flower challenge

27 Comments

snowdrops

Snowdrops. A little bunch of happiness sitting ona sunny windowsill. A sign of hope that the wind and rain will eventually blow away and spring will come.

A couple of years ago, I tried each week to pick a bunch of flowers from the garden or fields to bring into the house. Some weeks my bunches were very, very small – think more buttonhole than bouquet – and if the flowers still looked good after the week ended then they sometimes counted for the following week too. Actually, even if they didn’t look that good, they stayed some weeks as I realised that a little decay can be tolerated. It was fun and made me appreciate what’s growing around the place so I thought I’d give it another go this year.

february rose!
January flowers

This time I’m being rather more realistic and aim to keep a bunch of something fresh in the house for most of the time. January proved a little difficult as my garden is pretty much all dirt and bare branches but I found a couple of things to pick. Before you ask – that is a rose that I picked a few days ago and fresh things left to dry can also count.

Do you have fresh flowers in your house? Are they home picked?

27 thoughts on “flower challenge”

  1. thecompletebook

    I too pick flowers for the house, usually a single rose in a small vase on my desk and one in my bathroom and one on a shelf in the kitchen and possibly one at the front door. I also have to get creative during the winter months. When we have friends over for supper I also enjoy creating individual arrangements per setting. I need to get more creative with leaves and the like so thank you for the inspiration.
    Have a super day.
    🙂 Mandy xo

  2. Alex

    Those snowdrops are beautiful. I found a single pink rose blooming in the garden this week, I should have picked it to enjoy indoors as the weather has been too wet to outside much!

  3. Misky

    How absolutely lovely! Yes, a have a vase or two filled with highly scented daffodils that I bought for 1 a bunch at the supermarket. None of my daffs are near ready to bloom yet, although I noticed that some of the verges are bobbing with yellow today.

  4. Transplanted Cook

    I always cheer when the snowdrops come out – end of winter is nigh! When I lived down south, it was always January. Here up north they are only now beginning to bloom. However, the winter jasmine is out and there are still bright red cyclamen in pots outdoors. The blooms are too few and too precious to cut and bring indoors. I rely on market cut flowers or forced bulbs for indoor use this time of year. Your rose is absolutely gorgeous!

    • Anne @ Life in Mud Spattered Boots

      Every year I vow to set aside a bed in the veg garden just to grow flowers to cut, rather than strip the flower beds, but every year I get outvoted. Anyway, flowers last much longer out in the garden than when I take them inside and forget to water them.

  7. Gather and Graze

    That rose is absolutely stunning Anne! Love to know what variety it is?
    I just snipped off all of our lavender (just the one large pot), but it’s so lovely having it inside… for the fragrance as much as the visual display.

  8. dianeskitchentable

    Those snowdrops are very nice Anne. I love having fresh flowers in the house but of course I’m far away from picking anything from my own yard. I will pull the white roses that I got from our kitchen designer soon & lay them in a basket to dry in the foyer. I keep meaning to get out in the yard to snip some bittersweet berries that are still hanging on their vines. I think they’d be pretty with some holly greens.

      • dianeskitchentable

        They’re pretty especially in a wreath but the problem is that they’ve gotten out of control & wrap around trees & shrubs. Trying to keep a few, but I have to get out there & really cut and dig a lot of them out.

  9. Sarah

    Your snowdrop arrangement is beautiful – the vase is just right for them. I love to have home grown flowers in the house, and to see the changes as the seasons progress.

  10. Denny144

    I used to have a large cutting garden that I created to make bouquets for my home. But I eventually realized that I also had a bee and butterfly garden as long as I didn’t pick anything. I still have some flowers, like dahlias and roses, that I pick, but most everything stays in the garden now.

  11. Christina

    I have only got 12 snow drops in the garden and can’t bring myself to cut them. Nothing else is flowering in the garden but I am hoping to pick some greenery on my daily walk. I do have scented hyacinths and tulips dotted around the house, shop bought but still nice. I love your golden syrup and treacle vases.

  12. Sarah

    I’m planning a cutting garden of some description this Autumn. I love fresh flowers in the house AND in the garden (greedy aren’t’ I?!!)

  13. andreamynard

    Love the snowdrops and the idea of your flower challenge. Sadly have to admit that although there is currently a pretty but lone snowdrop in a tea glass on our kitchen table (picked by my daughter yesterday) I have a sad looking bit of greenery and a dried alium seedhead in the jug on the windowsill. Wouldn’t like to say how long it’s been there. Inspired to do better.

  14. Mel

    Love this idea! I generally pick things from the garden – flowers, branches or foliage. There always seems to be something available, especially at the moment, but turning it into a challenge would force me to be a little creative during those weeks (months?) when things aren’t as abundant….I might just take you up on this 🙂

  15. knitsofacto

    You probably remember that I tackled the flower challenge too, and I was thinking only the other day that I might have another bash at it, but perhaps this time instead of trying to come by all my flowers for free I will set a budget so I can occasionally pop into the florists … I honestly don’t think think I could go a year without buying flowers again!

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