It’s almost the end of September so it’s high time I shared my monthly bouquet (a super sweet Christmas present from the hubs). Just like last month’s myrtle branch, this month’s blossoms didn’t hail from the grocery store. It’s probably the very last month we’ll have backyard blossoms so we took advantage of that bittersweet fact and triumphantly clipped some of the season’s final blooms. I seriously adore the delicate pink flowering sedum that grows around the back patio (we actually inherited it with the house but transplanted it after we upgraded the patio for our backyard wedding). Anyway, here are my lovely free flowers living it up in a similarly toned soft pink vase on the console table in the living room:
The cool thing about sedum is that the leaves and branches are almost like an aloe plant. They’re succulents so they feel like they’re full of gel- and thanks to the fact that they always feel so full of fluid they actually do really well in dry weather. We’ve also found this guy to be super hardy (we sort of beat him up when we transplanted him and he took a licking and kept on ticking) and my clipped stems have already lasted for weeks inside, so it looks like they do well when they’re cut as well.
A lot of our favorite bouquets are comprised of all the same blooms, maybe because they mimic the same monochromatic yet layered textures that we love when it comes to our decor. I also really like the approach of putting bouquets in vases that are similar in tone (like these raspberry roses in a red vase from June) so the pale pink blooms paired with this soft pink vase really make my heart melt.
It’s getting past blooming season here in Virginia so we’re thinking next month we’ll be back to snatching some cheap grocery store bouquets. But what about you guys? Have you snagged any cheerful flowers courtesy of your backyard or your local store? We’d love to know what flowers are on your “yes please” list this month.
Wanna see our first grocery store bouquet from last January? Itching to check out February, March, April, May, June July, and August too? Just follow the links for some pretty sweet cheap-o (and even free) bouquets.
Meaningfulgrrrl says
So pretty! You never seem to lack for gorgeous vases either!
Laura Lynn says
Love the pink vase!
I have roses,lilies and mums growing(all inherited)so they are the preferred choice of flowers now. My kids pick me a flower(usually weeds)and leaves so I always make sure to place them in the windowsill in small vintage bottles. The kids love to come to the windowsill to see how their “flowers” are doing. It’s fun for them and me!
BeaBee says
I live in the desert, there’s no flowers growing in my yard, but for a recent dinner party I cut some hardy rosemary springs and put them in a thin, tall glass vase. My husband, who can go days without noticing a new piece of furniture, actually told me unprompted that he thought it looked really nice in that spot because it worked well with the rest of the decor! **Swoon!**
kelly says
i can’t believe how perfectly those flowers go with the vase. the bouquets are such a beautiful, simple idea! lovely.
i like to find large, colorful or pretty leaves and put them in jars or vintage cups around my house to have a bit of green in each room. the scale is especially nice for a bathroom area.
i had a professor who used to pick up interesting fallen leaves on his way to class and place them in alvar aalto vases on his desk. it was an exceptional combination.
kelly
http://tearinguphouses.blogspot.com
Laura says
What cute and simple flowers! I see blooms all around my apartment complex and keep thinking to sneak a snip, I just can’t bring myself to do it! ;)
Laura@JourneyChic says
Those are so pretty and I love the sweet vase. I trimmed back some branches of coleus from our window boxes and popped them in a clear vase. I was very surprised to see that after about a week, instead of dying the clippings began to root! It’s nearly a month later and although it appears as though the leaves are going to seed (very pretty purple tips), it’s still flourishing.
Aliya says
We have TONS of sedum in our enormous yard (both the pink kind and a more reddish variety). Thanks to a major landscaping project with the help of a family friend, we recently transplanted a whole bunch…and learned that our friend, a very accomplished gardener, actually calls these “No Kill ‘Ems!” You can literally pick a stem of sedum (w/o a root), stick it in dirt and it’ll sprout. Amazing!
Alyse says
End of summer wildflowers are beautiful right now! My yard is blooming out constant bouquets of russian sage, yarrow, purple coneflower and pineapple sage. Most of these smell amazing as well, which is a definite bonus!
