Flower arrangements done by my brother

Floral design, you might think, would be the domain of women. I am here to tell you you’re wrong. Some of the floral industry’s most recognizable names have been men. For example, Silverio Casabar, Phil Rulloda, Mark Held of Mark’s Garden in Sherman Oaks. So, if you are in the habit of keeping track of names like the aforementioned, keep this one in mind — Daniel Barrientos.

My brother has been sending me pictures of the arrangements he’s been creating in his floral design classes. This arrangement of purple flowers includes purple irises, purple gladiolus and liatris. This one is very Ikebana, if I do say so myself.
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In memory of Silverio Casabar

To my shock and dismay, I discovered my mom’s long time floral teacher and mentor died on Feb. 21. My mom met Silverio Casabar when he gave a class at the flower market and they bonded quickly over being Filipino. Working with Silverio was a shot of creativity for both my mom and myself — he was so incredibly creative and talented. I remember looking at a cake table with a few yards of fabric in one hand, trying to figure out what I should do. He came by and, in just a few minutes, twisted it into a new technique that I began to use at later weddings.

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