The Garden at Bank of Memories Pewaukee

In June 2009, owner Melissa Maas and the ladies of Pewaukee's Bank of Memories & Flowers planted a garden on the east side of the store.  Their efforts that year and every year since have produced a small but beautiful retreat for insects, wildlife and customers alike.  It has grown into a sustainable perennial garden that we harvest and use in arrangements and bouquets.  No pesticides are used on the flowers and the store's rain barrel uses runoff to water the garden.  As a matter of fact, when the shop's flower buckets are cleaned weekly, the week old flower water is used on the garden as well.

Every spring we are surprised by the daffodils and tulips pushing up through the dirt, and sometimes the snow (well, it is Wisconsin).  The first signs of spring like hyacinths and veronica, are then harvested in time for use in Prom and Mother's Day corsages.  The veronica and cottage yarrow sometimes bloom twice in a season.  Next in our time line are the peonies, my personal favorite.  These fresh fragrant peonies are a popular wedding flower.

Summer, of course, is the best time for the garden!  Hydrangea, Liatris, Lilies and Echinacea (cone flower) are in full bloom right now.  We love how lush and full the garden looks and hate to cut the flowers but nothing is better than being able to go out into the garden and pick the flowers we need for an order.  Our garden is also one of our favorite sections of store merchandise.  This summer we have a several Art Peace Poles, metal and glass rain gauges, and garden astrolabes.

In 2014, we decided to expand our gardens to the back side of the building and we added Astilbe, Tall Phlox and Echinacea.  More flowers for more arrangements.  I personally, am asking for the whole backyard to be a garden next year!  Wish me luck.  By the end of summer and into the fall, the leftover Coneflowers are used for their "pods" and the Sedum is finally blossoming and ready for use.  This year for Halloween our garden will be the home to families of ghosts, 3 different sizes of metal decorations for the yard.  I can't wait!  In late fall, we put the garden to bed.  We cut back those plants that need it and leave the rest as shelter and food for the birds.  At Christmas time, we decorate the garden with holiday yard art as well as different seasonal greens.  Some people have sugar plums dancing in their heads this time of year, we tend to have perennial plants dancing in ours.  Watch for new plants next summer!

Be sure when you drive by or stop in the Pewaukee store, give yourself some time to look at our garden. Like any "parent", we are proud of our garden and want to show off!

Luan M. Kurriger, Manager
Bank of Memories & Flowers, Pewaukee
262-695-9911
https://www.bankofmemories.com/

Meet the Staff: Dana!

Dana has been a Bank of Memories, Menomonee Falls Team Member for just about 2 ½ years now.  Dana grew up just down the road from our shop, and would often stop in for fresh flowers for her mom.  She loved the atmosphere so much that when she noticed we were hiring, she just had to put in her application!

Dana started with us as a junior in high school and is now going into her sophomore year at the University of Wisconsin--Madison.  In addition to her passion for floral designing, Dana is highly interested in Political Science and Journalism, both of which she plans to study during her time in college. 

 

 While Dana is unable to work with us during the school year, she more than makes up for it working full time at our Menomonee Falls shop during her summers!  Talk about dedication!  Dana’s favorite flower is the garden rose, due to its fragrance, shape, and uniqueness. Some of her other favorite things include dogs (of all shapes and sizes), freshly baked brownies, and reading a great book on a rainy day. 

When asked what her favorite part of the job is, she replied “I love getting to put the finishing touches on weddings—from adding bling to arrangements or wrapping bouquets with satin ribbons.  It’s almost like getting to be a small part of the wedding, and contributing to the general happiness and love that is being celebrated!”

Krista Roskopf, Menomonee Falls Manager 

Bank of Memories & Flowers

Daisy Daydreams Turn Into Love!!!

Katrine & Ben
Ceremony: Christ Lutheran Church
Reception: Legend at Bristlecone
Month: June
Florist: Bank of Memories & Flowers
Photographer: Spinnaker Photography
Cake: Sweet Perfections

I remember being a child, and plucking daisy petals from a blossom..."He loves me, he loves me not..."  So, the daisy can also be a floral symbol of love and affection, not just the red rose.

Katrine and Ben chose Gerbera Daisies as the focal flower for their special day!   They can be found in the bridal bouquets, the boutonnieres were mini-gerberas, the isle flowers were cute gerbera blossoms in hanging vases, and the centerpieces came alive with fun, vibrant colors of gerbera daisies as well!

The bridal bouquets were a lovely combination of gerberas, peonies, roses, spray roses, stock, and rice flower in shades of peach.  They really popped against the coral dresses!

The boutonnieres were mini-gerbera blossoms in a soft peach with bear grass accents.

For their reception decor, Katrine and Ben chose three styles of centerpieces to fill the room, which gave a fun, whimsy feel and a lot of variety to a large space.   The first style was a simple rectangle glass vase filled with river rocks, and accented with bright gerbera blossoms and a candle floating.

The second style was a round low bowl with three bright floating blossoms, and to make it pop, three tiered glass stemmed votives with floating candles all around to give a warm glow at night.

The third style was a long slender glass vase filled with gerbera blossoms and teal decor wire under water, with a floating candle to top it off.

The cake was also adorned with shades of peach gerberas, roses, and rice flower to match the decor.

It was a pleasure to service your wedding and be a part of your special day Katrine and Ben!

Wendy Kaye Walker
~Floral Designer
Bank of Memories & Flowers