Colonial Christmas: Lemons 'n Things

Lemons 'n Things (Click pictures for larger view)

"Anytime the perfume of orange and lemon groves wafts in the window; the human body has to feel suffused with a languorous well-being." ~ Frances Mayes, Bella Tuscany

This series of wreaths showcases the lovely lemon and I must say these were some of the most fragrant. Here the lemons are mixed with red apples, many pine cones and a few dark brick colored dried flowers. The background greenery shows a nice variegated mixture of light and dark greens, with pine and boxwood. If I sit back and let my eyes wander over the picture, I see a pattern emerge; almost a pinwheel pattern from the placement of the fruit.
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When we came upon this rather simple wreath, Nyssa reminded me of the orange pomanders we used to make as children, sticking clove into the skin of an unpeeled orange. Here the designers have done the same with lemons; and I do believe the children of the home helped. See the star shapes along with wave and radiating line designs; each lemon with just a slightly different look. The lemons intermix with dried artichoke and a few clusters of red berries. I'm not sure what the light grey-green flower like plant is at the bottom. This wreath is another asymmetrical entry.



The final entry in our lemon group is not technically a wreath; this is what I would call a "spray" although Judy might have a better "florist" term for it. It is very simple. Most of the greenery looks to be juniper with the fragrant berries. The lemons are clustered, unmarked and uncut. The sleigh bells with their attached leather loops gives this a special look. I could imagine this spray attached to the horse drawn carriage carrying people to Christmas balls and back again. This spray and the clove enhanced wreath above were the most fragrant.

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