Martha says
I love the pink vase! I have Sedum Autumn Joy in two places in my garden and love the late season color. I have cuttings of it in 3 little white Ikea vases. I am in NE PA and right now I have Montauk daisies in bloom. So nice to have new flowers when most everything else is fading.
Tânia Borges says
So pretty, like autumn, calm and fresh :)
I love soft pink :)
Kiss
Marine Corps Bride says
I love the color combo! Green and pink are my fave colors and when people say they don’t go together (some pretty weird poeple) I always point out that they occur together naturally in flowers!
My hubby’s favorite way to spoil me is with flowers. He usually surprises me with them by leaving them by the front door to discover when I get home from running errands. I live in Germany and we have the best/most creative florists here! Their displays are beatiful and very inspiring. My favorite flowers were delicate white blooms he picked up from the florist up the street that turned blue as they aged. They were stunning!
heather s. says
Sedum are my favorite as well since they are drought tolerant (I can’t seem to remember to water plants outside on a regular basis). They grow incredibly fast as well – I planted three small plants I got at HD three years ago and they are five times their original size. I also have a branch clipped and sitting in a small vase in my bathroom.
Val says
Don’t know if you guys have a Costco membership, but they have The Best deals on fresh flowers. Two dozen roses for around $10, which is unbelieveable. And they usually have hydrangeas (which are so big that you only need maybe one or two stems) and other cheap single stems. They also have nice mized bouquets sometimes, though those can be hit or miss.
Just a tip!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Val,
Believe it or not we’ve actually heard that (from the crew who came to shoot our house for The Nest magazine). It must be a little insider secret. Thanks for the reminder that we’ll have to swing through Costco and see what they have!
xo,
s
mmc says
My hydrangae flowers have faded from their summer glory, but they still look awesome in their shades of green and rusty rose.
micah says
Very pretty! How do you always have the perfect vase for your flowers? :)
I second the Costco tip, their bouquets are a great deal.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Micah,
Good question! I have to credit my little Decor Store since it’s the place where I keep all my cheap sale vases (and even ones that I get as gifts or at garage sales). Because they’re all grouped together in one place it’s easy to swing open the door and see what I have so I remember to use them all as often as possible. Ah organization, gotta love it! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jenny @ Words On Wendhurst says
Very pretty! Love the soft pinks. It is neat to see what flowers grow out in your yard, as they are so different from the ones here in NY!
Carolyn says
I’m of the belief that you can never have too many fresh flowers in your home. So, since this was a Christmas present, I think you should be allowed to pick some blooms from your yard AND pick up a grocery store bouquet. Or, even better, a farmers’ market bouquet. Know what I mean? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Carolyn,
Yeah, I know I technically should be demanding my gift bouquets from the store each month, but I’m so proud to clip things from the yard for free while I can! Next month I’m sure John will be back to buying them for me though. For the record, he’s happy to snatch them up each month from the store, I’m the one who backpedals each time since we have pretty things growing at home. But not for long…
xo,
s
Sunny Pritchard says
Sherry, if they look that good after weeks in a vase, I’ll bet they’ve sprouted roots. Most of the vases around my house are filled with things I’m trying to propogate. I like free plants.
Bethie says
My husby gives me flowers every month to commemorate our first kiss. We’ve been together seven years now so I’ve been spoiled with lots of flowers! I’ve gotten everything from roses to daisies but most of all I just love knowing that he is thinking of me.
A thoughtful husband is always on my “yes please” list!
