This summer instead of filling my garden with veggies, I planted about half of it with flowers. I’ve found that planting flowers here and there never gave me enough blooms to cut and share, so I started planting rows of them. Right now the zinnias are blossoming like crazy, and the cosmos and sunflowers are up over my head! I’m enjoying my flowers outside AND in.
I shared a project for making your own ikebana vase last year, but you don’t need special vases for your flowers. I use containers and glasses that I already have around the house.
Press a small piece of floral foam into a goblet or hurricane glass, then arrange a row of foliage (like these cosmos stems and leaves) just inside and drape them over the rim. Trim flower stems short and arrange into a rounded bouquet shape. I’ve used all cosmos in several colors, but you can use just one color or tuck in another type of flower.
A decorative galvanized pail is the base of this simple arrangement. Cut Gaillardia blossoms just long enough to peek over the edge. If your container is not water tight, place a plastic dish or lining inside.
You don’t even need a lot of flowers to make a pretty arrangement. A handful of zinnias and a row of shot glasses filled with pebbles will make a bright spot on your window sill.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy cut flowers?
Lovely! The zinnias in shot glasses look so cheerful.
One of my all-time favorite homegrown arrangements is a late spring/early summer one: pink peonies, pink dianthus and lady’s mantle. Sometimes I would put it in a ceramic vase, sometimes in a big old bottle.
Another favorite: a single blossom in a 4-inch old cobalt bottle a dear friend gave me. It fits perfectly on windowsills. =)
Those ideas sound wonderful, Kristina! I used to think I needed lots of flowers (or a huge variety) to make a bouquet, but sometimes the simplest arrangements are the most beautiful. I enjoy the single-blossom-on-the-windowsill approach, as well. And peonies are lovely that way!
Beautiful flowers, Emily!!
Thank you, Kayla!