Hi Friends,
I don’t know anyone that would disagree with my “free is better” philosophy! I used to go to my local store for all the greens and flowers for my dinner table scapes. Get this…. I had one lady at a local florist shop ask me where I lived before she would quote me a price for some branches of greens. What?! And the price she quoted me was ridiculously high! I didn’t buy them. On my drive home, I noticed all the beautiful trees and blooms in my neighborhood and in my yard. That got me thinking outside of the box!
The other day I went for a walk in my neighborhood and took shots of different tree branches, greens and blooms that I have used or would use. I want to share these examples of different tree branches and flowers (during the spring and summer seasons) with you all . If you’re lucky, you may have neighbors that are kind enough to let you clip some of their blooms. .
This is a birch tree that is in my front yard. I not only love these trees… the delicate leaves and branches are perfect for most table scapes year round!
Our neighborhood has a lot of Weeping Willows. These soft branches are beautiful on the table. I especially love the winter months when red berry like stems grow on this tree. Two for one… win!
Eucalyptus trees have amazing branches! And I love the lemon scent this trees gives off. Another favorite of mine.
Jacaranda trees have beautiful blooms. I wouldn’t use the branches… they are too stiff and spikey but just look at those beautiful flowers! We have a lot of these trees in our region.
I am not sure of the name of this tree but look at those beautiful brilliant pink stems that grow off this tree! How stunning would those be in vases on your table?
I found this Melaleuca tree in my neighbors yard. Those little round purple puffs would be perfection in little vases!
Another shrub in my front yard. I have used stems of these little purple blooms intermixed with greens many times on my tables. Love it!
After we built our home, we planted a ton of these white Ice Berg roses in the front and back yard. These are like my “go with everything” white dinner plates. They go with almost any look anytime of the year. A great staple! Another huge favorite of mine are Hydrangeas. The grow abundantly here in a variety of colors…. don’t ask me how I forgot to take a picture of them!
You don’t always have to use flowers with your greens. Fruit is another great option. Apples, lemons, pomegranates, oranges, pears….. you get the picture.
When you look for branches or greens for your table, look for ones that will lay nicely. A lot of branches are stiff… those tend not to look great as part of a table scape. And don’t be afraid to mix different varieties of greens together… I love that look!
I live in Southern California so I realize you may not have these varieties where you live, but I am certain you have other great varieties I don’t have. Open your eyes to what’s in your area and experiment!
Make sure you place your branches and blooms in some water when you get home to keep them fresh until you need them.
It’s a beautiful world… and bringing some of that to your table may just be all the decoration you need… and all for the price of “freeeeeeeee”!
XOXO,
Jenny
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