As most of you know, every month we like to enjoy one inexpensive- and sometimes free- bouquet to keep things feeling fresh around here (the idea actually stemmed from a super sweet Christmas present from the hubs a while back). And this month John actually came home with a bouquet thanks to the fact that for the first time ever, he went grocery shopping without me. We always run errands like that together, but since Clara was just two and half weeks old at the time, us girls opted to stay behind and send daddy out for food on his own. Guess what? He survived without us (the nerve). And of course it was a lovely surprise when he returned with this cheerful $4 bouquet of yellow alstroemerias along with the milk, eggs, and other staples that he ducked out for.
They look great on the console table by the front door (especially since people have been stopping by to see Ms. Clara, so we love the little pop of color that hopefully says yes-we-have-a-newborn-but-our-house-hasn’t-imploded-in-the-meantime). Even if a few other rooms aren’t nearly as neat these days…
We love alstroemerias because they’re one of the best bang-for-your-buck grocery store bouquets that we’ve found. They easily last three or even four weeks – all we do is change the water every few days and recut the stems on an angle about every eight days or so. And these yellow guys are so happy and sweet (we’ve always gone with soft pink ones in the past).
And instead of opting for a super bright vase, this time we went with a simple square glass one that we had laying around. It creates a nice balance to the glass greenhouse on the other side of the console and it really lets the yellow blooms and those fresh looking green leaves be the stars.
So that’s our bloom o’ the month breakdown. Have you guys been enjoying alstroemerias or any other cheap but oh so charming flowers these days? What’s the state of affairs in your backyard? Any free blossoms to clip and pop into a vase for a quick little dose of happy in your kitchen or living room? Tell us all about your latest floral related endeavors.
Wanna see our first grocery store bouquet from last January? Itching to check out February, March, April, May, June, July, August, and September too? How about this year’s January, February, March, April and May bouquets? Just follow the links for some pretty sweet cheap-o (and even free) bouquets.
AbraCat says
Yellow flowers just make me so happy. We have cats, so I can only display cut flowers in our downstairs bathroom, since we keep its door closed all the time. Right now I’ve got a beautiful reddish-orange lily, some white Shasta daisies, and some coral yarrow all cut from my garden and placed in a heavy glass bottle I got at the Habitat for Humanity home store for a buck. I’ve also got the first (and probably only) rose from my white iceberg rose bush in there in a tiny glass ketchup bottle I took home from a restaurant long ago, and some lovely red roses my son’s teacher clipped from her garden and gave to me. Wow, now that I reflect on all that, that’s a lot of flowers for a tiny bathroom!
Carol N. says
Love those bright yellow flowers! I may have to see if I can find some at the local Publix. We have a ton of hydrangea bushes in the yard and those have been giving us (and several other folks) beautiful blooms for several weeks now. I have colors ranging from deep blue/purple to the palest pink/almost creme. It is so nice to have pretty flowers in the house, especially free ones!
Laura in LA says
I think this is my favorite of all the tablescapes you have done!
jane says
is that your plat framed up there? i can spot an engineer’s seal a mile away!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s actually the sketch of our property that we inherited with our closing papers. We love how small our house looks on our big lot, and especially love the note at the top that says “house is old.” Too funny.
xo,
s
Jason says
Love it! Yellow lately catches my eye, like those yellow cushions they had on all patios in the 80s tv shows:) Which reminds me of when I went to see Southfork Ranch the last time I was in Texas, and I was so excited to be at The Ewings house, anyway…i digress…
What are the topiary type plants on each side of the console and what do you have under your bell jar?
I love it
YoungHouseLove says
The topiaries on either side of the console are actually faux (from Crate & Barrel) and there’s a small feathery little plant in the glass greenhouse (don’t remember the name though!). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
E @ Oh! Apostrophe says
Gorgeous! I’ve been nursing some hydrangeas along trying to get them to last. It’s amazing what a difference fresh flowers make in a room (and my mood!).
