Flowers and Things

One of my favorite, favorite things about this time of year is how green and lush the gardens are. This year, I did not put much effort into the garden- there is still a lot of weeding and mulching that needs to be done (which, in all honesty, may have to wait till fall, or maybe even next spring.) But the perennials and herbs in the garden have done their jobs splendidly with absolutely no help from me this year. All summer, I keep an assortment of bottles, jars, and small pitchers on the window sill above my kitchen window. Once a week or so, I go outside and snip a variety of samples from my yard. It makes standing at the sink doing dishes much, much more enjoyable!

My specimens, from left to right: Butterfly Bush, Baby's Breath (leftover from the wedding- everything else is from my own garden), Rosemary, Lavender, Daisy, Hydrangea, Blue Salvia, Hydrangea and Yarrow, Oregano.

You can do this too- just go through your cabinets and collect any small containers you can find- the more they vary in size, shape, and color, the more charming your arrangement will be. Then take some scissors into the yard and start snipping- little sprigs of just about anything will look cute in your little containers. You don't need to have a flower or herb garden either- Boxwood, Ivy, Maple Leaves, even Dandelion flowers will look cute and fresh. Place just 1 or 2 cuttings in each container, and arrange on a window sill, or on a pretty tray on your coffee table or side table. Your home will look like a vignette straight out of Better Homes and Gardens magazine!

This week, my house was also beautified by the many flower arrangements we had left over from the wedding. I put the bouquets in vases and lined them up with some of the table arrangements.

The flowers were beautiful while they lasted. But we went to the beach for a few days, and unfortunately when we came back the flowers had died and the whole house smelled like a stuffy funeral parlor. Oh well, we really enjoyed them for a little while. Even once they were dead, I hated to throw them out- I love flowers. Especially romantic flowers like these- David Austin Roses, Peonies, Stock, Snapdragon, Lamb's Ear, Scabiosa, Hydrangea, etc.

Visit my Pinterest pages Flowers and Things and Weddings for more Floral Inspiration.