Country garden bouquets: California designer Linda Arietta shares her secrets for painting with flowers

Sunset, Sept, 1997

As you travel the country lane through farmland east of Watsonville, California, nothing prepares you for the surprises at road's end. Not the green patchwork of strawberry or lettuce fields, or the chocolate squares of freshly churned soil between them, or even the distant golden hills. Nothing, except maybe a sign near the gate that modestly announces Country Essences Flowers, the 10-acre ranch that floral designer Linda Arietta calls home.

Along the driveway, a ribbon of spring wildflowers and a rambling 'Queen Elizabeth' rose cloaked with huge pink blooms hint at Arietta's fascination with flowers. Then a bright burst of blue delphiniums and a shocking-scarlet bougainvillea scrambling against blue window trim reveal her love of color.

But on the patio behind the 100-year-old farmhouse, just past the barbecue area where guests gather for yet another of Arietta's memorable Saturday evening parties, the palette ignites. Brilliant blooms are everywhere: in pots, in beds, in vases, even on exterior walls. Arietta's bouquets for the party are floral fireworks, color-matched to vases and dishes, and as vividly rendered as still-life paintings. On one table, an arrangement of blue larkspur, bright salmon-pink godetias, and white lilies echoes the colors of watermelon slices on a cobalt blue platter. On another table, asters in pink, rose, white, and lavender play off the Caribbean beach colors of the striped umbrella above them.

Arietta's flower beds, like her bouquets, are joyful expressions of color and fantasy. An old watering can and a fruit crate filled with magenta petunias are among the many personal touches that embellish her garden.

"We all need color in our lives, and it comes from nature," says Arietta. "I paint with flowers."

A BUDDING PASSION

Arietta's first brush with the flower business came after she'd graduated with a degree in art from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco and settled on a ranch next door to her parents. She planted an acre of sweet peas ("enough to cover the whole world," she laughs) and wound up sharing the harvest with every florist in Santa Cruz County. "For years, I was known as the 'Sweet Pea Lady.'"

Gradually she branched out, adding other flowers to her palette and to her fields. She began selling flowers at farmers' markets throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and creating bouquets for weddings, restaurants, and hotels.

Now, Arietta's ranch produces more than 50 kinds of flowers per season. Her long list of clients includes Smith & Hawken, Crate & Barrel, and Neiman Marcus. And she recently opened a shop, Country Essences Flowers, in nearby Capitola Village, where - against a cheerful backdrop of white lattice-covered walls - she sells her flowers fresh, freeze-dried, and in arrangements that she creates with help from her staff of four designers.

The secrets to Arietta's great bouquets? "I like to grow things commercial growers don't touch," she says. "I order seed mixes. And I choose flowers for their exquisite colors and shapes that combine well in natural-looking bouquets."

This month she'll be planting for next spring's bouquets. She'll sow seeds of godetia, larkspur, sweet pea, and stock, and set out delphinium seedlings. But Arietta's always looking for something new to try. "Flowers are my passion, my life," she says. "I love sharing that beauty with others."

CHOICE PLANTS FOR COUNTRY-STYLE BOUQUETS

Spring (plant in fall except where noted): Anemone, delphinium(*), Dutch iris, foxglove, freesia, godetia (plant in spring in cold climates), larkspur(*), lavender, lilac, narcissus, ranunculus, rose (late winter), stock, sweet pea.

Fall (plant in spring): Amaranth, aster(*), dahlia(*), hydrangea, sunflower(*), zinnia.(*)

* = Arietta's "success"flowers, popular and easiest to grow. "I plant every variety and color of these I can get my hands on."

Field notes: Growing great cut flowers

* Grow lots of different kinds of flowers together. Diversity helps control pests.

* Feed plants regularly. Arietta sprinkles granular balanced fertilizer into the soil before planting in winter (so rains can water it in). During the growing season, her plants get a diluted liquid fertilizer with each watering.

* Use drip irrigation (or soaker hoses) to avoid wetting flowers and foliage and to help prevent mildew.

* Plant in succession. When something's finished, pull it out, prep the soil, and replant with something else.

* Amend the soil with compost between plantings. Arietta uses mushroom compost from nearby farms.

INSTANT POTPOURRI

* When dried flowers such as larkspur crumble, scoop up the petals and put them in an airtight jar with orrisroot scented with oil (orrisroot and scented, or essential, oils are sold in health food stores). Use citrus scents for yellow flowers, rose scents for pinks and blues.

* Delphinium, rose, and sunflower petals that drop from fresh bouquets as they age can be air-dried (they'll keep some color). Lay them face down on a paper towel for two to four days to dry, then toss them in a low glass bowl for display.