Ethan says
My wife cut a branch of peonies a month or so ago when they were starting their serious bloom and put it on our kitchen table. The branch had, at the time of cutting, about three open or mostly open flowers and a half dozen or so buds of various stages of development (none smaller than about 1″ or 1 1/4″ in diameter, but some still packed tightly closed). We were surprised and quite gratified that each of the flowers eventually opened in turn and bloomed spectacularly. We cut off the old flowers as they faded and began to drop petals (if you’re not familiar with their habits, peony flowers loose all of their petals as they fade, leading to an almost snowlike effect under a bank of white peonies!) and changed the water ever so occasionally, but that’s it. We just threw away the last of the branch a few days ago — I’d say we got darn close to a month of fragrant and dazzling blooms out of it. Not only do peonies smell very nice, the blooms of a mature plant can be 6″ or more of dense petals! The indoor blooms lasted much longer than the outdoor blooms of a similar age, due to their shelter from the wind & elements.
I’m sure we’ll be doing this again in the future. We lucked out in choosing just the right branch this year (it was one that had just happened to become troublesome as it drooped into the driveway, this time), but in years to come we’ll keep our eyes open for a bud-laden branch with a couple of healthy leaves to keep it going in the vase.
Just be careful of topheavy arrangements … as those giant flowers build petals and spread out, a vase which previously seemed stable can get dicey. We wound up cleaning a vaseful of water off our mail one afternoon. ;-)
Ana Carolina Villaça says
What a beautiful surprise! Such a lovely home.
I Heart Old Houses says
That pop of yellow is gorgeous! I’m jealous…our cats seek out and chew on all plants, so the only place we can get away with fresh-cut flowers is a tiny wall vase in the bathroom that we got at Pottery Barn a few years back. Usually we put a single flower in it. That’s about all it can fit, but at least it looks like elegant in its simplicity!
Rosemary says
I love alstroemerias! They last forever and are always so cheerful – they also look great in a tall skinny vase or a short rectangular vase.
The Kroger “floral markdown” section is my favorite place. I’ve blogged about purchasing two huge mixed bouquets for $2.50 each and bringing them home to separate them.
YoungHouseLove says
We actually got ours from Kroger! We love their markdown section too!
xo,
s
Jason says
What a great idea to frame your property survey!!
Christine says
Those are my favourite budget-blooms, except I always refer to them as “you know, those-flowers-that-last-forever”. They’re the best!
I Heart Old Houses says
Whoops, typo…I meant “it looks elegant”
Alicia says
Some friends bought us some flowers when they came over and they lasted us at least 3-4 weeks! I was sooo excited and loved seeing them around the house. I am however dying to go across the street and snag some of our neighbors hydrangea!
Amy E. says
i love Love LOVE alstroemerias! red and yellow ones were actually the color inspiration to our wedding, since every time the hubby and i went to the grocery store i’d ask for a bunch of them.
if you dont’ mind me asking, what are the little scribbles above each of your photo-booth strips that you’ve got framed? are those descriptions or dates? or both?
YoungHouseLove says
Those are actually personalized photo strips from the photo booth we rented for our wedding so they’re customized to say “John & Sherry, 7.7.07”
xo,
s
Leslie says
Alstroemeria is my favorite flower! I always tell my husband how lucky he is that my favorite is such an inexpensive flower:)
Kele says
I planted some White Wedding Zinnia and Baby Blue eyes seeds in our backyard flower beds a few weeks ago. Finally they are sprouting up. Did a test in one bed using Miracle Grow potting soil, and in the other bed did plain old bagged soil. The Miracle Grow bed actually did come up faster! Just an interesting nugget. I’m thinking if I am going to do seeds again next year I will start them inside much earlier. It’s taking too long for them to bloom!
Michael - Innkeeper says
Your flowers are beautiful! I love flowers, but hate spending money on something so temporary. I actually just discovered, through better home and gardens, an easy, beauitful and FREE way to keep fresh ‘flowers’ in your home everyday.
i did a blog post about it last week. check it out. from the look of the outside of your house it seems like you’d have plenty to pick from!
http://inspiredbycharm.blogspot.com/2010/06/cutting-garden.html
AND a couple more…
http://inspiredbycharm.blogspot.com/2010/06/i-am_14.html
would love to know what you think!
Claudia says
I LOVE alstroemeria! They’re adorable and bright and they’re a.k.a. Peruvian lilies :D Since I’m from Peru, I rather like that :D
East End says
Love the flowers. What’s that gorgeous mercury glass thing in the middle?!
