Flowers are for Everyday Part I

Spectacular peonies from our Montana garden

I adore flowers.

Most days, my dressing table has a simple silver julep cup stuffed with a single color of roses- typically white, blush or deep pink. Almost never yellow and rarely red. We often have an enormous blue and white bowl filled with spectacular orchids from Ginny’s Orchids in Winter Park, FL . I also love to have a large clean simple vase filled with hydrangeas or lilies and loads of fresh greens.

Incredible Phalaenopsis from Ginny’s

Flowers do not need to be a splurge. If you are lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s in your town, you have access to beautiful flowers that cost just a few dollars. I like roses because they last so long. Just keep their water fresh and they will often last over a week. Lilies are the same. They last for days and as they open, just change the water and keep the stems freshly cut.

Beautiful freshly cut hydrangeas from our garden in Florida

If you are lucky enough to have a little patch of garden, try growing a few things that will give you fresh flowers- hydrangeas seem intimating, but mine only required water, partial sunlight, and Dunkin’ Donuts coffee grounds (not kidding) . If you see slugs, place a saucer of beer near your plants and they pests will leave your shrubs alone. Camellias, Confederate Jasmine and gardenias provide generous blossoms and fragrance to your home.

Our Confederate Jasmine hedge in full bloom

Our jasmine was planted at our Florida home to cover an unsightly wooden fence along our driveway. When it was in full bloom every April, the fragrance welcomed us home. It was the most beautiful and extravagant looking hedge, but really required little care other than pruning to keep it from becoming over grown. It grows fast and is perfect for running up a fence or wall.

a handful of gardinas in a simple vase are so elegant

These sweet gardenias grew along a massive hedge in our back yard. Every May the hedge cascaded over a brick wall into our pool . They bloomed for an entire month. I think I picked fresh flowers almost daily. Our house smelled heavenly every May.

My dressing table on a typical day with roses

Here’s a look at my dressing table with simple pink roses . Publix has a fantastic display of 3/ $12 flowers (most grocery stores have inexpensive flowers) and I can grab a sleeve of 4-5 roses for a few dollars. It looks luxurious, but its’ really simple. Less than a coffee at Starbucks. Cut the stems very short, pop into a low vase or glass and you have a simple yet incredibly elegant arrangement. Keep them on your beside table or in your bath. Flowers don’t need to be extravagant. Keep a simple display in your home to freshen your space. They elevate your mood, and make your house feel like a home. Flowers needn’t be just for special occasions.

Next Flower post: Flowers that are extravagant

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *