Archives for category: Photos by Sophia

Indo Part I

May 19, 2015 //

I’ve just returned from a couple of weeks in Bali and Lombok. It was a incredibly beautiful holiday and a perfect balance of island and mountain life. First up Gili Air and Ubud.

We started on on one the quieter Gilis – Air, swimming, doing yoga and enjoying lots of fresh papaya juice. From there we went to Ubud for a couple of nights where we stayed in the botanical jungle that is Ketut’s Place and visited some of the nearby rice paddies and water temples.

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset All photographs by Sophia Kaplan.

Tags Bali, botanical, Gili air, Indonesia, Ketut's place, kittens, Lombok, lotus, Lotus flower, staghorn fern, the secret garden blog, travel

Categories Flowers, Photos by Sophia, Plants, Travel

Sophia Kaplan Plants & Flowers

May 18, 2015 //

Last month I launched my website www.sophia-kaplan.com I’m still making some adjustments, but it’s an exciting step for my little business. Please check it out and let me know what you think!

Tags sophia kaplan plants & flowers

Categories Design, Flowers, Photos by Sophia, Wedding

The Florist and The Gardener

March 12, 2015 //

The amazingly creative, plant-obsessed Angie of Ode Ceramics and I did a story last month for The Planthunter about the different ways plant and flower people source, care for and arrange plants vs flowers. It was so much fun visiting The Succulent Garden and the flower market together and then shooting it all back at her home studio. Be sure to check it out the article in full here.

Tags angie thomas, florist, gardener, ode ceramics, sophia kaplan, sydney flower market, the florist and the gardener, the planthunter, the secret garden blog, the succulent garden

Categories Flowers, Garden, Photography, Photos by Sophia, Plants, Publishing

Paris Extra Part III

February 2, 2015 //

A little flashback to Paris last August.

All photographs by Sophia Kaplan.

Tags azuma makoto, cactus, dries van noten, forage, french garden, guillon fleurs, jardin des plantes, paris, the secret garden blog

Categories Architecture, Fashion, Flowers, Garden, Nature, Photos by Sophia, Plants, Travel

Clea

January 5, 2015 //

We have just returned from a magical few days down at Sambo’s farm.

The New Years Eve dinner tables were painstakingly built (between glasses of spritz) by the boys and decorated with quince branches by Angele, Olive, Jane and me. Dinner at sunset was followed by performances in the theatre and lots of dancing.

The rest of our days were filled with trips to the waterfall and the gorge to cool ourselves in the summer heat with 30 of us comically spread across two utes to travel, watching movies under the stars with everyone piled on mattresses in front of the projector, and eating an unimaginable amount of food prepared with so little fuss by Que and her team of mates.

To old friends and new, and most importantly Sam, Kali and Rupert, thank you for such a great escape.

Photographs by Sophia Kaplan.

Tags australian native flowers, australian wildflowers, clea, countryside, farm, flower crown, Flowers, gorge, new years eve, paper daisies, quince, swimming, waterfall, wildflowers

Categories Flowers, Nature, Photos by Sophia

Wreaths

December 15, 2014 //

Last Friday, with Olive and Anne, we made a little tour around our neighbourhood collecting foliage and flowers before putting together some rustic wreaths. Here are a couple I made – one filled with bay leaf, lavender, pomegranate, and fennel flower, the other long lasting natives. Baby Leo helped too.

Check out the article I wrote last year for The Planthunter on how to make your own wreath. It’s super easy and fun.

All photographs by Sophia Kaplan.

Tags australian native flowers, australian wreath, bay leaf, christmas wreath, edible wreath, fennel flower, flower crown, lavender, pomegranite, the secret garden blog, wreath

Categories Design, Flowers, Photos by Sophia

Part Extra Part II

December 3, 2014 //

Continuing on from Part I and my initial Paris post, here is Part Deux where we have an amazing vertical garden, a little trip to a friends place in Orleon, and some super cute kittens that I shared my room with.

Photographs by Sophia Kaplan.

Tags france, green wall, hydrangea, kittens, orleon, paris, sophia kaplan, the secret garden blog, vertical wall

Categories Architecture, Flowers, Garden, Nature, Photos by Sophia, Travel

Paris Extra Part I

November 21, 2014 //

It’s been a busy month! Some pals leaving on great adventures, others coming to stay and wedding season thrown in too. I’m beginning to plan more of my own flower work for next year and getting excited about all that will hold.

One of my favourite Frenchies is here at the moment which reminded me that I still have plenty of photos to share from Paris.

Endless delicious meals cooked by Angele and Olive.

Visits to the Marché Aux Fleurs in the middle of the city.

One of my favourite galleries, Fondation Cartier with its rambling landscapes and impressive green wall above the entrance.

La Recyclerie, a new cafe near my sisters work where we often met for lunch. It’s located in a former railway station, is super laid back and they even have their own mini farm and vegetable garden.

And other random wanderings through the streets and a cat adventure…

More to come soon. All photographs by Sophia Kaplan.

Tags cats, foundation cartier, gnocchi, green wall, la guinguette d'angèle, la recyclerie, marche aux fleurs, notre dame, oxalis, paris, sophia kaplan, the secret garden blog, urban garden, vertical garden, wedding season

Categories Garden, Photos by Sophia, Travel

La Promenade Plantée

October 20, 2014 //

One of the first gardens I visited on my recent trip to Paris, the Promenade Plantée runs 4.7 km between Opera Bastille and the bois de Vincennes. It’s built on an old railway line reminiscent of New York’s High Line. It’s a tranquil trail with an amazing rose collection and beautiful views down Parisian boulevards.

All photographs by Sophia Kaplan.

Tags bastille, bois de vincennes, echinacea, french garden, paris, paris garden, promenade plantée, roses, secret garden, the high line, the secret garden blog, urban garden

Categories Flowers, Garden, Photos by Sophia, Plants, Travel

Croatia

October 9, 2014 //

Sambo and I were in Hvar, Croatia not so long ago for the beautiful wedding of Michelle & Dan. We so enjoyed the hospitality of the lovely couple along with their family and friends, big thanks for having us.

While there we also managed a bit of adventuring, exploring the little islands by boat as well as taking a cute convertible (of course) to go further inland. The island was bursting with life, thyme growing wild under our feet, pomegranates and figs picked freely from the side of the street, flowering fennel towering above us, the sweet scent of rosemary filling the air and gnarled old olive trees scattered everywhere. Picking wild things straight from the land makes for a perfect summer.

All photographs by Sophia Kaplan.