I hope you’re enjoying some beautiful spring weather this weekend! We’re on a warming trend after a couple of very wet and blustery days this week with the mercury climbing to 85 degrees on Sunday. . .time to turn on the A/C!
I had a birthday this week. . .Lola says birthdays are a lot more fun to celebrate when you’re not stuck at home under quarantine.
I say having a birthday while under quarantine is a lot happier when you receive flowers :-)
🎂🎉🎁💐
I was thrilled to receive a box of flowers from my BFF this week . . .
After my flowers arrived, I took them out of the box, recut the stems and placed them in a bucket with some water and flower food so they could hydrate after their long trip.
To create a floral arrangement from my market box of flowers, I started with some foliage. I cut some Japanese privet that is starting to bloom and added it to my container with some chicken wire to support the stems. If you use foliage from the garden or shrubs in your arrangement, condition it first for several hours, or ideally overnight, placing in a bucket of water with some flower food.
Japanese privet has a woody stem. Crushing woody stems to help them ‘drink’ can cause bacteria to grow; instead use a vegetable peeler to remove 3 – 4 inches of the outer bark to help your foliage or flowers ‘drink’ and stay fresh longer.
I added some additional foliage from the shrubs. . .some variegated abelia and some boxwood sprigs. After the foliage was in place, I added the largest flowers first, which were lilies.
Medium size flowers, roses and calla lilies were added next. . .all pretty in pink. 🌺
The winner of A Year in Flowers Giveaway is
Ann from Michigan
Ann, I’ll be in touch by email to get your goodies to you. Thanks to all who entered!
A Year in Flowers is available from online retailers and Floret Flowers.
Treat yourself to some flower therapy and celebrate Mother’s Day with 3 free packets of seeds with every purchase of a signed copy of A Year in Flowers. Floret Flowers’ special offer is available through May 10th or until their limited stock runs out.
“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”
~Luther Burbank
🌸🌹🌺
Thank you for your visit, also sharing with:
Between Naps on the Porch
Happy birthday, flowers and puppies make a perfect way to celebrate
Mary, Belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY, so glad you got flowers.
A gift of flowers is always perfect. Happy belated birthday sweet Mary 🎉🎂 The arrangement is beautiful!
Happy Birthday! The flowers are beautiful and you made a lovely arrangement.
What a beautiful arrangement! I always admire your arranging – such a gift you have. And happy belated birthday!
Mary,
🎉HAPPY BIRTHDAY🎉
Wishing you much happiness and love! 🌷🎁🎂
And enjoy many, many more…..
Mary ~ Happy belated Birthday to you !! Here’s hoping for many many more happy, healthy and nature-filled years to come !!
Virtual Hugs, Dorinda
Happy belated birthday! No, a birthday in quarantine is not fun! Actually, this whole situation isn’t fun. Here’s to better days!
Your flowers are beautiful!
So lovely and what a beautiful arrangement you created! Thanks for the tutorial – they are always so helpful. Happy May to you!!
Happy Belated Birthday to you as well!
You are so talented. The flowers are gorgeous but you surely know how to arrange them. Adding additional greens made the flowers stand out. Did you attach the chicken wire to the sides or did you just sort of crush it in the bowl?
Thank you and happy birthday!!
Thank you Ruthie! You bend the chicken wire into a ball and use some waterproof floral tape across the top of the container if needed. You can see the tape in the photo with the Japanese privet in the bowl.🌺
Oh my goodness, thank you Mary for the wonderful surprise this morning. I’m so delighted to receive this beautiful book. I was going to spend the day working in the garden today as we are going to get wonderful weather in southeast Michigan today. Sunny and 70’s. So this surprise has me pumped to get out there and get my hands.
Thanks so much to Erin Benzakein for writing such a beautiful book. And congratulations to you for making the New Time Best Sellers list
God bless you Mary and continue to be an inspiration to all of us.
Ann from Michigan
Happy Birthday Mary! Your flowers are gorgeous, the perfect birthday gift for you! Yes, we have been getting some glorious weather in the South, and looks like a beautiful week coming up…I’m so glad you had your furry pups to celebrate with you! 💐🐝🌷🎈
Jenna
Happy belated birthday, they know you well to send you something special to brighten your day. I finally have flowers to fill my house daily from the garden, but I much prefer just strolling the rose garden then cutting, my bouquets are busy dropping petals indoors these days, who has time or desire to vacuum, I rather watch them blow in the breeze outdoors! Just a lazy housekeeper, but an avid gardener 😉
Happy Birthday! The flowers are beautiful & hope you have or had a lovely birthday!!!
