Growing Flowers for Sustainable Weddings

part deux

On one side of the house, I cleared some space for some ferns and larger leaf plants.  Mostly because it's a moist area and doesn't get as much sun as other parts of our lot.  

Here are some of what I planted:

And this little guy, I didn't plant, but is a byproduct of our bird feeder.  More sunflower seeds to come for the neighborhood birds.

I also planted a few other plants elsewhere in my garden, with the specific idea of using their leaves and flowers for green and sustainable flower design:

A gardenia plant

Jasmine

A small lemon tree

Lavender

Mint

Rosemary

When we moved in to our house, it happened to come with 6 green hydrangea plants.  They are so great for floral decor and I just love their light green/chartreuse color.  They are just starting to come back this spring/summer, and are looking great so far.  Last year we had a little bug issue, maybe some caterpillars eating the leaves, I'm hoping they'll satiate their bellies with just the low leaves, and leave the flowers and top leaves alone.  Otherwise, I'll be looking into some pesticide-free methods of dealing with them.  I'll let you know how that goes.  

I'm excited to watch all these plants grow over the next year, and of course to start using their beautiful leaves and flowers for floral designs.  I have to say, it's been so great having fresh flowers to cut and display in my own house.  It adds so much joy and seems too easy.  I definitely suggest growing your own plants and flowers, (pesticide free of course) not just for the benefit of the planet and the health of our atmosphere, but also for your emotional health.  

In Green and Health,

G&G