Flower Shops Westlake LA

Westlake LA Press

Thankful for friends and flowers

The “dainty versus rugged” displays of shooting star can usually be found peaking in January on trails including Westlake Vista (Westlake Village), Los Robles Open Space (Thousand Oaks) and Circle X Ranch (Malibu). Shooting stars have a yellow petal ring and dark beak, adding to their fanciful flair. Writing in her 1907 wildflower guide, Mary Elizabeth Parsons remarked on the plant’s uniqueness: “It seems as though Nature had taxed her ingenuity to produce something original when she fashioned them.” It’s impossible not to be thankful for the ample natural beauty that still surrounds us, more than a century of relentless progress later. Glasser is a writer fascinated by all manner of natural phenomena surrounding her home in the Santa Monica Mountains. Reach her at ranchomulholla@gmail.com. http://www.toacorn.com/news/2015-11-19/Columns/Thankful_for_friends_and_flowers.html

Tree's supersize flowers are an eye-popping fall anomaly

Plump buds form then open to startle the eye with vibrant, exotic flowers pinned against the bright blue autumn sky. The specimen growing behind Westlake Village City Hall on hilly Oak Crest Drive could stop all four lanes of traffic on Agoura Road below with its show. At first glimpse, you might think the tree had been targeted for a prank by mischievous kids visiting the adjacent Westlake Village Library who’d bound up its bare limbs in colorful rags. But then who’s responsible for those knobby buds, barbaric thorns and branches snaking willy-nilly? Is this tree from South America or an alien world? Actually named for the cotton like contents of its large seed capsules, the silk floss tree has one of the most sensational blossoms among flowering trees. Bursting forth from stout waxy sepals that resemble ripe green grapes, the immense flowers resemble something akin to an orchid crossed with a hibiscus. The long, ruffled petals are a blend of shout-out-loud pink and ivory-white flecked with maroon streaks. Generous gaudy clusters of these flowers appear on the tree, itself almost entirely devoid of foliage during the bloom phase. The clusters seem to sprout everywhere— at a limb’s terminus, as well as along the length of every side branch. There’s no structure or order; it’s truly a flowerful free for all. So prolific is the bloom on the tree at Westlake Village City Hall that the supersize flowers appear to be jostling one another for space. The silk floss tree itself is not very attractive. Its trunk has a slightly swollen look, its crown grows in a very undisciplined fashion, its trunk color is a rather sickly green-gray, and big fat thorns erupt in forbidding groupings along the trunk. Even at the height of its appeal, the silk floss is still lacking, for it doesn’t present its flowe... http://www.toacorn.com/news/2016-10-27/Columns/Trees_supersize_flowers_are_an_eyepopping_fall_ano.html

Ikenobo Ikebana floral art on display at Porter Library

Porter Library July 15-16. Photo by Barbara Geisinger The Ikenobo Ikebana Society, Cleveland Chapter, is presenting an exhibit at Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road, on Friday and Saturday, July 15-16. The exhibit can be viewed during regular library hours. It will be located in the Porter meeting room. The Cleveland chapter of this Japanese floral art society was established in 1982 with Dorothy Kansaki as president. This exhibit is our way to honor our founder, Mrs. Kansaki, and to celebrate our 34th anniversary. We welcome anyone interested in learning the oldest School of Ikebana (522 years) to join our society. Since Mrs. Kansaki's passing, Linda Kay Johnson has been president. Classes are taught at Linda's home in Westlake, generally the third Saturday of each month, March through December. A two-day workshop is scheduled once a year with an Ikenobo professor from Kyoto, Japan. For an explanation of Ikenobo, here are excerpts from "Ikenobo Origin of Ikebana," Ikenobo Ikebana Society, headquartered Nakakyo, Kyoto, Japan. "The history of Ikenobo is the history of Ikebana. Ikenobo's history encompasses both the traditional and the modern, the two continually interacting to encourage new development in today's Ikebana. People in every era have loved flow... http://westlakebayvillageobserver.com/read/2016/07/06/ikenobo-ikebana-floral-art-on-display-at-porter-library