Church Flowers

As we pasted the craft paper to the sides of the milk carton I knew my mother would love the hand made craft of propagated Marigold seeds. They were petite yellow French marigolds, as I would discover some time later in life. These small flowers quickly outgrew the carton and my mother planted them outside by the sidewalk. They died out and created seed pods which my mother took and planted the next season. Mom has gone on now and I have been to her grave site, out of state, and planted marigolds right there. Planting flowers has since become a hobby and a great love of mine. I grow 50 to 200 individual plants on my front porch every year and even more in my yard. I grow everything from daisies to roses to lilies. I have grown Foxglove, columbine, lambs ear, crown of thorns, cactus, and various succulents just to name a few.

Growing flowers is a great hobby, but even more than that is displaying the flowers in a beautiful way that brings a pleasing sight. Creations imagined and brought forth by God alone. I keep two pair of sheers on my porch, one in my car and another in the bedroom (for safe keeping). Some plants can be cut and propagated in water, others in soil, and yet all can be cut and displayed in an arrangement that is different than any before it! I am always ready to cut and propagate these flowers any time (always with the owners permission of course)! Proper soil and rooting hormone powder at the correct time of year will bring fantastic results for many years to come. If not to propagate then surely a vase for a beautiful display.

Several years ago I started bringing displays of flowers to church and making some beautiful arrangements, year round. A certain friend of mine invited me to his yard to clip flowers also that would complement the ones I already had. A single long stem rose with one long piece of pompous grass on each side , and don't forget to take the scissors to the grass like a ribbon at Christmas and gently curl it! Now that was a beauty if I do say so myself. In church there is a front door , a back door, a back porch and always front and center in the sanctuary. All were decorated from time to time and , at the right season, they all were full of plants and arrangements. I would even take my coconut fiber baskets down and set them on stands for display on the porch! The front porch always had two large flower pots with impatiens growing in them, simple yet beautiful.

As the time goes on artificial arrangements are also to be used. Modeled after the God given real thing these beauties are as unique and can even be reused! Artificial flowers require a little more arranging than real ones; besides scissors, a good pair of wire cutters and a little floral wire is also a great help. I purchased a few four foot vases and some giant sized flowers including roses, gerbera daisies. Shasta daisies, peonies, forsythia, lilac and ranunculus just to name a few. These giant vases of flowers were placed at entrance ways and became a part of the scenery to be seen by all and to be changed out ever so often. Baskets and artificial flowers go hand in hand as do vases and fresh cut ones! long stems with flowers all down the stem coupled with lilies and roses created a breathtaking arrangement that now became possible because I could buy and not have to grow them; the possibilities were seemingly endless.

As I look back over the years and remember the many arrangements I have made I still see the first flowers that brought a smile to my face, marigolds! One year I lined the sidewalk leading up to the church with orange and yellow marigolds. It truly was a flower strewn pathway. Now I plant marigolds to keep the deer off of my other plants, and it really does work! I love my plants and I love my flowers but my all time favorite will have to be the Marigold. By the way I still keep a pair or two of scissors handy "just in case".