Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Blooming Bargains

What is it about flowers that make a house a home? My dream is to always have a bouquet of fresh flowers somewhere in my home. My pocket book doesn't always agree with my dream. Of course during the spring, summer, and fall it doesn't cost anything to
bring in nature
from my yard. But during the cold days of winter I have to rely on other ways to get my
floral fix
on a bargain. One of those ways is to look for flowers in unexpected places.
This beautiful bouquet came from a store that carries out of date and freight damaged food. The tulips were a dollar a bunch. For that price I felt I could splurge and buy five dollars worth.
Another way to save is to ask what day of the week the florist or grocery store has a fresh flower delivery. That will also likely be the day that they mark down flowers to clear them out (look for great bargains AFTER Valentines).
These blooms were on clearance. The great thing about potted flowers is that I can plant them in my yard later. To double my delight these bulbs will bloom next spring. When I buy potted flowers the first thing I do is lose the wrapping, plop the pot into a prettier container, and surround the top with a little moss.I try to save on my outdoor flowers too. Bargains can be found at the end of the season and on holidays. Big box stores will often mark down their plants when they look a little lanky or droopy. I've also been known to ask for the plants that they are throwing away (and have been very tempted to dumpster dive). Annuals can be hard to rescue but perennials can be nurtured back and will bloom for years. My favorite idea for bargain gardening came from a woman who would walk her dog at night and carry scissors with her. As she walked she would take little snippets from her neighbors bushes and flowers; nothing too big that they would miss. ***Edited to add: If you choose to do this please ask permission before taking snippets from your neighbors.*** When she arrived home she would dip the cuttings into root starter. I read that she was able to beautify her entire once-barren yard with just the cost of time, energy and root starter.

9 comments:

Heather at Happy Chippy Junk said...

OOO I love NPS!! I love flowers too...I always pick up a few while there too.

Janelle said...

I love buying tulips in February! Seems like you really need that splash of color this time of year. Trader Joe's often has bunches of tulips for a good price.

I found some wonderful daffodil bulbs at a nursery at the beginning of May. they were marked way down and had just enough bloom left on them that I could tell what they would look like. I planted them in the fall and they come up every spring and look fantastic.

Meredith Haag said...

Wow those flowers are gorgeous! I wish I had flowers all over my house like that!

Annie Joy said...

The flowers were lovely, but thank you even more for the tips! I will be taking advantage of the bargains you suggest!

Andrea said...

I enjoy reading your blog and seeing your creative talent shining through in all the beautiful things you do!
I also love having fresh flowers in our home! This winter I am forcing Daffodil bulbs for the first time and they are coming up - I'm so excited!!
It does bother me that you would suggest taking snippets from others yards without their permission.

Joy said...

Andrea is right!
I would hate to be responsible for angry neighbors or anyone landing in jail.
PLEASE ask permission before taking snippets.

Mom in High Heels said...

I love flowers! Sadly my allergies limit the kinds that we can bring into the house. I love the look of sunflowers but they cannot come in the house or I am miserable! I do love tulips though. In fact, I have a vase of them sitting on my coffee table right now. I can buy a bouquet of 10 tulips at Aldi for 1.99 Euro (about $2.30) and they are tightly closed when I buy them so they last all week. During the big growing season in the Netherlands, they can often be found for 1 Euro a bunch (about $1.15) and that makes me deliriously happy. I wish I could fill my whole home with flowers all the time.
When we lived in the US and had a house, we would shop for end of season or "sad" perennials that were marked way down and take them home to plant. The next season, we had beautiful blooms. We did this for 3 years and now the new owners of our house must have a lovely garden.

Erin said...

Great ideas- but what's a root starter?

Lisa said...

What gorgeous flowers- I needed that! What's the name of the discount store where you buy the flowers? I have a wedding in May~ right now I'm thinking about hydrangea plants as centerpieces, then I can plant them in the yard. Thanks for the visit!

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