Saturday, May 31, 2008

Quick & Easy Floral Arrangements


You don't need long stem flowers or a fancy vase to make a floral arrangement. With a few common flowers from your garden you can create a quick and beautiful floral display for a friend or for yourself. The vase I chose is an antique one I picked up at a thrift shop several years ago for fifty cents. The vase is only about 4 inches tall and has a small mouth, so no floral foam was needed. Pictured above is the bouquet I put together this morning in about 10 minutes. All of the flowers are growing in my yard. There is Shasta daisy, red and gold yarrow, lavender and the greenery is from the hopseed shrubs growing near my front door.


Sometimes you can even make a bouquet with shrub branches growing in your yard. Look for foliage with different colors and textures to give interest to your arrangement. Here I have used dusty miller, rosemary, variegated vinca leaves, and climbing rose leaves. Again, the vase I am using is milk glass I picked up at a garage sale for a nominal amount. Footed vases are nice for drooping foliage like the vinca vine.

If you want fresh flowers and don't have any growing in your yard stop by my gardens. I have fresh and dried flowers and ceramic vases in my gallery/gift shop. This week there are fresh English lavender bouquets available in different sized bouquets. I also have Shasta daisy and gold yarrow picked this morning. Lavender bouquets can be enjoyed fresh or hung upside down to dry. Gold yarrow is nice in an arrangement and when the arrangement fades, you can dry the yarrow and it lasts a very long time. If you're still intimidated by making your own floral bouquet, bring your own small vase with you and I'll help you put together a bouquet with flowers from my shop.