The Beauty of Backyard Bouquets

The beauty of backyard bouquets is often overlooked.

I love fresh flowers in the house. Do you?  A bouquet or even a single stem immediately elevates a space.  I think it is because floral arrangements are designed to be intentional.  Their statement is temporary and often tied to a mood, occasion, or an atmosphere we’d like to create.  Whether gifted or snagged on impulse at the grocery store, we always take a moment to consider their best placement in our homes.  

Many decorating and self-care articles suggest adding floral arrangements to our daily lives.  We’re urged to treat ourselves well and abandon the tradition of withholding scented candles, porcelain dinnerware, fluted champagne glasses, and fresh-cut flowers for special occasions only.  Why  censor joy and beauty in anticipation of a day that may never come?

Benefits of Fresh-Cut Flowers

Flowers, even those without fragrance, set a tone. They can be minimalist, sweet, sophisticated or wild, eclectic and rangy.  Think of a single-stem magnolia placed in a glass cylinder as opposed to a dozen sunflower heads draped lazily over the rim of a woven basket. Imagine the tender sweetness of peony petals in contrast to the stunning architecture of a protea.  What shape, color and presentation best represents you?  The beauty of backyard bouquets is they offer a variety of options for mood and tone.

Aside from being lovely to look at, there is now published data supporting the advantages of adding fresh-cut flowers to our home environment.  Studies show floral arrangements reduce anxiety as well as increase feelings of wellbeing.   The act of arranging a bouquet provides therapeutic and calming benefits.  A recent study by Rutgers also examined how we place floral arrangements in our living spaces.  They are usually set in areas we make available to visitors, such as foyers and dining rooms.  According to the study, flowers create a positive tone and lend to a sharing atmosphere.  Yet another reason not to restrain ourselves to birthday bouquets only!

Gathering Your Own – The Beauty of Backyard Bouquets

When adding flowers to home décor, cost can certainly become a factor.  It’s easy to consider them a luxury or categorize them as frivolous.  If the florist shop is too pricey for consistent purchases, grocery stores and farmer’s markets offer grab-and-go arrangements that may suit your budget as well as your style.  As a matter of fact, this summer, I challenged myself to an even more economical option.  I decided to do a weekly “back yard bouquet.”  The only cost is my time (and an occasional tick check if my ankles are bare).  I have been pleasantly surprised by my cuttings; they have kept my kitchen countertop vase abundantly full for seven weeks straight. 

In honesty, I have stretched the boundaries of my backyard to include roadside gathering as well.  The only rules I abide by are that my bouquets must be cut from my yard or paths of travel and must be free of charge.  I also make sure that cutting does not infringe on a native plant’s ability to thrive, and it is gathered from a public spot, (no cutting greenery on private property!). 

Because I’ve limited my  choices to foraging, I have been forced to become more creative. I am now more cognizant of selecting greenery for its architecture; and am learning a ton about my selections from a plant ID app.  It’s also fun to see things through a different lens when I am outside.  It adds a little artistic treasure hunting to hiking and gardening.

Seasonal Offerings – The Beauty of Backyard Bouquets

Despite the fact that we could use more rain, this summer has been lush and full of promise.  Roses bloomed, gardens produced and fields were abundant with wildflowers.  This brought to light for me the beauty of backyard bouquets.

Fall

I look forward to what the next seasons will offer up.  When the pumpkin spice of fall arrives, small gourds can be added to arrangements, or large ones can be hollowed out and used as their vessels.   The garden will offer cultivated sunflowers (there are wild varieties as well).  Tall, dry field grasses will add bronze to a bouquet, and fruit trees will bear their autumn harvest.   A single pear clinging to a branch makes a lovely statement.  If you happen to live where the leaves turn color, they make a perfect highlight to seasonal bouquets.  Bittersweet vine, although an invasive species, makes a compelling centerpiece display.  Don’t forget milkweed pods and cattails.  They add whimsy and magic to Thanksgiving arrangements.

Winter

In the Northeast, evergreen boughs and dried berries are abundant.  Even bare branches are stunning placed in a floor vase.  They exude minimalist elegance when dressed in tiny white lights.  The battery packs can be hidden in the vase and the light wire is fine enough to be wrapped around the branches without calling attention to itself.  Pinecones are traditional and lovely in winter decor.  Tiny cones on hemlock branches are also striking in a vase. 

Spring

Various bulb varieties and tender new shoots bring that first flush of renewed growth.  I may have to change up my large countertop pot to a small bud vase if only to capture a nosegay of forget-me-nots or a single tulip. Spring bulbs allowed to emerge in clear glass containers become half science project/half performance art as roots, stem and flowers develop before our eyes.  Early season lettuce and kale from the vegetable garden are also a beautiful addition to arrangements along with curlicued snap pea stems and alien looking rhubarb flowers.

I have only scratched the surface of upcoming possibilities.  Feel free to share ideas you may have!  I should add that, of course, not everyone walks out their door into a rural setting with unlimited access to native plants.  Public parks, recreation and conservation areas are not places we can gather these items either.  But, do keep your eyes open in your neighborhood, when hiking, or traveling…..something as simple as a single, polished beach stone or an autumn leaf fluttering to the sidewalk is the beginning of a small work of floral art.

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