Happy Monday and Labor Day!
I’m happy to be joining my Monday Morning Blooms friends
for a little flower therapy and to welcome September’s arrival!
We’re excited to have Bonnie at Living With Thanksgiving, joining us as a Guest ‘Bloomer’ today!
You can find my flower friends’ links to their floral inspiration at the bottom of this post.
Our common theme for this week’s edition of Monday Morning Blooms was sunflowers!
🌻🌻🌻
Sunflowers are the perfect flower to transition from summer to fall with their
sunny yellow rays and warm brown centers!
Who doesn’t feel instantly cheered when they see a sunflower?
This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.
For quick and easy flower arranging and to create my sunflower centerpiece,
I used acrylic cups as mini vases, adding them to a burnished copper container.
Plastic grocery bags help keep the cups from shifting and in place
once they’re filled with water, floral food and flowers.
I cut some coleus from a garden planter to add some golden
and bronze foliage for the foundation of the arrangement.
Alstroemeria from the grocery store, in shades of peach and red, were added next,
followed by some Chaste tree (Vitex) seed pods,
snipped from the tree, to add some welcome texture.
The multi-bloom stems of the alstroemeria and foliage of the coleus provide some
camouflage and help to conceal the cups within the container.
Last but least, sunflowers were added,
a ‘buy one get one free bundle’ and happy surprise
at the grocery store!
The individual cups in the container make it easy to change your water and replace faded flowers
so you can get more life out of your arrangement.
Another way to get more life from your flowers, is to use Crowning Glory,
an anti-transpirant spray that seals in moisture!
It dries clear and is safe to use on all flower types.
When I bring my flowers home, I trim the stems, place them in a bucket of water mixed
with floral preservative and spray them with Crowning Glory.
After I arrange them in my container, I give the completed arrangement
another spray. I’ve had flowers last easily two weeks!
Note: Wait to spray roses after they are open with Crowning Glory
as it will prohibit them from opening further.
A sunflower table runner was freshly picked from HomeGoods!
It blends with a farmhouse plaid tablecloth I’ve had for a number of years.
It’s a favorite tablecloth with the brighter color palette,
fitting for our 80 – 90 degree fall weather temperatures.
Sun Garden 6″ Canape/Luncheon Plates sit atop square
Pfaltzgraff Country Cupboard plates.
Bright hammered copper flatware joins burnished copper napkin rings
for a blending of the seasons. . .
Napkin rings marry a sunflower print with a farmhouse plaid.
And sunflower goblets are blooming in assorted colors.
Sunflowers convey warmth and symbolize adoration, loyalty and longevity.
They have a cheery sun-like appearance with their open faces
framed by yellow petals, also known as “rays”.
Sunflowers make up the genus ‘Helianthus’ which contains almost 70 different species
and are made of hundreds of tiny flowers clustered together called the disk,
with both male and female components that produce seeds after pollination.
As sunflowers grow, they track the sun’s movement in the sky from east to west.
This is caused by the growth pattern of the sunflower, with one side of the stem
elongating during the day, followed by the other side elongating during the night.
The growth is driven by genes that respond to light and the plant’s circadian rhythm.
As the sunflower matures and growth slows as the flower opens up,
they stop their daylight tracking movement and face east.
🌻🌻🌻
Advice from a sunflower:
Be bright, sunny and positive.
Spread seeds of happiness.
Rise, shine, and hold your head high.
🌻🌻🌻
Table Details:
Sunflower table runner / Nicole Miller Home, HomeGoods, recently
Sun Garden 6″ Canape/Luncheon Plates
Square Plates / Pfaltzgraff Country Cupboard
Copper Flatware / Cambridge Indira Jessamine
Sunflower Goblets / Anthropologie, many years ago
Farmhouse Plaid Tablecloth & Bronze Container / HomeGoods, several years ago
Napkins / Pottery Barn & Pier 1, several years ago
Napkin Rings / Neuse Sport Shop, several years ago
Woven Square Chargers / World Market, several years ago.
