Be nice to yourself and indulge in one of nature’s awesome creations – give yourself a gift of flowers from time to time.
I suppose we don’t actually NEED flowers in our daily schedules but since when did us humans stick to what we need? And anyway, bees need flowers and we need bees so no argument here!
Giving flower gifts is always a thoughtful experience and is a gift that’s definitely not about money. A large bouquet from the local florist will no doubt be beautiful and well worth the cash it costs but, equally, the small bouquet of wildflowers lovingly collected by an adored one will bring joy into your life.
And there are added bonuses:
Many blooms have traditional meanings attached to them. Roses for example are a sign of love, although roses are divided into colour meanings as well. Red = true everlasting love, yellow = friendship and pink = happiness.
Carnations have similar meanings. Red carnations are a symbol of admiration whereas white are a symbol of innocence, or pure love.
Sprays of dried flowers and grasses can make beautiful displays in your home over holiday seasons, or maybe everyday?
Flowers can be pressed into scrapbooks and journals. Why not create a journal of year round specimens – another flower gift idea.
They are also pressed for their scent and many perfumes are flower-based. Oils are extracted for natural remedies and cosmetic applications. To create ‘oil-based’ flower gifts, you’ll need to read some specialist material first. A little research can go a long way especially as ideas for other gifts may come to you.
Flower preparations can be time-consuming to produce and therefore often expensive to the consumer. The absolute best way round this is to go directly to the source and grow your own!
Check out a few online stores or your favourite garden centre. Amazon, of course, sell just about anything you could possibly want so that may be a good place to start even if you don’t directly buy from them. Thompson and Morgan (UK) have many products on Amazon including this Cottage Garden Flower Seed collection…
AND it doesn’t matter what month it is or what the weather’s playing at, you can still plan your flower garden.
The choice of flowers, plants and herbs available is so vast, you may as well start planning straight away!
Your flower garden can include all kinds of practical plants as well as simply looking gorgeous…
Herbs attract the nice guys in the bug world who in turn help rid your garden of pests! Thyme flowers are so delicate and beautiful they really should be part of your herb garden.
Edible flowers include marigolds, nasturtiums and even some roses.
NB: Always double check on edibility before you pop a plant in your mouth! List of 10 Edible Flowers here
Decide on themes, colours, scents and set about choosing your favourite blooms. A beautiful flower display can involve some careful planning. Alternatively you could buy a wildflower mix or a cottage garden mix mentioned above and scatter the seed randomly. Nature is often it’s own favourite artist!
Plan a beautiful display of flowers throughout the winter months and early Spring. Tulips, crocuses and hyacinths are just a few of the colourful flowers you could be growing right now!
If you’re still not convinced, browse through a few gardening catalogues. Wake up and smell the flowers – you won’t remember how you lived without them!
To the joy of nature
Linda x
healthylivingbooks.org 