Once upon a time, walking around 23rd was all about the little boutique dress shops and such. Now I gravitate to places that grow things. Oh, I must admit to stopping by Dazzle, a shop that has morphed from artful home goods with a smattering of jewelry to artful clothing, still with a smattering of jewelry. The fancy duds are as flamboyant as any bouquet, and I dare you to pass by their windows, on 23rd and Irving, without sneaking a peek inside.

The most industrial corner on the street (most of the shops along it are in Victorian houses, or new structures built to look at home in such a setting) is softened by these beautiful flowering cherry trees.

Just a little detour down Lovejoy St leads to Jennie Greene Designs “a unique flower shop”, and it really is.

As I approached, Jennie’s sidekick (who, by all appearances, is as talented as is Jennie herself) was putting the finishing touches on this window display, an architectural wonder utilizing bamboo to support the grid of flowers.

That same architectural approach is evident in arrangements using unusual materials to support and enhance the flowers and branches.

It isn’t very often that I feel the need to go for the extra WOW factor beyond a posy from my garden. When I do, this is the place for it.

Something as simple as an assortment of Hellebore blossoms floating in a bowl is sure to be put into practice at my house.

Framed moss: now there’s an idea I can get behind.

Succulents in a trug: how cute!

Then there were the tulips and twigs in a rustic basket. Is my enchantment showing? This shop started in a tiny space converted from a shipping container next to the coffee shop on 23rd and Pettygrove. They outgrew that space and set up shop just east of 23rd on Thurman. This, then, is their third location, destined for razing in the near future. All this flitting may explain why the A-board above still displays the last address. It could get frustrating, but this is one shop I find worth following around, so I will give you a heads up when they settle into a new space.

Back to 23rd, I was stopped in my tracks by this sidewalk display.

The red bench surrounded by all the greenery would have done the job, but just beyond it:

Succulents, a few of them new to me.

The rusted decorative gate made a perfect foil for the entryway, decorated to within an inch of its life.

Now if what I was after was a selection of unusual material by the stem, I would come here, to Luv “N” Stuff. As it was, I blew the last of my cash on succulents. Just as an aside, it seems that while succulents are the new “hot” plant, none of the suppliers provide labels for these fascinating plants. We should lobby for them to do that, but I have no idea where to start. Any ideas?