Visit my talented blogging friends to see their sunflower floral inspiration this week:
Pam at Everyday Living
Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse
Bonnie at Living with Thanksgiving
Mary, I adore your new floral sunflower runner! It looks fabulous on your farmhouse tablecloth with such lovely colors. I love the bronze and copper tones in your flatware, napkin rings and floral container. Your arrangement is so creative with the flowers and coleus in beautiful colors. It is a cheery table with layers of personality with the plate stack of cheerful square sunflower canape plates atop embossed square cream plates and square woven chargers. Layered plaid and floral napkins and sunflower glasses in different colors perfectly accent your table and make your arrangement the center attraction.
I enjoyed being a part of MMB today as a ‘guest bloomer’. Thank you for inviting me.
Thank you Bonnie! We were thrilled to have you join us today and have a virtual seat at your beautiful Provence table! Looking forward to hopping with you tomorrow. 🌻🍽️
Good morning, Mary. Your arrangement in the copper container is fabulous with the burnished tones of coleus and the peach and red alstroemeria combining to make the happy sunflowers pop. Your new sunflower runner is perfect with the plaid tablecloth. I love the sun garden luncheon plates, they make a lovely addition to your sunflower table. The sunflower napkins and sunflower goblets in assorted colors are the icing on the cake. It is always a pleasure to join you for Monday Morning Blooms! Wishing you a relaxing Labor Day!
Thank you so much Pam! It’s always a treat to share blooms with you. Looking forward to seeing your beautiful table tomorrow. Happy Labor Day. ♥
your lovely pics make me almost ready for fall – the closest I have felt!! thanks for showing your tips & ‘behind the scenes’ on how you put you beautiful flowers together!
Thank you CC! Happy September and Labor Day to you.♥
Wow, two for one with your floral arrangement and tablescape! Love your picks from the garden to fill the container and bouquets from the grocery. The runner is perfect with the tablecloth, and so is everything else – the plates, napkins, rings, flatware and glassware. Love it all, Mary. Happy Labor Day. A raining one here.
Thank you Rita! A wet one for us too and the rest of the week…good thing we have a boat. ;) Look forward to hopping with you tomorrow. ♥
Especially love your beautiful plaid tablecloth and the colored goblets –SO pretty and so versatile!
Thank you Kim, Happy Labor Day ♥
I am swooning with sunflower love Mary! Your arrangement is gorgeous and I love the variety of stems you used to compliment the sunflowers. So clever using multiple small containers inside the large one to support and keep the foliage in place. I bought some Crowning Glory when you first posted about it and LOVE it, the flowers last sooo long! Your new runner is so pretty and love the touch of blue in the sunflower plates, it really makes them pop. The copper pieces are perfect and the sunflower glasses are too cute!
Thank you Jenna! Isn’t Crowning Glory a game changer? Hope your Labor Day isn’t a wash out like ours today. Look forward to hopping with you tomorrow. ♥
Absolutely beautiful Mary! Thank you for the tutorial too of your easy flower arranging method. I have a basket I would love to try this in. Your table, runner, and dishes are so colorful and pretty. Happy Labor Day!🌻
Thank you Andie! This method would work great to fill a basket. Happy September and Labor Day to you. ♥
Thank you for a cheery post on a most dreary and rainy day! I can never resist picking up a bundle of sunflowers when I see them at the grocery store. Your table and arrangement are beautiful!
Thank you so much Teresa! It’s a dreary and rainy day for us in NC too. Happy Labor Day ♥
Mary, what a ray of sunshine your table is! Your cheerful flowers look perfect in the burnished copper container. Your dishes are so beautiful arranged on the sunflower runner and your plaid tablecloth. All the colors are bright and cheerful, with just enough autumn colors to make this a great transition to cooler temperatures and fall colors. It’s always such a joy to join you for our Monday Morning Blooms. Happy Labor Day! xo Lidy
Thank you so much Lidy! It’s always a treat to share blooms with you. Hope you managing to stay cool in your heat. ♥
Mary, That’s a beautiful bouquet. The sunflower table runner is such a nice compliment to your plaid tablecloth. The canape plates are so colorful and completes a lovely plate stack. Love the copper container. Happy Labor Day! Clara❤️
Thank you so much Clara! Are you getting all the rain that we are today and this week? Happy Labor Day. ♥
These are absolutely stunning!!! What a beautiful presentation!! franki
Thank you Franki, Happy Labor Day ♥
So happy to see someone else using their coleus in arrangements! There is so much of it this time of year, so many glorious colors, and it seems such a shame not to use it!
