8 Tips for Decorating Your Home with Sustainable Flowers
Decorating with fresh cut flowers is one of the easiest ways to brighten your spirits and add beauty and fragrance to your home. Flowers have the power to transform any space from blah to wow, whether decorating for everyday or for those special occasions. With a little creativity, a little work and some research, you can make your home into flowering paradise.
Before you get started
You might not be aware of the dirty little secret of the flower industry. Before heading out to the florist, it’s important to know that the conventionally-grown flowers can be pretty harmful to the environment, have social and economic justice implications, and might even be harmful to your health, due to the pesticides used during the growing process and chemicals used at the florist’s shop.
The solution is to source locally-grown organic or naturally grown flowers (where no pesticides have been used, but there’s currently no organic certification for flowers), find an eco-friendly florist and/or grow your own (especially native species).
Resources
Find a Farmers’ Market near you at Local Harvest. Many fruit and vegetable sellers also have a nice variety of local and chemical-free flowers.
Look for organically-grown or Veriflora Certified flowers when buying flowers at retailers like Whole Foods or at the florists.
Learn how to plant your own native species at your local horticultural society, nature center or Cooperative Extension office.
Terrain is a great place to shop for flower arranging supplies and other items you might need to decorate with flowers.
Tips and ideas for decorating with fresh flowers
1. Flea Market Finds
Fill mason jars, reclaimed watering cans, old pop bottles and other flea market trash to treasure purchases with fresh flowers.
2. Monochromatic displays
Choose one color and stick to it. Mix different flowers of the same color in the same arrangement and/or include displays of different varieties in the same color all over your home. For this time of year, mix forsythia, yellow tulips and daffodils for a terrific bright display.
3. Plan your arrangements around the seasons
To be in sync with what’s available locally, plan your flower displays around the seasons. Tiger lily’s are ubiquitous in many parts of the US in late summer and early fall and roses are a peak summertime flower.
4. Remember the bedrooms and bathrooms
Flowers don’t just have to be for the public areas of your home! Spruce up your bedside table with a bright bouquet to help you welcome the day.
5. Use contrasting colors
Contrasting colors can offer more visual interest in your arrangements. For spring, use violets and yellow crocuses for a sweet and stunning combination.
6. Forget about the centerpiece
Instead of a centerpiece, consider individual arrangements at each place setting when entertaining. It’s totally unexpected.
7. Pressed flowers
Create permanent flower displays by pressing and framing flowers. This is a great way to save your favorite flowers all year long.
8. Window boxes
Bring the concept of window boxes inside for longer term flower displays. You can plant new flowers each season–crocuses for spring, poppies for summer and mums for autumn.
image: pilli pilli