YoungHouseLove says
Amen Bethie. That’s so sweet!
xo,
s
AnnaMae says
My husband’s been deployed the past few months so I’ve been treating myself to a steady supply of flowers for my vase on my desk. I get new ones from our local grocery store whenever the current ones die. It’s been fun to choose different things each time. but I definitely love doing Green and white together. so fresh and lovely and it goes with my living room too which is accented with green. :)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so sweet AnnaMae. You definitely deserve them for having such a brave and amazing husband!
xo,
s
KimberlyH says
I was hoping you could give me a little help/a couple suggestions…I have this horrible tile backsplash in my new home’s kitchen that is made of pink tiles with a random design tile every 10 or so tiles along the countertop. Do you have any ideas of what I can do to cover up/get rid of this nasty backsplash without it costing me TONS of money to take off and replace these tiles?? I appreciate ANY suggestions you may have! Thanks for being so great!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey KimberlyH,
Painting over tile rarely works, especially in a high heat area like a kitchen, so your best bet is to create a new backsplash over the existing one. Have you seen those awesome sheets of backsplash tin at places like Home Depot or Lowe’s? You can somehow affix that right over the tile (perhaps with Liquid Nails?) for a heat-friendly backsplash solution that should hold up until you can fully demo out those tiles and splurge for a new backsplash down the line. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Sharon says
Another idea for a backsplash over tile is beadboard … you can usually get in 4×8 sheets and cut it to your own dimensions, or they also have it cut to wainscotting size. You can afix this with Liquid Nails too.
YoungHouseLove says
Awesome idea Sharon! Thanks so much for chiming in!
xo,
s
Caitlin Steiner says
Yeah, I’m sitting here literally turning green with envy. I was at Vons last night thinking “I’ll get some flowers” only to be sadly disappointed with what they had in stock :-( I just might be making a faithful trip to my Costco—- by the way Costco has a HUGE variety of bulbs in stock right now too! Come spring time I’ll have sooo many flowers to pick from my own front yard :-)
Loren says
I love that you guys are cutting flowers from your own backyard it is a very eco-friendly alternative to the grocery store flowers.
When I read that you guys were going to get a grocery store bouquet every month I was a little disappointed. I really hate to rain on your parade but since you are trying to be ‘greener’ I wanted to comment in case no one else had.
Grocery store bouquets are one of the least eco-friendly romantic gestures. They usually grown in California, Florida or even Central American countries (many times by workers not receiving a living wage), coated in all sorts of pesticides, traveling MILES from to their Midwestern destinations. There is a HUGE carbon footprint for every grocery store bouquet purchased. I was really depressed to find this out because I love fresh cut flowers too.
At least try to find organic or locally grown bouquets, or even try dried flowers to make them more sustainable.
A couple websites with more information and alternatives http://www.greenerlivingguide.com/index.php?url=cut-flowers-green&category=HomeandOffice
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/flowers-eco-alternative.html
Love your blog, not trying to be preachy just want to spread some knowledge. (I still get the occasional bouquet but replaced the regular ones with real live plants! Better for your air quality too.)
YoungHouseLove says
Great point Loren! It’s another reminder that Farmer’s Market flowers are another great alternative!
xo,
s
Diana says
Oh I love the pink with pink!! I just might have to buy some Sedum to plant in my yard now. : ) I also have a question that is off-topic from flowers… Did you say you got your longer shower curtain from Target? I looked there and couldn’t find any. Also, how long was the one you purchased? For some reason I must have a really tall shower stall because the standard 72″ length looks like high-waters. : ) Thanks!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Diana,
We actually got it from Target through Amazon! For some reason they’re not in stores and sometimes not on their website but if you search amazon.com for “extra long shower curtain” you’ll hopefully find them! Good luck!
xo,
s
Diana says
Thanks so much! I will totally try that!! (BTW, my husband and I always look forward to coming home from work and reading your blog. : )
Debra says
I have tons of vases from the flea market, most bought by my darling hub and lately I can’t seem to live without flowers. I have been getting bouquets from Trader Joe’s and I spit them up. They are usually about 3.99 or 4.99 per bunch and they just make me smile every time I look at them. I love your pink vase too, where did you find it?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Debra,
The pink vase was actually a gift but I happen to know it came from Crate & Barrel. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jess says
We have white hydrangeas growing in our front yard (I love the dark green leaves against the white flowers!) and beautiful blue ones in the backyard. Sadly I was only able to bring the blue hydrangea into the house once this summer- the deer ate the rest of them. :( My mother-in-law says to hang soap in the bushes and that will keep the deer away so I’ll definitely be trying that next year. Have you had any issues with deer?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jess,
So sorry about the deer! We actually don’t have any issues with deer (we know they occasionally roam the woods behind our house but they don’t so much as nibble on our tomatoes so we don’t know of any deer-repellent ideas. Anyone else know of any besides the soap idea?