I have lots of hydrangeas in the house at the moment – purple, blues and white. Also branches. The last time I was in NYC I noticed the restaurants were all about huge displays of branches. So every time I prune shrubs, which is a constant thing, I put them in large vases everywhere I can.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a big hurricane from ZGallerie. Love that thing.
xo,
s
Lessons in Life and Light says
I love to do the 3 bunches for $10 at Albertsons. I usually get carnations (so NOT a filler flower!) and they’ll last for about two weeks. I put one bunch in a short wine glass on the coffee table, then two or three in smaller vases spread around our house. So pretty!
Kari Dean says
Beautiful flowers …but I am so AMAZED that you guys always go shopping together!!! WOW! My husband and I have been married 10 years and I think we maybe have gone grocery shopping together about 10 times. We shop together for bigger purchases if possible but groceries…almost never. How in the world do you do that? You guys are certainly a great team!
YoungHouseLove says
I guess we just enjoy each other’s company! Either that or we’re incapable of remembering all the things we have to buy when we’re alone. And the fact that we have one car seems to condition us to run errands together. It was so weird to send John off to the store on his own!
xo,
s
Krystal says
I too just bought some grocery store flowers the other day, and they are surviving well thus far. The little bouquet of lillies, azaelas, daisies, carnations, and some other purple flower that I have no clue what it is really brightens my day when ever I walk past it.
candace says
They are so cherry – I always love looking to see how you put your little arrangements together!
Emily says
I would love to use fresh-cut flowers from my yard, but would you know, the deer have eaten every single bud. Any advice for deer repellant?
YoungHouseLove says
How about planting some flowers and plants that deer don’t like to keep them away? You can google around for deer repellant plantings for more info. Anyone else have other ideas?
xo,
s
Francis says
I love it! I have been looking for a glass cloche at a reasonable price. Can you tell me where you got yours?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Francis,
We actually got that for $3 at a garage sale. Maybe you could try a place like TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, or even ebay? Happy hunting…
xo.
s
PJ says
Could you guys someday post on how you arrange flowers? I buy the same $4 bunch from my grocer and it ends up looking like a $2 bunch when I’m done “arranging” it. Your flowers always look so perky and balanced.
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re definitely not floral arrangement experts. We mainly just stick to all one type of bloom and cut them all the same length and stick them in a simple vase (although we’ve also been known to use cups and other items we have lying around). We wish we had more tricks up our sleeves but we don’t use floral wire or tape or anything else. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Cynthia says
I love the photo booth pictures that you framed. Can you show a close up on how you did it. I have ones of me and my husband and they don’t look all that pretty like yours. I’d love to be able to do a more decorative way of displaying them. I’d appreciate it! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Cynthia,
We just took a white piece of thick cardstock and taped the three photostrips on it (about an inch apart in the center). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Caitlin says
My echinacea are just starting to bloom… even though they spread everywhere (and are hard to get rid of), they attract some lovely goldfinches, so I suppose I can forgive them.
Trish says
Love this! That pop of yellow really does the trick. I’ve been tidying up by huge artemesia plants in my window box and placing the cuttings in three small containers down the middle of my dining table. It looks great! Now that I think about it, why don’t I do a blog post about it?
Erika says
I love fresh flowers! I cut three of my “home grown” gladiolas and brought them to work; having live flowers at work really perks up my day.
Umbrella Island says
You guys just gave me a great inspiration. This a-bouque-per-months is a brilliant idea to give a bit of extra color and look to the space.
As I said I am a new reader here, and I am definitely going to steal this brilliant and cute idea. Thanks.
ps.: I LOVE how the frames look together.
<3
Debbie Petersik says
I’d love to know how you find such inexpensive flowers, because they definitely cost a whole lot more here in Seattle! Your house is GORGEOUS!
Amber says
I have a suggestion for Emily. My husband is a landscaper and he uses bars of Ivory soap as a deer repellant. Just unwrap the soap and place it in the flower bed near the shrubs that the deer are eating.
YoungHouseLove says
Awesome tip Amber! Thanks for sharing!
xo,
s
Cindy says
I’m rocking some of the same blooms on my coffee table. Friends brought a lovely bouquet last weekend when they came for Dinner. Love how long lasting they are!
At work, i’ve got a gorgeous birds or paradise and fern arrangement that unfortunately, isn’t going to make it a 2nd week, and a sad looking spring mix!