Hi Kyra, Coleus makes a great filler and addition to arrangements. We have a bumper crop from all our rain. Thank you for your visit and comment. ♥
Stunning and so vibrant! Thanks for brightening my day!
Thank you for your visit and comment Kathy! Happy Labor Day ♥
I love the earthiness of your floral arrangement and copper container, and who doesn’t love the happiness of sunflowers? I’ve never had an arrangement last for 2 weeks so I will definitely try the spray. Thank you for the information on the best times to spray the flowers for best results; great advice!
I hope you’re enjoying the holiday, we’re up at 112 degrees today and tomorrow so we decided this would be an ideal time to stay indoors and work on fall decorating. One can only hope that putting out the fall decorations brings cooler weather in the coming weeks!
Thank you Betsy! Yes, Crowning Glory is a miracle worker when comes to prolonging the life of your flowers. So sorry to hear about your heat wave, that’s brutal. It’s a very dreary and wet day for us here with an 1 1/2 inches of rain so far and more on the way today and this coming week. Stay cool and enjoy your decorating! 🍂🍁
Mary, without fail I always learn from you and are inspired to follow in your footsteps. I have several basket containers that I want to fill for fall and your mix of alstroemeria and foliage of the coleus are a perfect base for sunflowers. I’m on it!!!
Your table cloth and dishes are offer the perfect setting. Your plate stack of shapes and textures is fun along with layers of plaid and florals. Absolutely love the embossed sunflower glassware!
It was a delight to see Bonnie as guest Bloomer. Perfect choice! What fun it is that you girls continue Monday Blooms! Love it!
Happy Labor Day!
Thank you so much for your visit and high praise Sarah! I wish I could send some of our rain your way. 2.4 inches today and more on the way this week. Looking forward to seeing your beautiful table and hopping with you tomorrow. 🍽️🍂🧡
What a lovely floral runner… it does match your tablecloth beautifully!
Your arrangement is gorgeous and thank you for sharing how you made it!
The sunflower luncheon plates are quite lovely along with the sunflower goblets and napkins.
A lovely and cheery table!
Happy week to you!
Thank you so much for your sweet comment and visit Nancy! Wishing you a wonderful week ahead. ♥
Cute – flowers in your dog’s hair
Oh yes Mary, your arrangement is so cheery! Sunflowers do make me smile and you are like the quote at the end! You make arranging flowers, so easy. Your table with your new runner looks beautifully set for happiness. 🌻 🌻🌻
Love this, I picked my sunflowers this morning, we are 110 degrees through Saturday, I figured I won’t be in the garden and rather enjoy them indoors before they turn to seed. They are truly smile makers, perfect flower for you all to share! Love your dishes too, as always its picture perfect here, thanks for the smiles!
Your sunflower arrangement is so lovely along with the coleus, the peach and red alstroemeria. The new runner is fabulous with your plates and florals. A very happy and cheerful table, I need to buy some Crowing Glory. My sunflowers always droop.
Another gorgeous Fall Tablescape! I think your container of flowers looked beautiful even before the sunflowers went in…but I love it both ways. I am on the hunt for that stunning table runner. Your posts always make my day!
Sunflower beauty at its best!….from the gorgeous arrangement of flowers to the autumn inspiration of the tablescape. You always manage to find the perfect dinnerware, and linens to coordinate with the theme of your tablescape. Everything so perfectly curated to present the most wonderful inspiration for us to gather and enjoy. Missing my MMB friends! Happy Fall Mary!
Sunshine in my shoulder is a SUNFLOWER! The happiest of flowers! 🌻🌻🌻🌻