos here! Flowers came from lee's Habitat Gardens, Wild Scallion Farm and Springforth Farm

All plant bouquets and arrangements were composted after the celebration, making a completely eco-friendly event!

 * All photos byAllie Mullin Photography

Creating Pollinator Friendly Gardens

Recently, I have been facilitating seminars on bee friendly landscaping at places such as Honergirl Meadery and for

The Durham County Bee Keepers .   I will also be sharing this information at The Makery, May 24, 6-8pm.  This education comes from years of information gathering and observation.  I must say that our world is so interconnected that once you begin gardening for pollinators, you begin to garden for wildlife.    Once you create a haven for pollinators,  then all areas of nature benefit, including our watershed.  I will begin posting information on landscaping  for pollinators in the months to come.  In my habitat gardens I am constantly trying to provide an urban sanctuary for native bees, honey bees, butterflies and birds.  Of course I am always pleased that by doing this I observe other insects and reptiles thrive also.  In our world, there are fewer of these habitats to be found.  All flowers and plants that I provide are grown with respect to our planet and the creatures we share it with.  

Tulipas,  our days are lovely now.
I waited for you to rise from beneath
From the dark realms of cold and regeneration,
upwards your appeared.
Your green fingers and arms reaching,
giving us hope for  a new season
I dreamed of you on Turkish hills,
your petals brushed by dresses in French Gardens
 and breaking hearts and fortunes in Holland.
Thank you for making so many of us so happy!

To be or anemone, I choose anemone…..

 A lovely flower of Greece , meaning windflower of deep hues, graceful beauty and bold face can chase away the winter blues and bring one to the promises of spring!

I am grateful to the ways and means of places like Wild Scallion and Sassafras Fork Farms to provide such winter beauties and sustainably too!

 Bless you my beautiful sister anemone!

You Can Heal the Waters: New Installation in Fuquay-Varina

Renee Leverty of Pleidies Gallery Durham (http://pleiadesartdurham.com) and I completed the installation Tuesday  for the Fuquay-Varina Downtown and Open Art Society collaboration , placing artists work in downtown storefronts.  Kelly Knapp also assisted in the creation.  Inspired by the theme of water in the call for proposals and the rich history of the town, we created You Can Heal the Waters at Family Optical on Broad St. Many thanks to Heather Allen, Jessica Moore, and Naomi Riley for making this happen!

The installation is inspired by the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto, from Japan, who studied the effects of words, thoughts, prayers and music on water. (http://www.masaru-emoto.net/english/water-crystal.html)  He believes that being, made of water, we can consciously alter it.  In the installation, there are bottles filled with water with words like love, prayer, joy,and  forgive hoping to inspire the viewer to project their positive consciousness on the water in the bottles that will then go into the creek by the original Fuquay healing spring and will flow to the sea, carrying the healing intentions with it.  Inside of the office,  you can also add your intentions , words, or wishes for the water.

The sculpture and drawings evoke the flow of water in the Cape Fear River Basin, which Fuquay -Varina and surrounding creeks are a part of.  Local advocates of this watershed can be found at The Cape fear River watch: http://www.capefearriverwatch.org/about-us/mission 

"The Cape Fear River watershed is the largest in North Carolina, covering over 9,100 square miles of the U.S. in east central North Carolina. The Cape Fear is the only major river in the state to flow directly into the Atlantic Ocean, entering the ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The Cape Fear River watershed is an incredibly rich and diverse ecosystem, home to a wide range of plant and animal life, including ancient cypress trees, alligators, otters, black bear, a large variety of birds and a host of fish species. Cape Fear River Watch strives to protect this beautiful ecosystem for future generations to enjoy."

There are things you can do to heal the waters everyday such as conserving water, keeping plastic off the street and out of the storm drains, leaving a riparian buffer to filter run off around waterways (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riparian_buffer), and planting a chemical free lawn and garden.  


Water is life for all and we should protect our waterways everywhere, from the rivers to the sea, where all of the waters flow.