Flowerwild

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I thought I'd round up some alternatives to red roses and offer up some of our favorite local sources for flowers, tips for arranging them yourself and inspiration for creating something different.

Local Los Angeles Florists:
• Dandelion Ranch has that wild look we love and can never achieve on our own.
• Fiore Designs in Venice.
• Flowerwild is another great place to find a more casual but still totally elegant custom bouquet.
• Floral Art. Sculptural arrangements with presence and an alternative to anything wild or fussy.
• Gilly Flowers in Silver Lake. Modern and simple and local.

Alternatives to the Expected:
• Air Plants in a jar are beautiful, simple and take very little care once they're in place.
• Heirloom Poppies. Delicate and ethereal, a great alternative to the expected pink or red flowers. A simple bunch of these is all I ask for (hint).
• Terrarium. Planting a simple terrarium is a nice alternative to cut flowers and is likely to last much longer.
• Succulent Flower Arrangements can be planted once the bouquet is done for succulents add a great counterpoint to more delicate flowers.
• Sexy Custom Terrariums from Terri Planty are made locally and with love and a bit of humor.

Resources & Tips for a DIY a Flower Arrangement:
• Downtown LA Flower Mart for cheap flowers and tons of selection.
• Trader Joe's always has a nice affordable selection of flowers and if you deconstruct a bouquet, you can make something unique. (Here are tips on How To Choose Flowers at The Supermarket
• Making Your Own Flower Preservative
• DIY Flower Frog
• Reuse Bottles and Jars as unique vases.

Images: as linked above