Daffodils and Ranunculus in Northwest Arkansas
Sometime in February, I was sitting in Hannah Taylor’s super cozy living room (Hannah is the florist behind Fleurish and her house is the freaking cutest). I’d been there for hours, we’d talked so much our voices were going scratchy and, in the middle of talking about all the things we had going on, we had the idea to swap out our coffee dates for for flower shoot dates.
And just like that! Our weekly still life project began!
Our goal with this is really simple: to make art while chatting. We pull stuff from our houses, have a strict budget for most shoots (we won’t spend more than a coffee date would cost!), and instead of sitting at coffee shops, we sit on each other’s living room floors and put together whimsical flower arrangements. Hannah does the arranging, I do the photos, and together we do all the brainstorming and talk about literally everything under the sun as we pause to say “move it that way!” or “what about this?!” and then move right back to our conversations.
And our first shoot? It was daffodils and ranunculus in Northwest Arkansas!
Why Are We Creating Still Life Photos?
Ever since I started my cut flower garden, I’ve wanted to create still life flower photos but the timing was never right. I was using the flowers for portrait shoots, I was growing Opal and June, something always seemed to be in the way. And honestly? Being motivated to do it on my own was so hard, too!
And I know! Why would a photographer like me – someone who’s always shooting for memories – be interested in still life photography? It’s because there’s so much detail and nuance! Like, I cannot believe how much a photo can change just by shifting a flower one way or another. It’s amazing!
Also amazing? Hannah! Hannah is an absolutely incredible florist – we met at a styled shoot years ago and, as soon as I saw her work, I knew we needed to be friends! – and, more than that, she has one of the most creative souls ever. I love her attention to detail, the organic way she creates, and working on this project with her has already been so freaking amazing. Love seeing her create! We are both super passionate about making stuff and I’m always joking that, if someone overheard us making these photos, they’d think we were fighting. But we’re not even arguing! We’re just excitedly bouncing so many ideas that our voices get louder and louder. Hannah, you’re the best! Love our Wednesday Work so much!
Should You Grow Daffodils and Ranunculus in Northwest Arkansas?
Daffodils: 100000% yes.
Ranunculus: Lol, no. Unless you a little hoop house or green house.
Did you wind up here researching what spring flowers to grow in Northwest Arkansas? Go for the daffodils! Ranunculus are some of my favorite flowers and I have tried growing them at so many different times. I’ve had a few successful crops but, most of the time, they don’t work for me. But the daffodils? They get better and better every year! Just be sure to space them! If you plant them too close, they’ll eventually stop flowering a few years in. Their bulbs duplicate like crazy so make sure to give them some breathing room.
And now! Get ready to see the cutest daffodil and ranunculus photoshoot ever. The daffodils are from my front yard, the ranunculus are from Whole Foods, and everything else is from our living rooms. Can’t wait to share these and to share our newest ones, too! After we created these, Hannah was like “I don’t know how we will top this” and I laughed. Because a month in? We’ve really, really topped these. Can’t wait to show y’all more flowers soon!
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Based in Fayetteville, Arkansas Lissa Chandler is a portrait and wedding photographer who celebrates life one photograph at a time. Lissa is also the owner of Opal and June where she offers fun teacher shirts, bookish + history merch, and the absolute cutest tote bags. Additionally, Lissa is the host of the laid back, conversational podcasts Your Photographer Mom and Our Favorite Villes.
As a creative photographer in Northwest Arkansas, Lissa doesn’t niche down on a genre. She niches on a feeling instead! That feeling? The huge, happy feeling of hope and excitement that you feel as a kid opening up a huge box of 120 crayons. Sound like a feeling you remember? Let’s shoot!