Happy belated birthday Mary! Your floral arrangement is gorgeous! Love the colors. Lola is such a sweet girl. Birthdays are really different during this pandemic and receiving a wonderful gift of flowers was a great idea. Enjoy this beautiful weekend! ♥️🎉🎂 Clara
Happy Birthday! This is one you’ll never forget. Thanks for the tip about using a vegetable peeler on woody stems.
Happy Birthday! The floral you received are gorgeous. Great tip as well. Congrats to Ann for winning the floral book. Enjoy your weekend.
Love your birthday flowers. I had a birthday in March and told several others that had birthdays we were part of the Covid 19 birthday club. That makes you a part of this unwanted group.
You did a great job of arranging your flowers. Thanks for the tips. The birthday flowers I got had lilies and they didn’t open for a full week. I showed the arrangement in two settings one with them open and one not on my last post. Do you have any tips for encouraging the lilies to open faster?
The weather has been beautiful. It is much warmer today but I love the sunshine.
Happy Birthday, Mary. To see your beautiful and colorful post this morning brings a smile to my face and warmth to my heart. Following your blog for the past 4 years has opened my eyes to new and inspirational beauty through a tough time in life. Thank you for ALL you do to put a smile on our faces, bring warmth to our hearts, and sometime even laughter to our souls .May you have a wonderful year ahead, God Bless
Mary, these are gorgeous. I received a bouquet of Farmgirl Flowers last fall. They are an excellect company. I may need to send myself a bouquet! 😍
Sending Birthday wishes for many blessings throughout your new year! Lola is gorgeous! We are getting our new Yorkipoo in two weeks!!! So excited.
Happy Belated Birthday Mary! I hope your day was spectacular just like all your posts!
Happy belated birthday, Mary! Such a lovely floral arrangement! Thank you for sharing your tips on how it was organized.
Happy Belated Birthday, Mary! The bouquet is beautiful. What is the pink filly flower…pin cushion? It’s so pretty.
Thank you for sharing.
Happy Birthday! Fresh flowers are a wonderful uplifting gift!
Small white dog salute!
Beautiful Flowers! Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Mary.
Mary~
A very pretty flower arrangement to celebrate You !! Happy Birthday !!
Your puppy sure looks adorable in her Birthday hat !! giggles
Paula
IN
Very beautiful can you give me some !🌷🌹💐🌸🌼🌻🌺
Such beautiful flowers! A very lovely gift indeed from a thoughtful friend and perfect for you. You put the special “Mary touch” to them and turned them into an awesome centerpiece! Love the deep pink calla lillies, just beautiful!! Hope you had a fun birthday in spite of the quarantine. Lola looks like she is pouting, lol, sweet baby girl. Would love her on my lap right now. ♥️🐾 Congratulations to Ann from Michigan! Hello neighbor, I live in southeast Michigan as well, very happy for you! Happy May Mary! Enjoy your weekend! 🦋🐝♥️
Happy, Happy Birthday, Mary!!🎉🎊🍰🌸 You have a wonderful BFF! Thanks for sharing your gift with us! Wishing you a Wonderful Year!
Mary, I hope your birthday was joyful, even during this craziness. The flowers are beautiful, your arrangement even more.
CONGRATULATIONS ANN!! Mary, what a wonderful friend to send those beautiful flowers!! Happy Birthday to Lola!!! May is my birth month too!! Hopefully, we can start gardens, etc If the weather will cooperate!! Have a wonderful weekend! 🌼🌻🌺💐🌸♥️🌹
Happy belated Birthday Mary💐 Your flower are gorgeous and your notes on how to arrange them is so helpful. Yes, they always make a persons day. Blessings to you and those sweet little puppies
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY!!!….Most of the florists are closed; however, I did see that Farmgirl flowers was shipping. I am so happy that you were the wonderful recipient of these flowers from your Bestie as I can see a testament to how wonderful those flowers are….Hope you had a most beautiful birthday and congrats to the winner…you certainly created most gorgeous arrangement from those flowers!
Happy Birthday! What beautiful eye candy!
What a wonderful gift for your birthday, Mary, and you’ve arranged the flowers so beautifully. The quote from Luther Burbank is a lovely one.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mary!!!! Your flowers are just gorgeous and you arranged them SO beautifully! Congrats to the winner of the book. Have a beautiful week. We had a gorgeous weekend and now the weather may turn sour again here. Quarantine is MUCH easier when it is nice outside!!!!!