Spring Inspiration: Before & After of a Window Box

It seems like summer most of the year here with a few weeks of crisp autumn, chilly winter, and blooming spring squished in. Right now we are experiencing springlike weather--the trees are blooming, bulbs are coming up, and it is brrrrrisk outside. Last week was summery and near 80 so I'm not sure if there is much order to these seasons. Growing up in Hawaii we didn't have the distinct season change the mainland is blessed with (though we did have mango season, gardenia/plumeria season, tourist season, and huge-waves-on-the-north-shore season). In Santa Barbara the seasons don't change like they do in Oregon, and in Oregon they don't change like they do in Chicago or New England. I remember gleefully collecting acorns and colorful leaves my first year at college in Oregon while all the kids from Massachusetts scoffed, "They call THIS fall?" As a Hawaii girl I relish the transitions between seasons.

With Spring comes spring cleaning. I am trying to reduce the clutter and complications in my life and keep living simply, with hope that the order in my external life will reflect/compliment the peace I feel within. While I like this zen philosophy, and aspire to be a more of a minimalist, the truth is I am a total maximalist. I love stuff, collections, and am a natural-born gatherer. A seashell? Mine. A book I want to read? Mine too. Baby clothes? Let me get that and start a stockpile of gifts for so-and-so. It can quickly get out of control.. Everything in moderation. When you have too much stuff you stop appreciating it and instead appreciate the gift of open space. Which artist call "white space" or "negative space" right?

The flowers I haphazardly planted in my window box last fall have been bothering me. They were barely blooming when I bought them. Then they started growing into this chaotic rainbow:

Sorta pretty but purple (and hot pink!?) primroses, bright yellow violas, and red pansies, plus a few viney nasturtiums have become too much of a good thing. My entryway screams crazy artist lady.

So, inspired by all the showy-white blossoms on the trees around my house, I decided to go with clean, crisp, and classic white. I decided that flowers are eye-catching enough without having to come in shades of neon. I feel a lot better coming home being greeted by this elegant, calming flora made up of white malacoides (fairy primrose) and white dianthus (a carnation cousin).

Ta-da! Most of the blossom are still in bud form, but it's already a bit more zen this time around.