Upsides to the Down Economy/Flower Arrangements

I used to occasionally treat myself to a bouquet of flowers when I went grocery shopping and I always made sure to have one on hand if company was coming for dinner. Now, I rarely, if ever, buy flowers or arrangements. Instead, I rely on the natural flora and fauna outside my front (and back) door for inspiration. When I want to spruce up the house, I walk outside, clip some flowers, leaves, palm fronds. bamboo sticks, or whatever I can find and make up my own arrangement in vases I have at home. I am lucky to live in Miami with many tropical plants at my disposal, but I'm sure you could find something in your yard to clip and use. Even small wildflowers, or herbs look good when grouped together in little vases. If you have nothing available, you can also make arrangements out of a bowl full of lemons, oranges or even nuts in the shell (good for fall). Fall leaves look pretty arranged on a pewter plate or in a hurricane lamp; even bare branches can look artistic (or spooky) when artfully arranged. For my last end-of-the-year tennis party, a friend came over and helped me arrange vases full of flowers from the backyard. She used scissors to cut plants down to size and even cut leaves into different shapes. Here are some photos of the resulting arrangements. So- be creative and save money at the same time.