Decorating with Fresh Flowers

Artificial flowers are great in a pinch, but with the easy availability of fresh flowers from your own garden, local florist or grocery store, why not keep it fresh?

Long lasting blooms will give your home a rich feeling, not to mention the smile that will cross your face every time you pass them walking them while walking through your home.  Fragrance is another benefit to having fresh flowers in the home; it’s like a breath of fresh air.

Just about anything that you are growing will make an interesting arrangement.  The local junipers add a fresh fragrance as well, and I love to see tables outside lined down the center with the juniper boughs or small English ivy as they last a long time out of water; add some candles with hurricane glass over them to protect from the wind, and you have an inexpensive but pretty arrangement for your summer entertainment table.

Even small arrangements of succulents make for lasting and interesting focal points; some will bloom with enough light.  Keep small pot of aloe near the kitchen window, and you’ll have a ready source of simple burn relief close at hand, just snip off the end of one of the leaves and apply.

Artificial flowers are fine in very limited numbers.  If you have an orchid that hasn’t bloomed yet, you can add a silk branch of orchids to enhance a room until the blooms come out.  If you have a powder room that has no natural light, a simple silk orchid can add a touch of elegance.

Try to keep your artificial greenery to a minimum as well; there are so many varieties of green plants that are easy to grow indoors that it doesn’t seem necessary to have artificial greenery at all.  If you have plenty of living green plants in your home, an occasional artificial green plant isn’t going to stand out as much as a ‘fake plant’, but a houseful of artificial plants feels a little neglected.

Be sure to protect your table tops by using pots and matching saucers, and always water your plants away from your fine furniture.  Let them drain; once they are dry put them back in their favorite spot by a window and turn them so they will grow evenly.

Enjoy our long growing season and enhance your home with local flowers and greenery. They will add a healthy and beautiful element to your home.