xo,
s
claire says
i’m so glad you posted this!! i have a very similar story – some of this was growing in an overgrown pot we inherited with our house – i transplated it and saved it, honestly forgot to water it a lot, and thought it was dead all through the winter. but then it keeps coming back with a vengence!! i never knew what it was – until now – so thanks! (i love any plant that seems “unkillable” by my brown thumb)
K*OS (Keep On S'myelin!) says
I love the colour of your sedum and the little pink vase as well!
I LOVE flowers and posted a few of favourites from my garden on my blog. I was super excited this year because I finally was able to redo the front garden and add a new one in the back (you can read about it here http://keeponsmyelin.blogspot.com/2009/05/bye-bye-tree.html). Some of them are still in bloom but I’m sure they won’t last long…
Here are a few of my roses, hydrangea, clematis and other summer beauties…
front yard:
http://keeponsmyelin.blogspot.com/2009/07/everythings-coming-up-roses.html
backyard:
http://keeponsmyelin.blogspot.com/2009/08/last-of-summer-blooms.html
http://keeponsmyelin.blogspot.com/2009/06/morning-beauty.html
http://keeponsmyelin.blogspot.com/2009/06/ready-to-burst.html
heyruthie says
I live in Virginia, and I’ve made some of my BEST backyard boquets in October! I use the gorgeous fall foliage, along with seedpods and berries (think vibrant red, gold and orange Maple Leaves, with chocolate brown seepods and fiery red berries!) In December, I break into Holly and pinecones from my yard. You can make beautiful backyard boquets in fall and winter. Try it!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Heyruthie,
You’re right! We’ll definitely have to keep an eye out for pretty backyard berries and pine cones well into the winter months!
xo,
s
Abby says
I have these all along my patio. My grandmother planted them probably going on 20 years ago. (I bought their house.) They are SO hardy. And you could probably pot the ones you cut for your bouquet and they’d continue growing!
Here’s a pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/langstons/1456222442/in/set-72157613957679747/
KimberlyH says
Thanks Sherry! I have seen those tin-like backsplashes but wasn’t sure if there were some other inexpensive solutions out there as well. Thanks for the feedback!
Dana Miller says
Love your pink-on-pink bouquet. I have been sloooowly bringing the outdoors in as I do not inherently have a green thumb. I’ve found that clipped sweet potato vine does really well inside with water covering a long vine that’s been snipped of leaves except for the top 3 or 4. I have the green variety so they are such a fresh, bright pop of green! I add water every 2 weeks or so and am hoping to transplant them back outside in the spring. We’ll see how they do.
Paula Grace says
I love cuttings from my own yard or a friend’s yard. I miss the lilacs of Rochester, NY. My friend Paula has an amazing garden and she gives me cuttings from time to time. Love that!
Layla says
Yes!
I just went out back and clipped some branches yesterday, as a matter of fact! I’m a sucker for greenery…but I felt like something was missing. Then it came to me, “OOH! WHITE FLOWERS”.
So Kevin and I jumped in the car and went on a “Let’s-Find-Some-White-Flowers-We-Can-Clip-For-Free” spree around Prattville. (cue the James Bond music)
Forty five minutes, and five dollars later, we ended up with a Wally World bouquet that is exactly what I had envisioned. :-)
I’m happy to hear yours were a little easier to find. :-)
They look precious in that pink pot too!
Layla
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, love the James Bond music reference. It was like I was right there with you!
xo,
s
Ansley says
Do you know if the vase was at crate and barrel recently? It’s so pretty and I collect pink vases for my baby daughter and display them on the mantle in her nursery. thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Ansley,
We haven’t seen it at C&B lately but we have seen something super similar at Ikea (for cheap!). Hope it helps!
xo,
s