Love how flowers at my desk make the day go by faster!
Cindy @ The Flipping Couple says
I’m definitely not a master gardener, but I’ve heard marigolds are great deer (and rabbit!) repellants. The bonus is the pops of color. You can also create a natural spray. Dilute hot pepper sauce (think Tabasco) in a spray bottle and just spritz the tempting plants. It doesn’t hurt any plants or creatures, but it’ll dissaude your forest friends from nibbling on your plants. You will have to keep spraying after rain showers, though. At least until you’ve convinced the critters to stay away from your garden!
Christy says
I have grown both Louisiana Irises and Gladioli in my front yard. I have so many irises in blue and in a creamy white color. I made several arrangements with those just a couple months ago. I generally put them in a rustic tall copper planter with little handles on each side. They looked gorgeous and kind of French Country. The glads were purple and white, and they filled in very nicely as well. I can’t wait for my second round to bloom. There is nothing better than getting free blooms from your yard!
I love the yellow Peruvian Lilies. Gorgeous!
Betty says
Potted Pixie Lillies from Dollar Tree. I know they’re not cut flowers like everyone elses, but they are making me very happy this week!
http://mysite.verizon.net/jbnbsax/PixieLillies.jpg
liz @ a little peace of home says
one of my friends just sent me your blog and i l.o.v.e it!
love your flowers! i just picked some up for $4 at the grocery store yesterday, too! they were to top off my newly updated kitchen table/ chairs.
http://alittlepeaceofhome.blogspot.com/2010/06/lets-stripthe-varnish-off-antique-table.html#comments
it’s the first time i had picked the alstroemerias, but definitely won’t be the last, now that i know they’ll last all month! thanks for the pointers to re-cut/re-water every few days.
Bridgit says
I love this whole arrangement, perfect for summer! Where did you get that cute tray? I want something like that to serve up summer drinks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Bridgit,
That tray is actually just a cardboard box that came with an album from Target (we used the album for wedding pics and kept the box because it looked so great with that pop of green inside.
xo,
s
Jennelle says
I love those, but the hubs says they’re deadly to our kitties. :(
Lindsay says
Wait, wait, wait….John’s never gone grocery shopping by himself? Really…? Congrats, John!! Now you get to buy more junk food – whoo! LOL! Just kidding ;-).
Pretty flowers – those things last forEVER!
xoxo,
Lindsay
Heather says
We bought a hot pink bunch of peonies at the grocery store last week for $6. They’re as big as my face now and I can’t help but smile every time I walk into the bedroom and see them!
I liked the comment about someone keeping an arrangement on her desk at work. Simple idea, yet I never thought of doing that before.
flyingbird says
thank you, thank you, thank you for posting the link to floorplanner.com. That is EXACTLY what I have been needing to map our upcoming extensive kitchen remodel. The graph paper and sliding around little bits of cutout paper drives me nuts, I love just entering dimensions online and *pop* there’s my countertop…and you can see it in 3D…and it’s free!! Fantastic.
wendy wager says
I love the framed piece in the center…where did you get it? Is it personalized?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Wendy,
Here’s the info on our DIY monogram: https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/10/how-to-make-a-magazine-monogram/
xo,
s
Melissa says
Hi- where did you get all of your white frames in this post?
paige renee says
Maybe I am just silly, but I have never known the name of alstroemerias. We love them at our house though since they last so long. I’m glad to know the official name now! Oh, the things I learn reading this blog. :)
Stephanie says
I think the bouquet is lovely but I don’t love it. Buying your flowers from the grocery story is putting local florists out of business. You can buy single stems from your local florist or you can even buy direct from a local wholesaler but grocery store flowers are never up to par with a traditional florist. Also many traditional florists even have a guarantee on their blooms. I am all for adding inexpensive beautiful touches but I can’t support putting businesses and families out of work.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Stephanie,
We’re all about supporting small businesses and buying local- in fact last month’s plethora of bouquets came from a local florist and we’ve also been known to get our budget blooms from the farmer’s market downtown. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Christiana says
I’ve been loving peonies. They’re a little pricey but they last and last on my counter.
Mary says
We currently have wonderfully smelling peonies in our living room…picked from our back yard. i also took some in to my office. Too bad they all bloom at once and then are done.