The locally grown amaranthus is simply magnificent at this time of the year. Vibrant Valley Farm grows a plethora of the most stunning varieties in quite the selection of colors. Some of the flowers are 2-3′ long! I bought a couple of bunches to make headpieces for a photo shoot.

The first one was designed with 2 halves of Holly Chapple pillows secured to a headband. It was decorated with amaranthus, mini phalaenopsis and a plethora of textured. For the second one, a gnarly grapevine branch was perfect to drape many long stems of amaranthus; several varieties of foliage, seedpods and other textures embellished the headpiece. The mask was covered with hydrangea petals from the garden.

Many thanks to Christopher Ber for modeling and Sheryl Tynes for the photography.

VVF is one of the numerous flower and veggie farms located on Sauvies Island at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers just 10 miles NW from downtown Portland.